Whitby School

Inspection of Caedmon College Whitby Prospect Hill, Whitby, North Yorkshire YO21 1LA

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Sixth-form provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 7 and 8 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils experience a variable quality of education. The strong learning that pupils experience in some subjects is not consistently replicated in others. Pupils do access an increasingly ambitious curriculum. They are studying a wider range of content at key stage 3 than they did previously.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In lessons, pupils generally behave well and focus upon their learning. Staff build positive relationships with pupils. However, pupils’ behaviour outside of lessons is less orderly. Although most pupils are confident in the school’s ability to address incidents of bullying, others are less confident.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school teaches pupils how to stay safe. They learn about the dangers they may experience living in a coastal town, such as the sea and the cliffs. Pupils learn about the social risks posed by alcohol and substance misuse. The majority of pupils feel safe, although some pupils are concerned by the behaviour of their peers, particularly at social times.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Students in the sixth form experience a well-designed curriculum that meets their needs. The school supports their academic and personal development in well- considered ways. Students in the sixth form achieve well.

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better?

The quality of education that the school provides is not consistently good across and within subjects. The ambitious intentions of the curriculum are not fully realised in pupils’ experiences in lessons.

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better?

Leaders have taken action to develop the curriculum. They have made sure that pupils in key stage 3 access a deeper range of knowledge and skills than was previously the case. The school has mapped out the most important knowledge that pupils need to learn in clear and logical ways. For example, in English, pupils are taught the important vocabulary they will need to understand before reading new and more challenging texts.

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better?

Despite these improvements, the curriculum is not taught sufficiently well across all subjects. The school’s use of assessment does not identify pupils’ deep understanding of important concepts well enough. The tasks that are used to check how well pupils have learned complex ideas are sometimes too simple. This can contribute to gaps in pupils’ understanding. In contrast, the curriculum for sixth- form students is more securely embedded, enabling students to develop strong knowledge and skills.

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better?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the same curriculum as their peers. Staff are aware of their needs and take appropriate action to involve them in learning. The school works with parents and tracks the progression of pupils with SEND through the curriculum. Pupils in the additionally 7 and 8 November 2023

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resourced provision benefit from carefully considered support. The school makes sure that pupils in the school’s own alternative provision access an appropriate curriculum. For some pupils with SEND, access to external support can be difficult, which can be a source of frustration.

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Staff carry out timely assessments to check pupils’ reading abilities and put extra help in place for those who need it. The school is beginning to promote a wider enjoyment of reading through initiatives such as reading sessions in tutorial time. However, it is too early to see the impact of this work.

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In lessons, the majority of pupils behave well. They respond to teacher requests and contribute to class discussion. On too many occasions, however, this is not the case outside of lessons. Pupils’ behaviour at social times is less orderly. Despite more intensive supervision, pockets of poor behaviour persist. For example, some pupils remain concerned by pupils vaping in the school toilets. The school has taken more assertive action to address poor behaviour. This is reflected in a higher number of fixed-term suspensions this term.

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The school is currently involved in a project with the Department for Education to address underlying barriers to attendance. There is some evidence that the school’s work is leading to improvements in attendance for some pupils. Despite this, rates of absence remain too high.

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Pupils follow a personal, social and health education programme that teaches them about the importance of healthy relationships. Pupils can access a wide variety of clubs and activities to extend their interests. Then benefit from a careers programme that raises their awareness of their next steps. The school’s actions to develop pupils’ understanding of fundamental British values are less secure. Despite pupils learning about equality and respect, some do not show sufficient respect for some of the protected characteristics.

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The school is undergoing a significant period of change. In recent years, changes to leadership have affected the school’s ability to sustain the pace of improvement. The amalgamation of the school with another secondary school in the local community has been a source of contention. It is commendable that, in this context, pupils’ overall progress remains in line with that achieved by other pupils nationally. Staff have remained focused on pupils’ education. Leaders are bringing increasing stability to the school’s work. The local authority has supported the school with a comprehensive review of safeguarding practice. The new executive headteacher is building on this work. A clear plan is in place to manage the transition to the newly amalgamated school. The governing body has recently increased the capacity and expertise of its membership to provide greater support and challenge at this important time.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 7 and 8 November 2023

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The school has recently carried out a major review of safeguarding with the local authority and executive leaders from another school. This is leading to improvements in safeguarding practice. There remain areas where the school needs to track, evaluate and act upon behaviour concerns more closely.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There is variation in how well the curriculum is implemented between and within subjects. The use of assessment does not check sufficiently how well pupils have learned important concepts. On occasion, the assessment tasks that pupils are set do not enable them to fully demonstrate their learning. The school should take further action to ensure that assessment, and the tasks that teachers set pupils, enables teachers to get a deeper picture of the knowledge and skills that pupils have acquired.  The behaviour of pupils outside of lessons is not good enough. A significant minority of pupils and parents remain concerned about behaviour, including vaping by some pupils in the school toilets. The school should take further action to improve pupils’ behaviour outside of lessons and provide greater reassurance to pupils and their parents.  The attendance of pupils, especially of particular groups of pupils, requires

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

improvement. The school must take more effective action to improve rates of attendance.  Although safeguarding is effective and the school records concerns about pupils’ safety, patterns of concern are not addressed well enough. This can affect how well the school addresses any emerging concerns about issues such as bullying. The school should take more effective action to address any patterns of concern.  The curriculum to support pupils’ personal development is not consistently embedded. Pupils’ understanding of fundamental British values is not strong enough, and some pupils do not show consistent respect for the protected characteristics. The school should take further action to enhance this aspect of the curriculum.

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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. 7 and 8 November 2023

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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). 7 and 8 November 2023

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sixth form

Appropriate authority The governing body

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sixth form

Dates of previous inspection 16 and 17 February 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school will amalgamate with another local school in September 2024.  Executive leaders from another school are working closely with school leaders to support school improvement and the forthcoming amalgamation with another local school.  The school has additionally resourced provision for pupils with speech, language and communication needs.  The school hosts its own on-site alternative provision. In addition, the school uses one registered provider of alternative provision and one unregistered provider.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. 7 and 8 November 2023

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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

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education 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 the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, history, mathematics and science. 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 looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.  Inspectors met with the executive headteacher, the head of school and other senior leaders over the course of the inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 The lead inspector met with the members of the governing body, including the chair.  The lead inspector met with senior officers of the local authority.  Inspectors explored a local authority review of safeguarding and an additional review carried out on behalf of the executive headteacher.  Inspectors considered the views of parents through the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents, Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors considered the views of pupils through their responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils and through meetings held with pupils. They also considered questionnaires organised by the school.  Inspectors considered the views of staff through meetings and through their responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.

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Inspection team

Malcolm Kirtley, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Brian Janes Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 November 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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