Park View School

Inspection of Park View School Church Chare, Chester le Street, County Durham DH3 3QA

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 December 2022

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Sixth-form provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 14 and 15 December 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Park View is a warm and welcoming secondary school. One of the school’s values is respect for self and others. This value threads through the school and is evident in the positive relationships between pupils and staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have put in place an ambitious curriculum. However, teaching of the planned curriculum is sometimes inconsistent. It does not sufficiently allow all pupils to know and remember more. As a result, some pupils receive a better quality of education than others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and friendly. They feel well looked after by caring staff. Pupils told inspectors that they feel safe in the school. Pupils say that bullying is not common. Inspectors’ evidence supports this view. Pupils have confidence that if bullying did occur, then staff would deal with it straight away. Most pupils behave well in lessons and around the two school sites. Inspectors found the school sites were calm places to walk around.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils participate in a large range of extra-curricular activities, including poetry club, the choir, drama and a range of sporting activities. Pupils enjoy the Combined Cadet Force and value the leadership skills they gain.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Students in the sixth form learn and achieve well. They benefit from a well-taught curriculum and are well prepared for their next steps in education, employment or training.

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better?

Leaders have ensured that pupils study a broad and ambitious curriculum. Subject leaders are clear about the most important content they want to pupils to know and how this builds up over time. For example, in history, curriculum thinking ensures revisiting important themes such as conflict, monarchy, power and government is a focus for staff.

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better?

The implementation of the curriculum is sometimes inconsistent. Teachers typically have strong subject knowledge, and in most cases choose activities that meet the needs of pupils. However, this is not always the case. Occasionally, some teaching activities do not consider precisely enough what pupils need to know. Some teachers do not break down learning so that all pupils learn and know more. As a result, some pupils do not remember the knowledge they are taught well enough.

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better?

Teachers use assessment well in some subjects. This is particularly clear in sixth- form lessons. In modern foreign languages, teachers use effective questioning to check pupils’ understanding. This allows staff to identify and address misconceptions. However, this is not consistent across subjects. This means that some pupils do not develop their subject knowledge over time effectively enough. 14 and 15 December 2022

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The way that leaders quality assure the curriculum is not rigorous or consistent. This means the inconsistencies are not always addressed quickly. As a result, the quality of education pupils receive is variable for some pupils.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) follow the same curriculum as other pupils and enjoy the wider aspects of school life. Leaders have clear systems in place which enable them to share information about pupils with SEND with their teachers. Pupils with SEND talk positively about the support they receive in class from teaching assistants.

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Leaders identify those pupils who find reading difficult. Leaders have appointed staff with expertise in the primary phase to provide small-group support. One-to-one help also takes place. This helps pupils improve their fluency in reading.

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Students enjoy life in the sixth form. It is a strength of the school. Students receive individual guidance and support, which allows them to progress successfully to a range of suitable destinations. Sixth-form students play an important role in the life of the main school through mentoring younger pupils.

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Leaders’ efforts to promote pupils’ personal development are good. Leaders have put in place an effective programme that prepares pupils for life in modern Britain. Pupils in key stage 4 can clearly explain the importance of healthy relationships. Pupils benefit from good guidance through a well-planned careers programme. As a result, they are able to make informed choices about their next steps.

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The school offers a wide range of extra-curricular activities. Many pupils grasp these opportunities. The Combined Cadet Force is a feature of the school. A growing number of pupils, including pupils with SEND, benefit from the leadership and teambuilding activities that the Combined Cadet Force provides. Pupils develop a greater sense of responsibility and self-discipline.

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In lessons and at social times, most pupils behave well. Most pupils can learn without disruption. Pupils who need additional help to manage their behaviour receive effective support from the Student Support Centre.

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Leaders have high ambitions for their pupils. They have created systems to check how well the school is doing. However, a lack of sharp analysis and evaluation of how leaders act on management information means the school has not improved quickly enough. Staff appreciate the way leaders are considerate of their workload.

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Trustees are supportive of the school. They are proud of its heritage and place in the local community. Trustees understand their statutory duties. However, they do not provide enough challenge for leaders. There is also a lack of urgency to ensure that priority areas, such as the performance of disadvantaged pupils, improve.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 14 and 15 December 2022

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Leaders have developed a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. They diligently carry out the necessary checks on adults prior to them starting work at the school.

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Effective systems and processes are in place so that the most vulnerable pupils and families receive the help and support they need. Staff are aware of what to do if they have a concern about a child, as a result of regular safeguarding training.

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Leaders have developed effective working relationships with external agencies. They follow up their concerns in a diligent and timely manner.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The implementation of the curriculum is variable across subjects. As a result, some pupils do not build on their prior learning, meaning that misconceptions occur over time. Leaders should ensure they consistently quality assure the implementation of the curriculum in all subjects so that teaching deepens pupils’ knowledge over time.  In some lessons, teachers do not successfully adapt approaches and choose appropriate activities that meet the needs of all pupils. This is particularly the case for some less-able pupils. As a result, not all pupils learn the curriculum as well as they should. Leaders should ensure that teachers are provided with additional training and support to become more proficient in delivering the curriculum to these groups of pupils.  Systems and processes in place to check on the school’s performance are not consistently implemented. As a result, leaders are not identifying precise actions

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

and areas to improve. This is having an impact on the quality of education at the school. Leaders should ensure that stronger analysis and evaluation of their systems become routine so as to drive improvement.  Trustees have not checked sufficiently on the impact of leaders’ work. This means they have been unable to hold leaders fully to account for school weaknesses and identified areas for improvement. Having now restructured governance arrangements, trustees must make sure that they provide the precise support and challenge leaders on the actions they are taking to improve the quality of education pupils receive.

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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. 14 and 15 December 2022

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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. 14 and 15 December 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10227278 Type of school Secondary Comprehensive

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,650

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection 18 June 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a single academy trust.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 7 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical qualifications and apprenticeships.  The school is a larger-than average-size secondary school.

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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 carried out deep dives in English, science, mathematics, modern foreign languages and history. As part of the deep dives, inspectors met with 14 and 15 December 2022

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subject leaders, reviewed curriculum documentation, visited a sample of lessons, reviewed a sample of pupils’ work, spoke with pupils about their studies and spoke with teachers.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, senior leaders and the special educational needs coordinator.  Inspectors talked to staff and leaders about safeguarding arrangements. They examined how leaders make employment checks on staff and scrutinised further safeguarding records.  Inspectors met with a range of pupils to discuss their views about the school.  The lead inspector met with those responsible for governance, including the chair of trustees and six trustees.  Inspectors considered the responses from staff, parents and pupils to Ofsted’s online questionnaire and surveys.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including the school development

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Inspection team

Julian Appleyard, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Katie Spurr His Majesty’s Inspector 14 and 15 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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