Carr Hill High School

Inspection of Carr Hill High School Royal Avenue, Kirkham, Preston, Lancashire, PR4 2ST

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 5 and 6 October 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils told inspectors that this is a school that is continually improving. Most pupils are happy at Carr Hill High School and are keen to learn. Older pupils said that they learn more now than they did in the past.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils said that the school is a safe place to be. Poor behaviour in class is rare. Pupils concentrate well on their work in lessons. In the main, they behave sensibly between lessons and during social times.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils told inspectors that they understand the importance of tolerance and respect. Many pupils do not perceive bullying to be an issue. However, a small number of pupils said that there is some prevalence of name-calling or unkind behaviour. Most pupils said that when bullying does occur, teachers endeavour to sort it out.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide and appropriate range of activities to support their wider personal development. For example, they enjoy participating in drama productions and sports clubs.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils. They want all pupils to do well in their future lives. However, pupils do not have access to a consistently well-planned curriculum. This means that some pupils, including some with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), do not achieve as well as they should.

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better?

Leaders and governors are improving the quality of education for pupils. They are in the process of reshaping the curriculum. In some subjects, leaders have taken effective steps to review curriculum plans. In these subjects, leaders are increasingly clear about what they intend pupils to learn and why. Pupils are remembering more of the essential knowledge that they need. As a result of this careful planning, pupils’ progress through these subject curriculums is improving.

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better?

Where the curriculum is more securely planned, teachers choose appropriate activities to help pupils learn and remember more of the subject content. Teachers are checking pupils’ knowledge and understanding more effectively. They use assessment information increasingly well to address misconceptions and to help pupils move on to new learning. Consequently, pupils’ achievement is improving in these subjects.

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better?

Although leaders are beginning to strengthen what is taught across the curriculum, there are several subjects that are not planned effectively enough. In these subjects, curriculum plans lack ambition. Subject leaders have not thought enough about the knowledge that pupils need to progress through the curriculum. Nor have they considered fully the order in which new knowledge should be taught. 5 and 6 October 2021

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Consequently, pupils struggle to remember new learning. Some pupils do not make secure connections between different topics and concepts. Overall, pupils, including some of those with SEND, do not progress through the curriculum as well as they should in these subjects.

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Where the curriculum is not well planned, teachers do not always choose the most appropriate activities to teach new knowledge. Teachers’ systems to check pupils’ learning are not developed as well as they should be because they do not know what they should be assessing.

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Leaders identify those pupils who have fallen behind with their reading. They have put in place a successful reading curriculum to help these pupils to catch up quickly. Leaders’ identification of pupils with SEND is also accurate. Pupils with SEND are well cared for. They enjoy attending school because of the wrap-around support that they receive.

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Pupils attend school regularly. They are punctual. Recently, leaders have redesigned the behaviour system to improve pupils’ attitudes to learning. This has clarified leaders’ expectations of pupils’ behaviour, which is improving. Most pupils are orderly around school. However, a small number of pupils expressed concerns about name-calling and the prevalence of some unkind behaviour. Although leaders are taking decisive action to address this issue, it is too early to see the impact of their work to reduce this type of behaviour.

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Leaders have adjusted the personal development curriculum to ensure that pupils receive appropriate relationships, sex, and health education. Leaders have a wide and varied programme of extra-curricular activities to match pupils’ interests, including those pupils with SEND.

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Staff appreciate how leaders and governors protect them from an excessive workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure a strong culture of safeguarding. They make sure that staff are trained to spot the signs that pupils are at risk of harm. Leaders are raising pupils’ and staff’s awareness of how to spot the risks of sexual harassment, online sexual abuse and sexual violence.

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Safeguarding

Pupils told inspectors that they know how to report any worries and how to seek help from staff when required. Staff process this information in a timely manner. Adults identify quickly if pupils require additional support from external agencies. This ensures that pupils and their families get the help that they need. 5 and 6 October 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not ensured that some subject curriculums are sufficiently ambitious for all pupils. They have not identified the essential knowledge that pupils must know and remember. Nor have they thought carefully enough about how these curriculums enable pupils to build upon what they know. This means that some pupils, including some of those with SEND, do not make as much progress through the curriculum as they should. Leaders should ensure that curriculums across all subjects are suitably ambitious and well planned. This is so that all pupils can learn the essential knowledge that they need to achieve well across the full range of subjects.  In some subjects, teachers do not choose the most appropriate activities to teach the knowledge that pupils should learn. Nor do some teachers address pupils’ misconceptions. This hinders pupils’ learning and progress across curriculums. Leaders should ensure that teachers have the training to select the most

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

appropriate activities to teach the essential knowledge that pupils need to progress through the curriculum well.  Leaders have recently introduced a new behaviour system. However, a small number of pupils have well-founded concerns regarding name-calling and unkind behaviour. More must be done to strengthen staff’s awareness of, and consistency in addressing, their worries about name-calling and unkind behaviour. Leaders should implement their plans to address this issue and check that concerns are being addressed.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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. 5 and 6 October 2021

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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. 5 and 6 October 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10200791 Type of school Secondary comprehensive

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13–14 December 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 A small number of pupils attend alternative provision at three providers.  The school meets the requirements of the Baker Clause. This means that pupils in Years 8 to 11 receive information about the full range of education and training options open to them. This includes opportunities for a range of education and training providers to speak to pupils about technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders and subject leaders. Inspectors spoke on the telephone to a representative of Lancashire County Council. 5 and 6 October 2021

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 Inspectors met with the chair and a group of other governors.  Inspectors reviewed the school’s records of safeguarding checks and referrals to the local authority. Inspectors spoke with staff about how they keep pupils safe. Inspectors also asked the pupils how they learn how to keep themselves safe and what to do if they have any concerns.  Inspectors held discussions with staff and considered the responses to Ofsted’s online staff questionnaire.  Inspectors spoke with pupils from all year groups and considered the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for pupils.  Inspectors considered the views of the parents who completed Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online parental survey. This included the free-text responses. Inspectors also considered the views of the parents who contacted them during the inspection by email.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in art and design, English, history, mathematics

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and science. Inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and spoke with leaders from some other subjects.

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Inspection team

Stephen Ruddy, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Colin Bell Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 October 2021

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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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