Monkseaton High School

Inspection of Monkseaton High School Seatonville Road, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear NE25 9EQ

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The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 13 and 14 May 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a strong, shared, ambitious vision for all pupils who attend this school. Students choose to study at the sixth form because of its small, supportive atmosphere. Academic and pastoral support for all pupils is of a high quality. Success is regularly celebrated. Staff know pupils as individuals. The school community is tight-knit and resilient. Staff and pupils share warm relationships, which has created a culture of positive behaviour.

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What is it like to attend this school?

While the school has many pastoral strengths, currently pupils do not achieve as well as they need to in external tests and assessments. Instability in staffing and changes in leadership have impacted the school’s improvement journey. Despite this, the school maintains high expectations for all pupils to succeed. Older students in the sixth form receive targeted support that enables them to achieve well in their qualifications.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Numerous opportunities are provided that enrich pupil’s educational experience. Work experience, camping trips, visits to London or to the theatre are well received by pupils. Leaders ensure that these opportunities are available to everyone. Regardless of a pupil’s background, they are welcomed into the school and supported to succeed. This embodies the school’s ethos of equality, opportunity, inclusion and achievement.

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

Leaders, staff, governors and pupils are hugely committed to the school and its success. The school has maintained a focus on continual improvement despite significant challenges. Persistent absence has reduced, and there is a highly effective personal development programme and an improved behaviour culture. The school ably supports the significant number of pupils who join or leave the school mid-year, including some who have previously struggled to engage in education. Leaders prioritise the well-being of staff and pupils when making decisions. Workload is carefully considered for all staff.

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

The school carefully considers the varied starting points of pupils when developing its curriculum. The important knowledge and skills pupils need to learn are set out. The curriculum in the sixth form meets the needs of students extremely well. They are well prepared for further education, employment or training.

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

Pupils benefit from revisiting what they have learned before. Staff model and explain new learning well. However, sometimes the activities that pupils are given do not match the intended learning as well as they might. This limits how effectively pupils learn the curriculum. This is not the case for students in the sixth form, where the curriculum is implemented more effectively.

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

Staff check what pupils understand well. However, some staff do not address gaps in pupil’s knowledge as well as they should. This limits the depth of understanding, especially among younger pupils. Older students in the sixth form respond effectively to improvements and thus achieve a better understanding of the curriculum overall. 13 and 14 May 2025

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The needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well understood by staff. Pupils varying needs are quickly identified and strategies are put in place. Support is enacted well in most classrooms. Pupils with SEND are fully included in the wider life of school. Achievement for pupils with SEND has improved over time.

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Reading is a priority across the school. High-quality vocabulary is modelled by staff to develop pupil’s understanding of the curriculum. Pupils get the support they need to succeed. The school encourages pupils to read more widely. This has led to a significant increase in the number of pupils reading for pleasure outside of school.

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Pupil absence is too high. This is particularly the case for disadvantaged pupils. The school has successfully reduced rates of persistent absence among some groups of pupils. Students in the sixth form attend well. The school’s strategies to address poor attendance are beginning to take effect. However, more remains to be done to ensure this is the case for all pupils across the school.

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The school has a well-considered personal development programme. This helps pupils understand life in modern Britain, including the values that underpin our society. Pupils share these values and are tolerant and respectful. They understand how to look after their mental health and who to speak to if something worries them.

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Careers advice and guidance at the school is highly effective. Pupils undertake work experience, engage in careers events and have access to independent careers advice. Students in the sixth form are ambitious for their next steps in education.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The activity choices staff make sometimes do not match the intended learning set out in the curriculum. Pupils sometimes do not master the ambitious knowledge and skills that the school intends. The school should ensure that staff understand how to focus activities precisely on the knowledge and skills set out in the curriculum through ongoing professional development and support.  When staff check what pupils know and can do, they do not consistently ensure that pupils respond to the suggested improvements. This leads to gaps in pupil’s understanding of the curriculum and their ability to communicate it clearly. The school should ensure that staff follow a consistent approach when helping pupils to improve their work and that any whole-school policies are understood and adhered to.  Attendance has not improved in line with national figures and the school’s ambitious targets. Rates of persistent absence are still too high. This impacts negatively on how

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

some pupils achieve, especially disadvantaged pupils. The school should continue to 13 and 14 May 2025

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refine and embed its approach to securing high rates of attendance and reducing persistent absence, particularly for vulnerable 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.

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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). 13 and 14 May 2025

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form

Appropriate authority The governing body

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form

Dates of previous inspection 25 and 26 June 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, the principal and several other senior leaders have taken up their roles.  From September 2025, the school will provide education to pupils in Year 11 and Year 13 only. It is scheduled to close at the end of the 2025/26 academic year.  The school uses five providers of alternative education. One is registered with the Department for Education. Four are not registered with the Department for Education.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is above the 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. 13 and 14 May 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.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. The lead inspector also spoke with members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: English, science, history, art and design and technology. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with some pupils and teachers and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors met with leaders responsible for careers education at the school.  Inspectors met with early career teachers and those who mentor them.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with the leaders responsible for reading and literacy across the school.  Inspectors met with the special educational needs coordinator. Inspectors also checked how well pupils with SEND are supported in lessons.  Inspectors spoke with providers of alternative education.  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.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in a range of situations, including in corridors, at breaktimes, at lunchtimes and in lessons. They also spoke to pupils about behaviour, bullying and what it is like to attend the school.  Inspectors considered the responses from parents and carers to the online parent survey, Ofsted Parent View. This included the comments submitted via the free-text

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Information about this inspection

facility. Inspectors also considered responses to Ofsted’s online pupil and staff surveys. 13 and 14 May 2025

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Inspection team

John Linkins, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lucy Toner-Gowland Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 May 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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