Risedale School

Inspection of Risedale Sports and Community College Hipswell, Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire DL9 4BD

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good 13–14 November 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to Risedale Sports and Community College because it is a caring community. Parents spoke positively about how their children are made to feel welcome when they start school. For example, one parent said, ‘I was very impressed with how the school receives new students, making them feel comfortable and welcomed.’ This is important in a school where many pupils arrive after Year 7 or leave before the end of Year 11 because a parent serves in the armed forces.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Bullying is rare. Most pupils say that it is not an issue for them. If it does happen, staff fix the problems quickly. Pupils behave well around the school and in lessons. Low-level disruption occurs sometimes. Pupils are eager for this to stop completely.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff do not give up on pupils who misbehave. They exhaust all avenues before thinking about using fixed-period or permanent exclusion as a sanction. Staff have introduced a wide range of support measures to help pupils manage their emotions and build confidence.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and feel safe in school. They know that staff want them to achieve well and will provide support if they need help.

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better?

Leaders have thought hard about how they can help pupils achieve well and enjoy learning. For example, leaders have recently introduced drama into key stage 3 to help improve pupils’ confidence. More pupils are choosing a modern foreign language, history and geography in key stage 4. This is because the key stage 3 curriculum is now preparing them well for further study in these subjects. Pupils are now achieving more strongly in English and mathematics. In these subjects, and in most others, teachers build pupils’ knowledge carefully over time. They encourage pupils to read challenging books, plays and poetry. Pupils enjoy choosing new library books. They like the rewards that teachers present for reading them.

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better?

There is still some variation in the effectiveness of the curriculum across subjects. In science, for example, Year 10 pupils, including the most able, achieve well. Teachers help pupils to be ready to learn complex ideas by breaking topics into small steps. However, in key stage 3 science, teachers sometimes move on to new topics before pupils have grasped a new concept fully.

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better?

Most teachers assess pupils’ understanding as lessons develop. They adapt their lessons to help pupils when they do not understand. However, a minority of teachers do not do this as effectively.

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better?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well. Teachers and staff provide effective support for pupils with SEND in lessons. Pupils with SEND receive effective one-to-one support in the ‘hub’ when needed. 13–14 November 2019

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Pupils’ attendance has risen steadily and is now above the national average. In most lessons, pupils behave well. They respond quickly to teachers’ instructions. However, not all teachers manage behaviour in the same way. In a small number of lessons pupils misbehave for too long.

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Provision for pupils’ personal development is strong. For example, older pupils can become prefects. They become good role models to their peers. Pupils appreciate the highly effective careers advice they receive in lessons and from visiting speakers. In social studies lessons, pupils learn how to stay healthy and how to be responsible citizens.

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Staff speak highly about senior leaders. Staff appreciate the support they receive to manage their workload. Leaders’ self-evaluation is accurate. School improvement plans reflect their determination to help all young people succeed. They make decisions with pupils’ best interests in mind.

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Governors take their roles seriously. They visit the school regularly and hold leaders to account. However, their actions lack precision at times. For example, governors did not rigorously check the impact additional funding had on the achievement and well-being of disadvantaged pupils last year.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff understand well and keep their eyes open when looking for the signs that pupils may be at risk. Staff report any concerns promptly and work closely with external agencies, including social services, when required. Pupils say that they feel safe in school. Parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, say that they are confident that staff look after their children well. The curriculum helps pupils understand how to stay safe, including when online.

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Safeguarding

Pupils say that they can speak to and trust an adult in school if they have a concern. They say that staff deal with bullying swiftly when they report it.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Governance is improving. However, there are some important functions of governance that are not as strong as they could be. Leaders should continue to develop the role of governors, so they become more skilful in holding leaders to account, for example by challenging leaders about how additional funding is used to support disadvantaged pupils.  The impact of the curriculum varies across the school. Senior leaders must ensure that all subject leaders plan the curriculum to the same high standard, so that learning is sequenced well in each key stage and there is sufficient time given to 13–14 November 2019

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help pupils remember important content.  In some lessons, teachers do not follow the school behaviour policy consistently. Leaders must ensure that all teachers follow the school’s behaviour management policy so that all staff have the same high expectations and low-level disruption is eliminated.

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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 years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 13–14 November 2019

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 26–27 November 2015

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Information about this school

 Risedale Sports and Community College is a smaller than average secondary school. The number of pupils on roll has increased since the previous inspection.  The school now has its own governing body after ceasing to be part of a formal federation with another local school in April 2017.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils on roll is lower than the national average.  The number of pupils eligible for the service pupil premium is much higher than the national average.  The high number of pupils from service families means that pupil mobility is high.  The number of pupils with education, health and care plans is low compared to other schools.  A new deputy headteacher, who is the school’s SENCo and designated safeguarding lead, started in September 2019.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 13–14 November 2019

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 We met senior and subject leaders to discuss approaches to curriculum design, safeguarding, pupil premium planning, behaviour and pupils’ personal development.  We undertook deep dives into the following subjects: English, mathematics, science and geography. This involved joint lesson visits with subject leaders, meetings with subject leaders about their curriculum planning and approaches to assessment, reviews of pupils’ written work, meetings with pupils about their learning and discussions with teachers about their work.  Further lesson visits were conducted on the second day of the inspection. These included visits to history, French, science and physical education lessons.  The school’s systems for vetting staff were checked. This included a review of the single central record.  We talked to staff and pupils about behaviour and safeguarding matters, including how concerns could be passed on and how to recognise potential risks. Pupils and

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staff were selected randomly for some meetings or discussions.  A range of staff, including support staff and recently qualified staff, shared their views about pupils’ behaviour and attitudes.  Pupil, staff and parent surveys were reviewed. Further meetings were held with staff and pupils to talk about any significant points raised in the surveys.  The lead inspector discussed the school’s strengths and weaknesses with a representative from the local authority.  An inspector met governors to talk about their roles.  Policies and meeting records, including governors’ minutes, were reviewed.

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Inspection team

John McNally, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Matthew West Ofsted Inspector 13–14 November 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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