The Winstanley School

Inspection of The Winstanley School Kingsway North, Braunstone Town, Leicester, Leicestershire LE3 3BD

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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

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 3–4 December 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school going through significant change. Pupils generally agree that the school has improved in the past two years. Teaching is improving too. This is helping pupils to achieve more than they would have done in the past. Even so, Year 11 examination results need to improve.

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What is it like to attend this school?

School leaders and the trust are committed to getting the best out of every pupil. They believe that every young person deserves a chance to succeed. They welcome pupils who have struggled with their education in the past. Many of these pupils are benefiting from this second chance. This approach is at the heart of the trust’s and senior leaders’ ambition for the school. Exclusions have reduced significantly, and pupil attendance is greatly improved.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and say that bullying is rare. They told inspectors that the school is now a much better place for them to learn. However, too many say that their work is not challenging enough.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils make GCSE choices in Year 8. They are not disadvantaged by this. Leaders have made sure that pupils do not miss out on a broad education.

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better?

School leaders, with the support of the Life Multi-Academy Trust, have improved the school for staff and pupils. Leaders have created a positive and welcoming atmosphere. Staff encourage pupils to follow the ‘SHINE’ values in all they do. Staff speak positively about the support and training they receive from senior leaders. Leaders consider the well-being of staff when introducing new ways of working.

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better?

Leaders have redesigned the curriculum. They shortened key stage 3 to two years and extended key stage 4 to three years. This has improved the range of subjects that pupils can study in their time at the school. It has also improved the uptake in some subjects. For example, almost half of all pupils now study a foreign language to GCSE. Leaders have planned to make sure that any gaps in pupils’ knowledge are addressed. A structured reading support programme in Year 7 is helping pupils catch up. Through the ‘SHINE’ programme, pupils learn about the importance of democracy. They also learn about being tolerant of others, being kind and looking after their own well-being. The school is highly inclusive of all people.

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better?

Leaders have clear plans about what is taught to pupils, and when, in many subjects. This is particularly strong in science and English.

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better?

Too often, in other subjects, the work pupils do is not hard enough. For example, some Year 11 pupils are still repeating mathematics that is too basic. Leaders and teachers have not ensured that the work given to pupils in every subject is demanding enough. 3–4 December 2019

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Disadvantaged pupils achieve as well as other pupils. However, all pupils need to do better. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported in their learning. Teachers ensure that lessons and support are well matched to their needs.

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Leaders, teachers and support staff insist on high standards, good manners and respect. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. Few pupils are excluded from school. Strategies to support any pupils who struggle to follow the school rules are effective. Pupils’ attendance has really improved as well. Pupils told inspectors that they want to attend the school.

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Opportunities for pupils’ personal development are many and varied. Pupils say they enjoy developing their wider skills. Pupils have focused activities that help to improve their understanding of mental health issues and the world of work. Careers education is a strength. Nearly all pupils go on to further education, employment or training when they leave school.

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Leadership is strong. School leaders are diligent in their work to improve all aspects of the school’s work. There is much to do, and they have prioritised the most urgent tasks. Since the school joined the Life Multi-Academy Trust, rapid improvement can be seen. Staff are working with teachers in the other trust schools to develop their professional skills and curriculum plans. Trustees, local governors and school leaders absolutely have the needs of pupils and their families at heart.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have made sure that they make the correct checks about adults before they work in school. The staff with specific safeguarding responsibilities know what they are doing. The systems in school are set up to spot when pupils might be at risk. Staff are trained in safeguarding and know what to look out for. When extra help is needed, the safeguarding leaders get in touch with the right people in other organisations. For example, the school has strong links with children’s services and the police. Pupils are taught how to stay safe through, for example, the strong ‘SHINE’ programme. The good work to promote tolerance and respect keeps pupils safe from bullying.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Subject leaders are at different stages of curriculum planning and implementation. In some subjects, such as mathematics and humanities, the revised plans for what pupils should learn are very new. Consequently, there is variability in the extent to which the curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced across subjects. Over time, pupils have not learned the content of these subjects well enough. Senior leaders should enable subject leaders and 3–4 December 2019

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teachers to construct a curriculum which is coherently planned and sequenced, so that all pupils learn the essential knowledge and skills they need for each subject they study.  Work is not challenging enough to meet the needs of all pupils across a wide range of subjects. As a result of this, pupils have not achieved as well as they should. Senior leaders should take effective action to ensure that subject leaders and teachers have the highest expectations of all pupils through embedding appropriately challenging work in their planning. Leaders should assure themselves that this occurs consistently across the school.

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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 are the school and you are 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. 3–4 December 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110021 Type of school Secondary comprehensive

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school joined the Life Multi-Academy Trust in January 2017.  The school has a recently created specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND. The provision currently caters for three pupils who have social, emotional or mental health needs, but it can accommodate up to 15.  The school makes use of the following alternative providers for a small number of pupils: Enstruct, Leicestershire Secondary Education and Inclusion Partnership (HBEP) and Leicester Partnership School (Secondary Behaviour Support Service).

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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

 We did deep dives into mathematics, English, science, humanities, and design and technology. This involved a meeting with subject leaders, visits to a sample of lessons, including scrutiny of books and other work produced by pupils, and discussion with teachers and with a group of pupils from the lessons visited. Most of the lesson visits were carried out jointly with senior or middle leaders. 3–4 December 2019

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 Meetings were held with senior and subject leaders, teachers, support staff, trustees and officers of the trust, and members of the local governing body.  We held informal and formal discussions with many pupils and observed interactions during social times. The lead inspector met with a group of Year 11 prefects.  We observed the work of the school and scrutinised a wide range of evidence, including the school’s self-evaluation, action plans and evaluations, attendance and behaviour records, safeguarding files, recruitment checks and governors’ minutes.  We were unable to consider the eight responses from parents and carers who completed Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, as the number was too small to show any detail. However, we did consider responses from parents using the free-text facility.  We considered the 39 responses to the online staff survey, and the 37 responses to the online pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Jamie Clarke, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Gary Nixon Ofsted Inspector 3–4 December 2019

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