Tytherington School

Inspection of a good school: Tytherington School Manchester Road, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 2EE

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Outcome

Tytherington School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and students told inspectors that Tytherington School is a happy and safe place, where everyone feels included and can make friends.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and students have a strong voice in school life. They support and contribute to leaders’ vision of a community school where everybody is welcome. Alongside the many clubs and activities that leaders provide, there is also a students’ women’s society, a thriving pupil and student parliament and an LGBTQ+ group.

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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?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school building. They arrive to their lessons on time. Pupils are considerate and respectful of others. They enjoy positive relationships with each other and the staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and trustees make clear their high hopes for pupils’ achievement and future lives. They provide pupils with a broad and ambitious curriculum. This curriculum is especially strong in the sixth form. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils, all access the same opportunities and experience success in school. Pupils and students in the sixth form achieve well across most subjects.

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

Leaders and trustees fulfil their promise to ensure that pupils across the school and students in the sixth form study an ambitious range of subjects. This includes pupils with SEND and those who are disadvantaged. As a result, the proportion of pupils that follow the English Baccalaureate academic subjects at key stage 4 is on the rise. Students are 26 and 27 April 2022

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offered the range of academic subjects that match their interests and aspirations at key stage 5.

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Leaders make sure that the curriculum provides pupils and students the opportunity to sustain positive reading habits and strengthen their reading expertise. For example, all key stage 3 pupils read novels with their form teachers. In the sixth form, students frequently tackle academic reading as part of their courses. Staff are quick to identify and support any pupils who find reading more difficult. Leaders provide an effective catch-up reading curriculum for these pupils. As a result, pupils read fluently and learn successfully.

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Subject leaders organise curriculums well. They make sure that these curriculums include the essential knowledge that pupils need to learn. Leaders design especially ambitious curriculums in the sixth form. Leaders know the learning that pupils and students have not grasped fully during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have adjusted curriculums to make sure that pupils and students get to learn and remember this key knowledge first and foremost.

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Teachers across the school have secure subject knowledge. Teachers are especially expert in their subjects in the sixth form. Most teachers deliver the subject curriculums well. They have high expectations and are clear about what broad and detailed knowledge looks and sounds like in pupils’ work. Teachers check for and address any misconceptions or shortfalls in pupils’ knowledge quickly. Pupils and students have positive attitudes to learning. They are attentive and focused on their work in class. Pupils’ learning does not suffer from low-level disruption in lessons. This helps most pupils and students, 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 as leaders intend. Some teachers do not expect pupils to cover the intended curriculum with the precision and depth of knowledge that is commonplace in the school. As a result, some pupils do not cover and remember sufficient knowledge.

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Leaders identify pupils and students with SEND well. They make sure that staff know how to help these pupils and students participate fully and enjoy success across all aspects of school life. All pupils with SEND benefit from the wider curriculum activities that are part of the school week. Many of these pupils also attend the wide range of additional activities that are planned with pupils’ and students’ requests in mind. These include the Oxbridge students’ group, school productions, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, chess and sports clubs.

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Leaders provide pupils and students with a well-designed personal development curriculum, including careers education. Leaders make sure that this curriculum covers the knowledge that pupils and students 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. 26 and 27 April 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders prioritise pupils’ and students’ safety and well-being. Leaders make sure that staff are kept up to date with any risks that may emerge in the community or more widely. Staff know how to spot the signs that pupils may be at risk of harm in or outside of school. They are vigilant. Leaders make sure that all concerns are recorded and acted upon promptly.

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Safeguarding

Pupils and students seek help from staff when they need it. Staff quickly identify whether pupils and students require additional support from external agencies. Leaders ensure that pupils, students 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 essential knowledge with sufficient depth and precision. As a result, these pupils do not achieve as well as they should in these subjects. Leaders should ensure that this essential knowledge is delivered effectively so that all pupils acquire and remember the important knowledge that they need in these subjects.

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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 second section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Tytherington High School, to be good in November 2011.

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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. 26 and 27 April 2022

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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. 26 and 27 April 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10200391 Type of school Secondary comprehensive

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,314

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form

Chair of trust Ed Griffen and Trevor Langston

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form

Date of previous inspection 22 November 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders make use of one registered alternative provider.  Tytherington School converted to become an academy school in April 2014. When its processor school, Tytherington High School, was last inspected by Ofsted it was judged to be good overall.

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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 a group of trustees. This group included a co-chair of trustees. 26 and 27 April 2022

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 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 and students how they learn 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 and students from all year groups and considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils and students.  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 art and design, English, geography and mathematics. 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

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looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and looked at 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

Vicky Atherton Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 April 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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