Kelvin Hall School

Inspection of Kelvin Hall School Bricknell Avenue, Hull HU5 4QH

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Inspection dates: 23 and 24 January 2024

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The head of school is Christopher Leng. This school is part of Thrive Co-operative Learning Trust which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Jonathan Roe, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Ken Battye. There is also an executive headteacher, Pat Cavanagh, who is responsible for this school.

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Overall effectiveness Good

Ofsted has not previously inspected Kelvin Hall School as an academy under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 as, until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection of the predecessor school. 23 and 24 January 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Kelvin Hall School is a welcoming place. Pupils move around the school calmly and purposefully. There are plenty of staff on hand to support pupils if needed. Staff and pupils get on well. Their relationships are built on mutual respect. This helps pupils to settle in lessons and learn well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn a curriculum that is mostly well organised. Some curriculum areas are more developed than others. In general, most pupils achieve well at the school. However, some groups of pupils, notably those pupils who receive free school meals and the most able, do not always progress as well as expected.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has established a dedicated provision to support pupils with complex special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) called ‘The Hub’. Most pupils who attend this provision learn alongside their peers for some lessons. This ensures they feel included in mainstream school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum extends beyond academic subjects. Leaders have developed a rich personal development offer. Activities are woven into the school day and after school. These include inspiring pupil performances. Most pupils feel safe in the school. Bullying happens infrequently. Some pupils use unkind language towards others. When this happens, pupils know how to seek support through anti-bullying ambassadors, reporting boxes, online support and with dedicated pastoral staff.

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better?

Pupils largely progress well in lessons. In some key stage 3 curriculum areas, pupils are taught on a rotation. They learn subjects in blocks of time throughout the year. This means some subjects do not have continuity to ensure pupils’ learning is consistently developed over time. As a result, in some curriculum areas, pupils are not as well prepared for the next stage of learning. They do not always have the depth of knowledge needed to meet the demands of qualifications fully.

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better?

Leaders prioritise reading. Pupils read often in lessons and in tutor time. Pupils’ work matches the intent of the curriculum. However, some groups of pupils do not always achieve well. This includes disadvantaged pupils. Lessons are efficiently organised to meet pupils’ needs. For example, ingredients are supplied for some pupils to access the curriculum in food technology. Support for pupils with SEND is well thought out. Pupils follow the same curriculum as their peers. Staff use individual education plans effectively to adapt lessons. This enables pupils with SEND to learn well.

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better?

Pupils behave well in lessons and at social times. Staff have high expectations. Instances of negative behaviour occur in the school from time to time. This includes derogatory language. The school manages this well. Leaders have developed an effective graduated approach to improve attendance. Staff work collaboratively. They focus on early intervention to reduce absence. The school uses innovative 23 and 24 January 2024

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approaches to encourage pupils to attend school well, including morning attendance check-ins with the well-being team and ‘Lizzie’ the therapy dog.

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Personal development is a strength of the school. The wider curriculum exposes pupils to important concepts and ideas that prepare them well for life beyond school. The school has a pupil leadership team. Members are elected by pupil groups to represent their views. This has led to changes to the curriculum and strengthened support for pupils’ mental health. The school develops pupils’ understanding of how to stay healthy mentally and physically. There are opportunities for pupils to access well-being services and sporting clubs.

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The school encourages pupils to develop their musical and performance skills well. Pupils participate enthusiastically. This has led to successful performances for the school community. Pupils learn about next steps to adulthood and work. Pupils receive independent careers advice. They access employers and other education providers to ensure that they are fully informed. Most pupils move on to further education, work or training.

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Governors and trustees have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas to develop. They are well informed by audits and reports that examine specific aspects of the school’s work. The trust provides a range of effective support for the school, including safeguarding. Staff receive continuous professional development to keep their safeguarding practice up to date. Early careers teachers feel well supported. They have sufficient time to meet their mentors. Staff feel they have a voice. Leaders listen to them and are accessible.

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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 organisation of the curriculum at key stage 3 means that pupils do not get the opportunity to learn, practise and remember in a continuous way. As a result, the curriculum does not help pupils to know more and remember more consistently. The school should ensure that all subjects at key stage 3 enable pupils to build knowledge in a way that prepares them for their next stage of learning.  The impact of the curriculum does not consistently fulfil the school’s ambitious intent. Some groups of pupils, notably those pupils who receive free school meals and the most able, do not always progress as well as expected. The school should ensure that all pupils deepen and extend their subject knowledge to better prepare them for qualifications. 23 and 24 January 2024

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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). 23 and 24 January 2024

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School details

Local authority Kingston Upon Hull City Council

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,616

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School details

Headteacher Christopher Leng (Head of School) Pat Cavanagh (Executive Headteacher) Website www.kelvinhall.net

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Thrive Co-operative Learning Trust, a multi-academy trust.  The school uses two registered and three unregistered alternative education providers.  The school has an additional provision called ‘The Hub’. This is for a small number of pupils with an education, health and care plan.  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.

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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 23 and 24 January 2024

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education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school had 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 met with the executive headteacher, the head of school, members of the senior leadership team, curriculum leaders, teachers and support staff.  The lead inspector met with the chief executive of the trust and members of the board of trustees. The lead inspector met with representatives of the governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, science, geography and art and design. 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. The provision for teaching reading was also closely scrutinised.

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 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 looked at a range of documentation regarding the support that pupils with SEND receive. They looked at the quality of the provision for pupils with SEND in lessons.  An inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors reviewed a range of school documents, including the school’s self- evaluation and development plans.  Inspectors looked at a range of information regarding behaviour. They observed the behaviour of pupils in classrooms and at social times.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for pupils, staff and parents. This included any free-text responses.

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Inspection team

David Mills, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Chris Carr His Majesty’s Inspector 23 and 24 January 2024

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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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