Cove School

Inspection of Cove School St John’s Road, Cove, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 9RN

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 January 2025

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The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 21 and 22 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are generally happy at Cove School. They recognise that their teachers care about them and want them to do well. However, pupils do not always achieve as highly as they should because the curriculum is not delivered consistently well. Over time, some pupils have found it difficult to access the curriculum. This is because the school has not accurately identified where extra support is required, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know that their teachers have high expectations of how they should behave in school. In general, they rise to these expectations. Behaviour at social times is typically calm and lessons are focused. Learning is rarely disrupted. If pupils lose focus, staff address this quickly by following the school’s systems. Pupils know that if there is any bullying or unkindness the school will handle it well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a range of clubs, such as sporting activities, instrumental lessons and choir. They take full advantage of these opportunities. The pupil leadership team enjoy the opportunity to contribute to decisions about the school, influencing various improvements, events and initiatives.

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

The school recognises that pupils do not always learn as well as they should. This is reflected in how much pupils remember and the low outcomes they achieve at the end of Year 11. Until recently, there has been a lack of precision in identifying the needs of pupils with SEND. As a result, the support and teaching that pupils receive in lessons is not always adapted to their needs. Equally, some pupils have been unable to access the curriculum because they find reading challenging. The school now checks all pupils’ reading ability so that it can put in place support, but the impact of these initiatives is still emerging. Over time, these weaknesses have prevented some pupils from achieving as well as they should.

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

Although the school has planned a broad and suitably ambitious curriculum, there is variability in how well this is delivered. The school has introduced a range of strategies to improve the quality of teaching across the school. Although in the early stages, these initiatives are beginning to have an impact. For example, new approaches to checking pupils’ understanding are helping teachers to identify and fill gaps in knowledge. Some of the improvements the school is making are slower than they could be due to the high turnover of temporary supply staff.

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

The school has done some very effective work to improve the attendance of pupils so that it is now average. Equally, the number of pupils being suspended has reduced significantly because the school works well with pupils who need help to improve their behaviour. These aspects of the school’s work are helping to remove barriers to learning for some pupils. 21 and 22 January 2025

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The school prioritises pupils’ personal development. The carefully planned curriculum in personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education includes a range of topics that ensure pupils are knowledgeable about the world around them. Through exploring issues such as healthy relationships and mental health, pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. Careers is an integral part of the curriculum in PSHE. Pupils learn about different industries and educational pathways, so that they can make informed choices about their futures.

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The school has been successful in creating a positive and open culture, where staff feel supported. However, the school has not acted with sufficient urgency to prevent a decline in educational standards. Policies and initiatives are not consistently making a difference to pupils’ learning. Governors are not as knowledgeable as they should be about the quality of education provided by the school and whether ongoing improvements are having a positive impact. Governors do not always ensure that the policies they approve comply with the most recent statutory guidance.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The delivery of the curriculum is not always effective in meeting the needs of pupils with SEND or those who find reading difficult. This means that some pupils do not learn or achieve as well as they should. The school should ensure that teachers have the expertise and understanding to adapt the curriculum and ensure that it enables all pupils to succeed.  Leaders have not ensured that their improvements to the delivery of the curriculum are being applied consistently well. There is too much variation in the quality of education pupils receive. Leaders should check the impact of the changes they make and take necessary action to ensure staff have the necessary expertise.  Governors’ work has not been sufficiently focused on ensuring that the school delivers a high standard of education. Although they have discussed new initiatives, they have not secured robust enough assurances about the impact of these on pupils’ learning.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Governors should ensure that their work is effective in challenging leaders to raise standards for the benefit of all pupils.

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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. 21 and 22 January 2025

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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). 21 and 22 January 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 14 and 15 January 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school has a specially resourced provision for three pupils with hearing impairment.  The school makes use of two registered and two unregistered alternative provisions.  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.

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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. 21 and 22 January 2025

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 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.  Inspectors spoke with a range of senior staff about their areas of responsibility in the school, including the headteacher. The lead inspector spoke with representatives of the local authority and the governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, languages, music 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, inspectors: reviewed the single central

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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.  Inspectors spoke with staff and pupils at the school. Inspectors considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, as well as responses to the Ofsted surveys for staff and pupils

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Inspection team

Chris Ellison, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Scott Norman Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 January 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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