Rugby Free Secondary School

Inspection of Rugby Free Secondary School Anderson Avenue, Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 5PE

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Inadequate 13 and 14 July 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have created an encouraging and inclusive environment. Pupils benefit from a school community that includes pupils from a wide range of different backgrounds and cultures. Leaders have fostered a culture in which pupils see these differences as a positive thing. Uniqueness is valued and celebrated. Pupils feel confident ‘to be themselves’ at Rugby Free Secondary School.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for pupils. In most subjects, teachers expect pupils to produce their best work. Pupils embody the school values of kindness and respect in their daily interactions with staff and each other. Relationships between staff and pupils are strong.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in the vast majority of lessons and at other times of the day . Very little learning time is lost. Bullying does happen, but it is rare. When it happens, leaders deal with it quickly and effectively. Pupils feel safe. They have confidence in their teachers to look after them well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

As part of the school’s ‘set for life’ curriculum, the school actively teaches pupils about the skills they need to succeed in modern Britain. Pupils have a wide range of opportunities to develop their talents and interests. Most pupils make good use of these. The opportunities include an equalities club, a debating society and a gardening group.

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better?

All pupils learn a broad and ambitious curriculum. Curriculum leaders ensure that pupils learn content in a logical order. This is developing pupils’ confidence and knowledge in a variety of subjects over time. For example, in mathematics, pupils become secure in calculating the area of two-dimensional shapes before learning how to work out the volume of three-dimensional shapes.

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better?

Leaders have introduced clear routines for the start of lessons. As part of these routines, pupils answer questions about work they have done in the past. Curriculum leaders choose these questions carefully. They design questions that focus on the important knowledge pupils need to know. Pupils told inspectors that answering these questions helps to ‘jog their memories’ and they remember things they have learned before.

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better?

Teachers know that some pupils need extra help to learn the curriculum. All pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have an individual plan. This plan explains how adults can best support them. Teachers use this information well in lessons. This means that most pupils get the support they need. In addition to this, leaders have ensured that teachers create teaching resources that allow all pupils to access the learning. 13 and 14 July 2021 In some subjects, teachers do not check pupils’ understanding systematically. This means that teachers do not consistently know when pupils are stuck or have misunderstood something. As a result, not all pupils get the help they need quickly enough. This slows their learning.

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better?

Teachers promote reading well. For example, inspectors observed pupils passionately discussing and debating which books they would like added to the school library. When pupils join the school, leaders make appropriate checks on pupils’ starting points in reading. Leaders use the information from these checks to identify pupils who have specific reading difficulties or who are at the early stages of reading. They ensure that these pupils get the help they need from skilled adults. This supports these pupils to become more confident and fluent readers.

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better?

The school’s behaviour policy is simple and clear. It is well understood by pupils and consistently applied by staff. Pupils appreciate this. Pupils’ behaviour around school is respectful and calm. They are rarely late to classes or school.

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better?

The headteacher is determined that all pupils be well prepared for life in modern Britain. Tolerance for others is consistently promoted by staff and through the school’s curriculum, assemblies and wider opportunities. Consequently, pupils are highly respectful of people’s differences. They are knowledgeable about the protected characteristics and talk confidently and maturely about them.

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better?

Leaders, including those responsible for governance, want ‘the very best’ for pupils. They regularly gather the views of pupils, parents and carers, and staff. As a result, they know what the school does well and how it can improve further.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff take pupils’ welfare seriously. They are alert to any signs that a pupil may need support and they report concerns quickly. Leaders take action to ensure that pupils who need help get the support they need. Safeguarding records are thorough and well organised.

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Safeguarding

As part of the school’s personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education curriculum, pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. Leaders make sure that this curriculum teaches pupils about risks they may face in the local area. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe online. They know what to do if something is worrying them.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, teachers do not check pupils’ understanding within lessons well enough. This means that teachers do not know which pupils need extra help, so 13 and 14 July 2021 pupils do not get timely support. Leaders should ensure that teachers know how to check learning systematically in their subjects, so that teachers are able to give pupils the help they need quickly.

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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. 13 and 14 July 2021

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Date of previous inspection

14 and 15 May 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school opened in September 2016. It is smaller than the average-sized secondary school.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above average. The proportions of pupils with SEND and those who speak English as an additional language are above average. The proportion of pupils who have an education, health and care plan is above average.  The school is registered for pupils in Years 7 to 13. Currently, there are five year groups in the school, Years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11. The school plans to open a sixth form in September 2021.  The school makes use of one registered alternative provision provider.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We deemed the inspection a section 5 inspection under the same Act. 13 and 14 July 2021 In accordance with section 13(5) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires significant improvement.

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school, and have taken that into account in their evaluation.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with the headteacher and senior leaders. They talked to a wide range of staff. The lead inspector met with representatives of those responsible for governance, including the chair of the school improvement board. The lead inspector also met with the chief executive officer of the trust.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documents. These included: school policies, safeguarding records, curriculum documents, information about pupils’ attendance and behaviour, the single central record and information about leaders’ evaluation of the quality of education.  Inspectors focused on the following subjects during the inspection: English, mathematics, science and history. As part of this focus, they met with curriculum leaders and class teachers, and talked to pupils. Inspectors visited lessons accompanied by leaders. They also looked at pupils’ work.  As part of inspecting safeguarding, inspectors held discussion with staff, leaders

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Information about this inspection

and those responsible for governance. They also observed at informal times of the day to evaluate safeguarding arrangements and pupils’ behaviour.  Inspectors considered 273 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. This included 152 free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Christopher Stevens, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Graeme Rudland Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 July 2021 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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