Heath Park

Inspection of Heath Park Prestwood Road, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV11 1RD

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

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The Head of School of this school is Adrian Rollins. This school is part of Central Learning Partnership Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Georgetta Holloway, who is also executive headteacher of this school. The trust is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Robert Turton. 5 and 6 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive at Heath Park. This is a school which lives its values to place ‘every pupil always in focus’. Staff work together effectively to enable pupils to excel and to give them high quality experiences. Pupils’ achievement is strong at Heath Park as teachers know pupils well and have designed a carefully planned, broad curriculum. Pupils know teachers will help them to reach their potential.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils typically behave with considerable understanding and kindness to each other. They understand the school’s expectations for how they should conduct themselves and how they should treat each other. Pupils know that adults will support them skilfully to make positive choices. Pupils are happy because the school is underpinned by warm and positive relationships.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ personal development is a significant strength of provision. Pupils, from the youngest to those in the sixth form, are rightly proud of the many leadership opportunities on offer to them. These pupils meet regularly with the leadership team to ensure pupils’ voices stays at the heart of decision-making.

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

The school has designed and secured a broad and ambitious curriculum. The key knowledge that pupils need is clearly identified to help build systematically what pupils should know and remember. Although there are many strengths in the curriculum, there are some inconsistencies. For example, pupils’ learning in some of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) subjects is not as secure as in others. The school has recently changed the modern foreign language it offers to increase the number of pupils who take the EBacc suite of qualifications and meet its aim to raise aspirations. Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well. This is because teachers know in detail the support needed to help these pupils succeed. Those who are in the early stages of reading benefit from tailored, targeted support to help them to become fluent, competent readers. Students in the sixth form thrive as the

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

curriculum is ambitious and well embedded. This means students consistently achieve very highly.

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

Pupils show highly positive attitudes to school and their learning. Attendance is high, reflecting pupils’ enjoyment of school and the opportunities it offers. The school is a harmonious community. Pupils understand the school’s expectations. These are clearly taught to the pupils so there is a common understanding. On the rare occasions that pupils find it hard to meet these expectations, the school takes supportive action. Pupils speak highly of being in school and show resilience in their learning. Pupils know they will have the support to enable them to do well, even if the work is challenging.

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

The school places considerable emphasis on its work to promote pupils’ personal development. This provision is of exceptional quality. Pupils are highly respectful of other cultures and beliefs. They are very clear that difference is celebrated in this diverse school. Pupils have detailed information to make informed choices about future careers or 5 and 6 November 2024

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destinations. This provision is reviewed regularly in response to feedback from pupils to ensure it responds effectively to their needs. The school is proud of the increasing number of pupils from the sixth form who have accessed courses at top universities. Pupils take a significant number of leadership positions across the school, including in the sixth form. Students in the sixth form enjoy being able to access opportunities at other schools in the trust, which are part of the joint sixth-form ‘Central Sixth’. All pupils are proud of the contributions they make to the school.

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The school puts the interests of pupils first in all of its work. Leaders check the quality of provision and its impact regularly and diligently. This means there is a deep understanding of the quality of the school’s work, and how it can be developed. For example, the school monitors the extra funding they receive for pupil premium very closely to ensure it supports these pupils properly. This ensures that disadvantaged pupils achieve at least in line with their peers. The school also has a strong understanding of the needs of the community it serves and is rightly proud of the links it maintains. Staff, many of whom were former pupils, report pride in their role at the school. They state that the school engages positively with them, including around workload. There are extensive and effective training opportunities available, which staff appreciate. Those responsible for governance have a strong understanding of the school and offer appropriate challenge.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has not ensured that the implementation of the curriculum in some subjects, particularly some EBacc subjects, is fully effective. In these subjects, pupils do not achieve as highly as elsewhere in the curriculum. Leaders should ensure the curriculum is implemented consistently so that pupils know more and remember more across all curriculum subjects.

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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. 5 and 6 November 2024

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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). 5 and 6 November 2024

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School details

Gender of pupils in sixth-form provision Mixed

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll 1191

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form

CEO of the trust/Executive Headteacher Georgetta Holloway

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form

Date of previous inspection February 2014

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Central Learning Partnership Trust. There are 16 academies in the trust.  There is joint local governing body for this school and one other in the trust.  The school uses two registered alternative providers.  The school operates a shared sixth form with two other schools in the trust, ‘Central Sixth’.  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. 5 and 6 November 2024

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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

 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.  Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: mathematics, English, physical education, French and history. 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.  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 extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Information about this inspection

 As part of this inspection, the inspectors met with senior leaders, subject leaders, teaching staff and other employees in the school. Inspectors also talked informally to pupils to gather general information about school life. The lead inspector also met the trust’s executive leader, chair of the trust and chair of the local governing body. Trustee minutes and governor minutes were scrutinised.  The inspectors discussed with leaders and pupils the school’s extra-curricular activities, enrichment programme and their careers and personal development programmes.  The inspectors reviewed the school’s behaviour and attendance records with school leaders.  A range of documentation was scrutinised, including plans to improve the school.  The inspectors met with members of staff and spoke to pupils, both formally and informally, at various points in the inspection. They took account of responses to Ofsted surveys for staff and pupils, Ofsted Parent View and the free text responses.

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Inspection team

Andrew Madden, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jane Epton Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 November 2024

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Sarah Godden Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 November 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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