The Crompton House Church of England Academy

Inspection of a good school: The Crompton House Church of England Academy Rochdale Road, Shaw, Oldham, Lancashire OL2 7HS

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Inspection dates: 30 April and 1 May 2024

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Outcome

The Crompton House Church of England Academy continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The head of school of this school is Susanna Hegarty. This school is part of Crompton House Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Karl Newell, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Victoria Musgrave.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils uphold the school’s core values of caring for each other and achieving excellence in all that they do. Pupils, including students in the sixth form, develop trusting relationships with staff and each other. Pupils benefit from strong pastoral support. They feel happy and safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to succeed. Pupils are attentive in lessons and work hard. They achieve well in a range of subjects. Pupils are well prepared for their next steps, including moving on to further study and apprenticeships.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils engage positively with a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities. These activities help many pupils to explore their interests and talents. Pupils enjoy taking on leadership opportunities such as becoming ambassadors, being part of the sixth-form management team and supporting younger pupils with their reading. This prepares pupils well to become active citizens in school and in their community. A large proportion of pupils complete the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Sixth-form students are strong role models for younger pupils. Pupils behave well in lessons, in corridors and during break and lunchtimes. 30 April and 1 May 2024

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has put in place a well-thought-out curriculum. This ensures that pupils build their knowledge from topic to topic and across subjects. Pupils study a broad range of subjects, including the English Baccalaureate suite of subjects. This prepares them well for the future. In the sixth form, students have an offer of subjects that equip them well to go on to university or into apprenticeships.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Teachers ensure that pupils learn important knowledge in a carefully considered way. Across all key stages, teachers have strong subject expertise due to the high-quality training that they receive. In many subjects, teachers use their expertise to design activities that enable pupils to practise, revisit and remember their learning.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Teachers typically use assessment strategies well to check on pupils’ learning during lessons and at the end of topics and modules. However, in a small number of subjects, pupils’ gaps in learning are not identified and acted on swiftly enough. This means that some pupils’ learning is less secure. This slows their progress through the curriculum.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Reading is a high priority. The school’s library is a hive of activity throughout the day. Pupils typically read often in school. Across all subjects, the importance of reading is promoted. Pupils who find reading more difficult are identified quickly. They benefit from well-considered strategies to improve their reading knowledge. This improves pupils’ confidence and fluency in reading and supports them to access the wider curriculum.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Staff identify pupils’ additional needs quickly and effectively. The support that staff provide enables pupils with SEND to access the full curriculum.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school is a calm, purposeful place to learn and work. Pupils move around the building in an orderly way. They arrive at lessons on time and they behave well. Staff know how to deal with any occasional incidents of poor behaviour. The school’s work to improve attendance is effective. Attendance levels are above the national average.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils learn about healthy relationships, consent and how to keep themselves safe from harm. They learn about the dangers that they may face as they get older. Careers education across the school is highly effective. Pupils learn about apprenticeships and universities, as well as what life is like living in modern Britain.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Trustees and members of the local governing body have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They are proud of their school and the impact that it has on its community. Trustees and governors support and challenge the school to improve the quality of education for pupils and sixth-form students. Staff are proud to work at the school. They appreciate the steps taken by leaders to manage their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 30 April and 1 May 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, teachers do not identify or act on the gaps in pupils’ knowledge quickly enough. This means that pupils’ learning is not as secure as it should be. This hampers their progress through the curriculum. The school should ensure that gaps in knowledge are spotted and remedied so that pupils learn all that they should.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in April 2015.

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How can I feed back my views?

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). 30 April and 1 May 2024

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,887

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form

Headteacher Susanna Hegarty (head of school)

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form

Date of previous inspection 9 January 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Crompton House trust.  In September 2023, the deputy headteacher became the head of school to work alongside the executive headteacher.  The school uses three registered alternative education 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. 30 April and 1 May 2024

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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 met with the headteacher and other leaders.  The lead inspector met with the chair of trustees, the chair of governors and the CEO of the trust.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, history, art and design and modern foreign languages. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, carried out lesson visits, spoke with teachers, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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

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Information about this inspection

the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors considered the views of staff by speaking with them and reviewing the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  Inspectors considered the responses made by parents and carers to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses.  Inspectors spoke to pupils and took account of their responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Gary Kelly, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Alexia Gargrave Ofsted Inspector 30 April and 1 May 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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