Campion School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.1

Mr Jassa Panesar Headteacher Campion School Sydenham Drive Leamington Spa Warwickshire CV31 1QH

p.1

Short inspection of Campion School

Following my visit to the school on 13 March 2018 with Rob Steed, Ofsted inspector, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in October 2014.

p.1

Short inspection of Campion School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

p.1

Short inspection of Campion School

You have an in-depth knowledge of the school and the community it serves. You have a relentless determination to make sure that the school provides an excellent education and enhances the life chances of pupils. Your ambition for the school, supported effectively by senior leaders and governors, has led to increasingly good examination results at both key stages 4 and 5. In 2017 the overall progress of pupils at key stages 4 and 5 was well above the national average. The attainment of most groups of pupils, in a range of subjects, was in line with or above the national average.

p.1

Short inspection of Campion School

You implemented effective strategies to respond to the finding of the last full inspection. Attainment in mathematics is improving and getting closer to attainment in English at the end of key stage 4. The progress of pupils with low prior attainment is now higher than that of other groups.

p.1

Short inspection of Campion School

The expansion of the school from five-form to seven-form entry from September 2020 has been approved by the local authority. You, your senior team and governors have clear strategic plans in place to ensure that the quality of education continues to improve while the school grows. Key appointments have already been made to increase the capacity of the leadership team and manage the expansion successfully. The school serves a diverse community in a less-affluent part of town. An increasing number of pupils who join the school speak English as an additional language, many of whom are recent arrivals to Britain. These pupils are well supported to improve their language skills and make good progress. Notable features of the school are its inclusive ethos and its focus on raising aspirations. Very effective careers advice and a wide range of enrichment activities contribute greatly to pupils’ positive attitudes

p.1

Short inspection of Campion School

to learning and enjoyment of school. Sixth-form learners are actively involved in the life of the school and contribute to making it a cohesive community. They act as sports coaches and subject mentors to younger pupils. A group of sixth-form learners run an Amnesty International group, which involves pupils of all ages.

p.2

Short inspection of Campion School

The vast majority of parents and carers have a positive opinion of the school. Their comments highlight the ways in which the school boosts their children’s confidence and supports their progress.

p.2

Short inspection of Campion School

You are aware of what needs to be done to build upon current successes and improve the school further. This includes an increased focus on the progress of pupils with high prior attainment, and embedding the culture of positive behaviour you are developing through your recent initiatives.

p.2

Short inspection of Campion School

There are strong safeguarding practices and a culture of care and support for pupils in the school. You ensure that effective systems are in place to identify and support pupils who are vulnerable. These systems include support for pupils who are educated at alternative provisions. You, senior leaders and governors ensure that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. There are six members of staff who have specific responsibility for safeguarding. You work closely with external agencies to ensure that pupils who need support, and their families, receive appropriate help, so that issues can be resolved as swiftly and effectively as possible.

p.2

Short inspection of Campion School

Pupils are clearly aware of what they have to do to keep safe in a range of situations in and outside school. They said that they feel safe at school and they have confidence in the willingness and ability of staff to help them should they have problems.

p.2

Inspection findings

 Your focus on raising aspirations and achieving academic excellence, supported effectively by senior and middle leaders and the vast majority of staff, is having an increasingly positive impact on outcomes for pupils. The effective strategies that allowed pupils, especially those with low starting points, to make strong progress by the end of key stage 4 in 2017 are being embedded, so that the successes of last year can be sustained.  You and the senior leadership team have put in place effective training programmes for staff. You make the most of the strong links the school has with other successful schools and initial teacher training providers to give staff access to a wide range of professional development opportunities. As a result, highly effective teaching is increasingly the norm across the curriculum.  You are developing the curriculum further to continue to improve outcomes for pupils, especially for those with high prior attainment, whose progress was less

p.2

Inspection findings

rapid than that of other groups in 2017.  Pupils who join the school in year 7 are assessed in mathematics and English, and their key stage 2 scores are also taken into account, to ensure that they are provided with the most appropriate combination and balance of subjects. As a result, teachers are able to adapt learning activities more accurately to match the abilities of pupils.  In 2017, a small minority of pupils, and only a few disadvantaged pupils, were entered for the subjects that could have allowed them to achieve the English baccalaureate. This year, to ensure that more pupils for whom it is appropriate are entered for this qualification, the vast majority of pupils in Year 10 are studying a modern foreign language and larger numbers are studying a humanities subject.  The sixth form is small, but expanding. Learners receive effective information about study programmes and careers guidance to help them choose

p.3

Inspection findings

combinations of subjects, either academic or vocational, that match their aspirations and abilities. As a result, the progress of learners is good and improving, and almost all move on to higher education, training or employment.  Since your appointment, you have made the improvement of behaviour a key priority. You introduced a zero-tolerance approach to eradicate bad behaviour. This approach resulted in a rise in the number of fixed-term and permanent exclusions over the last two years. However, there are now effective systems in place within the school to support the few pupils who still find it difficult to adjust to the school’s behaviour code. As a result, the number of exclusions has been greatly reduced this year and the conduct of pupils in lessons and around the school is overwhelmingly positive.  Attendance overall is improving because the school has effective policies and practices in place to check pupils’ attendance records and to take swift actions

p.3

Inspection findings

as soon as issues are identified. When attendance becomes a cause for concern and is having a negative effect on a pupil’s progress or well-being, you and your colleagues work well with external agencies to support the pupils concerned and their families.

p.3

Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:  behaviour continues to be good and improves further by embedding the successful strategies recently implemented  they sustain the improving trends in the progress of pupils with high prior attainment at both key stages 4 and 5.

p.3

Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Warwickshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

p.4

Information about the inspection

During the inspection, inspectors held meetings with you, other senior leaders, representatives of the governing body and subject leaders. Inspectors also met with groups of key stages 3, 4 and 5 pupils and talked to pupils informally. Inspectors observed teaching across the school (which included visits to lessons with you and senior leaders), looked at pupils’ work in their books and observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school. Inspectors scrutinised key documents, including the school’s self-evaluation and development plans, and information about pupils’ progress, behaviour and safety, and attendance. The inspectors took into account the 52 responses to Ofsted online questionnaire Parent View and accompanying free text comments.

p.4