Nailsea School

Inspection of Nailsea School Mizzymead Road, Nailsea, Bristol, Somerset BS48 2HN

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Dionne Elliott. This school is part of Wessex 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, Gavin Ball, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Brian Kirkup. 12 and 13 March 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Nailsea School is a welcoming and inclusive community. Pupils are proud of their school and behave well in lessons and around the school site. Pupils enjoy working together in mixed-age tutor groups. Older pupils are excellent role models. They are positive about their learning and value the warm relationships they have with staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn from a broad curriculum and the school’s examination results are strong in most areas. Pupils enjoy their lessons. They appreciate the wide range of subjects on offer in all key stages. Pupils choosing subjects in key stage 4, and students in the sixth from, value this choice and are well-informed about their next steps.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a broad extra-curricular offer. Sports are particularly popular and highly inclusive. The school’s house system helps to create a strong sense of belonging and provides opportunities for all pupils to take on positions of responsibility. Students in the sixth form develop confidence and independence. They have exemplary attitudes to their work and contribute meaningfully to the life of the school and wider society.

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better?

The school’s curriculum is designed well in all areas. The school has identified precisely what pupils should know and in which order. This includes important subject vocabulary. Teachers are experts in their subjects. They benefit from continuous professional development. They present information clearly. Activities enable pupils to build on prior learning and apply their knowledge in new contexts. As a result, most pupils achieve well and the school’s published outcomes have improved over time. This is particularly evident in the sixth form. Occasionally, pupils do not have sufficient opportunity to deepen their understanding. However, the school has effective systems in place to ensure that the delivery of the school’s curriculum continues to improve.

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better?

Reading is a priority for the school. Pupils who are at the early stages of reading are accurately identified and effectively supported to catch up. Work has taken place to ensure that pupils read widely and often. However, this is not always done consistently, so not all pupils are benefiting from this. Students in the sixth form are encouraged to read widely and are provided with many activities to enrich their learning. The vast majority of students complete these, reflecting their motivation to learn.

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better?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are accurately identified. The school effectively supports a high number of pupils with educational, health and care plans, including pupils who attend the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND. Additional adults support pupils well in lessons. The school monitors these pupils’ progress and ensures that all pupils are included in the wider life of the school. 12 and 13 March 2024

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There are high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and most pupils meet these. There are effective processes in place to support good behaviour. The relationships that exist between staff and pupils underpin the culture of respect that is evident in classrooms and corridors. Low level disruption and bullying are rare. Pupils attend well because they feel safe and well cared for. Pastoral care is a strength of the school in all key stages. Sixth-form students demonstrate high levels of self-control and commitment to their learning. The school is rightly proud of the support it offers to pupils arriving to the school from other countries, sometimes with a limited grasp of English.

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There is a clear and detailed curriculum for the delivery of personal, social and health education (PSHE), including opportunities for pupils to develop an understanding of fundamental British values and the protected characteristics. However, the oversight of this work is not as secure as it is in other areas of the school’s work. The quality of delivery is variable, so pupils’ understanding varies. In the sixth form, there is a more strategic approach to students’ personal development. As a result, students develop a confident understanding of healthy relationships. They develop strong study skills. All pupils receive age-appropriate careers information, advice and guidance. The school ensures that work experience opportunities in Years 10 and 12 are matched to pupils’ interests and talents.

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The school is effectively supported by local governors and the trust. This is particularly evident in the way in which the school has responded to staffing challenges. The school has taken effective action to ensure that the negative impact on pupils and the delivery of the curriculum is mitigated as far as possible. Collaboration within the trust, as well as support with professional development, has had a positive impact on the quality of education the school provides.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The implementation of a few areas of the curriculum is not as effective as it is in others. As a result, pupils do not always have opportunities to deepen their understanding of curriculum content, or to read widely and often. The trust must ensure that areas of less effective practice are addressed so that all pupils learn effectively from a well-designed curriculum.  The school’s oversight and evaluation of its personal development provision is less robust than other areas of its work. As a result, pupils’ experiences are varied and some pupils are not developing a secure enough understanding of the PSHE curriculum, including fundamental British values. The trust must ensure that there is precise monitoring and evaluation of the personal development curriculum, so that all pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. 12 and 13 March 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). 12 and 13 March 2024

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,117

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sixth form

Dates of previous inspection 11 and 12 March 2020

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Information about this school

 The school joined Wessex Learning Trust in January 2021.  In September 2020, the school opened the North Somerset Resource Base (RB) for pupils with high functioning autism. It currently has 12 pupils on roll.  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.  The school currently uses three unregistered provisions and one registered provision. 12 and 13 March 2024

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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 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, mathematics, science, geography, modern foreign languages and physical education. 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.  Inspectors also looked at pupils’ work in the wider curriculum.  Inspectors analysed 258 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View.  Inspectors also considered the responses of staff to Ofsted’s online survey.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils during lessons and social times.

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Information about this inspection

 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the lead inspector: 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.  An inspector met with the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator and discussed how pupils with SEND are identified and supported.  The lead inspector met with staff who oversee the personal development and behaviour of pupils.  The lead inspector met with the members of the local governing body and the board of trustees.  The lead inspector also met with the chief executive officer and Director of Learning from Wessex Learning Trust.

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Inspection team

Victoria Griffin, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Matthew Collins Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 March 2024

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