Ellis Guilford School

Ellis Guilford School Bar Lane, Basford, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG6 0HT

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The quality of education has declined since the previous inspection. The school is not delivering effective teaching or good outcomes for pupils.  Governors and senior leaders have not ensured that safeguarding procedures are effective.  Pupils’ attainment in GCSE examinations has been well below that seen nationally.  Too many pupils make inadequate progress across a range of subjects, including English and mathematics.  Leaders do not evaluate the impact of their actions well enough. As a result, they do not know whether these actions are being effective or not.  The curriculum has not enabled pupils to reach their full potential.  Strategic planning is weak. The school’s improvement plans lack clarity and are not well thought through. Leaders have not spent pupil premium funding effectively. Disadvantaged pupils underachieve.  Year 7 catch-up funding is not used effectively to close the gaps in learning in English and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

mathematics.  Teachers’ expectations are not high enough. In too many lessons work is not sufficiently challenging.  The quality of teaching is too variable.  Pupils’ behaviour is inadequate. When teaching is poor, low-level disruption occurs.  Leaders have secured an improvement in pupils’ overall attendance. However, it remains below the national average.  Levels of persistent absence remain high, especially for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).  The behaviour of some pupils is very poor, resulting in exclusion. The proportion of pupils being excluded is reducing but is still very high.  Careers provision does not meet statutory requirements.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 There are pockets of good teaching. When this occurs, pupils show positive attitudes and make better progress.  Teachers new to the profession are supported well in the first year of their teaching.

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Full report

In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Rapidly improve the school’s procedures to keep pupils safe by: – clarifying the roles and responsibilities of safeguarding leaders – ensuring that all staff understand the steps they must take when they have concerns, including any concerns about the actions of other adults towards pupils – maintaining robust and accurate records of actions taken to address safeguarding concerns – establishing rigorous systems to monitor the effectiveness of safeguarding processes and procedures and ensure that any ongoing weaknesses are identified and tackled promptly – underpinning safeguarding procedures with a clear and effective policy.  Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by: – using a wide range of evidence to evaluate the effectiveness of the school accurately – revising the current improvement plan so that it contains appropriate steps for improvement – evaluating the spending of pupil premium funding and planning appropriate and

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

effective use of funds to bring about rapid improvements in both provision and outcomes for disadvantaged pupils – managing the Year 7 catch-up funding effectively to close gaps in pupils’ learning – ensuring that leaders at all levels have a secure grasp of how well pupils are learning and use this information to meet pupils’ needs.  Urgently improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, and thereby the attainment and progress of pupils, by: – insisting that teachers have consistently high expectations of pupils – ensuring that all teachers set challenging and appropriate tasks that meet the needs of pupils – making sure that lessons are planned to bring about gains in knowledge, deepen understanding and develop skills – ensuring that disadvantaged pupils are supported and challenged to overcome barriers to learning, enabling them to make rapid progress.  Improve the personal development, behaviour and welfare of pupils by:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– further improving attendance, particularly of those pupils who are repeatedly and persistently absent from school – eradicating low-level disruption in lessons – further reducing the proportion of pupils who are excluded from school, especially disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND – improving the provision and quality of careers education to at least meet statutory guidance.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of the school’s use of pupil premium should be undertaken in order to ascertain how this aspect of leadership and management may improve.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

The school may not appoint newly qualified teachers.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 Leadership of safeguarding is inadequate. Leaders have failed to establish a secure and effective culture of safeguarding across the school.  Leaders do not have the capacity to make the necessary improvements. Senior leaders are waiting for the school to convert to academy status and hope that the new trust will provide the support and direction required to improve the school. The slow pace of improvement suggests a lack of urgency in addressing significant weaknesses.  Leaders have introduced many changes since the last inspection. Several of these changes were not given time to take effect before further changes were introduced. This has not led to the sustained improvements that are required to strengthen the quality of education.  Leaders’ self-evaluation is not rigorous. Senior leaders do not know what is and is not successful because they do not monitor and evaluate many key aspects of the school’s

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

work.  Improvement planning is weak and ill thought-out. The school improvement plan lacks clear actions and resourcing to bring about the many vital improvements needed.  Leaders do not plan for how pupil premium funding is to be used. Leaders are not aware of the impact this funding has on improving opportunities and outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. Disadvantaged pupils make inadequate progress.  Leaders do not evaluate the impact of Year 7 catch-up funding. They do not know whether this funding is having the necessary impact on reducing the gaps in knowledge and skills that many Year 7 pupils have in English and mathematics.  Leaders do not have a secure understanding of how well pupils achieved in the 2018 GCSE examinations or of how well pupils currently in the school are doing. Therefore, they are unable to tackle the weaknesses with precision.  The school needs urgent improvement but leaders are too slow to respond. Middle

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

leaders are hindered by a lack of strategic direction provided by senior leaders. It is intended that middle leaders will have a greater role in strategic development this academic year.  Leaders have put training in place to help improve the quality of teaching. Teachers value the opportunities provided. However, the training and support are not closely targeted at the weaknesses in teaching and therefore have not improved the quality of teaching overall, or pupils’ outcomes.  Decisions about the curriculum have not been well thought-out. For example, last year some pupils completed GCSE and vocational qualifications in Year 10. The impact of this initiative was mixed. Pupils following vocational courses were successful, but those taking GCSE examinations underachieved.  Leaders have modified the curriculum, so that key stage 4 starts at the beginning of Year 9 and lasts for three years. However, pupils in Years 7 and 8 have not made

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

sufficient progress on their key stage 2 courses and therefore do not have the knowledge, skills and understanding to begin their GCSE courses early.  The key stage 4 curriculum offers a balance of GCSE and vocational qualifications, with different pathways available to pupils. However, leaders have not evaluated whether all pupils are on the appropriate pathway for their needs.  The special educational needs coordinator understands the needs of pupils with SEND. She provides strong leadership and tailors provision to meet individual needs. However, senior leaders do not consistently track or analyse the progress of these pupils and do not monitor their attendance closely enough. They do not evaluate the impact of funding for these pupils.  The curriculum provides for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Opportunities to understand fundamental British values are incorporated into the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

revised ‘skills for life’ programme. However, leaders have not developed a thorough curriculum plan to ensure that there is full coverage of these matters across all year groups.  Pupils spoken to said that they enjoy the extra-curricular sporting opportunities. Participation in other activities is variable. Pupils do not regularly attend sessions that are planned to support their learning, for example.  Leaders provide newly qualified teachers with a programme of effective training. New teachers feel confident that they are supported well in the first year of their career.  Strong leadership of the ‘access unit’, which supports pupils who are at risk of exclusion, enables pupils to benefit from this provision. As a result, the behaviour and attendance of these pupils improves, and they progress to relevant training when they leave school at the end of Year 11.

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Governance of the school

 Governors do not meet their statutory responsibilities to ensure that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose.  Governors have an ambitious vision for a successful, inclusive school. However, they have not ensured that the right plans are in place to enable leaders to realise this vision.  Governors have not monitored key areas of the school’s work effectively. They have not challenged leaders to tackle the school’s many weaknesses with sufficient urgency.  Governors have not ensured that additional funding for disadvantaged pupils, for those who need to catch up and for pupils with SEND has been used effectively.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.  Leaders with specific responsibility for keeping vulnerable pupils safe are not clear about their roles and responsibilities. The recent handover of safeguarding responsibilities has not been thorough. Because of this, there is a risk that vulnerable pupils are not being safeguarded by leaders.  Leaders and governors have not monitored the safeguarding policy to ensure that it is clear and comprehensive. Leaders redrafted the policy during the inspection, but it still lacks clarity.  Not all staff are aware of the school’s processes for referring safeguarding concerns to the relevant leaders. This reflects the ineffectiveness of recent staff training.  Leaders do not ensure that actions taken in response to safeguarding concerns are recorded in sufficient detail.  Governors do not fulfil their responsibilities related to safeguarding. They do not

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Safeguarding

rigorously monitor safeguarding policies, actions and outcomes for vulnerable pupils.  The single central record (SCR) was amended during the inspection to make sure that all safeguarding checks were completed and details were accurately recorded. By the end of the inspection, the SCR met requirements.  Parents and carers who responded to the school’s survey of parental views largely believe that their children are safe at school.  Pupils who met with inspectors said that they feel safe at the school. They know who to turn to if they have any concern. They are confident that adults would take effective action to resolve their concern.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

 Teaching is inadequate. As a result, in most subjects, pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable.  Teachers fail to address the barriers to learning faced by the large number of disadvantaged pupils at the school. These pupils do not make the rapid progress needed to catch up with their peers.  Too much teaching fails to meet pupils’ needs. As a result, behaviour deteriorates and too often learning is hindered by low-level disruption and uncooperative behaviour.  Expectations are too low. The most able pupils are not sufficiently challenged or supported to achieve well. As a result, their progress is poor, and they do not fulfil their potential. In most lessons, work is basic and is well below the difficulty and complexity that the most able pupils can handle.  Leaders and teachers do not effectively use assessment information to inform teaching and learning. Subsequent teaching does not allow pupils to build on what they know

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

and can do. Progress in learning is therefore not sustained.  Teaching assistants understand the needs of pupils with SEND. They consistently provide helpful assistance, for example by encouraging these pupils to work independently.  There are pockets of more effective teaching in the school. For example, some teaching is stronger in vocational subjects, such as childcare and music technology.  In the more effective examples of teaching, teachers have higher expectations and use questioning techniques to challenge pupils effectively. As a result, pupils respond well and make better progress. For example, Year 9 pupils were challenged to consider the use of colloquial language in newspaper journalism.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is inadequate.  Pupils do not consistently display positive attitudes to their learning. In many subjects, low-level disruption hinders learning and progress.  Careers provision does not meet statutory requirements. Leaders have not planned an effective way to meet these requirements.  Leaders have planned a new personal, health, social and economic (PHSE) curriculum that considers the local context. This programme, taught in ‘skills for life’, includes well- being and mental health, the wider world, relationships and personal safety. This programme is in its early stages and is not yet embedded. Poor delivery of PHSE in the past means that older pupils have gaps in their learning.  Pupils say that bullying is not an issue at school. They are confident that teachers would deal with any bullying concerns that occur. Pupils also told inspectors that they

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Personal development and welfare

feel safe at school.  The school has well-organised and effective arrangements to monitor the attendance and well-being of pupils who access alternative provision.  Pupils who attend the ‘access base’ attend and work well to make steady progress. They are well prepared for the next stages of their education, employment or training.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is inadequate.  The proportion of pupils who are persistently absent from school has slightly reduced but remains very high. This is especially so for pupils with SEND and pupils eligible for free school meals. The progress of both these groups has been limited by missing important opportunities to learn.  Pupils’ overall attendance is improving, but remains below national averages.  Fixed-term exclusions for poor behaviour have reduced in number. However, pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and boys have higher rates of exclusion from school than other pupils.  The number of permanent exclusions reduced in the last academic year but is still high.  In too many lessons, poor behaviour disrupts the flow of learning. This largely shows itself as chatting and off-task behaviour. However, at times the behaviour is uncooperative and shows a lack of respect for staff and other pupils. On occasions this

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Behaviour

behaviour is not challenged by staff.  Some pupils’ behaviour at lesson changeover is boisterous and shows a lack of self- discipline and respect for others.  Conduct during breaktimes is calm and orderly. Pupils are well supervised and moderate their behaviour accordingly.

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

 Pupils’ attainment and progress in 2016 and 2017 were poor. When compared to pupils nationally with similar starting points, pupils in the school significantly underachieved.  Provisional information suggests some slight improvements in attainment in 2018. However, this is likely to remain well below national averages.  The attainment and progress of disadvantaged pupils are significantly lower than for other pupils in the school and nationally. This is partly because additional funding for eligible pupils is not used well.  Pupils currently in the school continue to underachieve. They make insufficient progress in all subjects.  Leaders do not consistently monitor and evaluate the progress of pupils with SEND. Published information indicates that these pupils, like others in the school, have not achieved their full potential.  In 2018, some pupils in Year 10 completed GCSE and vocational qualifications.

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

Outcomes in GCSE courses were poor. However, outcomes in some vocational courses were positive, especially in performing arts and music.  Almost all pupils move on to further education, training or apprenticeships. However, most pupils are not well prepared for their next steps in education and training because they have not been supported by the school to achieve their true potential.  Pupils in the school’s internal alternative provision make better progress than their peers and move successfully to a range of appropriate destinations.

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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

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,320

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Email address admin@ellisguilford.nottingham.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13–14 May 2015

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized secondary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support through pupil premium funding is well above the national average.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is in line with the national average. The percentage of pupils with an education, health and care plan is well below the national average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is lower than the national average and the proportion who speak English as an additional language is in line with the average national figure.  The school uses several alternative providers for some of its pupils. These include RISE Learning Zone, Horizons and Crisp.  The school provides education for Year 11 pupils whose first language is not English. The ‘IDEAL’ provision teaches all new arrival pupils who speak English as an additional language on behalf of the local authority.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 58 lessons or parts of lessons and an assembly. Senior leaders carried out some observations jointly with inspectors. Inspectors scrutinised pupils’ work in books and sampled books in classes.  Inspectors listened to pupils reading.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, leaders of subject departments and faculty leaders, other leaders and members of staff, and spoke with groups of pupils.  The lead inspector met two governors, including the chair of the governing body. He also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors spoke with pupils around the school. Insufficient responses from parents to the online questionnaire, Parent View, meant that inspectors could not use them. Inspectors considered the school’s own parent survey information. Inspectors also took account of the 54 responses to the staff questionnaire.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and scrutinised several documents, including the

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Information about this inspection

school’s self-evaluation, minutes of the meetings of the governing body, improvement plans and school information on pupils’ recent attainment and progress.  Inspectors also considered behaviour and attendance information and policies and procedures relating to special educational needs, pupil premium funding, Year 7 catch- up funding, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

Chris Davies, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jackie Thornalley 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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