The Sweyne Park School

Inspection of The Sweyne Park School Sir Walter Raleigh Drive, Rayleigh, Essex SS6 9BZ

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 February 2023

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Ofsted has not previously inspected The Sweyne Park 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 Requires improvement

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. 21 and 22 February 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high ambitions for pupils. The majority of pupils enjoy their learning. This is because leaders and teachers have worked to improve the curriculum and the quality of teaching. Teachers know their subjects well, and use this knowledge to make what they teach interesting.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders’ expectations for pupils to be ‘ready and respectful’ are not fully realised in the lived experience of pupils. Pupils say that their learning is disrupted in some lessons. They are frustrated that teachers do not use the new behaviour policy consistently. Behaviour at breaktimes and lunchtimes is not as orderly as it should be. A minority of pupils push and shove each other and use inappropriate language. Incidents of bullying, however, are rare and are resolved quickly by teachers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, and students in the sixth form, benefit from a range of leadership opportunities, such as being on the school council and student leadership team. They are empowered to make positive changes at the school. There is a strong curriculum in place for pupils’ personal development. Pupils enjoy the lessons they have to support this and can recall important knowledge they have been taught. They talk confidently about different world views and understand how people can be different from each other.

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better?

Historically, the outcomes that pupils achieved have been below average. However, leaders have taken decisive and effective action to address this. They have overhauled the curriculum, and subject leaders have thought carefully about the important knowledge they want pupils to learn and how best to teach it.

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better?

Teachers have strong subject knowledge, and use this to present subject content clearly. This helps pupils to build up their knowledge over time and to recall quickly what was taught before. For instance, in English, pupils use their knowledge of the origin of words to help make sense of new words. Leaders have made sure that assessment focuses precisely on the knowledge they want pupils to remember and be able to use. This ‘KPI’ approach to assessment is well embedded, and is used effectively to check how well pupils are progressing through the curriculum.

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better?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do well. This includes pupils in the specialist resource base. This is because of leaders’ effective processes for identifying and sharing information about pupils’ needs. Teachers use this information well to adjust their teaching. Pupils with SEND study the full curriculum and are keeping up with their peers.

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better?

Leaders recognised that behaviour needs to improve. They have already taken action to address this through introducing a new behaviour policy and restructuring the leadership of behaviour across the school. However, this has not, at this stage, had the impact leaders intend. The behaviour policy is not followed consistently by 21 and 22 February 2023

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teachers. Behaviour at breaktimes and lunchtimes is sometimes not as calm as it ought to be, and a minority of pupils behave poorly. This includes pushing, throwing objects and swearing. This behaviour has led to an increase in suspensions.

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Persistent absence in some year groups means that some pupils are regularly missing out on important learning. Leaders know the circumstances of each individual who is absent regularly, and take action on a case-by-case basis. However, despite leaders’ actions on both behaviour and attendance, their systems for monitoring the impact of this work are new and do not show them which actions work well and which do not.

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There is a rich curriculum in place for pupils’ personal development. Pupils and students receive appropriate careers information, education, advice and guidance. Teachers have been well trained to teach citizenship, personal and religious education, and pupils enjoy learning from them. Pupils are positive about the extra- curricular opportunities available to them. There is a broad range of clubs and activities on offer, as well as trips and visits linked to pupils’ subject learning. Recently, for example, students in the sixth form visited New York as part of their business studies education.

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There are high expectations for students in the sixth form. Strengths that are typical in the curriculum, teaching and assessment in the main school are typical in the sixth form. Students and teachers use ‘independent progress plans’ well to track students’ progress through the curriculum. These help students to take responsibility for their own learning.

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Trustees and governors are well informed about the schools’ strengths and areas to improve. They provide appropriate and regular challenge and support to school leaders. Teachers and other members of staff feel valued and are proud to work at the school. Leaders consider and consult staff on any changes that might impact on their workload or well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established robust systems and processes for identifying and managing safeguarding concerns. Staff are well trained in their safeguarding responsibilities. When concerns are reported, detailed records are kept and swift action is taken. Leaders engage well with external agencies and seek help where needed to inform their safeguarding decisions.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have thorough checks for pupils who attend off-site alternative provision. They work closely with providers and external agencies to ensure that these pupils are safe and attending regularly.

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Safeguarding

Leaders carry out appropriate checks on adults before they start work in school. 21 and 22 February 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers are not consistent in their implementation of the behaviour policy. This means that some pupils do not always behave well in lessons and in social time. Leaders should ensure that teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and use the behaviour policy consistently to ensure they are met.  In some year groups, pupils do not attend as often as they should, and too many pupils are persistently absent. This means that some pupils do not benefit sufficiently from the education provided by the school, and fall behind their peers. Leaders should ensure that these pupils are helped to attend school regularly.  Leaders’ monitoring systems do not check well how effectively their actions around behaviour and attendance are working. As a result, leaders lack the information to further their work in this area. Leaders need to refine methods of checking the impact of their work around behaviour and 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. 21 and 22 February 2023

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,488

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection 3 October 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Rayleigh Schools Trust.  The school currently uses three registered alternative providers and three unregistered alternative providers.  The school has a resource base for pupils with hearing impairment.  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 education qualifications and apprenticeships. 21 and 22 February 2023

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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. The lead inspector also spoke with members of the local governing body, trustees and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors completed deep dives in these subjects: English, science, mathematics, modern foreign languages, art and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans for geography, design and technology and physical education.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation, which included leaders’ self-

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Information about this inspection

evaluation, the school development plan, records for behaviour and attendance and minutes from meetings of trustees and governors.  Inspectors considered 196 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, including 185 written responses from parents. They considered survey responses from 183 pupils and students and 113 members of staff.

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Inspection team

Marc White, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Katherine Douglas His Majesty’s Inspector 21 and 22 February 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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