Helena Romanes School

Inspection of The Helena Romanes School and Sixth Form Centre Parsonage Downs, Great Dunmow, Essex CM6 2AU

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good 8–9 October 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at The Helena Romanes School and Sixth Form. They enjoy learning and coming to school. Relationships between pupils and adults are positive. Pupils are well mannered, friendly and respectful to their teachers and to each other. Pupils say that the behaviour in their lessons is better due to stricter rules. Staff now have a consistent approach to discipline.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils want to do well and are focused in lessons. Pupils feel safe and learn about how to keep themselves safe, including online. This helps them to stay safe outside of school. Bullying is rare. Pupils do not worry about being bullied. They said if it happens, staff take it seriously and deal with it quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ personal development and well-being are important to staff. Staff at the school care about pupils’ welfare. Pupils are fortunate to have access to supportive services, such as counselling. Pupils talk with enthusiasm about the many clubs and activities that the school offers. Pupils are also proud to contribute to the local community. They visit old people’s homes, and older pupils take part in the Dunmow Flitch trials.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Sixth-form students are good role models for the younger pupils. They are courteous, polite and enthusiastic about their learning.

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better?

In a short space of time, the new headteacher has made key improvements to the school. The science department is now fully staffed. The new leaders for English and mathematics are improving the curriculum. Pupils no longer study an extra course in GCSE statistics. This means pupils can concentrate on their GCSE mathematics. Planning in English is now more focused on helping pupils develop their vocabulary and language skills.

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better?

In English, mathematics and science, the quality of teaching is improving. Teachers plan and sequence work with greater care than in the past. This is to make sure that pupils know more and remember more. Consequently, pupils speak and write more confidently about the topics they have learned. In some areas of the curriculum, the questions and tasks teachers set are too easy. To address this, leaders are providing regular training sessions for teachers.

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better?

Pupils start too many GCSE courses at the beginning of Year 9. Often, they study their GCSE courses over three years rather than the recommended two. Where this occurs, pupils do not have Year 9 as a preparation year for GCSE. As a result, pupils have gaps in their knowledge and understanding. This makes it harder for pupils to comprehend the more advanced GCSE content. It also limits the connections pupils make to prior learning. Leaders have also stopped the practice of pupils 8–9 October 2019

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unnecessarily sitting GCSE exams a year early in religious education (RE) and citizenship.

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Most teachers plan well for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They take into account their differing needs effectively. Pupils who struggle with their reading are also supported well by staff in the school’s library, which is called the Learning Zone. Reading is promoted in assemblies, tutor time and in lessons. For example, pupils regularly participate in ‘drop and read’ time. Overall, pupils enjoy their reading and they are encouraged to read widely and often.

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Disadvantaged pupils now attend school more regularly. Yet, there is more work to do to help those disadvantaged pupils who are persistently absent to attend and to ensure that they achieve as well as they should. Behaviour is improving for this group of pupils. Fixed-term exclusions have reduced.

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Pupils understand well what it means to live in multicultural Britain. They appreciate diversity and are accepting of difference. The school has an active group who raise awareness about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues. Personal development is supported through the personal, social, health and economic education curriculum, assemblies and tutor times. Less well developed is careers education.

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Students like the fact that the sixth form is small. They are of the view that they get closer personal attention as a result. Students are well mannered, articulate and mature. They happily chat with visitors and are clear about their role as young leaders in the school. They are well organised, motivated and driven to achieve their best.

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Teachers enthuse students and make sure the work they do is interesting. At the end of their time in the sixth form, students achieve in line with national expectations. Almost all students continue their studies or enter employment when they leave. Currently, leaders are reviewing the offer of qualifications to include more vocational choice. Leaders also recognise that students would benefit from further opportunities beyond their academic studies. There are plans in place to address this.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Governors and those in charge of safeguarding take their roles very seriously. They make sure pupils are safe, especially those who are most at risk and in need of protection. Leaders work well with external agencies, such as social services, to make sure that these pupils receive the support they need. Leaders train staff routinely and keep them up to date about the latest national guidance, as well as any local issues. Staff know pupils well and make sure that they feel comfortable and cared for. 8–9 October 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school currently organises the curriculum with a two-year key stage 3 and a three-year key stage 4. The rationale is to provide pupils with more time to practise the skills required for GSCE and so perform better in their exams. This does not work for all pupils. In subjects such as RE, for example, pupils finish key stage 3 and choose their GCSE options without studying all the required content. This denies them their entitlement to important areas of knowledge. The school should review its curriculum and ensure that it is similar in breadth and ambition to the national curriculum.  Leaders need to ensure that teachers continue to develop their pedagogy and subject knowledge. This is so teachers can plan well sequenced, challenging tasks and questions. This, in turn, will help pupils to know more and remember more over time.  Some disadvantaged pupils do not attend school regularly enough. This is

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

affecting their learning as they are missing important lessons. While there has been some improvement in this area, there is still more to do. Leaders must make sure disadvantaged pupils attend school regularly so that they do not fall behind in their work.  The development of careers education, information and guidance (CEIAG) is at an early stage within the school. The leader has evaluated the school’s provision and knows the areas to develop. There is a clear and comprehensive action plan in place to fulfil the requirements for CEIAG. This action plan now needs to be implemented.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

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 8–9 October 2019

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years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 8–9 October 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110247 Type of school Secondary comprehensive

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1215

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection 10 March 2016

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Information about this school

 The new headteacher took up post in September 2019. The senior leadership team restructured in July 2019. The governing body was restructured in September 2019.  The school uses two alternative providers to provide some of the education for a small number of pupils. These alternative providers are Essex Youth Build and Wilderness Foundation UK.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 During the inspection, inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, senior leaders, curriculum leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, key stage leaders and the literacy coordinators. We met with the chair of the trust, a 8–9 October 2019

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trustee, the safeguarding governor and the local authority representative. Inspectors also spoke with pupils.  Inspectors focused on the quality of the curriculum in English, mathematics, science, RE and business studies. We met with the curriculum leader of each subject, visited lessons, spoke with pupils, scrutinised a sample of books and held discussions with subject teachers.  Inspectors scrutinised the checks that the school makes on adults who work in the school and spoke with the leaders responsible for safeguarding, including the governor responsible for safeguarding. We looked at records of the actions leaders have taken to protect pupils at risk. Inspectors spoke to pupils to gauge how safe they feel and to what extent they know how to keep themselves safe. Inspectors also checked whether members of staff understand and abide by the school’s safeguarding policy.  Inspectors visited one alternative provider and spoke with another.

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 Inspectors considered the views expressed by parents in the 106 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, as well as comments received via the text facility on Parent View. They also considered the 82 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Liz Smith, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Paul Lawrence Ofsted Inspector 8–9 October 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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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