Driffield School and Sixth Form

Inspection of Driffield School and Sixth Form Manorfield Road, Driffield YO25 5HR

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 8–9 January 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

Driffield School and Sixth Form is a friendly and happy place. It provides a good quality of education to its pupils and sixth-form students. The new headteacher and his senior leadership team have made significant improvements to the school. Pupils, parents, carers and staff have noticed the many improvements and are pleased with them. As a result, pupils and students achieve well here.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at the school and say that it feels safe. Pupils behave well and are positive about their school. They told us that if bullying happens, it is quickly dealt with by the teachers. Pupils move around the large site in a calm and orderly manner. They show respect for each other and staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff have created a positive environment based on the school’s motto ‘Believe, Achieve’. Staff ensure that all pupils feel welcome within the school. Pupils value each other’s differences. Staff and pupils work well together. This is particularly the case for students in the sixth form. They work very hard to achieve their ambitious goals.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities, including a range of sports, to develop their talents. Pupils are proud of the production of shows such as ‘Oliver’ and ‘Grease’.

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better?

The quality of education is good. Leaders have created a broad and ambitious curriculum. The curriculum meets the needs and interests of most pupils. In Year 10, pupils can choose from a wide range of subjects and qualifications. Leaders ensure that disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get the help they need to overcome their difficulties. Pupils are well prepared for their next steps in education or employment.

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better?

Leaders ensure that in all subject areas, curriculum plans show what pupils need to learn at each stage of their education. In some subjects, for example mathematics, science and history, there is a clear sequence of what pupils will learn and when. Leaders are currently further refining the sequence of learning for some year groups in English and business studies.

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better?

For each subject, leaders have thought carefully about the curriculum so that pupils’ knowledge builds up over time. Pupils use their prior knowledge when learning something new. For example, when students in Year 12 learn about managing finance, they use what they have learned about financial planning. Leaders are at the early stages of ensuring that pupils use their knowledge from one subject when they are learning something new in another subject.

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better?

Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They revisit key facts regularly and use questioning well to check if pupils remember what they have learned. In many 8–9 January 2020

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subjects, pupils could tell us what they were learning and how their knowledge is building up from previous lessons.

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School leaders recently introduced a new behaviour policy. As a result, the behaviour and conduct of pupils has greatly improved. Relationships between staff and pupils are positive. Pupils say that when bullying happens, teachers deal with it effectively. There is a clear process for dealing with bullying incidents. Inspection evidence confirms this. A very small minority of parents expressed some concerns about how leaders deal with bullying.

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Pupils attend school well and behave well. The number of fixed-term exclusions is below the national average. However, not all teachers apply the school’s policy of rewards and sanctions consistently. As a result, pupils do not experience the same level of expectations in every lesson they go to.

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Students show very positive attitudes to learning in the sixth form, both in lessons and in private study. They enjoy their time in the sixth form and feel challenged and supported. The range of courses is ambitious, and students make good progress. Leaders’ provision for students’ career guidance is a strength at the school. Leaders build useful partnerships with external agencies so that all students and pupils have rich experiences of the workplace. In 2019, all students in Year 13 left the school to train with an employer or continue their education at college or university.

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The school offers a wide range of opportunities for personal development within lessons. It also provides many activities at the end of the school day, including sports clubs. Pupils value these opportunities.

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Trust leaders and governors are key in driving the school forward. The governors are well informed and hold the headteacher and leaders to account. The support from the trust has been instrumental in the rapid improvement of the school. The school is quickly gaining the confidence of its community. Staff feel valued and supported and proud to be working in this school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The designated safeguarding leader and her team are knowledgeable, vigilant and take safeguarding very seriously. Teachers and pupils know what to do if they have any concerns. Staff receive regular training in safeguarding and, as a result, they know the potential risks in the area and what to do if they have concerns about pupils. Pupils know what to do to stay safe, including when online. Leaders also make sure that pupils who attend alternative education provision are safe. Leaders ensure that safeguarding records are accurate. Recruitment checks are thorough and ensure that staff are safe to work with pupils. 8–9 January 2020

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In most subjects, the sequencing of content is logical and carefully planned. As a result, pupils’ knowledge builds up over time. Leaders should continue the work they are doing to further refine the order in which important content is taught to pupils in some year groups, particularly in English.  The school curriculum is well thought out and planned. However, the school is at the early stages of developing links between different subjects. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is refined further so that, where appropriate, pupils can use their prior learning from one subject when learning new content in another subject.  The new behaviour policy has recently been introduced and has had a very positive impact on improving the behaviour and conduct of pupils. However, not all teachers apply the behaviour policy, including sanctions and rewards, consistently. Leaders must ensure that all staff follow and apply the school

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

behaviour policy consistently so that all pupils experience the same expectations in all lessons.

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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. 8–9 January 2020

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School details

Local authority East Riding of Yorkshire

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School details

Inspection number 10121661 Type of school Secondary

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,331

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Driffield School and Sixth Form converted to become an academy school on 1 February 2017 and joined The Education Alliance trust. When its predecessor school was last inspected by Ofsted in March 2016, it was judged to require special measures.  The school is much larger than the average-sized secondary school.  The previous headteacher left the school in January 2018. The current headteacher was appointed in May 2018. In September 2017, governors appointed a new director of English, a new director of SEND and an assistant headteacher responsible for personal development. In 2018, a new deputy headteacher with responsibility for curriculum and standards and a director of geography were also appointed.  The school uses The Hub for alternative provision. 8–9 January 2020

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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 met with the headteacher, deputy headteachers, senior leaders, subject leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, teachers, trustees and representatives from the governing body, including the chair. We also met with the chief executive officer from the trust. A team inspector held a telephone conversation with a leader from the school’s alternative provision.  We held informal and formal discussions with many pupils and students from the sixth form and observed interactions during breaktime and lunchtime.  We observed the work of the school and scrutinised a wide range of evidence, including the school’s self-evaluation, school improvement plans, attendance and behaviour records, safeguarding files and recruitment checks. We talked to staff about their role in keeping pupils safe.  We talked to staff, including the newly qualified teachers, about their workload, and about the amount and quality of training and support they receive from

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Information about this inspection

leaders.  We took into account the 144 responses from parents to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. We also took into consideration the 59 staff responses and 63 pupil responses to Ofsted’s online staff and pupil surveys.  We undertook deep dives into the following subjects: English, science, history, mathematics and business studies. This involved meetings with subject leaders and joint visits with leaders to a sample of lessons in these subjects. We also looked at books and other kinds of work produced by pupils who were part of the classes observed. Leaders joined us for this activity. We had discussions with teachers and groups of pupils from the lessons observed.

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Inspection team

Dimitris Spiliotis, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Tricia Stevens Ofsted Inspector 8–9 January 2020

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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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