Honywood School

Inspection of The Honywood Community Science School Westfield Drive, Coggeshall, Colchester, Essex CO6 1PZ

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Good 6 and 7 December 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy learning at The Honywood School. They are polite and respectful. They develop positive working relationships with staff. A strong sense of community exists within the school. Pupils feel and are safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils strive to achieve the high expectations set by staff, and to live by the school’s core values of trust, respect, equity and excellence. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from an ambitious, well-designed and well-taught curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school community celebrates differences between people. Pupils aim to treat others as they want to be treated themselves. They learn about discrimination and bullying. On the rare occasions when these behaviours happen, they are confident that staff will help them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand leaders’ high expectations for good behaviour. Pupils say that behaviour ‘has improved’. Lessons are calm and purposeful, with the focus firmly on learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide range of activities beyond the classroom. Educational visits help them link their learning to the wider world. The ‘learner leadership team’ coordinates projects, based on pupil feedback, to improve the school environment. This has included the development of outdoor seating areas.

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better?

Leaders have put a broad and ambitious curriculum in place. It is well considered and carefully outlines the knowledge that pupils need to know and remember. Teachers deliver the curriculum effectively so that pupils know more and remember more over time.

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better?

In most subjects, teachers regularly check what pupils know through well-structured questioning. Most teachers use this information well. They adapt their lessons to ensure that pupils have a secure knowledge in order to move to the next steps of their learning. Pupils remember what they have studied. Pupils, particularly those with SEND, are well supported. Resources are used effectively in order to help pupils recap content from the lesson or the topic and develop pupils’ independent learning skills.

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better?

Most pupils read fluently. This helps them to access the curriculum well. Leaders identify and effectively support those who find reading difficult. This helps to improve confidence and fluency in reading. However, not all pupils read as well, or as often, as they could. Leaders are developing pupils’ love of reading through timetabled reading and the establishment of a new school library. 6 and 7 December 2022

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Leaders accurately identify the needs of pupils with SEND. Staff use effective strategies to adapt their teaching to support pupils. They effectively use the autism support centre, the specialist support hub for pupils with autism disorder spectrum. Pupils with SEND are well supported to access the same curriculum as their peers. Consequently, pupils with SEND achieve well.

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Staff manage pupils’ behaviour effectively. Disruption in lessons is uncommon. As a result, pupils can learn without disruption. Pupils understand the behaviour policy. A small minority of pupils do not always behave as they should. Leaders take a restorative approach in order to improve these pupils’ poor behaviour. Records show that repeat negative behaviours have reduced over time as have the number of suspensions.

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Absence, and in particular persistent absence, is too high. Leaders’ actions have started to improve attendance across all groups, including those pupils with SEND, within the school.

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Leaders give personal, social and health education a high profile. Pupils engage enthusiastically with the programme. They understand many issues faced by people in modern Britain and talk confidently about issues such as diversity and equality. Leaders encourage pupils to take positions of responsibility within the school community. For example, pupils can apply for roles as part of the ‘learner leadership team’, as prefects or form captains. These roles play an important part in improving the school and supporting others. Pupils benefit from the careers advice and guidance they receive. This prepares them well to take positive next steps in their education or training.

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Staff are positive about leaders’ efforts to ensure that they have a reasonable workload. Staff appreciate the support provided for their well-being.

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Governors understand their roles. Governors and trustees understand the context of the school well. Staff benefit from the effective support from other colleagues within the trust, for example when designing their new subject curriculum areas. Governors carry out focused reviews of the school. This gives valuable feedback and challenge to leaders around the provision.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff and those responsible for governance understand local and online contexts that pose a potential risk to pupils. They are well trained and understand how to use the systems that are in place to report a concern.

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Safeguarding

Records relating to safeguarding are well maintained. They demonstrate that all concerns are followed up appropriately and in a timely manner. Leaders monitor the information to help identify areas that can be improved, for example through 6 and 7 December 2022

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additional staff training. All appropriate checks are carried out on adults who work with pupils.

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Pupils learn through the curriculum and during form time about how to keep themselves safe, including when they are online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 While reading is prioritised in the school, not all pupils are confident, engaged readers. While engagement in reading is improving across the school, some pupils do not read as well, or as often, as they could. Leaders need to continue to promote reading strategies that develop confident readers with a love of reading.  Some pupils do not attend school regularly enough. As a result, these pupils risk falling behind. Leaders need to ensure that they continue to work with families and continue to implement strategies that will rapidly improve pupils’ attendance.

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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. 6 and 7 December 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10241739 Type of school Secondary comprehensive

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 28 and 29 March 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The Honywood School is smaller than the average-sized secondary school.  The headteacher was appointed in April 2018.  The school joined Saffron Academy Trust in September 2019.  The school includes a purpose-built Autism Support Centre. There are 15 places available within this provision. Places are funded by Essex County Council. Pupils access the provision alongside their mainstream education.  Leaders make use of two registered alternative provisions.  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

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 6 and 7 December 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 carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, science, history, geography and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons in other subjects on day two of the inspection.  Inspectors held discussions with the headteacher, members of the senior leadership team, curriculum leaders, support staff, early career teachers, a representative from the local authority, members of the local governing body and a number of trustees.

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 Inspectors scrutinised the single central record. The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead and examined safeguarding records. Inspectors spoke to pupils and staff about safeguarding.  Inspectors spoke to leaders of the alternative providers used by the school. The lead inspector also spoke with a representative from the local authority about the alternative provision provided for some pupils.  The lead inspector considered the 138 responses and 101 free-text responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View. The lead inspector also reviewed the 69 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and the 186 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Wayne Jarvis, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jason Carey Ofsted Inspector 6 and 7 December 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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