Shoeburyness High School

Inspection of a good school: Shoeburyness High School Caulfield Road, Shoeburyness, Southend-on-Sea, Essex SS3 9LL

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. Inspectors are recommending the next inspection to be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at Shoeburyness High School. They feel part of a close community. They appreciate the support they receive to support their well-being. They are positive about the individual guidance they receive when making their plans for the future, which is part of the school’s careers programme.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a wide range of clubs and activities open to them. These develop their interests and confidence. Clubs and competitions in sport and the performing arts are particularly popular. There are opportunities for pupil leadership. Aspiring head boy and girl campaigns take place to gain pupils’ votes in elections, for instance by speaking in assemblies.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The majority of pupils behave well and treat each other and adults with respect. However, they are frustrated that their learning is sometimes interrupted by the inappropriate behaviour of a minority of pupils in and out of lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that they usually feel safe in school. There is some bullying, but it is not widespread, and when it happens, leaders make it stop.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils access a broad curriculum. Where teaching is of high quality, and behaviour is well managed, pupils learn well, but this is not consistently the case.

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

Leaders have carefully planned the curriculum. They have identified what pupils need to learn. Subject leaders’ plans are designed to build on pupils’ previous learning. Teachers use activities in lessons, often at the start, to go over what pupils have learned before. Where this is done well, such as in physical education and English, teachers identify 10 and 11 May 2023

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pupils’ gaps in learning and adapt what they are doing to address them. In some cases, however, teachers do not check what pupils know and, subsequently, do not make accurate adaptations to their teaching to ensure pupils know and remember more.

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Teachers regularly assess pupils’ work. They sometimes provide useful feedback for pupils. When this happens, pupils act on the advice they receive to improve their knowledge. However, this is not consistently carried out by teachers. In these cases, pupils are not clear about what they need to do to improve. While leaders have introduced the “Shoebury 9” strategies to improve the quality of teaching and learning, this is not consistently used well to have the intended impact

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Leaders understand the importance of reading to ensure pupils can successfully access the rest of the curriculum. They identify and assess weaker readers in order to target additional support. This improves pupils’ comprehension and accuracy. Leaders are aware of the need to improve all pupils’ reading, but the implementation of these plans to develop pupils’ literacy is at an early stage.

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The school has specialist staff who cater well for pupils with complex special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers are usually ambitious for these pupils. They expect pupils with SEND to complete challenging tasks and support them to access the same curriculum as their peers. However, learning is not adapted precisely enough for pupils with SEND. As a result, pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they could.

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Sixth-form students are well prepared for the next stage of their education. The curriculum is well matched to students’ needs, and they can study a broad range of subjects. They are expected to study independently, and leaders check that they do so effectively. Students learn about topics such as personal finance in preparation for university or employment. Some sixth-form students mentor younger pupils.

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Most pupils have a positive attitude to their learning. Some pupils, however, persistently do not meet leaders’ expectations for their behaviour, and as a result, they disrupt learning. This is because staff do not always follow the school’s behaviour policy consistently. In some lessons, pupils do not take part as much as they should. This is because teachers do not expect them to participate.

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Leaders’ agreed ‘scope and reshape’ personal, social and health education curriculum provides pupils with knowledge of relationships, and how to keep safe and healthy. They learn about the importance of tolerance and the importance of diversity. Pupils in Years 10 and 12 are supported to find work experience placements, especially those who are disadvantaged or pupils with SEND. Pupils attending alternative provision are also supported with training for employment.

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Governors check aspects of school life and education such as the quality of the curriculum and behaviour. They know that these are not consistently good enough. They are providing leaders with support to make improvements.

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Teachers say that they are supported with their workload and well-being. 10 and 11 May 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have put in place a committed and knowledgeable safeguarding team. They swiftly identify safeguarding concerns and work closely with a range of local services to provide support for vulnerable pupils. All staff are provided with up-to-date training. They monitor pupils for changes in behaviour and know how to report concerns. Staff are checked appropriately to ensure that they are suitable to work with pupils. Governors and trust leaders monitor safeguarding closely.

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Safeguarding

Through assemblies and the curriculum content, pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, for example when they go online, when out and about, or when swimming in the sea.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 A significant minority of pupils do not behave well enough and do not have a positive attitude to their education. They disrupt pupils’ learning. Leaders should provide training and support to ensure that all staff are able to apply the behaviour policy consistently and effectively.  While some teachers check pupils’ learning well, others do not. Gaps in learning and misconceptions are not always identified quickly, and the delivery of the curriculum is not adapted to meet the needs of all pupils. As a result, pupils, including those pupils with SEND do not learn as well as they should. Leaders should ensure that teachers are provided with support and training to enable them to check learning and adapt their teaching to meet pupils’ needs consistently and effectively.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2017. 10 and 11 May 2023

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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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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. 10 and 11 May 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10268592 Type of school Secondary comprehensive

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,789

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form

Dates of previous inspection 15 and 16 November 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Shoeburyness High School is a member of the Southend East Community Academy Trust.  The school uses six alternative providers. Three are registered and three unregistered.  The school has a learning resource base for students with physical and neurological disorders.  The headteacher was appointed in September 2022. Two deputy headteachers were appointed in April 2023. 10 and 11 May 2023

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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 school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, curriculum leaders, and the special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinators.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in five subjects: English, mathematics, PE, history and science. For each deep dive, inspectors met 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.  The lead inspector met with the chief executive officer of the trust and the chair of the local governing body.  The lead inspector spoke to leaders at the alternative providers used by the school.  Inspectors met with leaders and reviewed school documents relating to safeguarding,

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Information about this inspection

behaviour and attendance. Documents relating to the school’s strategic planning were also sampled.  Inspectors held a series of meetings with leaders and pupils to discuss the school’s safeguarding arrangements. The lead inspector scrutinised a range of records relating to safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.  The lead inspector considered the 203 responses and 197 free-text responses received during the inspection to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, and two voicemail messages from parents. He also reviewed the 104 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and the 211 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Steve Woodley, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Cathy Barr Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 May 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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