Cheslyn Hay Sport and Community High School

Cheslyn Hay Sport and Community High School Saredon Road, Cheslyn Hay, Walsall, Staffordshire WS6 7JQ

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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16 to 19 study programmes Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Since the previous inspection, outcomes for pupils have declined. Too many pupils have not made enough progress from their starting points.  In 2017, pupils’ progress in English, mathematics and science was significantly below the national average.  Senior leaders do not have high enough expectations of staff and pupils. Targets set for some pupils are not sufficiently challenging to enable them to make good progress.  Some teachers do not consistently apply school behaviour policies. Consequently, some pupils’ attitudes to learning are not positive and there is some low-level disruption in lessons.  Teachers’ questioning does not consistently check pupils’ knowledge or probe for deeper understanding.  The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is not consistent across different subjects. Some teachers set work that is poorly matched to their pupils’ abilities and do not check pupils’ understanding of what they can

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

do.  The progress of disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities has not been good enough. Until recently, leaders and governors have not evaluated whether the additional funding for these pupils has been spent effectively.  Outcomes for students in the sixth form require improvement. In 2017, progress in a significant number of A-level subjects was below the national average. Some students do not have a secure understanding of the vocational routes available to them after they complete their sixth-form programmes of study.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders support the well-being of pupils effectively. They provide appropriate support and guidance to help pupils develop, both mentally and physically.  Governors have a strong understanding of safeguarding. They fully support the headteacher in helping to keep pupils safe.  Pupils speak positively about the school and take pride in their appearance. They enjoy lessons and are keen to do well.  Senior leaders have sought external reviews to help support and refine their practice. As a result, they are monitoring and evaluating what they do with increasing confidence.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, and thereby pupils’ outcomes, by ensuring that: – the work set by teachers is appropriate to the ability of pupils – teachers consistently check, probe and deepen pupils’ understanding – teachers engage and motivate pupils to minimise low-level disruption.  Improve the quality of leadership and management by: – raising expectations and setting targets which are appropriately challenging to ensure that all pupils make good progress – ensuring that leaders evaluate accurately the effectiveness of the provision for disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities – ensuring that school behaviour policies are consistently applied by all staff.  Improve the outcomes of the sixth form by: – ensuring that teaching, learning and assessment are consistent in all subjects so that students make better progress – providing impartial careers advice and guidance about progression routes beyond

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

the sixth form, including vocational routes.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Despite senior leaders identifying low aspirations as an issue for the school, they have not taken the necessary steps to address this. The targets that senior leaders set for some groups of pupils are not sufficiently challenging or aspirational and these pupils are not making good enough progress.  Leaders and governors have not had a sharp enough focus on improving outcomes for pupils. They have not been stringent in monitoring the impact of teaching, learning and assessment on pupils’ progress. Outcomes at the end of key stage 4 for the last three years have been below average and, for disadvantaged pupils, significantly below average.  The achievement of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities was significantly below the national average in 2017. Information for teachers, produced by the SEN leader, relating to individual pupils’ needs is not used consistently to support learning and it has not been checked for its impact on pupils’ progress.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Until recently, senior leaders have not used the additional funding for disadvantaged pupils effectively. Leaders described a ‘scattergun’ approach in previous years, which did not evaluate the impact it was having on pupils’ progress. This contributed to weaker outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in 2017 than in 2016.  In 2017, a number of Year 11 pupils were on alternative courses which did not provide them with a sufficiently challenging curriculum and they did not achieve as well as other pupils. In order that pupils receive a broad and balanced curriculum, teachers are now providing pupils with more guidance when selecting their key stage 4 courses.  At the start of 2018, the local authority appointed a school improvement partner to work with the school. They have undertaken a review of leadership and management and worked closely with leaders to offer guidance and support. As a result of this

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

support, senior leaders are more sharply focused on how to improve outcomes.  Senior leaders have undertaken a review of pupil premium funding using an external academy trust. Teachers are now more focused on the progress of these pupils and leaders are monitoring and evaluating the impact of the funding on their progress.  The Year 7 literacy and numeracy catch-up funding is being used effectively to monitor and intervene when pupils need additional help. A significant proportion of pupils have made good progress from their starting points.  Teaching, learning and assessment are improving as staff receive more targeted professional development. Leaders are using information from regular monitoring activities to show teachers how to improve their practice.  Subject leaders have a strong knowledge of their curriculum areas and what the school needs to do to improve. There are regular meetings with senior leaders to check on the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

progress of pupils and discuss any concerns.  The school provides a wide range of extra-curricular activities. Pupils are able to participate in sport, drama and music clubs and visit other countries, all of which extend their learning outside the classroom.

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Governance

 The governing body is proud of the school and has the necessary skills to bring about future improvement.  Governors have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and recognise that pupils’ outcomes have been significantly below average in recent years.  Governors have worked closely with the headteacher and now meet half-termly as a full board to discuss pupils’ performance. Senior leaders are now more regularly challenged and held accountable for their performance.  The chair of governors has a strong understanding of safeguarding and works diligently with the headteacher to provide support and guidance to ensure that pupils are safe.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Leaders have created a safe culture in the school and are swift in taking appropriate action when there are any safeguarding concerns.  Teachers’ clear understanding of safeguarding procedures creates a culture of vigilance. As a result, pupils feel safe and are confident in being able to raise their concerns.  Leaders have a detailed knowledge of the local community and where their pupils come from. They are aware that child sexual exploitation is an issue for their area and provide specific training for staff in how to identify this.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is variable across different subjects. While improvements have been made in some areas, teaching is not consistently good enough to ensure that pupils of all abilities are able to make the progress of which they are capable.  Teachers do not have consistently high expectations of what pupils can achieve and do not set work that is matched to their ability. This limits the progress made by pupils in their lessons. In Year 8 science, for example, some pupils have already reached what leaders expect of them but these targets have not been adjusted to provide further aspiration and challenge.  Some teachers do not use questioning effectively to check pupils’ understanding and knowledge. Where this occurs, pupils’ verbal responses are limited and it does not allow them to extend their thinking or give teachers the opportunity to probe for deeper meaning.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Teachers do not consistently make the best use of time available or challenge pupils well enough. This impedes their progress. In some lessons, pupils become bored because the work set is too easy and it is completed quickly. Where teaching fails to engage pupils, low-level disruption occurs.  Teachers are not always clear about how to meet the needs of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. They do not consistently provide these pupils with the support they need in order to make good progress.  Senior leaders have recently made changes to the way they monitor teaching, learning and assessment. This has resulted in leaders developing a more accurate picture of teaching in the school.  Some teachers use effective modelling to show pupils what they need to do. In a Year 8 English lesson, the teacher provided model paragraphs to show pupils how to write an analytical response.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to support pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils are well cared for at the school. There are always staff available at breaks and lunchtimes, which helps pupils to feel safe.  Staff ensure that pupils’ mental well-being is given a high priority. The school has an area where pupils can go to discuss their concerns. Staff are also quick to alert outside agencies for those who need additional support.  Through themed assemblies and well-being lessons, pupils learn how to look after themselves and about the principles of British values. Pupils talk confidently about tolerance, democracy and the importance of respect for different faiths and cultures.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development is good. This is because it is prescribed strongly by leaders and taught well across the curriculum. Subject leaders have carefully considered how aspects of SMSC can be promoted through

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Personal development and welfare

lessons and review the impact of this as part of their monitoring. As a result of this good impact, pupils feel well prepared for life in modern Britain.  Pupils are well supported and feel able to share their concerns with staff. Pupils stated that incidents of cyber bullying were dealt with quickly and that homophobic or racist comments were extremely rare. There is a positive relationship between staff and pupils.  Pupils in key stages 3 and 4 are given clear guidance about future careers and employment. There is a programme linked to enterprise education in place and pupils spoke positively about a recent careers fair. This helps pupils to have a better understanding about their future destinations.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning are not consistently positive. Sometimes in lessons, pupils can be off-task for sustained periods of time. This means that pupils do not always complete their work and they do not deepen their knowledge and understanding.  Ofsted’s online questionnaires show a significant proportion of parents, carers and staff have concerns about the way leaders and managers deal with behaviour. Inconsistencies in the way behaviour policies are applied – for example, the use of mobile telephones – give mixed messages to pupils. As a result, some staff do not feel confident about challenging pupils’ behaviour.  Pupils’ movement around school is orderly and they conduct themselves well at breaktimes and lunchtimes. Pupils are polite to visitors and speak positively about the staff. The school presents a calm and orderly environment.  Leaders have effective systems in place to monitor and track attendance. Absence for

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Behaviour

this year is broadly in line with the national average but the gap between absence for disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils remains too high.  Fixed-term and permanent exclusions at the school are low. Leaders have in place a range of strategies to deal with high-level behavioural issues and keep comprehensive logs of incidents that take place. As a result, pastoral leaders act quickly to resolve incidents of poor behaviour.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 Pupils’ progress at the end of key stage 4 in 2016 was below average. It was also below average in 2017 and the position of this school compared to other schools nationally declined. Pupils, from their different starting points, did not make progress in line with their ability and, therefore, left school without sufficient qualifications to prepare them adequately for further education or training.  The progress of disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities was poor in 2017. Leaders did not intervene appropriately with these pupils to ensure that their progress matched that of others nationally. School tracking systems and work in pupils’ books indicate an improvement in the progress for current pupils.  Since the last inspection report, progress in English, mathematics and science has declined. In 2016 and 2017, pupils’ progress was significantly below average in mathematics and science. In 2017, progress in English was also significantly below

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

average. Leaders have worked closely with these departments to monitor and intervene to ensure that pupils are making better progress.  The most able pupils have not made the progress of which they are capable. In 2016, the progress of the most able pupils was slightly below average. In 2017, their progress was significantly below average. Leaders have identified this group of pupils as underperforming and are monitoring and taking effective action to improve their progress.  There is also variation in how well boys and girls achieve. While progress for girls improved slightly in 2017, the progress of boys declined when compared to all schools nationally and was significantly below average. Leaders have closely monitored the progress of these pupils and current performance shows this gap is narrowing.  As a result of curriculum decisions made by senior leaders, a number of Year 11 pupils in 2017 did not achieve the same number of qualifications as other pupils. Their

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

progress was also well below that of other pupils in their year group. The number of pupils who currently follow an alternative curriculum has been reduced and their progress is improving.  The monitoring of pupils at key stage 3 has improved and is having a positive impact on pupils’ progress. Leaders are monitoring and evaluating data more regularly and are accurately intervening with those pupils who are not making good progress. As a result, a higher proportion of pupils are now on track to achieve better outcomes.

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16 to 19 study programmes Requires improvement

 The progress for students studying A-level courses in 2017 declined and was significantly below the national average. In a high proportion of subjects, students did not make good progress. As a result, they left the sixth form without qualifications that matched other students with similar starting points.  Leaders have acknowledged that an inaccuracy in the school’s internal monitoring led to significantly weaker outcomes than were expected. Teachers in some subjects did not provide accurate assessment information for leaders to monitor performance. Consequently, they could not intervene effectively.  Teaching, learning and assessment in the sixth form are not good enough. Strengths and weaknesses in teaching that exist in key stages 3 and 4 also exist in this part of the school.  Although the school provides access to a careers adviser, not all students are clear about the different routes they can take after sixth form. A number of students felt that

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16 to 19 study programmes Requires improvement

they were not given sufficient information on apprenticeships and vocational courses. Consequently, they are not able to make an informed decision about their next steps.  Leaders have put in place systems to support underperforming departments and tackle underachievement. As a result, current outcomes are improving.  Students are well cared for in the sixth form and find teachers both ‘supportive and challenging’. They have opportunities to develop skills for life beyond sixth form and make a wider contribution to school life by working with pupils in lower year groups through mentoring.  Leaders encourage students to progress to further education after finishing their sixth- form courses. Students visit different universities and feel well supported in the application process. The proportion of students going on to further education has increased.  Retention rates overall are broadly in line with 2017 national averages, although they

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16 to 19 study programmes Requires improvement

were lower for disadvantaged students last year. Leaders are monitoring the progress of students in Year 12 to ensure that the majority complete their programmes of study.

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School details

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

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School details

Gender of pupils in 16 to 19 study programmes Mixed

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,301

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School details

Of which, number on roll in 16 to 19 study programmes Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.cheslynhay-high.staffs.sch.uk

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School details

Email address headteacher@cheslynhay-high.staffs.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 2–3 June 2015

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Information about this school

 Cheslyn Hay Sport and Community High School is larger than the average-sized secondary school with a sixth form.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below average.  The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is slightly above average.  A large majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed pupils’ learning in 59 lessons or parts of lessons. They carried out some joint observations with the school’s senior leaders. Observations of other aspects of the school’s work were also made, such as tutor time and sessions in the school’s ‘ACE Centre’.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ books and folders during lessons and as a separate activity.  Inspectors observed pupils at lunchtimes and breaktimes and as they moved between lessons.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils, governors and school staff, including senior and middle leaders. Informal discussions also took place with staff and pupils. A separate meeting was also held with the local authority’s school improvement partner.  There were 79 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and 51 free- text responses.  Inspectors analysed and considered 54 returns to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation

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Information about this inspection

and development plans, school policies, external reviews of the school and minutes of meetings of the governing body.  Information about pupils’ progress, attainment, attendance and exclusions was also examined, as were the school’s records of safeguarding and checks on the quality of teaching, learning and assessment.

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Inspection team

Mark Howes, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Derek Barnes Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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Inspection team

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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Inspection team

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

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Inspection team

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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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