Nidderdale High School

Inspection of a good school: Nidderdale High School Low Wath Road, Pateley Bridge, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG3 5HL

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Inspection dates: 17 and 18 January 2023

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Outcome

Nidderdale High School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Nidderdale High School’s ethos of ‘Respect, Ready, Safe’ is reflected regularly in the relationships that staff have with pupils. Pupils feel safe and are ready to learn. Leaders take bullying seriously. They have ensured that pupils know how to report bullying through a dedicated email address. Although the majority of pupils feel that bullying is dealt with well by staff, a small number of pupils do not.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils generally behave well in lessons and around school. In some lessons, there is some low-level disruption. Teachers follow the behaviour policy to refocus pupils on their learning. Where behaviour is not as strong in some lessons, learning activities are not as challenging as they could be. Leaders know this and have plans to review curriculum planning in subjects where the curriculum requires further development, including in mathematics.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are high ambitions to broaden pupils’ experiences beyond the taught curriculum. The introduction of the ‘Niddventure’ curriculum gives pupils access to an outdoor learning programme and opportunities to engage with the local community. For example, Year 7 pupils undertake a hill climb with their form tutor. Pupils use their rewards points to select Niddventure activities. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This ensures all pupils participate fully in the life of the school.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

There is a shared vision for ensuring that the quality of education continues to improve. Despite being a small school, there is a wide curriculum offer. The proportion of pupils studying the English Baccalaureate suite of subjects of English, mathematics, science, a modern foreign language and history or geography is increasing.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Curriculum leaders have begun work on strategies to help pupils remember more of the subject knowledge that they have learned. Some leaders are further on than others. In some subjects, pupils are provided with planned, regular opportunities to revisit previous 17 and 18 January 2023

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concepts and/or knowledge. In other subjects, this is not as rigorously planned. Staff value the opportunity to plan and teach lesson content based on their understanding of pupils’ needs. However, the planning of core knowledge across all subjects requires further development.

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Pupils with SEND are well supported in lessons. Staff use information about each pupil effectively to help pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers. Staff know the needs of pupils very well. To help pupils with SEND access challenging curriculum content, teachers adapt resources where appropriate. Staff have high expectations. Pupils with SEND are questioned and challenged in lessons, which ensures that they are fully included. Some pupils with SEND follow a personalised curriculum. This may include Niddventure activities or work experience. This ensures that pupils with SEND are ready for the next stage of their education.

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Reading has been prioritised by leaders. Pupils’ reading fluency and comprehension are tested every year in key stage 3. Pupils with gaps in their reading knowledge have precise interventions put in place. This enables them to catch up. Some pupils access a phonics programme to support them to read fluently. Reading is promoted more widely across the school through reading in form class. There is still some work to do to ensure that form class reading books are as suitable as possible.

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There is a full personal development programme in place for pupils. This has a clear focus on important issues such as careers education, personal safety and relationships, sex and health education. Assemblies focus on developing pupils’ character, supporting their well- being and improving their resilience. Leaders have established a programme called ‘Wednesday Flourish’ where pupils access opportunities to support their wider development such as baking, bush craft and sign language. Trips and visits have also been re-established. Pupils can go on theatre trips, to Christmas markets and abroad to places such as Berlin and France. Pupils in Years 10 and 11 can also be part of the student council, and leaders have plans to re-establish the key stage 3 student council.

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Morale among staff is high. They feel valued by members of the leadership team, who are mindful of their workload. All staff who responded to the staff survey said that they were proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities. They know how to raise any concerns that they have about pupils. Vulnerable pupils are identified and receive appropriate help. Safeguarding leaders work closely with families and other agencies to support pupils. As a result, pupils attend more regularly and some access a more personalised curriculum.

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Safeguarding

The designated safeguarding leader has considered the local safeguarding risks. Adults in the school understand that safeguarding issues that are present in larger towns and cities can also be present in rural communities. The curriculum provides pupils with information to help keep themselves safe. 17 and 18 January 2023

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Leaders check on the safety of the small number of pupils who attend alternative provision through weekly reports.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a minority of curriculum areas, leaders have not precisely identified the important component knowledge that pupils should learn and the specific order that pupils need to learn this in. As a result, this contributes to some pupils not retaining subject knowledge or using subject-specific skills as well as they might. Leaders need to ensure that the curriculum identifies core substantive and disciplinary knowledge so that it supports pupils to remember important concepts and ideas over a longer period of time.  There are weekly reports from alternative providers which give updates on pupils’ behaviour and engagement at alternative provision. However, school leaders do not carry out regular visits to the alternative provision settings. As a result, they are not assuring themselves of its continued safety or suitability. Leaders should ensure that they visit alternative providers, and see pupils working in those settings, to fully assure

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

themselves that the provision remains safe and is suitable for pupils to attend.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in December 2012.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 17 and 18 January 2023

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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. 17 and 18 January 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10240467 Type of school Secondary Comprehensive

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 October 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses two unregistered alternative providers for a very small number of pupils. These pupils do not receive their full-time education at these providers.  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

 Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: English, history and mathematics. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers and pupils about learning and looked at a sample of pupils’ work.  Inspectors met with a wide range of pupils from different age groups to talk about their experiences of the school.  The lead inspector met with representatives of the governing board and a local authority representative. 17 and 18 January 2023

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 Inspectors held discussions with staff and considered the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for staff.  Inspectors considered the views of the parents who completed Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey for parents. This included the free-text responses.  Inspectors spoke formally and informally with pupils from all year groups and considered the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for pupils.  Inspectors also viewed curriculum plans relating to pupils’ personal development.

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Inspection team

Jessica McKay, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Lesley Powell Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 January 2023

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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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