Bohunt School Worthing

Inspection of a good school: Bohunt School Worthing 65a Broadwater Road, Worthing, West Sussex BN14 8AH

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Outcome

Bohunt School Worthing continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Paul Collin. This school is part of Bohunt Education Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Neil Strowger, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Ray Morton.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The trust’s vision of ‘enjoy, achieve, and respect’ is being realised at this school. The school and trust work together to ensure that the best interests of pupils are met. Pupils enjoy their learning and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere in the school that makes pupils feel safe. Pupils have warm relationships with staff, who know them well. Pupils are taught to show respect for others. Pupils have great confidence in staff to sort out any problems that they face. The QR code system for reporting any concerns is widely used and trusted by pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very clear about the school’s expectations for behaviour. The vast majority conduct themselves well in class. They settle to their work quickly and cooperate with staff. There is little disruption in lessons, although there is sometimes boisterous behaviour in crowded corridors and social spaces.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school offers an exceptional number of extra-curricular clubs, activities, and trips. These cater for a wide range of pupils’ talents and interests, including sport and the arts. For example, all Year 7 pupils take part in the ‘big day out’ team-building trip.

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

Pupils learn well across the curriculum. School and trust leaders have worked together to plan a broad and ambitious curriculum for all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged. Leaders have thought carefully about what pupils need to learn and how to check that they have learned it. Leaders have taken action to strengthen the mathematics curriculum. This has been successful and pupils now achieve as well in this 3 and 4 October 2023

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subject as they do in others. Pupils are able to choose from a wide range of academic and vocational subjects in key stage 4. Take up of subjects that make up the English Baccalaureate is above average.

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The curriculum is delivered well. Staff have good subject knowledge and teach enthusiastically. Pupils’ positive attitudes to learning and staff’s consistent use of the behaviour policy ensure a purposeful atmosphere in lessons. As a result, teachers can get on with teaching with very few disruptions. Clear routines are in place to help pupils recall and deepen their knowledge. Staff frequently check that pupils are keeping up with the curriculum. Sometimes, pupils are not clear about how to improve their work to achieve the ambitious goals that they have been set. This is more common in key stage 3 and in the foundation subjects. When this happens, it can hinder pupils’ learning.

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Staff understand the needs of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff adapt learning when appropriate. Mobile technology is widely used to help pupils access the curriculum and learn independently. Leaders have prioritised improving pupils’ literacy skills. There is a sharp focus on ensuring that pupils who struggle to read confidently and competently are identified and provided with the rapid support that they need to improve.

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The school provides a wide range of opportunities that support pupils’ broader development. Pupils’ take up of extra-curricular activities is high. Leaders ensure that disadvantaged pupils also benefit from the activities on offer. The personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum is delivered through tutor time. It includes how to form healthy relationships, online safety and fundamental British values. These sessions are not as consistently delivered as the subject curriculum and some pupils do not take them as seriously. This means that some pupils develop gaps in their learning, for example in their understanding of how democracy works.

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The school is very well led and managed. The trust provides valuable expertise and support to school leaders and staff. Staff appreciate the training that they receive, and the steps leaders take to reduce their workload. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. One parent, reflecting the views of many, commented, ‘There really is something for everyone. The school is welcoming and has such a happy, positive vibe.’

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The assessment of pupils’ work towards their longer-term goals does not always leave pupils with a clear enough understanding of what they need to do to improve. The 3 and 4 October 2023

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school should ensure that the good practice that exists, particularly in the core subjects, is spread across the curriculum.  The planned PSHE curriculum is not always delivered effectively. Some aspects of pupils’ learning do not always develop as they should. The school need to ensure that pupils learn as well in this area as they do in the subject curriculum.

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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 September 2018.

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 3 and 4 October 2023

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School details

Datess of previous inspection 19 and 20 September 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher has changed since the previous inspection. The current headteacher took up his post in April 2022.  The school currently uses three registered and five unregistered alternative provisions.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  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 meetings with a range of leaders, including the headteacher and senior leaders. They also met with the chief executive officer and a number of senior staff in 3 and 4 October 2023

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the trust, including the directors of school improvement, special educational needs, personal development, English, mathematics, history and human resources.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and look at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also spoke to pupils and scrutinised their work for some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record, took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  In addition, inspectors considered a range of information including the school’s plans

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for improvement and behaviour records.  Inspectors considered the views of members of staff who responded to Ofsted’s online staff survey. The views of parents were taken into account from the responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey and free-text responses. Inspectors met with groups of pupils formally and informally to discuss their views of the school and considered their responses to the Ofsted survey.

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Inspection team

Mark Bagust, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Paul Gibson Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 October 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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