Beverley High School

Inspection of Beverley High School Norwood, Beverley HU17 9EX

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Inspection dates: 16 and 17 November 2021

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Sixth form provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Good 16 and 17 November 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Beverley High School are proud of their school and its heritage. Pupils benefit from the school’s desire for every pupil to be involved in an ambitious curriculum, in and out of the classroom. This enables pupils to reach their full potential. Pupils’ behaviour is excellent. This allows teachers to teach and focus on learning. Pupils are respectful, polite and articulate. They attend well, are prompt to lessons and are quick to focus on their work. This means that pupils learn exceptionally well, achieve highly in examinations and leave school very well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have very high expectations in all they do. They lead by example and always put the interests of pupils first. Relationships between staff and pupils are excellent. Pupils have no concerns about bullying and know who to speak to if they require support. The ideas of pupils are listened to and acted upon.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The academic sixth form offers an ambitious, relevant and well-planned curriculum. Sixth form students are strong role models for younger pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff offer pupils over forty clubs and activities across all year groups. The vast majority of pupils are involved with this varied and rich extra-curricular offer.

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better?

At this school, leaders, including governors, carefully plan what they do to ensure that pupils are given the skills and knowledge to reach their full potential. They constantly promote a culture of high ambition and have taken successful actions since the previous inspection, especially in relation to the teaching of mathematics. This subject is now among the strongest in the school. The school provides a highly effective education that ensures pupils and sixth form students are inspired with a love of learning and achieve very well in examinations. The school’s actual entry for the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) suite of subjects is very high. The ‘big ideas’ personal development curriculum underpins the working life of the school and ensures that pupils make many contributions to the wider life of the school.

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better?

Considerable thought has gone into developing detailed and appropriate curriculum plans, including for the sixth form. These plans ensure that the curriculum is ambitious and relevant for everyone. Very effective use of assessment enables teachers to understand what pupils have learned and what they can remember. Pupils revisit their learning regularly. Teachers take steps to further develop pupils’ knowledge. For example, in history, staff deliver ‘lecture style’ lessons that go beyond the examination syllabus, so that pupils learn about other important historical world issues. As a result of this, pupils can talk about their learning in a sophisticated way. 16 and 17 November 2021

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Teachers are highly skilled and have very strong subject knowledge. They reference and use up-to-date research to inform their planning and teaching. Teachers at the school contribute to professional development training, both at the school and across the region. All teachers have high expectations of pupils in class and, as a result, pupils work hard and achieve well. Pupils read regularly. Leaders encourage pupils to read demanding texts to further develop their knowledge and understanding of subjects. Pupils told inspectors they enjoyed the challenges that this brings.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have detailed individual learning plans that enable teachers to monitor their progress well. Teachers refer to these and adapt their teaching skilfully to make sure pupils with SEND learn the most important curriculum content. They also achieve the highest standards. Pupils with SEND participate well in extra-curricular activities.

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The extensive extra-curricular programme is well established. It develops and extends pupils’ learning considerably. Many parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents, Parent View, wrote in positive terms about the opportunities available to pupils. Pupils told inspectors that they enjoy taking part in the activities that are available to them through the school’s ‘big ideas’ curriculum. The school’s personal development curriculum and the way that it prepares pupils for life beyond school is exceptional. It links together learning in and out of lessons in a purposeful and planned way that enriches pupils’ curiosity and learning experiences. Pupils spoke with enthusiasm about how it has developed their aspirations and increased their confidence.

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The school provides dedicated support to assist sixth form students in applying to the top universities in the country, including Oxbridge. Governors support this and contribute to arrangements for alumni students to come back and speak to the pupils at the school about their university experience and their working careers.

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Staff very much enjoy working in the school. Senior leaders and especially the headteacher, manage the school extremely well. Teachers are united in saying that leaders consider their well-being and workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have created a strong safeguarding culture throughout the school. Staff know the local risks that pupils face. They work well with other agencies to provide timely support to pupils and their families. There are clear procedures for reporting concerns and staff know how to use these. Staff and governors receive regular safeguarding training and are highly knowledgeable.

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Safeguarding

Pupils feel safe. They are taught to stay safe through the personal development programme. Pupils and students in the sixth form are clear about where they can get help. 16 and 17 November 2021

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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.

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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. 16 and 17 November 2021

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School details

Local authority East Riding of Yorkshire

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School details

Inspection number 10200725 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 24 October 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a joint sixth form provision with Beverley Grammar School.  Most pupils are of white British heritage.  The careers programme meets the requirements of the Baker Clause.  The school uses East Riding College as an alternative provider.

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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. 16 and 17 November 2021

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 Inspectors spoke to members of the governing body, the headteacher, senior leaders, staff, pupils and representatives from East Riding College. The lead inspector also spoke with a representative from the local authority.  Deep dives were conducted in English, mathematics, geography, history and in physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Meetings were held with the designated safeguarding leader to gather evidence on the school’s work to safeguard pupils. The lead inspector scrutinised the school’s single central record of the checks undertaken of adults working within the school.  Inspectors observed the behaviour of pupils in classrooms and around school. Inspectors met with leaders to consider aspects of pupils’ personal development,

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including careers education.  Inspectors held discussions with pupils and sixth form students to gather their views on the culture of the school.  Inspectors considered the 124 responses to the staff survey. Inspectors also considered the 220 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents, including the 208 free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Tudor Griffiths, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Christina Jones Ofsted Inspector 16 and 17 November 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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