Lytchett Minster School

Inspection of a good school: Lytchett Minster School Post Green Road, Lytchett Minster, Poole, Dorset BH16 6JD

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 February 2023

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Outcome

Lytchett Minster School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe. They behave well in lessons, so learn without disruption. Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ attitudes to learning. Pupils live up to these expectations and appreciate their teachers’ subject expertise. Most parents feel that their child is happy and does well at the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are mainly respectful to one another and staff. Most pupils and parents are confident that leaders deal with bullying well. Leaders usually challenge disrespectful behaviour, but a minority of pupils and parents say that some pupils are not as respectful as they should be.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy taking part in events together. For example, they spoke excitedly about an annual sponsored walk along the local beach. Pupils welcome events such as this to raise money for charities close to their hearts.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value extra-curricular activities and trips. They are enthusiastic about clubs, such as cooking and opportunities in performing and creative arts. Older pupils enjoy helping younger pupils. For example, some sixth-form students read with younger pupils every week. Students enjoy developing their leadership skills by running committees and events.

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

Governors, leaders and staff share a vision for pupils to gain the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in life. Accordingly, leaders have designed a broad and ambitious curriculum. The key stage 3 curriculum prepares pupils well to study the English Baccalaureate, with increasing numbers of pupils studying a modern foreign language. Sixth-form subject options are relevant to local and regional priorities.

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

Leaders have planned and sequenced the curriculum meticulously. For example, in design and technology, pupils deepen their theoretical and practical knowledge each year. They 21 and 22 February 2023

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create high-quality products and can explain in detail how. In all subjects, leaders ensure that pupils’ learning builds on what they already know and can do.

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Teachers are subject experts and present information clearly. For instance, in English, teaching carefully illustrates how pupils should analyse texts and express their ideas. In all subjects, pupils practise using new information. This helps them to learn and remember it. As a result, pupils acquire and sustain detailed knowledge and skills.

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Teachers’ use of assessment identifies pupils’ misconceptions and any gaps in their knowledge or skills. For example, teachers frequently check pupils’ pronunciation in modern foreign languages and correct it when needed. In the sixth form, this process helps students to extend their academic and technical vocabulary.

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Leaders make effective provision for pupils with particular behaviour needs. However, they do not identify the needs of some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) precisely enough. This includes those pupils who are in the early stages of learning to read. As a result, adaptations to the curriculum for some pupils with SEND are not effective enough.

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The personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum is appropriate for pupils at different ages. For example, sixth-form students build on what they have learned in earlier years about online safety and health risks. However, the PSHE programme does not extend pupils’ understanding of some key aspects important for pupils’ wider development. For instance, pupils do not have a strong understanding of legally protected characteristics, such as sexual orientation or disability.

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Pupils benefit from useful careers education, information and guidance (CEIAG). They complete work experience and have other useful contacts with employers. The CEIAG for students in the sixth form helps them make choices about future education, employment and training.

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Governors are well skilled and dedicated. Through following ‘lines of enquiry’, they provide useful support and challenge to leaders. However, leaders do not have sufficient oversight of some aspects of the school’s work, such as patterns in pupils’ behaviour. Where this is the case, governors are not well-enough informed to provide sufficient support and challenge.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. They value leaders’ commitment to their professional development and well-being. Leaders provide well-matched support to those newest to teaching.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders identify children at risk and make appropriate referrals to safeguarding partners. Staff understand the importance of being vigilant and passing on concerns swiftly to 21 and 22 February 2023

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protect children. Leaders work with external agencies and secure support for pupils when required.

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Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including when online. The school has appropriate policies to manage incidents of sexual harassment or abuse that occur in or out of school. Recruitment procedures which ensure the suitability of staff to work with children are in place. Leaders make sure that staff know how to report any safeguarding concerns about adults in the school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders do not identify the needs of some pupils with SEND precisely enough. As a result, the curriculum does not meet these pupils’ needs consistently well. Leaders should ensure that they identify pupils’ needs accurately so that staff can adapt the curriculum appropriately.  Leaders do not have strong enough oversight of some aspects of the school’s work. Where this is the case, they do not provide precise enough information to governors. Leaders should gain sufficient insight into all areas of the school’s work and share this with governors so that they are well informed about the impact of leaders’ actions.

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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 May 2017.

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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.

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You can search for published performance information about the school.

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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 1,567

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form

Appropriate authority The governing body

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form

Date of previous inspection 9 May 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 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.  The school uses two registered alternative provisions and one unregistered provision.

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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 held discussions with the headteacher, members of the senior leadership team, curriculum leaders and members of the governing body. 21 and 22 February 2023

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, design and technology and modern foreign languages. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, looked at curriculum planning, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the lead inspector scrutinised the single central record of adults working in the school. The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead and examined the school’s safeguarding records. Inspectors also spoke with a range of pupils and staff about safeguarding.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey and Ofsted’s online pupil survey.

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Inspection team

James Oldham, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Tracy Harris Ofsted 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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