Hounsdown School

Inspection of Hounsdown School Jacobs Gutter Lane, Totton, Southampton, Hampshire SO40 9FT

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is David Veal. This school is part of the Hounsdown Academy Trust. The trust is a single academy trust and is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Alison Hixon.

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 seven years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time. From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between graded inspections under section 5 of the Act. The school received an ungraded inspection under section 8 of the Act on 21 March 2023. 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. 5 and 6 June 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are keen to make the best of the many opportunities that the school provides both in and out of lessons. Pupils in the eco-schools group are proud of the impact their actions have had on the school’s environment. Pupils participate in themed days, subject-based enrichment and a range of house events as well as sports clubs and a school production. Leadership opportunities exist for older pupils who can mentor younger pupils, and some represent their peers as school prefects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Expectations of pupils in lessons are high and pupils often rise to these expectations. Pupils enjoy learning and have positive attitudes to school. They are keen to succeed, and they value all the ways in which their teachers support and motivate them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school helps pupils to be able to attend school and many pupils make effective use of ‘The Hub’ to support their well-being. Pupils are expected to behave well and be mindful of others. They are welcoming and respectful and are often able to follow the school’s ‘6 Ps’ that are used to guide behaviour. The school works hard to prevent bullying. Some pupils feel that bullying occasionally occurs. However, the school deals with it effectively if it does happen.

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better?

Pupils experience a rich, well-designed and varied curriculum. Leaders have identified what pupils need to learn and the ambitious end points in each subject. Leaders carefully monitor how well pupils are learning the important knowledge that they need in each subject. This helps teachers to be aware of the areas in which pupils could achieve more highly. Teachers use this information to focus their attention on how particular topics are taught.

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better?

Teachers are knowledgeable and passionate about inspiring pupils to learn their subjects. For example, in art, lessons are exciting and well ordered. This supports pupils in progressing well through the curriculum. Teachers work together to share their ideas and generate appropriate resources. However, some teachers are not successful in adapting teaching to the needs of all pupils. Leaders are aware of this and have prioritised appropriate professional development for teachers.

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better?

The school has clearly identified which pupils need additional support, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers use pupils’ individual learning plans to help them organise learning. This supports pupils in learning the planned curriculum. The school is determined that all pupils become confident readers. Specific reading programmes, delivered by trained staff, support less confident readers effectively.

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better?

The school has a calm and welcoming atmosphere and relationships between staff and pupils are strong. Behaviour is managed by a policy of restorative conversations backed up with clear sanctions. This approach is having a positive effect on 5 and 6 June 2024

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removing any low-level disruption to learning but staff and pupils both recognise some inconsistencies in how staff implement the policy. Most staff feel well supported by leaders when managing behaviour. Pupils attend school frequently. The school works hard with individual pupils whose attendance has dropped in order to help them attend school.

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Pupils’ character and awareness of the world around them are developed very well in subject lessons and in planned personal, social, health and citizenship education lessons. Leaders give careful consideration to how assemblies, lessons and tutor time all intertwine and support each other. The themes that are explored are relevant and up to date. Outside speakers, trips and visits all add to the wide variety of experiences that pupils enjoy. Pupils benefit from a wide range of career focused activities. There is information on careers taught within the curriculum as well as links to the local labour market and meaningful work experience opportunities.

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Those responsible for governance know the school extremely well. They hold leaders to account well. However, leaders do not always evaluate how well their improvement strategies are working. This can lead to leaders not being sure about how well their actions are improving standards. Staff feel well led and managed and say that Hounsdown School is a delightful place in which to work.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There are a small number of pupils who currently receive remote learning at home. The school performs some checks on these pupils by monitoring how often they access their remote learning. However, the school’s oversight of these pupils when they are not accessing remote learning is not always strong enough.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The checks made on those pupils learning remotely from home are not robust enough. Leaders must swiftly ensure that their policies clearly set out the actions needed to check on the welfare of all pupils who are not in school and they must monitor these actions closely.  Leaders have not been rigorous and consistent enough in monitoring and evaluating recent school improvement priorities. Some of the policies and actions that they have put in place are not having the full impact that they intended. Leaders should improve the quality assurance procedures so that they can evaluate their improvement strategies fully and make refinements when necessary. 5 and 6 June 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 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). 5 and 6 June 2024

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,296

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 21 to 22 March 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 7 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.  The school currently uses two registered alternative providers and five unregistered alternative providers.

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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.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 5 and 6 June 2024

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 The inspection team met with senior leaders, a selection of subject leaders, teachers and support staff. They also spoke to pupils throughout the inspection.  Inspectors met with the chair of the trust and other members of the trust board and representatives of the governing body.  The inspection team reviewed a range of documentation and relevant school policies, including leaders’ own evaluation of the effectiveness of the school and their plans for further improvement.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, history, modern foreign languages, ethics and art. 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 the 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

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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 121 responses to Ofsted Parent View, including 119 free- text comments. Inspectors also took account of 101 responses to the staff survey and 430 responses to the pupil survey. Inspectors also spoke with staff and pupils to gather their views.

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Inspection team

Nick Simmonds, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Wendy Martin Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 June 2024

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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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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