Maricourt Catholic High School

Inspection of Maricourt Catholic High School Hall Lane, Maghull, Liverpool, Merseyside L31 3DZ

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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 Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 4 and 5 May 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Maricourt Catholic High School is a caring community. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well. This is because leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers know pupils well. Pupils, and students in the sixth form, appreciate the respectful relationships that they forge with staff. Pupils feel safe and are happy at school. They are confident to report any concerns about bullying. Staff resolve issues quickly and effectively. Pupils reported that derogatory language is rare.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are friendly and polite. They respect and celebrate differences between people. They behave well around the school, creating a calm environment at breaktimes and lunchtimes. Pupils learn well in most lessons with few interruptions. They show positive attitudes to their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders make sure that all pupils and students can take part in a wide range of activities that inspire and interest them. For example, pupils enjoy taking part in martial arts and dance clubs. They also perform in school productions and represent the school in sport.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are very positive about the school. A typical comment was that ‘the school goes above and beyond for my child’.

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better?

Governors and leaders have high ambitions for pupils. Pupils, including students in the sixth form, study a wide range of courses. Most pupils and students, including those with SEND, progress well through the curriculum.

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better?

Leaders have put in place a curriculum which has the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) suite of subjects at its heart. They have strengthened the modern foreign languages curriculum in key stage 3. This has increased the number of pupils who choose to study this subject at key stage 4. As a result, the proportion of pupils following the EBacc suite of subjects is rising.

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better?

Subject leaders have thought carefully about the knowledge that pupils should learn. Leaders have also considered the order in which to teach essential information. Subject curriculums are carefully organised. Teachers ensure that pupils revisit their learning regularly. They give pupils opportunities for them to practise and build on what they already know. This helps pupils to remember the curriculum.

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better?

Many teachers have a detailed knowledge of their curriculum subjects. They use their subject expertise skilfully to help pupils remember and apply their learning. Teachers in the sixth form have particularly strong subject expertise. 4 and 5 May 2022

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In most subjects, teachers use assessment strategies well. They spot and address pupils’ misconceptions quickly and effectively, including pupils with SEND. Teaching staff provide effective support to pupils in lessons. This helps pupils move on to new learning confidently and successfully. In a small number of subjects, some pupils do not progress through subject curriculums as well as they should. This is because in these subjects, teachers sometimes do not identify pupils’ misconceptions quickly or effectively.

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Leaders accurately identify the needs of pupils with SEND. Teachers provide effective support so that these pupils can learn the same ambitious curriculum as other pupils in the school.

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Pupils who are at the earliest stages of learning to read receive specialist support from staff to help them to read more fluently. This improves these pupils’ confidence in reading and helps them to better access the school curriculum.

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Typically, pupils learn without disruption. However, in a small minority of lessons, pupils behave less well than at other times. This is because a small number of teachers do not follow the agreed school behaviour systems.

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The personal development curriculum provides pupils with the knowledge that they need to be responsible citizens. This includes age-appropriate relationships, sex and health education. Pupils learn about other cultures and beliefs. Teachers prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain.

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Pupils, including students in the sixth form, benefit from a strong careers education, information, advice and guidance programme. A high proportion of pupils move on to further education and training, including those pupils with SEND. In the sixth form, many students progress on to university.

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Governors provide effective support for leaders. They have a clear vision for the school. They provide a well-defined direction for improvement and know the school well. Governors challenge leaders to develop further the quality of education for pupils and students.

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Leaders take positive action to support the workload and well-being of staff. Staff appreciate the efforts made by leaders to reduce their workload. Staff are proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding at the school. Staff are alert to the dangers that pupils and students in the sixth form may face. This includes when pupils are online. 4 and 5 May 2022

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Leaders are quick to identify when pupils need additional help or are at risk of harm. Staff work well with a range of other agencies to provide support for pupils and their families.

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Pupils, and students in the sixth form, say that they feel safe in school. They learn how to keep themselves safe, including learning about the dangers of peer-on-peer abuse.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, teachers do not use assessment strategies well enough to identify errors and misconceptions in pupils’ work. This means that pupils make less progress in some aspects of the curriculum. Leaders should ensure that staff focus on identifying pupils’ errors and misconceptions. Staff should use assessment strategies effectively to ensure that pupils do not misunderstand important aspects of their learning.  A small number of teachers do not follow the agreed school practices for behaviour management. This inconsistency means that some lessons are negatively affected by the poor behaviour of a minority of pupils. Leaders should ensure that school policies are followed consistently well by staff to ensure that pupils behave well in all lessons.

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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. 4 and 5 May 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10212294 Type of school Secondary Comprehensive

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1219

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sixth form

Appropriate authority The governing body

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sixth form

Chair of governing body Christopher Manning

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection 16 and 17 October 2018

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Information about this school

 A new headteacher was appointed in September 2019.  The school is a Roman Catholic school. The school’s most recent section 48 monitoring inspection was in November 2019.  A small proportion of pupils attend alternative provision at one registered provider.  The school meet 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

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 4 and 5 May 2022

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 This was the first routine inspection 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 chair of governors, other governors, a representative from the diocese and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors also met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, other senior leaders, subject leaders and the special educational needs coordinator.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in mathematics, science, history, modern foreign languages and computer science. They visited a sample of lessons in these subjects, discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, reviewed pupils’ work and held discussions with teachers and pupils.  Inspectors spoke with pupils about their experiences of school and their views of behaviour and bullying. Inspectors also observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons

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and at breaktimes.  Inspectors reviewed a wide range of documentary evidence, including governing body minutes, leaders’ self-evaluation and improvement plans.  An inspector looked at safeguarding policies and reviewed leaders’ records of checks on the suitability of staff and governors. They met with the leaders who have overall responsibility for safeguarding. Inspectors spoke with staff and pupils about leaders’ work to keep pupils safe.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff and pupils.  Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View. This included some free-text responses.

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Inspection team

David Hampson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Mark Cocker Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 May 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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