Netherhall Learning Campus High School

Inspection of Netherhall Learning Campus High School Netherhall Avenue, Rawthorpe, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire HD5 9PG

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Sixth-form provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 8 and 9 May 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Netherhall Learning Campus High School is an improving place to learn. Pupils feel safe. Most pupils are happy to be in school but some do not attend as often as they should. Pupils enjoy their lessons and want to do well. There are also lots of opportunities outside of the classroom for pupils too. The school has high expectations of all pupils. Most pupils respond well to these expectations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave very well in their lessons. The school has worked hard to improve lessons so the order in which they are taught makes sense to pupils. Leaders are doing their best to make sure pupils get the best possible experiences. There is support for pupils to help them to reach their learning goals. For some pupils, more support is needed. Some pupils lack confidence when they are asked to explain their learning and remember important knowledge.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Around the school, pupils generally know how to behave, but in places where staff supervision is light, a minority of pupils sometimes forget what is expected of them. Pupils say that bullying is rare and that when it does occur, the school deals with it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides lots of activities, which pupils enjoy. Many pupils, including those who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), take advantage of these opportunities.

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better?

Since the last inspection, there have been changes in leadership at all levels. The curriculum offer has been reviewed and changed. This helps pupils to remember important knowledge. However, in some subjects, the number of lessons per week make it difficult to cover the content to the necessary depth. Teachers check pupils’ understanding regularly. This helps pupils to recall important knowledge. Even so, in some subjects, some pupils struggle to recall learning which is not so recent.

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better?

The small sixth form offers a unique curriculum to students which is arts-based. The school is working towards attracting more students and encouraging them to attend regularly. The school tracks the progress of sixth-form students so they can be supported if they fall behind in their studies.

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better?

Frameworks for learning in subjects are helping some pupils with SEND to access the full curriculum. In science and geography, for example, these frameworks help pupils to organise and complete their work. The school has more work to do so these pupils can work more independently. Pupils with SEND do not always reach their intended learning goals to achieve as well as they could.

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better?

The school makes sure those who have fallen behind with their reading are identified early. Barriers to reading are identified for each individual pupil. Interventions are helping pupils improve their reading. This approach is working, as now, fewer pupils than in the past miss other lessons to catch up with their reading. 8 and 9 May 2024

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Most pupils attend this school regularly. However, some pupils miss out too much on learning because of regular absences. Although the school reacts to this, improvements in attendance rates are slow over time.

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Pupils’ behaviour is good. Pupils are encouraged to report any inappropriate behaviour or comments from others. Pupils say this kind of behaviour is rare. The school takes effective action if such incidents occur. Behaviour around the school, and in lessons, is calm and orderly. Pupils know there are clear routines to follow and they adhere to them.

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Pupils’ wider development is a strength of the school. There are lots of extra and high-quality curricular activities during breaktimes, lunchtimes and after school. Many pupils take advantage of these. Along with a high-quality personal development curriculum, these opportunities ensure pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is an important part of pupils’ experiences. The school has put in place a clear programme of careers advice and guidance for pupils.

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School leaders are considerate of the workload and well-being of staff. Staff speak positively of the support senior and middle leaders offer them. They receive necessary training and professional development. Governors now hold school leaders to account more effectively. They have a better understanding of the strengths and areas for development in the school. There is more work to do by the school to make sure that leaders know the school as well as they can. Leaders’ actions are sometimes reactive rather than proactive. This is because quality assurance activities do not inform the school’s self-evaluation as accurately as they should. This has limited the speed of change. Consequently, the school’s overall effectiveness is not yet good.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s evaluation of what needs to improve further does not have sufficient detail. Consequently, priorities for improvement are not acted upon quickly enough. The school should make sure that it has sufficient information to identify the priorities and the actions needed to make necessary improvements.  In some subjects, curriculum changes are not fully embedded. Because of this, some pupils are still catching up on the gaps in their learning. The school should continue to review curriculum plans and sequences so that there are no gaps in curriculum content or learning for pupils.  Some pupils with SEND do not benefit from support which is specific to their learning needs. Therefore, some pupils with SEND do not achieve as they should. 8 and 9 May 2024

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The support for pupils with SEND should be further developed so they all get the support they need to reach their learning potential.  The school is not as proactive as it could be when considering pupils who are at risk of falling below expected attendance levels. Consequently, improvements in attendance have been slow to materialise. Leaders should make better use of attendance data to identify and intervene for those pupils whose attendance is low or declining.

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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). 8 and 9 May 2024

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sixth form

Appropriate authority The governing body

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sixth form

Dates of previous inspection 17 and 18 May 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Netherhall Learning Campus.  A small number of pupils attend alternative provision. The school uses an unregistered provision.  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. 8 and 9 May 2024

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 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 principal, senior leaders, curriculum leaders and other members of staff. The lead inspector met with representatives of the board of governors, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, science and geography. 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 visited lessons in some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and

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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 who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, along with responses submitted as free text. Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Barry Found, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Pali Dhesi Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 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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