Yateley School

Inspection of a good school: Yateley School School Lane, Yateley, Hampshire GU46 6NW

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Outcome

Yateley School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Yateley School is a warm and welcoming community where pupils thrive. Positive, respectful relationships are at the heart of the school’s ethos, and staff take the time to get to know pupils and their families well. Pupils enjoy coming to school, and their attendance is high. The school’s values of ‘Ready, Respectful, Safe’ permeate all aspects of school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders set high expectations for pupils’ learning and behaviour. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. There is a calm and friendly atmosphere across the school site. Pupils feel safe and supported. Bullying and discrimination of any kind are not tolerated in this inclusive school. Leaders deal with any bullying swiftly and effectively. Pupils are confident that staff will take their concerns seriously.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular clubs and activities. Leaders ensure that these activities foster pupils’ interests and talents. Clubs include sports, music, drama and debating. Pupils enjoy the many house competitions. Sixth-form students take a lead in a number of these activities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are very positive about the quality of experience that their child receives. As one parent wrote, ‘The school is a safe, happy place for our child to learn.’

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

The headteacher, school leaders and governors have high aspirations for pupils. They have constructed an ambitious curriculum to meet the needs of all pupils. Subject leaders have thought carefully about how pupils build up knowledge, understanding and skills from Year 7 through to Year 13. They have identified the important knowledge that they want pupils to know and remember, and the order in which it should be taught.

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

The school’s learning values of ‘Ambitious, Curious and Tenacious’ (ACT) are evident in lessons. Pupils ask appropriate questions to further their understanding and the majority 13 and 14 June 2023

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work with persistence. Resources and activities are well chosen to support pupils’ learning. Most pupils take pride in their work. Staff manage rare examples of disruption in lessons quickly so that learning continues.

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Teachers are knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their subjects and present information clearly. They weave subject-specific terminology into lesson discussions and questions. Students in the sixth form enjoy the challenge of their learning and the depth of debate and discussions that are central to their courses. In many subjects, teachers make routine checks on pupils’ learning to ensure that knowledge is retained. However, staff do not use a consistent approach to help pupils remember key knowledge. Leaders have clear plans to continue to develop this area across the school.

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Leaders have effective systems to identify pupils who find reading more difficult. Pupils’ reading skills are checked on entry to the school. Trained staff help pupils who are behind with their reading. These teachers provide effective support to ensure that pupils who need specialist help with reading catch up quickly. Teachers make sure that pupils learn key vocabulary in each subject.

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Leaders accurately identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and provide effective information about the additional support that each pupil needs. Many teachers use this information well to adapt their teaching. However, some teachers do not consistently make these adaptations. This means that some pupils with SEND do not achieve as highly as they could.

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Leaders have developed a high-quality, comprehensive personal development programme. This provides pupils with effective age-appropriate relationships and sex education and health education. Leaders deliver this programme through a planned curriculum, assemblies, tutor time and extra-curricular activities. Pupils, and students in the sixth form, were involved in the planning of the programme. Staff give pupils opportunities to discuss a wide range of topical issues in a sensitive way that builds their self-confidence. Pupils speak very positively about the support and care that they are given, such as in the new well-being centre.

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Older pupils, and students in the sixth form, speak favourably about the careers advice, guidance and information that they receive. Year 10 pupils have been provided with work experience this year. Leaders provide detailed and appropriate advice to sixth-form students on applications to university, apprenticeships and employment. Students appreciate this support.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. They feel valued, and have confidence in the school’s leadership. Staff appreciate how leaders are considerate of their workload and well-being. Governors are effective at holding leaders to account for the quality of education that pupils receive. 13 and 14 June 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong safeguarding culture across the school. Safeguarding leads are well qualified and experienced. They have extensive knowledge and understanding of the local risks to pupils’ safety.

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Safeguarding

Leaders provide high-quality safeguarding training for staff. Frequent updates keep staff knowledgeable about the most recent safeguarding developments. Staff know how to spot the signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm. They are prompt in sharing concerns with leaders.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe. They have trusted adults whom they can speak to if they have any concerns.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some teachers are not making the adaptations necessary to meet the needs of pupils with SEND fully. This means that some pupils do not achieve as highly as they could. Leaders should ensure that all staff should implement these adaptations for each pupil with SEND effectively, utilising examples of best practice in the school.  Strategies designed to revisit and embed previous learning are not consistently implemented. This means that, sometimes, pupils do not remember important subject content that they have previously covered. Leaders should develop classroom practice so that more teaching activities help pupils to revisit and embed prior learning in their long-term memory 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 January 2018. 13 and 14 June 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. 13 and 14 June 2023

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,260

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form

Dates of previous inspection 30 and 31 January 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses three registered alternative providers.  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

 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 met with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders, the leader responsible for pupils with SEND, teachers and support staff.  The lead inspector met with a group of governors. 13 and 14 June 2023

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, geography and design and technology. Inspectors met with subject leaders, visited lessons and spoke to teachers. They looked at curriculum planning and pupils’ work. They met with pupils to discuss their learning.  The lead inspector also visited a range of lessons in other subjects.  The lead inspector scrutinised safeguarding arrangements, including the school’s central record of recruitment checks. Inspectors spoke to a variety of staff to discuss safeguarding training and arrangements and how well referrals and systems work.  Inspectors observed pupils around the school site, during lunchtimes and at breaktimes.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils and groups of staff, to hear their views.  Inspectors considered the 215 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including parents’ free-text comments. They also took account of the responses to

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Ofsted’s confidential surveys for staff and pupils and gathered the views of both staff and pupils throughout the inspection.

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Inspection team

Ann Fearon, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Mark Roessler Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 June 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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