Stoke Park School

Inspection of Stoke Park School Dane Road, Coventry, West Midlands CV2 4JW

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 9 and 10 March 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

The headteacher, ably supported by the trust and staff, has set high expectations for all. Pupils know what is expected of them. They are proud to be members of Stoke Park School. The school’s values of ‘pride, respect, independence, determination and excellence’ are evident daily.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils attend school regularly and behave well. They are courteous to each other, and to staff and visitors. Pupils enjoy lessons and have positive attitudes to their learning and that of others. In Year 7, in ‘The Bridge’, staff equip pupils with the skills they need to learn well. Consequently, they are well prepared for future years.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe and happy and learn well. They do not worry about bullying. They know to whom to report concerns. If bullying does happen, staff sort it out quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take part in a wide range of lunchtime and after-school clubs. For example, many performed in a production of ‘The Wizard of Oz’. In the sixth form, students enjoy academic and work-related courses. Most choose to go on to university.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils celebrate their differences in many ways, for example by leading the school’s equality and diversity group. They run assemblies and workshops for pupils and staff. Other schools visit Stoke Park School to learn how it promotes equality.

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better?

School leaders’ efforts have transformed this school. They have planned an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum in almost all subjects. For instance, pupils can study Latin, and this helps them to learn French. In English, Year 7 pupils read a range of challenging books, including ‘The Tempest’ and ‘Dr Faustus’. This broadens their vocabulary, enabling them to access unfamiliar texts in other subjects. However, on occasion, the curriculum is not ambitious enough in key stage 3.

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better?

Leaders have introduced effective ways to support pupils who need to be better readers. Teachers help them to improve by using books matched to their phonics knowledge. In many lessons, pupils read aloud more detailed texts. Consequently, most are confident readers.

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better?

School leaders have worked well to improve the curriculum. In modern foreign languages, leaders have thought carefully about when and what pupils will learn. As a result, more pupils have chosen to study French at GCSE. Pupils believe that they can succeed in learning a language. Consequently, the number of pupils entered for the English Baccalaureate is increasing.

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better?

Teachers have thought carefully about the order in which pupils learn new knowledge. For example, in history, pupils develop their knowledge of democracy over time. Pupils build up their knowledge sequentially by studying key events, such 9 and 10 March 2022

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as Magna Carta in Year 8 and universal suffrage in Year 9. As a result, pupils gain a rich understanding of complex historical concepts.

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Teachers assess pupils’ work well to help them improve. In the sixth form, students build on their previous learning well. Teachers check what students can do skilfully. This helps students think about what they need to do to improve their work. In art, students could explain how they had created their project from an initial pencil sketch to a final art piece. As a result, they created artwork worthy of exhibition.

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Teachers work with learning support assistants to shape appropriate tasks for pupils with education, health and care plans. In mathematics, for example, pupils with autism spectrum disorder have opportunities to work silently. This helps them to focus and develop their learning.

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Leaders give teachers accurate information about pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Most teachers select resources and design tasks that help pupils with SEND flourish. However, some teachers do not use this information well. Subsequently, a minority of pupils with SEND struggle to understand new concepts and ideas.

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Pupils experience a rich personal development curriculum. Pupils know the difference between right and wrong. They care about their environment, locally and globally. They treat others well and develop good relationships with their peers.

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Pupils benefit from a good-quality careers programme. They attend well-planned careers events in Coventry and Birmingham. Many pupils participate in university programmes before they leave school. These experiences motivate pupils to be ambitious and aspirational.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The designated safeguarding lead provides staff with regular safeguarding briefings. Leaders ensure that staff are recruited safely and in line with government guidance. Staff know when to refer a safeguarding concern. Leaders know what risks pupils face locally. They work closely with local agencies to help pupils stay safe. Pupils feel safe in school.

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Safeguarding

Staff support pupils’ mental well-being appropriately. Three therapy dogs, Dexter, Peggy and Milo, help to reduce pupils’ anxieties. Pupils know whom to speak with if they need help. Pupils learn how to be safe online and how to avoid ‘toxic’ relationships. 9 and 10 March 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 School leaders have not consistently checked that pupils with SEND are provided with the right resources and tasks to aid their learning in all lessons. Consequently, some pupils with SEND struggle to learn as well as they could. Leaders need to make sure that all pupils with SEND receive high-quality support in all subjects and in all year groups.  In geography, the key stage 3 curriculum lacks ambition and does not provide pupils with the skills required for future study. For example, pupils do not learn about glaciation. As a result, pupils’ learning is not sufficiently broad. Leaders need to ensure that the geography curriculum has sufficient breadth, depth and ambition.

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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. 9 and 10 March 2022

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,019

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school joined The Futures Trust in October 2017.  The principal took up post in November 2018, initially as head of school, and as headteacher in February 2020.  A small number of pupils attend off-site alternative provision. The providers, located in Coventry, meet the Department for Education’s statutory requirements for registration.  The school meets the requirements of the Baker Clause, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 9 and 10 March 2022

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This was the first routine inspection the school had 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.

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 The inspectors met with members of the senior leadership team, members of the governing body, the chief executive officer for the trust and members of the executive team.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, modern foreign languages, history and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders to talk about the curriculum and made visits to a sample of lessons. They spoke with all subject teachers, not just those whose lessons they visited, and met with a selection of pupils.  Inspectors spoke with leaders responsible for personal development and visited personal development sessions in most year groups. Inspectors talked with pupils in key stages 3 and 4, as well as with sixth-form students.  Inspectors checked the single central record. They spoke with designated safeguarding leads about safeguarding and child protection procedures. They

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talked with a broad range of pupils across all key stages and discussed safeguarding with governors. Inspectors discussed safeguarding training with staff.  The views of parents and carers who had completed Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, were considered. These included free-text responses. Inspectors took account of staff responses to the staff questionnaire and responses to the pupil questionnaire.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation, including records relating to attendance, bullying and behaviour. They took account of a range of curriculum documents, including those related to the Baker Clause and to relationships and sex education and health education.

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Inspection team

Antony Edkins, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Peter Kent Ofsted Inspector 9 and 10 March 2022

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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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