King Ecgbert School

Inspection of King Ecgbert School Totley Brook Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S17 3QU

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

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The headteacher of this school is Paul Haigh. This school is part of Mercia 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, Neil Miley, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Rhona Dodds.

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding for overall effectiveness at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since May 2013. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 1 and 2 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils succeed in living up to the school’s ambitions for them to achieve highly, to be respectful and to aspire and have goals that extend beyond their time in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve exceptionally well across a very wide range of subjects in the school and the sixth form. These impressive outcomes open doors to a wide range of opportunities when leaving school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Expectations around behaviour in school are very high. Pupils live up to these high standards. School is a calm and welcoming environment where pupils show respect to each other and to adults. Pupils enjoy attending school. They feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

King Ecgbert School serves a diverse community. The annual diversity week which celebrates the many cultures present within the school community through a range of events, culminating in ‘KEStival’ night, is a highlight of the school year for many pupils and staff and reflects the culture of respect for others. One sixth-form student summed things up perfectly saying, ‘We are a community. No one is ever left out in the cold.’

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

Pupils across school are able to follow academic and vocational courses that meet their current interests and future ambitions. The school works closely with employers to ensure that pupils taking vocational courses are well prepared to seek employment in appropriate industries. For example, in the ‘Design, Engineer, Construct’ course, students use industry- standard software and present their work to representatives of high-profile companies such as HS2.

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

Subject teams, including subject specialist teaching assistants, work together exceptionally well to construct curriculums that clearly identify what pupils need to learn. These goals frequently extend beyond the national curriculum and examination specifications. For example, in English, teachers deliver sessions on topics based on their personal specialisms such as ‘Allusion in Shakespeare’. These optional lectures are very well attended.

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

The school is determined that the quality of provision for those most vulnerable nationally, including pupils with SEND, will be central to the work of the school. They assert ‘if we get it right for our most vulnerable, then we’ll be getting it right for everyone’. Consideration of pupils with SEND is integral to the work of the subject teams. It is not an ‘add on’.

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

Pupils who arrive at school needing support with their reading are identified quickly and receive support that is carefully matched to their needs. Their reading improves rapidly. This allows them to access other subjects successfully.

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

Pupils, including those with SEND and those who arrive at school with weaker reading, 1 and 2 October 2024

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Attendance is very high. Leaders monitor attendance carefully and provide effective support to families who need it.

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Expectations around behaviour are clear to staff and pupils. A minority of younger pupils and parents have concerns about how stringent the rules are. However, older pupils, and most parents, are clear that those rules support pupils to develop good habits that help them to be successful. Where pupils find it more challenging to meet the behaviour expectations, steps taken to support them are usually effective.

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Students in the sixth form serve as role models for younger pupils. They take responsibility for running clubs for younger pupils such as the creative writing group. Pupils across school benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular clubs, including pottery, sports, jazz band and annual school productions. Where pupils need additional support to be able to be involved, they get it.

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The ‘L@kes’ curriculum, and ‘enhancement’ lessons in the sixth form, provide pupils with the knowledge and skills they need to help keep themselves safe and be productive members of the community. The curriculum has been designed, with pupils’ input, to ensure that it meets the needs of pupils at the time they need it. Pupils develop a strong knowledge of issues such as protected characteristics and an understanding of the role that faith plays in people’s lives. This provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of young people as they grow up.

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Pupils benefit from a carefully considered careers programme. They receive advice which provides clear information about the routes pupils could follow when leaving school. Pupils taking a gap year when leaving sixth form continue to receive advice and support throughout to support them in taking their ‘next step’ following the gap year.

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Leaders, including governors and trustees, know their school well. They prioritise those things that will make a difference to pupils. Staff value this focus and the impact it has on their well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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. 1 and 2 October 2024

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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). 1 and 2 October 2024

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,511

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form

Dates of previous inspection 21 and 22 May 2013, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Mercia Learning Trust  The school has specially resourced provision for pupils with autism (specially resourced provision). The capacity of the provision is set at 30 pupils. There are currently 35 pupils accessing the specially resourced provision.  The proportion of pupils with education, health and care plans (EHC plan) attending the school is well above the national average. This includes pupils with EHC plans who are not funded through the specially resourced provision.  The number of pupils in the school’s sixth form is well above the national average.  The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is below the national average. 1 and 2 October 2024

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 The prior attainment of pupils joining the school is close to national average.  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 uses three alternative provisions. None are registered.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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.  The lead inspector met with members of the trust board, the local governing body and the chief executive officer.  During the inspection, inspectors met with the headteacher. They also met with other senior and middle leaders, including those responsible for safeguarding, personal development, careers, attendance and behaviour.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, art, physical education and modern foreign languages. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors looked at provision in a range of subjects only studied by students in the sixth form, including meeting with leaders, visiting lessons and speaking with students.  Members of the inspection team looked at a range of documentation regarding the support pupils with SEND receive. Inspectors looked at the quality of the provision for pupils with SEND across all aspects of school.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including minutes of governance meetings.  Inspectors looked at a range of information regarding behaviour. Inspectors observed the behaviour of pupils at social times.  Inspectors spoke to pupils and staff formally and informally throughout the inspection. Responses to staff, pupil and parent surveys were considered by the inspection team.  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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the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

Steve Wren, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mike Kilgannon Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 October 2024

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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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