Audenshaw School

Inspection of Audenshaw School Hazel Street, Audenshaw, Manchester, Greater Manchester M34 5NB

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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 13 and 14 March 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to be part of Audenshaw School. They respond well to the values of respect, responsibility and resilience which permeate the school. Pupils appreciate the strong relationships that they have with staff. They feel well cared for because they have someone to talk to if they have any worries. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), feel safe and happy. They enjoy coming to school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders, teachers and support staff are highly ambitious for all pupils. Pupils respond well to leaders’ expectations. Pupils are keen to succeed. They typically work hard and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and conduct. Pupils are well behaved. They respond to staff’s requests and follow the school’s rules. Leaders make sure that incidents of bullying and derogatory language are dealt with quickly and effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from opportunities to develop their leadership skills and influence the decisions made by leaders. As an example, pupil leaders have instigated systems to improve how well the dining hall operates during lunchtimes.

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better?

In recent times, leaders have improved many aspects of the school. Pupils, staff, parents and carers appreciate the changes that leaders have made. Staff embrace leaders’ new ideas. They are keen to develop professionally. They benefit from a strong offer of staff training. Staff morale is high. They appreciate how leaders consider their well-being and workload.

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better?

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum. They have successfully supported subject leaders and teachers to ensure that the curriculum is well thought out. Subject leaders have thought carefully about the key knowledge and skills that pupils should learn, and the order in which content should be taught. All pupils study a broad range of subjects in key stage 3 and 4. Pupils achieve well.

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better?

Leaders have a clear and effective strategy in place to encourage pupils to study the English Baccalaureate suite of subjects. This is beginning to bear fruit. Recent improvements in the design and delivery of modern foreign languages are leading to a greater number of pupils choosing to study this subject in key stage 4.

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better?

Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They use their expertise to explain new learning. Most teachers are using the new approaches to assessment. However, in a small number of subjects, teachers do not use these strategies effectively enough to check pupils’ learning. Some teachers do not pick up on pupils’ misconceptions. Gaps in pupils’ learning are also missed. This means that pupils’ learning is not secure. 13 and 14 March 2023

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Reading is a high priority. Leaders have put in place a strategy to improve the teaching of reading and to strengthen pupils’ literacy. Most pupils who find reading difficult receive effective support. However, a small number of pupils, including some in key stage 4, do not receive the specific support that they need to become confident and fluent readers. This hinders how well these pupils can read and access the curriculum.

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Leaders identify the needs of pupils with SEND quickly and effectively. Staff are provided with the information that they need to support these pupils across different subjects. This means that pupils with SEND can access the curriculum and achieve well.

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Pupils typically behave well in lessons and around the school. Staff are well supported by leaders to manage pupils’ behaviour. Fair application of the behaviour policy and clear routines mean that school is a calm and purposeful place where pupils can learn without distraction.

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Pupils benefit from a highly effective programme to support their personal development. Pupils learn about resilience as they grow older and how to be aware of their own mental health and well-being. Pupils learn about issues such as sexual harassment and abuse. They have opportunities to consider the views of others. They display mutual respect and tolerance to those who are different from themselves.

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Many pupils participate in a number of after-school and weekend opportunities, particularly sporting ones. However, the range of experiences, and the uptake of these opportunities, is not broad enough. This hinders the development of some pupils’ skills and interests.

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The school’s careers programme is highly effective. Almost all pupils in Year 11 progress to employment, education or training.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that all staff have up-to-date safeguarding training. Staff are acutely aware of the risks that pupils may face in their everyday lives. Staff know how to respond to any signs that a pupil may need extra help to keep them safe.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that staff have a good understanding of the safeguarding risks within the community. Staff work effectively with numerous agencies to ensure that pupils get the help they need quickly.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to manage potential risks to their safety, such as online safety and drug and knife crime. 13 and 14 March 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, teachers do not use assessment strategies effectively enough to check that pupils have understood or remember what they have been taught. This leads to some pupils developing misconceptions or gaps in their learning. Leaders should ensure that all teachers use assessment strategies effectively in order to identify and address misconceptions and to check that pupils remember their learning.  The support that some pupils receive to help them catch up with their reading knowledge is not fully effective. This affects how well these pupils access the curriculum. Leaders should ensure that those pupils who find reading difficult receive the support that they need to read with fluency and confidence.  Some pupils do not benefit from developing their skills and interests outside of lesson times. This is because the range of wider learning opportunities is not broad enough. Leaders should provide a greater range of opportunities for pupils

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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. 13 and 14 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10256074 Type of school Secondary comprehensive

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll 1106

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 14 and 15 February 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There have been a significant number of changes to the senior leadership team and to the board of trustees since the previous inspection.  Audenshaw School is a stand-alone academy.  Leaders use three registered alternative providers for a small number of pupils.  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.

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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 that the school has 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. 13 and 14 March 2023

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 Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, other senior leaders, subject leaders and members of staff. The lead inspector also met with members of the trust board, including the chair and vice-chair of the trust board.  Inspectors completed deep dives in these subjects: English, science, languages, physical education, art and design and design technology. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils and students about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ and students’ work.  Inspectors also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in other subjects.  Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils from Years 7 to 11 about their experience of school and their views on behaviour and bullying.  Inspectors also observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes and met with the student council.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including the school’s self-

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evaluation document, leaders’ improvement plans, minutes of trust board meetings and records of pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  The lead inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority by telephone.  Inspectors held meetings with the staff responsible for safeguarding and scrutinised the single central record. Inspectors considered leaders’ safeguarding processes and procedures. Inspectors discussed matters relating to safeguarding with pupils and staff.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text comments. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Gary Kelly, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Michael Scott Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 March 2023

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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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