The Radclyffe School

Inspection of The Radclyffe School Hunt Lane, Chadderton, Oldham, Greater Manchester OL9 0LS

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Inspection dates: 27 and 28 February 2024

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 27 and 28 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils enjoy coming to The Radclyffe School. They know who to speak to if they are worried or upset. Pupils come from many different backgrounds. They all benefit from learning about each other’s cultural differences.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for all pupils. Staff are determined that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), gain the knowledge and skills that they need to thrive in their future lives. Overall, pupils in key stage 4 achieve well in public examinations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The ‘five respects’ underpin the sensible behaviour that pupils display in classrooms. However, on occasions, the school’s high expectations for pupils’ behaviour during social times are not followed by a small minority of pupils. The boisterous behaviour of a few older pupils sometimes makes younger pupils feel uncomfortable at break or lunchtimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the extensive opportunities for their wider personal development. Many pupils told inspectors that they enjoy the wide range of sporting activities available to them. They are proud to collect a vast array of badges and achievement awards and wear these with pride.

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better?

The school’s broad curriculum offers pupils in key stage 4 a wide range of choices to pursue their particular interests. The school has reviewed all of its subject curriculums with the intention of giving them more breadth and depth. In all subjects, these changes have resulted in curriculums which are well designed and allow pupils to build their subject knowledge in a logical way. These changes have helped pupils to achieve well.

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better?

Teachers have secure subject knowledge. This helps them to deliver subject curriculums well across the school. Teachers explain topics clearly to pupils. They make sure that important learning is revisited. However, in a small number of subjects, teachers do not routinely check that pupils have understood fully what has been taught, before they move on to new learning. As a result, some pupils do not know and remember more in these subjects.

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better?

Typically, pupils behave well in lessons. They listen carefully to their teachers and act on instructions. They follow routines as they move around the school building. The school has acted recently to address the boisterous behaviour of a small minority of pupils during social times by making changes to the behaviour policy. These changes have been welcomed by staff and the vast majority of pupils. However, the new policies are not applied consistently well by staff.

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better?

The school has appropriate processes in place to deal with any concerns about pupils’ attendance. It routinely monitors pupils’ attendance, working closely with 27 and 28 February 2024

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those pupils and their families, who struggle to attend school regularly. The school understands the underlying causes of pupils’ absence. It works thoughtfully with pupils and families to improve attendance, engaging with other agencies if necessary.

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The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND quickly and accurately. Staff use the information that the school provides to support pupils with SEND to learn well. Teachers have benefitted from effective training which has helped them to adapt their teaching to meet the specific needs of pupils with SEND.

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Recently, the school has improved its systems to identify pupils who have gaps in their reading knowledge. These systems enable the school to pinpoint and remedy the specific problems that individual pupils face with reading. Most pupils become confident readers over time. The school actively promotes reading for pleasure. This happens in form time and also when pupils access the spacious and well-stocked library. As a result, most pupils read widely and often.

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Pupils appreciate the opportunities available to enhance their personal development. The school shows a strong commitment to ensure that this aspect of the curriculum provides pupils with the knowledge they need to be well prepared for life beyond school. Pupils learn about relationships, sex and health matters and equality issues. They know how to stay safe online and how to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle.

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All pupils receive age-appropriate careers education, information, advice and guidance. They receive independent advice about future careers and learn about wider opportunities through a well-designed curriculum. Pupils in key stage 4 spoke positively to inspectors about the quality of the support and advice they receive. This comes from visitors to the school, such as those from colleges and other post- 16 providers.

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Governors know the school very well. They play an active role in supporting senior staff while also challenging them when necessary. Staff appreciate the wide range of support that they have received from the school. This has ensured that recent changes have been managed well, and have not had a negative impact on their well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, teachers do not routinely check that pupils have understood fully what has been taught, before they move on to new learning. Consequently, some pupils do not know and remember more in these subjects. 27 and 28 February 2024

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The school should ensure that in these subjects, teachers receive appropriate training and guidance to allow pupils’ learning to build on what they already know.  The recent changes to the behaviour policy are not applied consistently by staff. As a result, some pupils do not conduct themselves as well as they should during social periods of the school day. The school should ensure that all staff are suitably equipped to apply the behaviour policy effectively.

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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). 27 and 28 February 2024

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll 1470

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website https://theradclyffeschool.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 13 and 14 October 2021

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Information about this school

 A small number of pupils attend alternative provision at three unregistered alternative 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.

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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.  This was the second routine inspection the school had received since the COVID- 19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 27 and 28 February 2024

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 Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, other senior leaders, subject leaders, staff and members of the governing body, including the chair of the governing body.  An inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors spoke to many pupils about their experience of school and their views on behaviour and bullying. Inspectors also observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes and lunchtimes.  Inspectors reviewed a wide range of evidence, including the school’s improvement plans, minutes of governing body meetings and records of pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took into account 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 carried out deep dives in English, art and design, history, mathematics

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and science. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects and visited some lessons in those subjects.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text comments. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey and the responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Timothy Gartside, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Alan Hammersley Ofsted Inspector 27 and 28 February 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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