King Edward VII Science and Sport College

Inspection of King Edward VII Science and Sport College Warren Hills Road, Coalville, Leicestershire LE67 4UW

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Inadequate Sixth-form provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 8–9 January 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils behave well and try hard in lessons. The majority are polite and respectful. For many, life at King Edward VII is a positive experience. This is not the case for all.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), do not learn well enough in some subjects. They do not get enough help to prepare for the future.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a range of extra-curricular activities. We saw lively rehearsals taking place for the school show. Pupils are proud of the school shows and say they are a strength of the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Attendance overall is improving but some disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND miss too much school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know how to reduce any risks they might face, for example regarding the misuse of drugs. Leaders have not done enough to keep all pupils safe. Inspectors found evidence that leaders had sent pupils home due to their behaviour without formally excluding them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Some pupils do not enjoy school. Some think that their concerns about bullying are not taken seriously. Poor behaviour sometimes disrupts learning. Pupils told us that they do not like using the toilets as the toilets are not well looked after. Some pupils are dissatisfied with their school experience.

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better?

Leaders and governors are not meeting all of their duties.

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better?

Leaders sometimes send pupils home from school for poor behaviour without recording this as an exclusion. This is unlawful. Records of pupils’ attendance are inaccurate.

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better?

Leaders do not make sure that pupils receive independent careers advice and guidance. The school is not currently meeting its statutory responsibility to ensure that providers of technical qualifications and apprenticeships visit the school to inform pupils about these options. Pupils do not feel well prepared for their next steps.

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better?

Many staff do a good job to support pupils. Some staff do not feel supported by senior leaders. They do not feel able to raise their concerns. They worry that leaders may respond negatively to them. 8–9 January 2020

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Governance is not effective. Governors do not fulfil their responsibilities, including relating to safeguarding. They do not know how leaders use extra money to support disadvantaged pupils. They do not hold school leaders to account.

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Leaders have reviewed curriculum plans. They have improved the sequence of learning in most subjects. Teachers know what they should teach and when. Pupils sometimes revisit previous learning to help them to remember more. For example, in English, Year 10 pupils used their knowledge of the play ‘Blood Brothers’ to identify similar themes in poetry.

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Pupils do not achieve as well as they should. The curriculum does not challenge them enough. Some teachers do not make sure that pupils understand the learning before they move on. Pupils then struggle to understand and complete their work.

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Leaders have not ensured that that all pupils with SEND have had the support they need. The school has not had a permanent leader for this aspect of its work for some time. Leaders have carried out the most urgent actions but have not had capacity to lead this area well enough. Some parents have felt frustrated with the lack of support and communication.

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Leaders have focused on improving pupils’ literacy skills. Teachers encourage pupils to read aloud and highlight subject-specific terms that pupils can use in their answers. Some pupils do not present their work well and their handwriting is poor.

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In Years 12 and 13, teachers use their good subject knowledge to interest students in their learning. For instance, Year 12 history students talked to us about the reasons for the Bolshevik uprising in 1917. Sixth-form students enjoy positive relationships with their teachers. They receive clear guidance to improve their work. Outcomes in both academic and vocational courses are improving. Students who need to secure a standard pass in GCSE English do not get good enough support.

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There are gaps in the work to promote pupils’ personal development. Pupils learn about issues such as recycling, radicalisation and extremism, and British politics. Staff promote the importance of good mental health and well-being. Pupils do not explore beliefs, experiences and values in enough depth.

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Other providers educate a small number of pupils. Leaders make sure that these pupils follow courses that will help them to be successful. They check that these pupils attend and are safe.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders did not respond appropriately or follow statutory guidance in relation to a serious safeguarding incident. They did not identify risks quickly enough or put appropriate measures in place to reduce the risks to vulnerable pupils. 8–9 January 2020

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Leaders do not keep complete or accurate records of their actions to keep pupils safe. This means it is not always clear what they have done or what information they have shared with other agencies. Pupils’ records are not kept securely.

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Pupils are taught how to stay safe. During a recent ‘stay safe’ week, pupils learned about fire and road safety, substance misuse, serious violent crime and cyber safety. Staff have had recent training about keeping pupils safe.

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Leaders carry out appropriate checks on new staff and volunteers before they start working at school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders do not always follow the correct procedures when excluding pupils from school because of poor behaviour. Leaders must follow government guidance on the exclusion of pupils and report these exclusions accurately.  Leaders’ safeguarding practices and procedures do not follow the statutory guidance. They did not follow the relevant guidance in response to a serious safeguarding incident. They have not ensured that a culture of safeguarding runs through all aspects of the school’s work. Leaders must prioritise pupils’ safety and well-being by managing all aspects of safeguarding effectively.  The provision for pupils with SEND has lacked effective leadership and oversight. Not all pupils have had the support they need. Leaders should ensure that the new leader responsible for pupils with SEND receives appropriate training and support to improve this area of the school’s work.  Leaders do not ensure that pupils receive impartial careers advice and guidance.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

This means that pupils are not able to make informed decisions about their future education, employment or training. Leaders must provide pupils with the information that they need to make the right choices about their next steps, including information about what technical education and apprenticeship opportunities are available in accordance with the school’s legal obligations under the ‘Baker’ clause.  Governors have not ensured that all leaders have the time and support to carry out their roles effectively. Tasks are not well distributed. Some leaders are overburdened by their responsibilities. Governors should ensure that leadership responsibilities are distributed effectively and that all leaders have the skills, training and support they need to carry out their roles well.  Governors do not carry out their roles effectively. They do not have a close oversight of leaders’ work or hold leaders to account. They do not ensure that

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

leaders follow relevant statutory guidance in relation to the exclusion of pupils, the correct recording of pupils’ absence and the provision of information about technical education and apprenticeship opportunities. Governors must make sure that they monitor the school’s compliance and performance effectively. 8–9 January 2020

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 Leaders do not always manage and support staff well. Some staff described a culture of bullying. Leaders and governors must ensure that all staff feel able to seek support and raise concerns.  The curriculum is not demanding enough. In some subjects, such as science and English, pupils are sometimes set work that is too easy. Leaders should ensure that all subjects have a curriculum that helps all pupils to be successful.

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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

Inspection number 10137672 Type of school Secondary comprehensive

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sixth form

Appropriate authority The governing body

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection 16–17 April 2015

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Information about this school

 The principal was appointed in January 2016. A new chair of the governing body took up the position in September 2017.  The school uses nine alternative providers. These are Cape Cabin, Chameleon Construction, Coalville Education Partnership, Elite Education, Entrust, Janus learning, Melton Learning Hub, Redgate Farm Animal Sanctuary and T.E.C.K.

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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(2) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform. 8–9 January 2020

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 We met with the principal and other senior leaders. We met with the leader who has had oversight of SEND and the leader who is due to take up this post. We met the leader with oversight of the pupil premium funding and the director of sixth form.  We met with groups of pupils from each year group. We spoke with pupils informally and observed the behaviour of pupils during social times.  We met with teachers and support staff.  I met with the chair and the vice-chair of the governing body.  We did deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, history and French. We met with curriculum leaders, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ workbooks, spoke with pupils, and met with teachers of the lessons visited. On the second day of the inspection, we visited lessons in a wider range of subjects.  I met with the leader responsible for safeguarding and reviewed the school’s system for recruiting staff and the school’s single central record. We looked at

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documentation relating to safeguarding. We also spoke with staff and pupils about safeguarding.  We spoke with one of the school’s alternative providers.  We took into account the 118 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, including 80 free-text responses. We also considered the 48 responses to the staff survey and the 73 responses to the pupil questionnaire.  We reviewed a range of documentation, including self-evaluation of the school’s performance and curriculum plans. We examined information concerning pupils’ attendance, behaviour and exclusions. We also considered records regarding pupil transfers in and out of the school.

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Inspection team

Rachel Tordoff, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Deirdre Duignan Her Majesty’s 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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