Greenbank High School

Inspection of Greenbank High School Hastings Road, Southport, Merseyside PR8 2LT

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Inspection dates: 11 and 12 October 2022

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

Ofsted has not previously inspected Greenbank High School as an academy school under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 as, until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections.

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Overall effectiveness Good

Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last inspection of the predecessor school. 11 and 12 October 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at Greenbank High School and they value the education that they receive. Pupils embrace the school’s values of a ‘can-do’ attitude and strive to be the best they can be. Everyone feels accepted and welcome.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff have high expectations for pupils. In lessons, pupils are focused fully on their learning and behave well. Leaders and staff have worked diligently to ensure that pupils’ learning is well thought through. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils feel safe at the school. They appreciate the care and nurture that they receive from the school’s pastoral team. For example, the ‘We are awesome’ club helps younger pupils to settle quickly and to build friendships. Pupils said that sometimes bullying does happen, but that if it does, they know that staff will deal with it effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many pupils benefit from a plethora of extra-curricular and enrichment activities. Pupils communicate well with teachers about their interests and staff have responded by designing activities that have sparked pupils’ imaginations. Pupils enjoy attending a host of activities from across faculty areas, including sports and music activities, chess club, embroidery club or the many activities on offer in the school library.

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better?

Leaders are aspirational for all pupils at Greenbank High School. Leaders have designed a well-thought-out and ambitious curriculum. This supports pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to deepen their understanding of subjects over time and achieve well. Subject leaders have thought carefully about the building blocks of knowledge that they want pupils to learn over time. This helps pupils to build securely on earlier learning and to know and remember more.

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better?

Leaders have supported teachers well so that they gain an expert knowledge of their subjects. This enables teachers to design and order learning well. For example, teachers have built in sufficient time to revisit important topics and ideas. This means that pupils develop a secure understanding of key concepts. Teachers select appropriate activities to deliver the curriculum as leaders intend. This helps pupils to learn well.

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better?

Teachers use a range of effective assessment methods to ensure that pupils are secure in what they have learned previously. This means that teachers can quickly identify pupils’ misconceptions before moving on to new learning. For example, pupils benefit from completing activities to check on what they can recall from previous learning. 11 and 12 October 2022

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Leaders are alert to those pupils who have lower reading levels than they should when joining the school. Staff are quick to identify and put in place effective programmes of support, including systematic synthetic phonics. This ensures that all pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged, can catch up with their peers. Teachers instil a love of reading in pupils. The library is a thriving part of the school.

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Leaders have prioritised support for pupils with SEND. The needs of pupils with SEND are identified quickly and accurately. Leaders have ensured that teachers receive high-quality information about the needs of this group of pupils. This ensures that teachers use effective strategies to best support pupils with SEND during lessons. Pupils with SEND, and disadvantaged pupils, achieve well.

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Pupils conduct themselves well in lessons and around school. Low-level disruption is not tolerated by teachers and, if it does happen, teachers follow clear routines that are understood by all. Pupils told inspectors how much they value the support from their teachers.

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Leaders recognise that rates of attendance for some groups of pupils have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Leaders and staff work closely with families to encourage pupils to come to school every day. Attendance has improved for most, but a small number of pupils are still absent from school too often.

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Leaders have designed a coherent personal development programme that supports pupils to become responsible and active citizens. Pupils enjoy the opportunity to take up leadership roles in the school. They learn about protected characteristics, democracy and respect for other cultures. However, some pupils are less informed about looking after their mental health and dealing with conflict in friendships. There are wide-ranging enrichment opportunities on offer. That said, some pupils do not make the best use of these activities.

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Pupils receive an extensive programme of careers education. This helps pupils to make informed decisions about their future.

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Staff enjoy working at the school. They appreciate leaders’ actions to look after their well-being. Local governors and trustees support and challenge leaders effectively. Those responsible for governance have a clear and informed oversight of all aspects of school life.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have a clear understanding of the risks that pupils may face in the community. Staff at all levels are well informed about these.

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Safeguarding

All staff and governors receive regular safeguarding training. Staff understand the systems to report any concerns that they may have about pupils. Records of referrals show that safeguarding leaders engage well with external agencies when 11 and 12 October 2022

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needed. As a result, vulnerable pupils and families receive the support that they need.

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Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe, such as in the community, and how to work safely online. Pupils know whom they can speak with if they are feeling worried.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils do not attend school as regularly as they should. This is despite the efforts of staff to engage with parents and carers, and pupils. This means that these pupils miss out on important knowledge that they need to succeed in subsequent learning. Leaders should continue to address the low rates of attendance for these pupils, removing barriers and working effectively with families, so that pupils attend school regularly.  Some pupils do not engage fully with aspects of the school’s personal development programme, including the enrichment and wider pastoral offer. This hinders some aspects of pupils’ personal development. Leaders should assure themselves that their evaluation of the personal development programme is robust. This will help them to ensure that pupils take full advantage of this offer and make the best use of the school’s wider curriculum.

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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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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. 11 and 12 October 2022

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll 1042

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Greenbank High School converted to become an academy in November 2011. When its predecessor school, Greenbank High School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding overall.  The school joined the Southport Learning Multi-Academy Trust in September 2017.  Leaders use three registered alternative providers for a very small number of pupils.  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. 11 and 12 October 2022

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded 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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, other senior leaders, subject leaders and other members of staff. Inspectors also spoke with members of the local governing body, two trustees, the CEO of the Southport Learning Trust and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors spoke to pupils about their experience of school and their views on behaviour and bullying. Inspectors also observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes.  Inspectors reviewed a wide range of evidence, including leaders’ self-evaluation document, improvement plans, minutes of governing body meetings and records of pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors checked the school’s safeguarding policies and procedures and the

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Information about this inspection

school’s single central record. Inspectors met with leaders, staff and pupils to evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in art and design, English, mathematics, geography, science and music. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors spoke with leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View and the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for pupils and staff.

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Inspection team

Kate Bowker, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Andy Cunningham His Majesty’s Inspector 11 and 12 October 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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