Winifred Holtby Academy

Winifred Holtby Academy Midmere Avenue, Leads Road, Bransholme, Hull HU7 4PW

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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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

 Although the quality of teaching, learning and assessment is improving, there is still variability between subjects. Improvements to teaching and assessment are not implemented to consistent effect in some subjects.  While leaders and teachers are securing improvements in pupils’ current progress, this remains below average in some subjects and for some groups of pupils. Work is not consistently pitched to meet the needs of lower-attaining pupils.  The progress of disadvantaged pupils is improving but still lags behind that of other pupils.  While there are many strengths in provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), variability remains in their progress over time.  Over time, boys’ progress has been weaker than their peers nationally. While current progress is beginning to improve, variations persist between year groups.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The principal and restructured leadership team have led the school with renewed focus and moral purpose. They have built leadership capacity and increased the pace of school improvement.  Leaders and teachers are working with increasing purpose to improve the quality of teaching. Although inconsistencies remain, much stronger training and partnership work are contributing to improving progress for current pupils.  Leaders have taken highly effective action to improve and pupils’ attendance and reduce rates of exclusion. They have established a genuinely inclusive school where pupils’ welfare is of paramount importance.  Pupils benefit from a broad curriculum and a thorough programme of personal, social and health education. Customised curriculum provision is improving the attendance and wider engagement of particular groups of pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, by: – implementing improvements to teaching and assessment to consistently good effect across all subjects – pitching work to effectively meet the needs of lower-ability pupils and pupils with SEND.  Further accelerate pupils’ progress, by: – continuing to use additional funding, and improvements in teaching, to accelerate the progress and attainment of boys and of disadvantaged pupils – enhancing the curriculum to address gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding, particularly in mathematics.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The principal and his team work with considerable moral purpose. They demonstrate a shared commitment to pupils and the community they serve.  The principal has carried out a significant restructure of the senior leadership team since the previous inspection. He has built a strong and focused team who have enhanced the care and support pupils receive and who are introducing improvements to teaching and learning.  The principal has built leadership capacity by becoming an associate member of The Consortium Academies Trust. The school has worked very closely with the trust over the past year, ahead of becoming a formal member of the trust. This work has provided support and training opportunities for middle leaders. It has also provided leaders with objective views of the quality of teaching. Trust leaders share the inclusive values of leaders at Winifred Holtby Academy and are putting sustainable structures for

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

improvement in place.  Senior leaders, and trust colleagues, have worked with subject leaders to enhance leadership at all levels. Middle leaders talked with clarity about their increasing responsibilities for checking standards and improving the quality of teaching.  Leaders’ actions are beginning to secure improvements in pupils’ current progress. For example, higher standards are evident in pupils’ books in geography, history and English. Pupils are experiencing more intense curriculum demands at key stage 3, where science books showed increasing evidence of progress. Although overall outcomes require improvement, momentum for improvement is being sustained across an increasing range of subjects.  Leaders are developing a stronger learning culture. The assistant principal for teaching and learning has enthused many staff to carry out research projects to improve the quality of teaching. There has been a significant improvement in the quality of staff

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

training and partnership work. The large majority of teachers value the professional development they receive and the increasing opportunities to share good practice with their colleagues at school and across the trust. This is leading to improvements in the quality of teaching, although they are not implemented to consistently good effect across all subjects.  Leaders have developed stronger systems to check pupils’ progress. They have creatively explored the use of additional support to address gaps in pupils’ understanding. This has included the use of experienced academic mentors. Pupils also receive support from students who have recently completed A-level study, as a means of building subject knowledge and raising their aspirations.  Leaders are extremely responsive to the emotional and social well-being of pupils. They have developed bespoke provision in ‘The Link’ that is equipping pupils with the ability

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

to become more socially and emotionally resilient.  Leaders recently carried out a review of provision for pupils with SEND. They are forging close links with the adjoining Tweendykes Special School and are developing a specialist hub on site. This innovative work is building provision for the increasing proportions of pupils with an education, health and care plan (EHC plan). While these initiatives are still in the process of being refined, they reflect leaders’ commitment to embrace partnerships to meet pupils’ needs better.  Performance management arrangements are effective. The process has supported improvements in teaching and pupils’ progress since the previous inspection.  Leaders carried out a thorough review of their use of pupil premium funding after the previous inspection. They are now using funding in more focused ways to overcome barriers to learning. Their actions have supported the improving attendance of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

disadvantaged pupils, much reduced rates of exclusion and their increasing participation in a wide range of cultural and sporting activities. Their actions are beginning to improve aspects of the progress of disadvantaged pupils. For example, a number of disadvantaged pupils who worked with academic mentors made good progress. However, the wider picture of progress is not consistently strong for all disadvantaged pupils.  The overall provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Leaders encourage a culture where pupils show respect for a wide range of equalities.  Leaders provide pupils with a broad and balanced curriculum. They have reviewed the curriculum and are enhancing the knowledge and skills that pupils acquire in key stage 3. Stronger partnership work with the trust and other schools is enhancing the subject expertise of middle leaders.  Leaders provide pupils with effective and impartial careers education and guidance.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

This is helping pupils to progress to education, employment and training to a wide variety of providers.

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Governance of the school

 Governors share the moral purpose of senior leaders in achieving high standards of care and progress for pupils. The chair of the governing body is also a trustee of The Consortium Academies Trust, further building the expertise and capacity of governance.  Governors have an effective balance of expertise and community awareness. They know their areas of responsibility and visit the school to talk to leaders and pupils about specific aspects of the school’s work. Governors’ minutes show that they question and challenge school leaders about important aspects of school performance.  Governors have a clear and largely accurate understanding of the school’s performance. Senior leaders provide governors with meaningful and increasingly accurate information on pupils’ progress. Governors have received additional reviews of school performance from The Consortium Academies Trust to gain a more objective insight.

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Governance of the school

 Governors are aware of the use of additional funding to support the needs of pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. They can see how this has supported improving attendance and engagement in wider aspects of school life. They are aware of leaders’ actions to create bespoke provision for the increasing proportions of pupils with an EHC plan.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders have built a strong safeguarding culture. They employ their own safeguarding officer who focuses exclusively on the safety of pupils. She works closely with senior leaders and pastoral colleagues to keep a watchful eye on pupils’ welfare. Through training and regular briefings, teachers are kept up to date with safeguarding issues and concerns.  Leaders pursue any concerns over pupils’ welfare swiftly and follow these through to ensure that pupils are safe. Leaders document any concerns in a detailed and timely manner. They have developed effective links with external agencies to check pupils’ safety and they provide professional challenge if they feel concerns are not addressed.  Through their work in ‘The Link’ and on alternative provision, leaders are proactive in supporting pupils’ safety. They provide counselling and emotional support to address

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Safeguarding

pupils’ social and emotional welfare. Their actions have a very positive effect upon pupils’ safety and well-being.  Leaders carry out thorough checks to ensure the suitability of adults working on site. Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of safeguarding policies and practices and the actions to take to address any concerns over pupils’ welfare. Staff showed a good understanding of a range of safeguarding issues.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Leaders have taken purposeful action to improve the quality of teaching. They have intensified professional development opportunities and focused the attention of all staff on improving the quality of teaching in the classroom. However, these improvements are not consistently embedded to enable all pupils to make strong progress over time across a wide range of subjects.  While teaching is improving and becoming more consistent, variability remains between subjects. In mathematics, teachers are pitching work more effectively to meet the needs of higher-ability pupils and address the weaker performance of pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2018. However, teaching and assessment does not address gaps in the mathematical understanding of lower-ability pupils as effectively.  Where the school’s assessment practice is used effectively, in line with the school policy, pupils engage with their ‘green pen’ feedback and make telling improvements to

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

their work. This was evident in many English and history books. In other cases, these practices are less developed and do not address misconceptions as consistently.  Middle leaders are becoming more responsible for improving the standard of teaching in their subjects. They have worked with colleagues across the trust and from local schools to check standards and hone improvement strategies. This is creating an increasing momentum for improvement.  Leaders are reviewing the curriculum in many subjects to create more continuity from key stage 2 to key stage 3. Teachers are now more mindful of pupils’ prior ability and are using this to increase curriculum challenge in a number of subjects.  In the majority of lessons, pupils display positive attitudes to learning. They listen attentively and show a willingness to respond to teachers’ questioning. Their books often display a pride in learning.  Teachers are providing increasingly bespoke support for pupils with SEND. Teachers

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

are rolling out new provision from key stage 4 to key stage 3 and exploring new forms of assessment. Some of these initiatives are at a relatively early stage of development. In some cases, work set does not build incrementally upon pupils’ starting points.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Leaders have developed effective systems to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare. The tailored provision in the Link and in alternative provision effectively addresses pupils’ social and emotional needs.  Pupils benefit from a thorough programme of personal, social and health education that covers such areas as online safety, healthy living and sex and relationship education. These themes are reinforced in school assemblies.  Leaders show a commitment to promoting respect for a range of equalities. However, some pupils report that some pupils do not show the respect they should do for their peers at all times.  Pupils benefit from strong careers provision that has contributed to the vast majority of pupils progressing to education, employment and training. Leaders ensure that pupils have links with employers and local universities from an early stage. At a recent open

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Personal development and welfare

evening, staff from Hull University talked to the parents of incoming Year 7 pupils to set high aspirations from the earliest opportunity.  The school’s inclusive ethos underpins work to promote pupils’ welfare. Pupils on alternative placements have opportunities to engage in community projects and work experience to increase their confidence and self-esteem. Pupils from the neighbouring special school joined their peers at Winifred Holtby Academy at the recent Year 11 prom. This is indicative of a community which promotes the social development and inclusivity of all pupils.  Leaders are developing a pupils’ learner profile at key stage 3 to foreground the knowledge, skills and attributes that pupils will need to make further progress at key stage 4. There is evidence the teachers are building pupils’ oral skills and self- assurance, although some pupils remain less confident as learners.  In discussion, the vast majority pupils said that staff took incidents of bullying seriously

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Personal development and welfare

and they were confident that leaders would work to address such incidents. A small number of pupils who responded to the pupil questionnaire were less confident. School records show that leaders tracked occurrences of different types of bullying and took action to address these.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Relationships between staff and pupils are often friendly and supportive. Staff and pupils talk to one another positively at breaks and lunchtime. In corridors and social areas, pupils typically interact well, showing a respect for the school environment.  Teachers are now encouraged to incorporate more effective behaviour management into their teaching. There are fewer occasions when pupils are removed from lessons because of disruption. Although some staff expressed concerns over pupils’ behaviour, inspectors saw a positive picture of behaviour in the overwhelming majority of lessons visited.  Senior leaders have worked intensively to mitigate the risk of exclusion. Bespoke initiatives are supporting the behaviour of pupils. As a result, incidents of all types of exclusion are declining and are below those seen at similar schools.  While more pupils have left the academy this year than have joined, leaders ensure

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Behaviour

that all pupils who leave are appropriately followed up.  The welfare team has worked intensively to secure good rates of attendance. Attendance rates were better than those at similar schools in 2017/18 and that pattern has been sustained. Leaders have had particular success in improving attendance for disadvantaged pupils. Attendance has also improved for pupils on alternative placement and those in the hub. Leaders are constantly reviewing attendance strategies to make sure that the successes achieved over the past two years can be sustained.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 In 2018, the proportion of pupils achieving strong passes in English and mathematics was slightly below that seen nationally. The proportion of pupils achieving a standard pass in these subjects improved in 2018 but remained slightly below the national average. While the weaker progress of a small proportion of the cohort did depress outcomes, overall progress from pupils’ starting points remained below average.  Current pupils are making better progress, particularly in English, humanities and science. A thorough review of English books showed that pupils are developing effective strategies to analyse more complex texts and writing with an increasing sense of purpose.  Although there is evidence that most-able pupils are making better progress in mathematics, the picture remains variable. Overall outcomes are on course to improve upon the disappointing picture in 2018, but progress for lower-ability pupils is often

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

more limited. Too often, teaching does not effectively address gaps in their understanding.  In science, improving teaching at key stage 4 and stronger evidence in books at key stage 3 indicate that pupils are making improving progress.  In history, there is much evidence that leaders are addressing previous weaknesses. In books, pupils showed growing in their confidence and ability to interpret the significance of historical sources.  Teachers are addressing the need to enrich the curriculum with higher challenge. There is much evidence of pupils in top sets embracing more complex curriculum materials in mathematics and English and making stronger progress as a result.  In 2018, disadvantaged pupils achieved standards of attainment that were better or in line with disadvantaged pupils nationally. However, their progress in a number of subjects was below average. Leaders are beginning to address their needs more

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

effectively and there are signs that specific interventions have yielded success. A review of books and recent school progress information shows many signs of improving progress, but this remains weaker than their peers in school and other pupils nationally.  There is some evidence that boys are making better progress in English and mathematics than previously. In books, some of the differences in their progress compared to that of girls in school are beginning to close, although it continues to be weaker.  Leaders are developing increasingly customised support for pupils with SEND that is supporting their social and emotional development. Pupils value the support they receive. However, their academic progress over time has been mixed. On occasions, pupils do not make sufficient progress as work does not build incrementally upon their starting points.  Pupils in alternative education placements make good progress. They achieve a wide

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

range of suitable GCSE qualifications and functional skills awards. These enable pupils to return successfully to school or transfer to continuing education, training or employment. Pupils feel that they are well prepared for their next steps. While previous gaps in attendance affect the progress of some of these pupils, many pupils have significantly improved their attendance while attending alternative provision.  The proportion of Year 11 pupils entering education, employment and training has been in line with that seen nationally.

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School details

Local authority Kingston Upon Hull City Council

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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 1290

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Email address enquiry@winifredholtbyacademy.com

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School details

Date of previous inspection 28–29 March 2017

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, the principal has carried out a significant restructure of the senior leadership team.  Over the past year, the school has been working closely with staff from The Consortium Academy Trust as an associate member of the trust. The school is on course to become a formal member of the trust in the next few months.  The school is larger than the average-sized secondary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is well-above the national average.  The vast majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds. A very small proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is similar to the national average. The proportion of pupils with and education, health and care plan is above the national average and rising.  The school is developing a specialised hub on site to support pupils with SEND in

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Information about this school

partnership with staff from Tweendykes Special School.  The school currently has 21 pupils who attend alternative placements with Department for Education registered providers at Aspire and Rise.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed learning in a wide range of lessons and classes. Senior leaders joined inspectors for a number of these observations.  Inspectors met with the principal, vice-principals and senior leaders. They talked to subject leaders and a wide range of staff. They also met staff with responsibility for pupils’ progress and welfare.  Inspectors met with four members of the governing body.  The inspectors met the chief executive officer and the director of education for The Consortium Academies Trust. The school is an associate member of the trust and is scheduled to formally join the trust in the next few months.  The inspectors met groups of pupils and talked to pupils about their learning and experiences at the school in lessons and at breaktimes.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at breaks and lunchtimes and in the transitions between lessons.  The inspectors carried out an extensive review of work in pupils’ books and folders.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited the main provider of alternative provision used by the school, Aspire.  Inspectors looked at the school’s improvement plans, self-evaluation and progress information. They also considered arrangements for safeguarding and records relating to attendance and behaviour.  Inspectors took into account the 44 responses to Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire and the 28 free-text responses from parents. They also considered the 77 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire and the five responses to Ofsted’s pupil questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Malcolm Kirtley, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

George Gilmore 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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