Malet Lambert

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

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Mr Patrick Sprakes Headteacher Malet Lambert James Reckitt Avenue Hull East Yorkshire HU8 0JD

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Short inspection of Malet Lambert

Following my visit to the school on 11 April 2018, with Mike Cook and Janet Gabanski, Ofsted Inspectors, 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 your predecessor school was judged to be good in April 2012.

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Short inspection of Malet Lambert

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Since your appointment as headteacher, and since joining the academy trust, the school has undergone significant change in leadership. Recently appointed senior and middle leaders benefit from very effective coaching from trust leaders. Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the training and guidance they receive from leaders.

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Short inspection of Malet Lambert

Governors know the school well. They are highly committed to supporting the school and they fulfil their responsibilities. They work closely with the trust and are effective in holding leaders to account.

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Short inspection of Malet Lambert

At the last inspection, leaders were asked to increase the proportion of good and outstanding teaching. You have a very detailed understanding of the strengths of the school and clear action plans are in place to address areas for improvement. You and your senior team are passionate about making sure that teaching is consistently strong across the school. Consequently, leaders check the quality of teaching, learning and assessment regularly and hold staff to account for pupils’ progress. As a result, most of the weaknesses in teaching have been tackled swiftly and effectively.

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Short inspection of Malet Lambert

Leaders analyse the pupils’ progress information rigorously. Regular assessments ensure that pupils’ learning is checked closely. Across the trust, teachers work together to make sure that assessments are accurate and reliable. You have put in place a range of strategies to support pupils in all year groups who are not meeting their targets. For example, pupils in Year 11 are very appreciative of the many revision and catch-up sessions available before school and at lunchtime. Where appropriate, groups of pupils in Years 8 and 9 are given effective, additional teaching to improve their literacy skills.

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Short inspection of Malet Lambert

You are rightly addressing previous weaknesses in the teaching and leadership of mathematics and humanities (history, geography and religious studies). Over the last two years, pupils’ progress in these subjects has been below average, particularly for some groups: the most able pupils, the least able pupils and disadvantaged pupils. The progress of current pupils is much stronger in mathematics, at both key stages 3 and 4. In humanities, the quality of teaching, learning and assessment is also improving.

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Short inspection of Malet Lambert

Pupils’ absence and the persistent absence of some pupils rose in 2016/2017 and were higher than the national average. You took decisive action to improve attendance, and overall absence figures are currently below the national average. However, despite having introduced a range of new initiatives to encourage good attendance, you agree that too many disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special education needs (SEN) and/or disabilities are still regularly absent from school .

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Short inspection of Malet Lambert

Leaders ensure that the arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff are well trained in child protection procedures. They have a clear understanding of the actions to take should they have any concerns about a pupil. The designated safeguarding leaders are knowledgeable and experienced. They respond to concerns promptly and seek relevant support from external agencies. They keep precise records, which meet statutory requirements.

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Short inspection of Malet Lambert

A small proportion of pupils are provided with education off site, attending one of four local providers. Staff ensure that appropriate checks are carried out to make sure that these pupils are safe. Their attendance is checked daily, and any absences followed up rigorously.

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Short inspection of Malet Lambert

Pupils work well together in lessons. They are polite and responsive to their teachers’ instructions. They show respect and tolerance towards each other. Pupils spoke positively about the advice and guidance they have been given about keeping themselves safe, including how to stay safe online.

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Short inspection of Malet Lambert

A few parents and carers who responded to Ofsted’s survey, Parent View, expressed some concerns about bullying. However, pupils who met inspectors, formally and informally, said that bullying is rare and it is dealt with effectively by staff when it occurs. This view was supported by the pupils who responded to Ofsted’s online pupil survey.

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Inspection findings

 At the beginning of the inspection, we agreed to focus particularly on the progress being made by pupils in mathematics and humanities. Over the last two years, the progress of pupils in Year 11 has been below average in these subject areas. Information provided by leaders during the inspection and the work in pupils’ books show that pupils in mathematics are now making much better progress. This is also the case for disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. The trust leader for mathematics and the subject leader have reviewed the programmes of learning at key stage 3, so that they are challenging and relevant. Consequently, pupils develop their mathematical skills well. Increasingly, pupils also use their reasoning and problem-solving skills confidently.  In humanities, school improvement work is at an earlier stage than in mathematics. With the support of the trust leader for humanities, teachers and

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Inspection findings

leaders have developed high-quality resources, which challenge pupils’ thinking. In key stage 3, pupils are developing their skills well and are given opportunities to debate complex issues. However, because of previously weak teaching, some pupils in key stage 4 lack confidence and have gaps in their knowledge and understanding. These are being addressed through additional revision sessions. However, leaders are aware that there is further work to do to ensure that all pupils make good progress in humanities.  You rightly continue to focus on improving the outcomes and attendance of disadvantaged pupils. In 2017, the progress of disadvantaged pupils was below the national average for other pupils, having been much closer to average in 2016. This was mainly due to their weak progress in mathematics and humanities and the high absence of a small number of disadvantaged pupils. You have effective systems in place for tracking the progress of disadvantaged pupils.

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Inspection findings

Additional funding is used appropriately to raise pupils’ aspirations, to improve attendance and to provide literacy and numeracy interventions. Current pupils are making good progress from their starting points, including the most able disadvantaged pupils.  The school has pupils who have a broad range of SEN and/or disabilities. In 2017, they made strong progress in a range of subjects, such as the arts and technology, but less progress in English and mathematics. Teachers and teaching assistants benefit from regular training and they support pupils well in lessons. Several parents who responded to Ofsted’s survey, giving written responses, said that they are very appreciative of the level of support provided for their children who have SEN and/or disabilities. You are ambitious in your plans to improve pupils’ progress further and have recently appointed a new special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) to lead the next stage of these plans. Current pupils

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Inspection findings

in Year 11 are making strong progress in English and mathematics.  You were quick to address the dip in pupils’ attendance last year. As a result, the attendance of all pupil groups is improving. However, you agree that the proportions of disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities who are regularly absent from school are still too high. You are fully committed to addressing this weakness. You have identified a team of pastoral staff with responsibility for improving pupils’ attendance. They apply the new strategies consistently and have begun to work closely with individual pupils and their families. Case studies show the positive impact of these strategies on the attendance of some pupils. Pupils understand the importance of good attendance and the reasons for the school’s recent focus on improving attendance. Most pupils attend regularly.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 pupils’ make good progress in humanities subjects  they continue to reduce the absence of disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of trustees and the chief executive officer of the multi academy trust, the regional schools’ commissioner and the director of children’s services for Kingston upon Hull. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

Inspectors observed teaching and learning in English, mathematics, science, languages and humanities (history, geography and religious studies).

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Information about the inspection

Inspectors met with you, your leadership team and middle leaders. I also met with the chair and vice chair of the governing body, the vice chair of the trust and three other governors. Inspectors met with pupils from Year 7 to Year 11 and talked to several pupils informally, during lessons and breaktimes, about their views of school life.

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Information about the inspection

Inspectors carried out a scrutiny of pupils’ work in books with subject leaders of mathematics and humanities. We also looked at a range of school information, including current assessment information, leaders’ school self-evaluation, information about the attendance of current pupils and information about safeguarding.

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Information about the inspection

We took account of 147 responses to the pupils’ questionnaire, 47 responses to the staff questionnaire, 91 responses to Ofsted’s online survey and 97 written comments by parents.

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