Colne Park High School

Inspection of a good school: Colne Park High School Venables Avenue, Colne, Lancashire BB8 7DP

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Inspection dates: 22 and 23 February 2022

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Outcome

Colne Park High School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are positive about Colne Park High School. They told inspectors that it is a happy and safe place where they can concentrate on their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school building because of leaders’ and teachers’ high expectations. They arrive to their lessons on time. Pupils enjoy positive relationships with each other and the staff. They are considerate of others around school. Pupils take pride in wearing their uniform properly. They keep the school free of litter.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have few concerns about harmful behaviour or bullying. They report any worries to adults. Staff listen to pupils’ concerns and take them seriously. They resolve any bullying issues quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff share leaders’ high hopes for pupils’ future lives. Leaders provide pupils with an ambitious and carefully structured curriculum. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils, join in and experience success in school. They achieve well across most subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a strong personal development curriculum. Pupils learn what they need to prepare themselves for successful lives in and beyond school. They enjoy the range of clubs and activities provided. These include sports and arts clubs, a classics- reading club and an LGBTQ+ group.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders, trustees and governors make their high aspirations for all pupils very clear. The school’s strapline, ‘no one gets left behind’ sums up leaders’ expectation. For example, leaders have made sure that pupils study a broad and ambitious range of subjects across each key stage. This includes pupils with SEND and those who are disadvantaged. A high proportion of pupils follow the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) range of academic subjects at key stage 4. 22 and 23 February 2022

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Subject leaders design curriculums that are well organised. They include the essential knowledge that pupils need to learn. Staff know the learning that pupils may not have grasped fully during the COVID-19 pandemic. They make sure that pupils get to learn and remember this key knowledge first and foremost. Teachers have strong subject knowledge. Most teachers deliver the subject curriculums well. They are clear of what strong and fluent knowledge looks and sounds like in pupils’ work. This helps them to assess pupils’ learning effectively. They spot and address any misconceptions or shortfalls in pupils’ knowledge quickly. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They are typically attentive, polite and focused on their work. This helps most pupils, including those with SEND and those who are disadvantaged, to progress well through the curriculum.

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In a small number of subjects, some pupils do not achieve as well. Here, some teachers do not ensure that pupils cover and remember sufficient knowledge. In these subjects, some staff do not expect the precision and depth of knowledge in pupils’ work that is commonplace elsewhere in the school.

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Leaders strengthen pupils’ reading habits through the curriculum that they provide. All pupils read novels regularly, with their form tutors. The school library is a busy place, where many pupils borrow books, sit down and read. Staff identify and support pupils who find reading more difficult. Leaders provide an effective catch-up reading curriculum for these pupils. As a result, they are able to read fluently and learn successfully across subjects.

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Leaders provide pupils with SEND a curriculum that is broad and ambitious. This prepares these pupils equal access to the EBacc, if they wish. Leaders identify the needs of pupils with SEND accurately. They listen to these pupils to provide staff with pertinent information, so that they can support these pupils to achieve well. Pupils with SEND participate fully and enjoy success across all aspects of school life.

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Leaders provide pupils with an impressive personal development curriculum, including careers education. This curriculum stands out as a very strong feature of pupils’ experience in school. Leaders make sure that this curriculum covers the knowledge that pupils need to contribute positively and flourish in modern Britain.

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Staff told inspectors that leaders support their well-being effectively and strive to ensure that staff have a reasonable 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 prioritise pupils’ safety and well- being. Leaders make sure that staff are kept up to date with any risks that may emerge in the community. Staff know how to spot the signs that pupils may be at risk of harm in or outside of school. They are vigilant. Leaders insist that all concerns are recorded and acted upon promptly. 22 and 23 February 2022

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Pupils seek help from staff when they need it. Staff quickly identify whether pupils require additional support from external agencies. Leaders ensure that pupils and their families get the timely help that they need.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, some pupils do not learn important curriculum knowledge with sufficient depth, precision or fluency. This means that these pupils do not achieve as well as they should. Leaders should ensure that all subject curriculums are delivered consistently well across the school.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, also named Colne Park High School, to be good in November 2015.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 22 and 23 February 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10221089 Type of school Secondary comprehensive

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,100

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Colne Park High School converted to become an academy in September 2018. When its predecessor school of the same name was inspected under section 5 in November 2015 it was judged to be good.  The school is part of the Pennine Trust.  A small number of pupils attend alternative provision at two external providers.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection that the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders and subject leaders.  The lead inspector met with the chair of governors.  The lead inspector met with chief executive officer of the Pennine Trust.  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 22 and 23 February 2022

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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 survey for staff.  Inspectors spoke with pupils from all year groups and considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.  Inspectors considered the views of the parents and carers who responded to Ofsted Parent View. This included the free-text responses.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in English, French and science. In these subjects, inspectors met with subject leaders, considered subject curriculums, 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 documentation and samples of pupils’ work from some other subjects.

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Inspection team

Stephen Ruddy, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Lindy Griffiths Ofsted Inspector 22 and 23 February 2022

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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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