Werneth School

Inspection of Werneth School Harrytown, Romiley, Stockport, Cheshire SK6 3BX

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Inadequate Behaviour and attitudes Inadequate Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Inadequate Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 7–8 January 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have been let down academically for too long at this school. Pupils do not achieve as well as they should because of the poor quality of education that they receive. The curriculum does not fully meet pupils’ needs. As a result, pupils’ examination results remain well below those of other pupils nationally. This is especially true for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders, including governors, care about the pupils. They want them to do well. However, they are not ambitious enough for pupils. Leaders do not demonstrate the capacity to make the improvements that are urgently required. Any signs of improvement have been too slow or insufficient. This means that current pupils are not getting a good enough education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders were asked to improve pupils’ attendance at the previous inspection. They have not succeeded. Too many pupils do not attend school regularly. Poor attendance contributes to pupils’ weak education. The attendance of vulnerable pupils remains far too low.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils behave well between lessons, and at break- and lunchtimes. Pupils’ behaviour varies in lessons. Pupils lose concentration and there is disruption where the planning and teaching of the curriculum are weak.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe. They say they can be themselves. Pupils say that they make friends easily. They understand people’s differences and respect these. Bullying is rare, and leaders deal with it well.

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better?

The curriculum that pupils receive fails them because it is not fit for purpose. This leads to weak examination results. Year on year, pupils’ results fall far short of what they are capable of. This is the case across most subjects, including English, mathematics, science and history. This is especially true for disadvantaged pupils.

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better?

The key stage 3 curriculum is inadequate. Leaders do not ensure that the full requirements of the national curriculum are taught. Too often, the coverage of topics in some subjects is superficial, contains gaps and lacks ambition. Pupils do not get the opportunity to learn what they need to know.

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better?

Governors have failed to recognise and challenge the weaknesses in pupils’ learning. They have not been aware that pupils are not taught all they should be, or get the opportunity to know more and remember more.

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better?

Pupils are not sufficiently prepared for the demands of key stage 4. The curriculum does not support them to achieve well. Pupils struggle to take on and tackle 7–8 January 2020

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challenging ideas. This is because their previous learning has been shallow and insecure.

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Too many pupils with SEND do not receive the support that they need. Pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan are generally well known and supported. Other pupils with SEND have too little support. These pupils’ needs are not met, which leads to their poor experience of school and their poor academic outcomes.

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Most pupils try hard and want to learn. They like lessons where classroom management is consistent and fair. Pupils said that this helps them to concentrate. However, there is low-level disruption in some classrooms. This contributes to careless work and poor learning. In contrast, pupils’ behaviour is far more positive outside the classroom.

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Leaders have recently renewed their approach to tackling pupils’ poor attendance. This has had too little impact. Far too many pupils do not attend school regularly. Pupils’ attendance is especially poor for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.

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Pupils learn about modern Britain and their place in society. Pupils are confident, articulate and most value education. Almost all move on to further education when they leave the school. However, too many pupils who are capable of an academic future have this opportunity restricted. Only around 5% of pupils follow an academic English Baccalaureate GCSE pathway.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff training is regular and up to date, so they know what to look out for if pupils are at risk. Staff also know how to deal with concerns. Leaders have embedded links with support agencies, so they have a valuable, detailed knowledge of any pupils who are at risk. They consult parents and carers and refer cases to social care when necessary. Pupils have a clear understanding of risks or threats when online. Pupils know whom to talk to or contact if they are worried or unhappy.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils’ examination results are far lower than those of others nationally, year on year. This is the case for all pupils, but especially true for disadvantaged pupils. Leaders must take urgent action to remove these inequalities and secure improvements to pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 11.  The curriculum is not fit for purpose. It is poorly planned and implemented. The curriculum lacks sufficient ambition and fails to provide pupils with a secure body of knowledge. In key stage 3, the curriculum does not fully match the requirements of the national curriculum. As a result, pupils do not know and 7–8 January 2020

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remember enough. This leaves them ill-equipped to cope with the demands of the key stage 4 curriculum. Leaders must urgently tackle the endemic weaknesses of the curriculum, so that it meets pupils’ needs and matches the ambition of the national curriculum.  Leaders’ actions to improve pupils’ attendance since the previous inspection have not been effective. Too many pupils do not attend school often enough. All pupils, but especially those who are disadvantaged and those with SEND, suffer from poor attendance. Leaders should take the action required to rectify this, so that many more pupils attend school regularly.  Too many pupils with SEND do not receive the support that they need. These pupils suffer from a poor quality of education because of this. Leaders should act with urgency to make sure that all pupils with SEND are accurately identified and supported. Leaders should ensure that staff are fully aware of and equipped to

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support these pupils’ needs, so that they can achieve well from their individual starting points.  Leaders, including governors, have failed to address the poor quality of education provided at the school since the last inspection. They have not demonstrated the capacity required to secure necessary improvement. Leadership at all levels urgently requires strengthening, so that leaders have the capacity to rapidly and sustainably improve the quality of education for pupils.

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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. 7–8 January 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10121930 Type of school Secondary comprehensive

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,039

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governors Gail Elms and Vicky Howe (Co-chairs)

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20–21 June 2017

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Information about this school

 A small number of pupils attend alternative provision at Highfields Inclusion Partnership.

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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

In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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Information about this inspection

The school may not appoint newly qualified teachers (NQTs).

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Information about this inspection

 We held meetings with the headteacher, senior and subject leaders, governors and a representative of the local authority.  The school’s records of safeguarding checks and referrals to the local authority were reviewed. We spoke with staff about how they keep pupils safe. We also 7–8 January 2020

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asked the pupils about how they keep themselves safe and what to do if they have concerns.  We considered the views of the 191 pupils who responded to Ofsted’s questionnaire.  We considered the views of staff from meetings with groups of staff and from the 52 responses to the staff questionnaire.  The views of the 105 parents who completed Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, including the 65 free-text responses, were considered.  In considering the quality of education, we concentrated on art, English, history, languages and mathematics in depth. We discussed the arrangements for the curriculum and teaching with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders and teachers. We visited lessons and then talked with pupils about what they had been learning. We looked at pupils’ exercise books and folders in these subjects.

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Inspection team

Stephen Ruddy, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Dympna Woods Ofsted Inspector 7–8 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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