Dinnington High School

Inspection of Dinnington High School Doe Quarry Lane, Dinnington, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S25 2NZ

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Inspection dates: 22 and 23 November 2023

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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 Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The executive headteacher of this school is Phil Davis. This school is part of the LEAP Multi Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Wayne Barsby, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Kim Bottomley. 22 and 23 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils enjoy attending Dinnington High School. They have very positive relationships with staff. Pupils are confident that adults will take their concerns seriously and help them. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well. Pupils are safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is improving at Dinnington. Pupils know the behaviour system and think that it is fair. Teachers are beginning to manage behaviour more consistently across the school. However low-level disruption does happen in some lessons. When this happens, it can disrupt pupils’ learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

As behaviour improves, pupils are making better progress through the curriculum. In some subjects, such as art, pupils are progressing well. In some other subjects, pupils’ progress is not as strong as it should be.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe online and in the community. They learn about consent and can explain what healthy relationships are. Pupils are accepting and supportive of each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Students are positive about their experience in the sixth form. The main reason they choose to stay at Dinnington sixth form is the positive relationships that they have with their teachers. Students receive appropriate guidance on careers and their next steps.

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better?

The school is increasingly ambitious for its pupils, including pupils with SEND. The new leadership team has identified areas for improvement across the school. Leaders have taken steps to address these areas. They have put new systems in place for behaviour and attendance and have started to review the curriculum. Staff and pupils say that behaviour is much better than it was.

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better?

Most teachers have secure subject knowledge and select appropriate activities to help pupils. However, the quality of the curriculum is inconsistent. Leaders have recognised this and begun to make some improvements. These are at the early stages. The school is still to identify the important knowledge that pupils should learn in some subjects and how pupils’ learning should build over time.

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better?

Pupils’ progress is not accurately checked. Gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not sufficiently addressed. Pupils are not challenged to deepen their understanding of some subjects. As a result, pupils do not build on their learning as well as they should.

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better?

The school is embedding a culture of reading for pleasure. Strategies such as ‘Fast Reading’ and time allocated in English lessons and form time for reading are helping to achieve this. The school identifies pupils who find reading more difficult. These 22 and 23 November 2023

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pupils receive support to catch up with their peers. The school does not accurately monitor the progress that these pupils make. Therefore, it is not clear when these pupils are ready to move on to new learning.

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Leaders have set out clear expectations for pupils’ behaviour and attendance. They have revisited with staff how to apply the behaviour system. This has quickly improved behaviour around school. However, low-level disruption is still frequent. As a result of the increase in expectations, suspensions have increased.

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Rates of absence are high, particularly for disadvantaged pupils. Recently, leaders have identified groups of pupils who need to improve their attendance. They have put strategies in place to achieve this. For example, staff are working with small groups of pupils and their families to identify barriers to attendance and re-engage pupils back into school.

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The school has a well-planned personal development and careers curriculum. This includes interactions with employers for pupils in all year groups. Pupils are taught about healthy relationships at an age-appropriate level. They understand relevant issues, such as grooming, county lines and domestic abuse. However, pupils do not develop a good knowledge of fundamental British values or protected characteristics. As a result, some pupils are underprepared for life in modern Britain.

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Students enjoy attending sixth form. They receive appropriate guidance on careers and next steps. The current curriculum offer is mostly academic subjects. This is not always appropriate for the students of Dinnington. Some of the teaching does not go into enough depth for the standard of the qualifications being delivered. As a result, students do not achieve as well as they should. The school has commissioned an external review of the sixth form. It plans to make changes to the sixth-form provision based on the outcome of this review.

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The new leadership team has only been in place for a short period of time. In this time, leaders, including local governors and trustees, have identified and prioritised the correct areas for improvement across the school. They have improved behaviour, reviewed the curriculum and sixth form and implemented a new attendance strategy. Staff and pupils are positive about these changes. Leaders have the capacity and experience to bring about sustained improvement at Dinnington High School.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the school has not accurately identified the important knowledge that pupils should learn and how this builds over time. As a result, 22 and 23 November 2023

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some pupils do not learn or retain the key knowledge needed to achieve well in some subjects. The school should ensure that in all subjects important knowledge is identified and sequenced coherently.  The school does not use assessment effectively to accurately check pupils’ knowledge. As a result, some pupils move on to new learning before they are ready. The school should ensure that teachers use assessment strategies well to check that pupils have learned the intended curriculum.  A number of strategies to improve the school have been implemented recently. It is too early to see the impact of some of these strategies. The school should monitor and evaluate the impact of recent school improvement strategies.  Rates of pupil absence, particularly for disadvantaged pupils, are high. As a result, some pupils miss out on the education available to them. This has an impact on how well they achieve. The school should continue to work with pupils and their

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families to improve attendance.  Rates of suspension are high. As a result, these pupils fall behind in their learning and are becoming disengaged with education. The school should continue to work with pupils and their families to reduce suspensions and engage these pupils in their education.

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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’ 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). 22 and 23 November 2023

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sixth form

Headteacher Phil Davis (Executive headteacher)

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection 8 July 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a member of the LEAP Multi Academy Trust.  The school is currently receiving support from a multi-academy trust under a service-level agreement. This agreement includes the support of an executive headteacher and an associate headteacher.  The school uses seven alternative providers of education. One is a registered provider subject to inspection by Ofsted. Six are not Ofsted registered providers.  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. 22 and 23 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.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the head of school and many other senior leaders.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in English, history, art and science. As part of the deep dives, inspectors visited lessons, reviewed curriculum plans and spoke with curriculum leaders and teachers. They also talked to pupils about their learning and looked at the work they have completed.  Inspectors met with the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator, reviewed education, health and care plans and other support plans for pupils with SEND. They visited lessons to see how pupils with SEND are supported to learn.  Inspectors met with the leader responsible for reading to discuss the support for

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Information about this inspection

pupils at the early stages of reading.  Inspectors met with leaders responsible for professional development to discuss staff training.  The inspection team scrutinised the school’s records of bullying, reviewed the actions that leaders take when bullying occurs and spoke to several groups of pupils, including some single-gender groups, to understand their experience of school.  Inspectors met leaders to discuss pupils’ behaviour and reviewed the school’s data on suspensions and internal suspensions.  Inspectors met with the chair of the trust and representatives from the local governing body.  Inspectors scrutinised records relating to attendance and records of pupils who have joined or left the school roll.  Inspectors met with the leader responsible for alternative provision to discuss the rationale for its use and to review the checks that leaders carry out to ensure pupils are safe. Alternative provision settings were contacted and visited as part

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Information about this inspection

of this inspection.  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.  Inspectors considered the views of parents and staff through Ofsted surveys, as well as additional communication from parents during the inspection. The views of pupils were considered through a range of inspection activities. 22 and 23 November 2023

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Inspection team

Chris Sergeant, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Richard Crane Ofsted Inspector 22 and 23 November 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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