Formby High School

Inspection of Formby High School Freshfield Road, Formby, Liverpool, Merseyside L37 3HW

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Ofsted has not previously inspected Formby High School under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. However, Ofsted previously judged Formby High School to be outstanding before it opened as an academy. 2 and 3 November 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

The pupils describe Formby High School as a welcoming and friendly school where people’s differences are celebrated. Pupils settle into school quickly and soon become part of the school community. Pupils are inspired to succeed. Pupils told inspectors that they are proud to attend the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ learning and behaviour. They have cultivated a kind and considerate school community where pupils, and students in the sixth form, feel safe and happy. Pupils benefit from positive relationships with their teachers. Classrooms are calm places to learn. In lessons, pupils listen carefully to teachers’ instructions and they work hard.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders deal with bullying and name-calling effectively. Pupils are confident that leaders and staff will listen to their concerns and are swift to act. Pupils appreciate the care and guidance from the school’s pastoral team.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have developed a comprehensive programme of extra-curricular activities. These happen before and after school. Pupils and students spoke enthusiastically about taking part in a range of sporting, arts and reading activities, for example the teen book club and skateboard club.

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better?

Leaders have designed a rich and vibrant curriculum. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), study the whole curriculum. In the sixth form, students can choose from an extensive range of academic and vocational subjects. They appreciate this broad offer which includes politics, engineering and digital media.

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better?

The quality of the curriculum thinking is consistent across the school. Subject leaders have thought carefully about the building blocks of knowledge that they want pupils to learn over time. They have established how new concepts and ideas link together and this helps pupils to build securely on earlier learning.

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better?

Teachers are knowledgeable in the subjects they teach. Teachers plan regular opportunities to recap and reinforce pupils’ learning. This helps pupils to embed essential subject knowledge as they progress through the years. Teachers use a range of different methods to check what pupils have remembered and understood. This means that most teachers can quickly identify pupils’ misconceptions before moving on to new learning. That said, in some subjects, teachers are not using assessments effectively to pinpoint gaps in pupils’ learning. This means that teachers in some subjects are less certain about what learning pupils should revisit before moving on.

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better?

Leaders have prioritised reading. There is a well-developed culture of reading for pleasure. Pupils appreciate dedicated library lessons. They make good use of the 2 and 3 November 2022

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library and the many activities on offer there. For instance, pupils who are avid readers are further developed through the higher qualification project. Staff work with pupils who need extra help with their reading. Staff are quick to identify and address weaknesses in pupils’ phonics knowledge. This ensures that all pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged, can catch up with their peers.

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Leaders are ambitious for pupils and students with SEND. The needs of these pupils are identified quickly and accurately. Leaders have developed well-thought-out individualised programmes that ensure the needs of this group of pupils are being met. Teachers are provided with the information and guidance they need to support pupils with SEND, meet their needs and help them to access the curriculum.

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Pupils display very high standards of conduct during lesson changeovers and on the school grounds. Pupils are courteous and respectful to staff and visitors. Lessons are focused, productive and generally disruption free. Students in the sixth form demonstrate highly positive attitudes to learning and are excellent role models for younger pupils in the school.

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Pupils and students enjoy being in this inclusive community. Pupils are proud to be part of a school family that welcomes people of all cultures and faiths, including recent refugee families. Leaders have designed a personal, social and health education (PSHE) programme that teaches pupils and students about the issues and risks teenagers face growing up in modern Britain. However, some pupils told inspectors that they found the personal development programme to be overly repetitive and that activities were not always relevant to them. Leaders should ensure that the PSHE curriculum matches the ambition of subject curriculums, through careful identification and development of the key knowledge pupils need for life beyond school.

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Leaders have provided a wide range of activities beyond the classroom. Pupils and students attend a diverse range of clubs such as musical theatre, steel pans, British sign language and volleyball. Pupils and students in the sixth form receive an extensive programme of careers education. This helps them to make well-informed decisions about their next steps in education, employment or training. A high proportion of students in the sixth form secure places on competitive university courses.

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Governors are highly committed to the ethos of the school. They support leaders well and work closely with them to ensure they have clear oversight of all aspects of school life. Staff say that they are proud to work at Formby High School. Staff feel that leaders are considerate of their workload. They appreciate the steps leaders have taken to look after their well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have created a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff receive suitable 2 and 3 November 2022

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safeguarding training at regular intervals. Staff know what to do if they have a concern about a pupil’s welfare. They report any concerns promptly.

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Leaders are knowledgeable about the safeguarding risks that pupils and students may face that are particular to the local context. For instance, these include the possible risk of drug misuse and county lines illegal drug transportation. Staff and pupils have training so that they know how to safely manage and mitigate these risks.

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The leaders with responsibility for safeguarding are proactive in their approach to identifying pupils who may need support. They make timely referrals to external agencies to ensure the right support is in place for vulnerable pupils and their families.

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Through the curriculum, pupils and students are taught about healthy relationships, consent and grooming. Pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe, including when online. Pupils know who they can speak to if they are feeling worried.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, assessments do not inform teachers how well pupils are learning because they are not yet fully matched to the intended curriculum. As a result, pupils can miss learning something important without teachers knowing. Leaders should assure themselves that pupils are learning all the essential knowledge set out in their curriculum plans.  Leaders’ high ambitions for the PSHE curriculum are not realised because the curriculum has not been linked together thoughtfully enough. As a result, some pupils, including students in the sixth form, are not as well prepared for life beyond school as they could be. Leaders should assure themselves that the PSHE curriculum is being structured and delivered just as effectively as in other subjects.

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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. 2 and 3 November 2022

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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. 2 and 3 November 2022

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,165

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Formby High School converted to become an academy school in September 2011. When its predecessor school, Formby High School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding overall.  Leaders use three registered alternative provisions and two unregistered alternative provisions 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. 2 and 3 November 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, the school improvement partner 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 the 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, English, mathematics, geography and science. 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

David Woodhouse Ofsted Inspector 2 and 3 November 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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