Waseley Hills High School

Inspection of Waseley Hills High School School Road, Rubery, Birmingham, West Midlands B45 9EL

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

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The principal of the school is Tom Preston. This school is part of the Central Region Schools 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), Guy Shears, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Orla MacSherry. 4 and 5 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff, pupils, parents and carers welcome the improvements to Waseley Hills High. Staff know pupils well and always have their best interests at heart, with many pupils saying, ‘Staff here really care.’ Pupils and staff feel proud to belong to this harmonious and welcoming school community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s values of ‘Aspire, Invest, Respect’ are shared and upheld by the majority of pupils. These values exemplify the high standards the school expects. Pupils are courteous and respectful to others. They take pride in their work and speak knowledgeably about what they have learned. Outcomes are improving, and pupils now experience an improved curriculum offer.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils behave well, demonstrating respect and engagement. While a small number do not meet the school’s high expectations, staff manage this effectively, to ensure that learning is not disrupted.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy an impressive variety of clubs and activities. For example, they participate in residential visits, charity work and social action projects. Pupils also take part in school musical productions. These opportunities allow them to explore and nurture their talents and interests while developing important life skills.

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

In many subjects, the curriculum has undergone significant changes. The school has worked hard to ensure that each subject is both ambitious and well sequenced. Each subject sets out the key knowledge it wants pupils to learn, and subject teachers have been trained to deliver this content effectively. All of this means that pupils learn the curriculum in a logical order.

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

Teachers are passionate about their subjects. Within lessons, teachers present subject matter clearly, and provide many opportunities for pupils and students in the sixth form to engage in purposeful discussions. Teachers also help pupils remember what they learned before, which supports their learning well. The school places a strong emphasis on pupils evaluating their own learning. ‘Glows and grows’ are used successfully to help pupils improve their work. However, on some occasions, teachers do not check that pupils have understood what they have been taught before introducing new learning. This means gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not always identified or addressed quickly enough, and this slows their learning.

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

The needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified accurately. Teachers adapt their teaching well to support pupils’ individual needs. This helps pupils with SEND to make strong progress through the curriculum.

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

The school places a strong emphasis on reading. As part of this work, the school accurately identifies pupils who may need additional help to read fluently. These pupils benefit from 4 and 5 February 2025

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high-quality support. Consequently, these pupils quickly gain the knowledge and skills they need to become confident readers.

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Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. These are set out clearly in the school’s behaviour policy. Most pupils benefit from strong relationships with both staff and their peers. Pupils typically conduct themselves well in lessons and during social times. However, staff do not always make sure that all pupils follow the new routines and rules. Because of this, a few pupils sometimes do not routinely meet the school’s expectations. The number of suspensions for these pupils is high and means they miss too much learning time.

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Pupils’ attendance is improving. However, the number of school days missed by some disadvantaged pupils remains high. This means that these pupils miss out on important opportunities for their education and personal development.

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The personal, social, health and economic curriculum is well planned and effectively delivered, covering themes such as religion, relationships, social justice and community improvement. The school places a strong emphasis on pupil leadership. For example, pupils take pride in having contributed to the selection of the names for the school’s house system. Furthermore, high-quality careers education and guidance supports pupils well and helps them to think ambitiously about their futures.

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Students have a positive experience in the sixth form and are well supported. They are involved in all aspects of the school and regularly mentor younger pupils. Staff demonstrate strong subject knowledge and create a purposeful learning environment. Sixth-form students are highly self-motivated and benefit from a wide variety of enrichment opportunities.

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Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. The trust provides targeted support to raise standards and works effectively with school leaders. Governors and trustees hold leaders to account well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On some occasions, teachers do not check pupils’ understanding within lessons well enough. This means teachers do not always identify gaps or misconceptions in pupils’ learning and this limits the progress that some pupils make through the curriculum. Leaders should ensure that teachers know how to systematically check learning in their subjects so that they can identify pupils who need further help.  Too many disadvantaged pupils are persistently absent from school. This means that they miss out on learning the important knowledge they need to succeed. The school should 4 and 5 February 2025

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ensure that they accurately identify the barriers to good attendance for all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, and work with pupils and their families to overcome these barriers.  The school’s new approach to managing behaviour is not fully embedded. A small number of pupils do not behave well, and are suspended too often. The school should ensure that staff consistently implement the new behaviour policy across the school and work with pupils to help them to manage their own behaviours more appropriately.

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How can I feed back my views?

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). 4 and 5 February 2025

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form

Date of previous inspection 6 December 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is in the Central Regions Trust.  The principal took up his position in September 2024.  The school uses three registered and three unregistered providers of alternative 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. 4 and 5 February 2025

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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.  Inspectors discussed any continued 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, art, languages and science. 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.  The inspectors reviewed a range of school documents. These included information about pupils’ behaviour, attendance, the school’s curriculum and improvement planning. They also checked the school’s website.  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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Information about this inspection

the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors observed informal times of the day as part of their evaluation of safeguarding and pupils’ behaviour.  The inspectors held meetings with the vice-chair of trustees, as the delegated person, and the CEO; the chair and vice-chair of the local governing board; the director of education, the principal and other school leaders, teachers and pupils. The inspectors also talked informally to pupils and staff to gather information about school life.  The inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View and the free-text comments. The inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey and pupil questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Ed Leighton, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Jane Epton Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 February 2025

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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 looked-after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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