St Anne's Roman Catholic High School, Stockport

Inspection Report St Anne's Roman Catholic High School, Stockport

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106144 Unique Reference Number Stockport LEA 277498 Inspection number 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005 Inspection dates Ms Julie Price Grimshaw HMI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Glenfield Road School address Secondary Type of school Heaton Chapel Voluntary aided School category Stockport, Cheshire SK4 2QP 11 to 16 Age range of pupils 0161 432 8162 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0161 443 1105 Fax number 710 Number on roll Mrs C Little Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs H Kelly Headteacher 14 February 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277498 2 November 2005 - 11 to 16 3 November 2005 Inspection Report: St Anne's Roman Catholic High School, Stockport, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two of Her Majesty's Inspectors and two additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

St Anne's Roman Catholic High School is a smaller than average comprehensive school with 710 pupils on roll. The number of pupils claiming free school meals is a little higher than the national average. The school's population is largely white British with a small number of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds. Only 1.6% of pupils have English as a second language. The number of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is broadly in line with the national average. Overall, pupils' attainment on entry to the school is close to the national average. The current acting headteacher took up post in April 2005.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Anne's Roman Catholic High School, Stockport, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005

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Grade: 4

In accordance with section 13 (3) of the Education Act 2005, HMCI is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than in all the circumstances it could reasonably be expected to perform. The school is therefore given a notice to improve. Significant improvement is required in relation to standards and achievement, teaching and learning, and leadership and management. The school's evaluation of its work is accurate in that it recognises the main strengths and areas of weakness in the provision. Results in tests and general certificate of secondary education (GCSE) examinations are below average and pupils do not make satisfactory progress. There is too much unsatisfactory teaching, and pupils are not always told what they need to do in order to improve their work. The school recognises the need to review the curriculum so that it provides an appropriate range of learning

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Grade: 4

activities for all pupils, and it plans to carry out such a review in the very near future. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is good and on the whole parents are supportive of the school. However, too many pupils do not adopt healthy lifestyles, and there is no structured programme of health education for pupils in Years 7 to 9. Inadequate leadership and management at all levels have contributed to these shortcomings. Governance is inadequate as until recently, the governing body has had far too little involvement in the running of the school, and some statutory requirements have not been met. The inspection team agrees with the school's judgement that improvement since the previous inspection is inadequate. The senior leadership team underwent radical change in April 2005 when a new acting headteacher was appointed and the school entered into a federation with another Roman Catholic school in the diocese. An acting deputy headteacher and two assistant

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Grade: 4

headteachers were appointed and the federation headteacher provides good quality support to the new senior leadership team. Together they have planned a range of appropriate strategies to move the school forward. Consequently, although the school's overall effectiveness is inadequate the recently appointed managers have demonstrated the capacity to make the necessary improvements.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Urgently improve standards and the quality of teaching, particularly in science, through rigorous monitoring. • Analyse reasons for the underachievement of some pupils, especially girls, and take immediate action to ensure that all pupils make sufficient progress. • Ensure that the governing body fulfils all responsibilities and takes an active role in securing all necessary improvements. • Establish a coherent health education programme to ensure that learners adopt healthy lifestyles. 2 Inspection Report: St Anne's Roman Catholic High School, Stockport, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005

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Grade: 4

Standards are too low and progress is inadequate. Pupils enter the school with standards that are broadly average but by the time they leave their standards have dropped. Standards at the end of both Year 9 and Year 11 remain significantly below average. Boys make better progress than girls but the school has not yet discovered why. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make similar progress to their classmates. The school recognises that its recent examination results have been inadequate. The school met only one of its targets for GCSE results in 2005 (which were broadly similar to those for 2004); the poor performance of science had a significant impact on the overall results. Targets for the tests in Year 9 were exceeded in mathematics but missed in English and science. There is considerable variation in GCSE results across the subjects, reflecting inconsistencies in the quality of teaching that pupils receive.

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Grade: 4

However, the school's analysis of performance is becoming more rigorous and the root causes of much of the poor performance have been identified; underachieving pupils are targeted much earlier and, although it is early days, intervention strategies show signs of some impact on raising standards. For example, the Year 9 test results for 2005 do show some improvement, particularly in mathematics, and results from GCSE modular course work already completed indicate that results are on course to improve for 2006.

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Grade: 3

Pupils' personal development and well-being are satisfactory and this is correctly identified through the school's self evaluation. There have been recent substantial improvements in pupils' attitudes to learning and their behaviour. The standard of pupils' behaviour in lessons is now satisfactory overall and this ensures that learning is the main focus of their attention and energy. Levels of short-term exclusion have declined recently. Pupils enjoy coming to school and enjoy lessons in which they are encouraged to take an active part. They don't enjoy lessons, however, which involve 'lots of copying off the board or out of books'. Attendance is unsatisfactory, but absence is now followed up more quickly. The school tackles bullying effectively. Pupils feel safe and know exactly what action to take if bullying occurs. A team of older pupils have been trained as peer mediators. They provide a welcome first port of call for anyone who feels they have been bullied

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Grade: 3

and wants to talk about this. The school council works well; its members are enthusiastic and are committed to making a range of improvements, and there is a healthy competition for places on the council. One member of the school council said, 'we want to make a difference and we take this responsibility seriously.' The council has been successful in giving pupils a voice and making some improvements to school life. For example, the school council promoted the installation of closed circuit television cameras, which help pupils feel safe around school. On other issues, such as the very poor state of the toilets, less progress has been made. 3 Inspection Report: St Anne's Roman Catholic High School, Stockport, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005 Pupils' spiritual and moral development is good. They have a strong sense of their responsibilities as part of the school community, and show understanding and respect

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Grade: 3

for other cultures and religions. Some steps have been taken to promote healthy eating but too many pupils do not adopt healthy lifestyles. There is no personal, social and health education programme for pupils in Years 7 to 9.

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Grade: 4

There is too much teaching that does not allow pupils to learn enough in Years 7 to 11. In making this judgement, inspectors broadly agree with the school's own analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of teaching and learning. To tackle shortcomings, the school has introduced initiatives to improve the quality of teaching and learning. While these have started to have some impact, it still remains the case that the quality of teaching remains inconsistent and pupils' standards are still not high enough. In the better lessons, teachers have high expectations of how pupils will work and behave. Such lessons are well prepared, resources are carefully selected and stimulating and the pace is brisk. Plenary sessions are used effectively to consolidate what pupils have learnt. In inadequate lessons, teachers do not provide enough challenge for pupils, the tasks they set are undemanding and pupils lose interest. When the pace is too slow, pupils

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Grade: 4

become restless, their behaviour deteriorates and the teacher spends too much time controlling pupils instead of teaching them. In other less effective lessons, teachers require pupils to be passive and do not create opportunities for them to participate actively. The quality of marking and assessment is variable. At best, it is thorough and tells pupils what they need to do to improve. However, too much of it is inadequate. In some cases the marking is very superficial and gives pupils no guidance about how to improve. In others, books had not been marked for a number of weeks. A number of pupils expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of marking and with how long it took some teachers to return books to them.

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Grade: 3

An appropriate range of subjects is provided in Years 7 to 9. There is a sound balance of mixed ability and settled groups, with increased setting being introduced in Years 8 and 9. The curriculum in Years 10 and 11 has been expanded to meet better the needs of a wider range of pupils. This includes the opportunity for pupils gifted in mathematics or drama to take GCSE courses early and then to take more demanding courses in Year 11. A good variety of vocational courses is also available and are run in conjunction with local colleges. However, the way in which these courses have been timetabled means that pupils miss some lessons in other subjects and a number of 4 Inspection Report: St Anne's Roman Catholic High School, Stockport, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005 them have difficulty in catching up. The teaching of citizenship throughout the school and of personal and social education in Years 7 to 9 is inadequate. The ten minutes

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Grade: 3

allocated for the tutor period at the end of the day is not used efficiently. The school has identified these shortcomings and intends to rectify them in the forthcoming curriculum review.

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Grade: 3

The quality of care, guidance and support for pupils is satisfactory. The school is good at identifying pupils, such as those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities who need extra help to succeed, and at carefully monitoring their progress. The progress made by all pupils is formally assessed three times a year. However, between these times there are wide variations between subjects in how thoroughly pupils are informed about their progress. Pupils are confident that they can speak to their form tutors about any matters that are worrying them. There is a specialist team of Year 7 tutors who concentrate on ensuring that pupils enjoy a smooth transfer from primary schools. The role of the form tutor in other years and the use of tutor time are not sufficiently well defined. Systems for child protection are good and are well understood by staff. There is a specialised careers guidance office and library which many pupils use.

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Grade: 4

Leadership and management have been ineffective in raising achievement and supporting all learners, and are therefore judged to be inadequate. However, the current senior leadership team is beginning to implement strategies in order to tackle shortcomings and raise attainment although it has been in place for only a short period of time. The diocese has provided support by engaging the services of a federation headteacher for three days a week and he carries out valuable work in providing strategic management and supporting the senior leadership team. With his support and guidance, school managers have produced a good quality plan for raising attainment across the school. The quality of the school's self evaluation is satisfactory and is beginning to have a positive impact on the quality of teaching and pupil attainment. The senior leadership team are showing that they are prepared to make difficult decisions and take

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Grade: 4

appropriate action in order to deal with unsatisfactory teaching. The views of parents and other stakeholders are sought, and communication between the school and parents is improving. Some parents have commented on recent improvements to the school, linking these to strengths of the new school managers. The governing body does not adequately discharge its responsibilities, and this aspect of leadership and management is unsatisfactory. Since the school leadership team has been reorganised, the governing body is beginning to become more actively involved in school management. 5 Inspection Report: St Anne's Roman Catholic High School, Stockport, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005 Because of the weaknesses identified, the school does not provide satisfactory value for money. 6 Inspection Report: St Anne's Roman Catholic High School, Stockport, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 Inspection Report: St Anne's Roman Catholic High School, Stockport, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 3 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA NA The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA No Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 4 How well do learners achieve? NA 4 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 4 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 4 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 3 The behaviour of learners NA 4 The attendance of learners NA 3 How well learners enjoy their education NA 3 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 4 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 3 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 4 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 3 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 3 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 3 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 4 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 4 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams Yes Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form Yes Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Following our visit to your school we would like to thank you for making us feel welcome and for sharing your views with us. We would like to tell you what we found out about your school. You told us that the lessons you enjoy most are those where you take a very active part, and that some of your teachers work hard to make lessons interesting for you. You also said that sometimes you are asked to do less interesting tasks, such as copying out of books, and that you do not find this very helpful or enjoyable. Some of your teachers give you lots of feedback on your work and help you to improve, but you were unhappy that sometimes your work was not marked. The school council is very keen to help make the school a better place for all of you. You told us that you feel safe around the school, partly because of the CCTV cameras. However, you are very unhappy about the state of the school toilets, and we agree that these need to be improved.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We believe that your school needs to make some improvements. The examination results at St Anne's have not been as good as we would expect and some of you are not making as much progress as we think you should. We know that Mrs Kelly and the other school managers have not been in post for very long, but we can see that they have already made some changes that should help you all to make more progress. We have asked your teachers to try and make learning as enjoyable as possible for you. You have an important part to play in improving your school. We would like you to work even harder and continue to put your views forward through the school council. We and your teachers want you to achieve your full potential and make the most of your time at St. Anne's.

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