Patchway Community School

Inspection of Patchway Community School Hempton Lane, Almondsbury, South Gloucestershire BS32 4AJ

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Inspection dates: 10 and 11 December 2024

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

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The headteacher of this school is Stephen Kneller. This school is part of The Olympus Academy 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), Dave Baker, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Sarah Williams. 10 and 11 December 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has experienced significant challenges since the previous inspection. With support from the trust, the current headteacher has worked effectively with staff to raise standards and ensure that Patchway Community School is a place where pupils want to be. Expectations of pupils’ conduct and what they can achieve have not been high enough. This means that older pupils have significant gaps in their knowledge and often lack confidence. Improvement work is in its early stages, so it has not had a consistently positive impact in some areas of the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe. Behaviour in lessons is calm and orderly. However, sometimes this is not the case during unstructured times when pupils’ poor behaviour can go unchecked. Much recent work has taken place to improve the quality of the curriculum, including the way in which it is delivered. However, this is still not consistently strong, as reflected in the school’s published outcomes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have many opportunities to develop their talents and interests, from sports and drama clubs, to reading and crochet. Pupils enjoy going on trips to the theatre and museums, as well as taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. The sixth form is a strength of the school, and the students have highly positive attitudes to their leaning.

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

The curriculum is broad and ambitious. The trust has taken action to tackle weaknesses. For example, staff now have clear guidance about how to deliver the curriculum in lessons, so pupils know and remember more. However, this work is more developed in some subjects than it is in others. In particular, some teachers do not check pupils’ understanding of curriculum content well. This means some misconceptions are allowed to persist. Some pupils, particularly at key stage 4, have gaps in their knowledge which means they find it difficult to apply what they do know in new contexts. In addition, the school does not have a consistently accurate understanding of which areas of the curriculum are not being delivered effectively. The systems in place to identify and address areas weaknesses are relatively new. This means it is too soon to see improvement in the quality of teaching and pupils’ attainment in national examinations.

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

The delivery of the curriculum in the sixth form is markedly different. Students study a highly specialist vocational curriculum at a different site. Students learn effectively here. They produce work of a high standard, value the links with local employers and the many opportunities to work from ‘real life’ briefs. Students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) thrive here. Students are well-prepared for their next steps.

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

The support for struggling readers is a strength of the school. Recent work has taken place to ensure that pupils who have fallen behind receive precisely the right support. The school has ensured that staff have the right expertise. This provision fills gaps in pupils’ reading knowledge and gives them the confidence they need to read in other areas of the curriculum. Pupils also enjoy reading with their tutors in the morning. 10 and 11 December 2024

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The school has robust systems in place to identify pupils with SEND. When in lessons, these pupils are well-supported by staff. The school has made recent changes to the way it supports these pupils’ well-being. However, too many pupils with SEND do not attend school regularly enough, which disrupts their learning.

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Pupils’ attendance is too low. The school is acutely aware of the link between poor attendance and poor attainment. This is particularly the case for disadvantaged pupils, reflected in their poor academic outcomes at key stage 4. Attendance has improved in recent times because the school has taken effective action, but it remains a concern. In addition, the school has reduced the number of suspensions, keeping pupils learning in school when possible. Behaviour in lessons has also improved. Learning is rarely disrupted.

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The school prioritises personal social and health education. Pupils remember important information about how to keep themselves safe. They learn about healthy relationships. The school supplements this curriculum when issues arise within the community. Pupils value the rewards they are given and how their achievements are celebrated in assemblies. They are particularly proud of the cultural diversity in their school. Pupils understand the fundamental British values. There is a rich programme of careers education, so pupils make well-informed choices about their next steps. Students in the sixth form receive highly effective support into employment or higher education.

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The trust has supported the new headteacher to rebuild relationships with parents and carers and create a shared ambition with staff for pupils at the school. Staff feel well- supported, and this improved expertise is starting to translate into effective practice in the classroom. However, there is more work to be done to ensure that more pupils behave well, attend well and receive a good quality of education.

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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 the curriculum is not consistently effective. In particular, some staff do not check effectively how well pupils remember their learning. This means pupils’ misconceptions sometimes persist. The trust must ensure that staff accurately identify and resolve gaps in curriculum knowledge.  The school’s monitoring of some areas of the curriculum does not provide sufficiently precise information about where there are weaknesses. In these cases, this means that the actions taken by leaders do not directly address weaker practice in curriculum implementation. The trust must ensure that leaders accurately identify areas of weaker practice and address these robustly, so pupils are able to learn more effectively. 10 and 11 December 2024

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 Many pupils do not attend school regularly enough. These pupils miss too much learning, have gaps in their knowledge and then lack the resilience and confidence to work effectively in school. This means that they are not well-prepared for the next stage of education, training or employment. The trust must sharpen its focus on ensuring that pupils maintain high attendance, so more pupils are better prepared for their next steps.  Sometimes, pupils do not behave calmly, or follow the rules, during unstructured times. The expectations of pupils’ conduct at these times are not as high as they are in lessons. This has a negative impact on the experiences of some, particularly younger pupils. The trust must ensure that there are systems in place to support positive behaviour at these times, so that pupils move around the school calmly and respectfully.

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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). 10 and 11 December 2024

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form

Dates of previous inspection 15 and 16 February 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has experienced significant changes in leadership since the previous inspection in 2022. The current headteacher has been in post since April 2024.  The school has a high number of pupils who join the school during the school year.  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 two registered alternative provisions and thirteen unregistered alternative provisions. 10 and 11 December 2024

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 The school has partnered with an external provider, for its sixth-form provision. This is an off-site specialist provision, providing vocational courses linked to the creative industries.

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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 second 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. physical education 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 met with the headteacher, members of the executive team from Olympus Academy Trust, other senior leaders from the school and a selection of staff during the inspection.  In addition, the lead inspector met with a chair of the local school improvement committee and the chair of the board of trustees.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors analysed responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. Inspec- tors also considered the responses of staff and pupils to Ofsted’s online survey.  An inspector discussed how the school identifies and supports pupils with SEND.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils during lessons and social times. They met with staff who oversee the personal development and behaviour of pupils.  An inspector also visited the sixth form provision, located at another site. The inspector met with sixth form leaders, visited lessons and spoke with groups of students. 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 the ex- tent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

Victoria Griffin, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 10 and 11 December 2024

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Mike Thomas Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 December 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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