Hemsworth Arts and Community College

Hemsworth Arts and Community College Inspection report

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Age group 11–19 Inspection date(s) 14–15 March 2012 Inspection number 377728 Unique Reference Number 108274 Local authority Wakefield Inspection number 377728 Inspection dates 14–15 March 2012 Lead inspector Declan McCarthy

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This inspection of the college was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare provision, managed by the governing body, was inspected under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Type of college Secondary College category Community Age range of pupils 11–19 Gender of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed Number of pupils on the college roll 1,658 Of which number on roll in the sixth form 331 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair David Waterson Headteacher Pamela Massett Date of previous college inspection 8 January 2009 College address Station Road Hemsworth Pontefract WF9 4HW Telephone number 01977 624220 Fax number 01977 624221 Email address reception@hemsworth.wakefield.sch.uk

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Registered childcare provision First Steps Nursery Number of children on roll in the registered childcare provision Date of last inspection of registered childcare provision 8 January 2009 You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child's college. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which colleges to inspect and when.

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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about colleges in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), colleges, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the college. Under the Education Act 2005, the college 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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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

Declan McCarthy Pamela Hemphill Additional inspector Additional inspector Tony Price Additional inspector Ariane Roberts Additional inspector Lenford White Additional inspector Steve Rigby Additional inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice. Inspectors observed 58 lessons taught by 54 teachers. Four of the lessons were joint observations with three subject leaders. Meetings were held with a small group of parents, two groups of students, representatives of the governing body, staff, a local authority representative and the School Improvement Partner. Inspectors took account of the responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection. They observed the college's work, and looked at a range of documentation including assessment information, college development planning, minutes of meetings of the governing body and students’ books. The inspection questionnaires returned by staff, students and 427 parents and carers were scrutinised.

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Information about the school

The college is larger than the average-sized secondary school. Nearly all students come from White British backgrounds. The proportion of students known to be eligible for free school meals is above average. The proportion of disabled students and those who have special educational needs is broadly average, although there is a below average number that have a statement of special educational needs. The college meets the government’s current floor standard for secondary schools, which sets the minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress. The college has specialist status in the arts and also provides full extended services. The First Steps Nursery on the college site is managed by the governing body and provides both full- and part-time day care for children aged from several months to five years. Currently, there are 37 children under three years of age and 15 children between three and five years of age. The college has a number of awards

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Information about the school

including full International School Status, Investors in People and the Community Engagement and Quality award. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key Findings

In accordance with section 13(3) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector 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 needed in relation to students’ achievement.

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Key Findings

 The college’s overall effectiveness is inadequate. Until recently there have been large gaps in the performance of different groups of students, including average and higher attaining students and White British students. Strong action by the college’s leaders is beginning to narrow these gaps, although overall achievement remains inadequate and attainment is low, and hence the college is not providing a satisfactory standard of education. Improvements in teaching are having a marked impact in accelerating learning and reducing inadequate achievement at Key Stages 3 and 4. Current assessment information and lesson observations show much-improved rates of progress. This is the result of successful efforts by the leadership team to reduce weaknesses in the quality of teaching.

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Key Findings

 Teaching is satisfactory overall but is variable. Most teaching seen during the inspection was satisfactory or good. A few lessons were outstanding and in a very small number of lessons observed teaching was inadequate. There are inconsistencies in teachers’ marking, expectations are not always high enough and work is not always matched to students’ different abilities. Students usually apply themselves well to their learning and develop their communication skills satisfactorily. Teaching in the sixth form is good.

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Key Findings

 Behaviour and safety are satisfactory. This satisfactory behaviour around the college and in lessons contributes positively to students’ learning as significant disruption in lessons is uncommon. Students and their parents and carers raised a few concerns about bullying but acknowledged this was dealt with quickly and effectively by the college.

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Key Findings

 Leadership at all levels is raising teachers’ expectations and improving students’ achievement. The sixth form is good having improved from satisfactory at the last inspection. Effective leadership of teaching and management of performance across the whole college have tackled major weaknesses in teaching and are closing gaps in performance between different groups of students. Leaders have also implemented successful strategies to raise attendance. As a result, the college demonstrates the capacity to improve.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve students’ achievement so that attainment is at least broadly in line with national averages by: - eliminating the remaining inadequate teaching and by sharing the good and outstanding practice in teaching evident in the college - ensuring teachers’ expectations of what students should achieve are consistently high - ensuring teachers consistently use assessment information to plan appropriate activities so that all students make at least good progress - improving the use of questioning to extend students’ thinking - ensuring consistency in marking so that all students know their next steps for learning.

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Achievement of pupils

Students arrive in college with low levels of attainment. The percentage of students gaining five A* to C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics is currently below the national average. However, it has risen over the past three years, reducing the gap with national attainment. The proportion of students attaining five A* to C grades across all subjects at GCSE has remained low and the gap with national attainment has widened. Attainment in many subjects at the higher grades of A* and A, for example, English, mathematics, science, humanities, modern foreign languages and physical education remains low. The attainment of many groups, including boys, girls and students supported at school action, special educational needs, is low.

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Achievement of pupils

Learning and progress observed in lessons were generally satisfactory and in just over half of lessons were good. In lessons, disabled students and those with special educational needs made satisfactory and sometimes good progress as a result of effective support for learning. However, sometimes pupils of different abilities do the same work so that for lower attaining students work is too difficult and for the more able it does not challenge their thinking enough. The college has taken steps to address underachievement in mathematics and there are promising signs that this is already having an effect among younger cohorts. The college’s accurate procedures for tracking students’ progress indicate that students are on course to meet their more challenging targets and that examination results in English and mathematics are expected to rise.

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Achievement of pupils

Most parents and carers believe that students are making good progress. However, students’ progress over time is significantly below expectations and has declined over the last three years. The progress over time for the majority of groups is significantly below that of similar groups nationally. Many groups have underachieved, especially girls and students of higher ability. Nevertheless, students’ overall progress in English is now satisfactory with the proportion of students making the expected levels of progress from Key Stage 2 to 4 broadly in line with the national average. The college has secure evidence to show that there is already improvement in students’ progress in mathematics, from significantly below to below average as a result of the effective actions taken by the leadership.

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Achievement of pupils

Students in the sixth form are making good progress in their AS and A-level courses. Retention rates are high and the examination success rate has improved significantly since 2008 as a result of the highly effective strategic intervention plan which has improved the quality of teaching and learning in the sixth form. In lessons seen, students were focused on learning and had an accurate view of the good progress they were making over time.

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Quality of teaching

Inspection evidence and the school’s own monitoring information show an improving picture of teaching. However, teaching is too variable across the school. While the majority is good or better, a significant proportion remains satisfactory and on rare occasions it is inadequate. Teachers maintain good relationships with students which lead to positive levels of participation and engagement in learning. In the best lessons, teaching is brisk and lively; there are high expectations for learning, appropriate levels of challenge, good use of assessment information to support learning and good use of well-chosen resources. As a result, students are enthused and enjoy their learning. This was seen in a music lesson, where students greatly enjoyed playing guitars and made good progress in musical performance. In good or better lessons, questioning is used well to probe understanding and move learning forward. However, in satisfactory lessons, expectations are not always

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Quality of teaching

high enough and assessment information is not used to challenge students’ thinking. This limits students’ learning. For example, in one lesson, tasks were not clearly focused and lacked stimulation and progress slowed as a result. Very occasionally, teaching does not motivate students and low-level disruptive behaviour occurs, reducing students’ learning.

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Quality of teaching

Additional support for learning is usually good. Teaching assistants focus on key vocabulary explaining this carefully so that students with disabilities and those with special educational needs understand the concepts and tasks and make the same progress as other groups. However, learning tasks are not always matched to students’ different needs and marking does not always inform students of the next steps in their learning. Nevertheless, the planned curriculum has an appropriate emphasis on developing literacy skills and is raising teachers’ expectations of students’ capabilities, although opportunities to promote numeracy are less well developed. Information from prior learning is used to plan lessons that build on students’ knowledge, skills and understanding. There is usually a good range of activities to stimulate enjoyment for learning and increase motivation.

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Quality of teaching

Nearly all teaching in the sixth form is good and sometimes it is outstanding. Lessons are well planned and assessment is used effectively to prepare students well for examination courses. Parents and carers believe teaching has improved. Inspectors agree but find that inconsistencies in quality remain.

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Quality of teaching

Teaching promotes students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development satisfactorily. Staff plan opportunities for paired and group work to promote students’ social development. They provide opportunities for students to reflect on their learning and develop awareness and appreciation of diversity, especially through the arts and humanities. Geography, art and music lessons promote awareness of the diversity of other cultures, major world religions and global societies.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Most students behave well in lessons and they were well behaved and considerate to each other around the college. However, some students lack positive attitudes to learning and their lack of enthusiasm in lessons is seen in their reluctance to respond to teachers’ questioning. A few staff were inconsistent in the use of the college’s behaviour management policy. Students say that behaviour is satisfactory and teachers generally manage behaviour well. They believe that bullying is rare and when it occurs it is dealt with quickly by staff. Parents and carers acknowledge that any bullying is dealt with quickly and effectively. Exclusion is used as a last resort and has been applied to prejudice-based bullying to good effect, which has resulted in a significant reduction in such incidents. The college carefully monitors the behaviour of students at risk of exclusion and reduces the likelihood of their

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

future exclusion from school. Students are usually punctual to lessons and attendance has improved during the past year to broadly average levels. Most students, parents and carers indicated in their questionnaires that students feel safe and behaviour is improving. The curriculum encourages students to adopt safe practices, particularly in the use of information and communication technology and practical equipment.

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Leadership and management

Strong action by the college’s leaders is beginning to narrow the gaps in students’ performance. For example, the recent recruitment of a strong leader for mathematics has already improved the quality of teaching in this subject so that students are making better progress. Performance management has improved and all teachers are set targets to eliminate any weaknesses identified from observations of their teaching. Middle leaders have been trained and are carrying out lesson observations to determine the quality of teaching. This work is closely monitored by senior leaders to ensure consistency in judgements. Outcomes of monitoring activities are included in the college improvement plan as priorities for development so that effective steps are taken to close any gaps in students’ achievement. The college’s leaders recognise that there is more to be done to improve the consistency of teaching, for example by sharing good practice, but have taken significant

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Leadership and management

steps forward so that very little inadequate teaching remains.

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Leadership and management

Since the last inspection, leaders have made good improvements in addressing the areas for improvement for the sixth form and for improving learning at Key Stage 3. Leaders of the sixth form have raised expectations by setting more challenging targets for learning and reviewing these regularly with students. These good improvements provide convincing evidence that the college has the capacity to improve. While gaps in performance remain, they are beginning to narrow, demonstrating satisfactory promotion of equality of opportunity. The college effectively tackles any form of discrimination.

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Leadership and management

Parents and carers are appreciative of the work of the college. In most of their questionnaires they feel well informed about their children’s progress, particularly those parents and carers of potentially vulnerable students. However parents and carers, as a whole, are not sufficiently well-informed because students’ achievement is inadequate overall. The curriculum is relevant to students’ needs in providing a range of academic and vocational pathways. The strong emphasis on the arts, through the college’s specialism, builds pupils’ spiritual, moral social and cultural development, especially their self- confidence.

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Leadership and management

The college’s arrangements for safeguarding meet requirements and staff are vigilant in the supervision of students to ensure their safety around the college. The governing body ensures statutory requirements are met and has a clear view of future priorities for the college, for example by challenging previous underperformance in mathematics.

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childcare provision

The effectiveness of First Steps is good. Children make good progress in all areas of learning as a result of well-planned activities and opportunities which stimulate their enthusiasm for learning. The setting provides a safe and secure environment for children. Safeguarding meets requirements and is supported by a range of policies that are regularly reviewed. There are strong links with parents and carers and with the local community. Outstanding leadership ensures excellent communication between staff and parents and carers, who are kept well informed about their children’s learning and well-being. Leaders ensure that the learning and welfare requirements of the registered childcare provision are met. Teaching is good, with a strong emphasis on the development of children’s, communication language and literacy skills and their personal social and emotional development, through well planned learning activities. There is a good balance of staff-led and child-initiated indoor and

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childcare provision

outdoor learning activities. Although the accessibility of resources within the indoor learning environment is limited by the amount of space, the outdoor learning environment provides stimulating and exciting activities, which enthuse children and promote their learning, such as when they grow seedlings. Assessment is good and children’s progress in small steps is recorded regularly in learning journals, although the provision has not fully developed the use of the Foundation Stage Profile to inform judgements about overall achievement. Nearly all parents and carers returned their questionnaires and responded very positively to the quality of childcare provision.

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childcare provision

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage of the registered childcare provision, inspected under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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childcare provision

Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage Taking into account: Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage The effectiveness of leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage for the registered provision

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils' needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 46 8 0 Primary schools 8 47 40 5 Secondary schools 14 38 40 8 Special schools 28 48 20 4 Pupil referral units 15 50 29 5 All schools 11 46 38 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ).

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils' work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils' punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school's overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils' attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils' freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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to share with their children. It describes Ofsted's main

findings from the inspection of their school.

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4HW

Thank you for making us feel welcome when we visited your college recently. I would also like to thank you for telling us about your college. We found the overall effectiveness of your college to be inadequate because of weaknesses in achievement. It therefore requires a notice to improve and will be visited again by inspectors. Nevertheless, we agreed with you and your parents and carers that your college is improving in many areas. For example, the sixth form has moved from satisfactory to good since the last inspection and the quality of teaching is also improving.

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4HW

We were pleased you know your targets. Teaching is satisfactory overall but varies in quality across the college. In those lessons where teaching is good or better, you make quicker progress but there are still too many lessons where this is not the case. We found your behaviour was often good in lessons and around the college, although there were a few instances of disruption in some classes. We agreed with you and your parents and carers that you stay safe and that if any bullying occurs it is dealt with effectively by staff.

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4HW

To further improve, we have asked your college to raise achievement to at least the levels expected for your ages by eliminating remaining weaknesses in teaching and by developing more that is good and better. We want the work you are given to be neither too easy nor too difficult and we want to see greater consistency in marking so that you always know the next steps in learning. You can help by doing your best and by encouraging good behaviour. I wish you all the best for the future.

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4HW

Declan McCarthy Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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