Handsworth Grange Community Sports College

Inspection of Handsworth Grange Community Sports College Handsworth Grange Road, Handsworth, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S13 9HJ

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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 Requires improvement

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The headteacher of this school is Suzy Mattock. This school is part of Minerva Learning 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), Bev Matthews, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by John Doyle. 3 and 4 June 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Following a period of instability, the school has introduced an approach which has improved behaviour significantly at the school. This new approach is used consistently. Lessons are calm, and most pupils behave respectfully towards their peers. Social times are now much more settled. There are more staff on duty. Pupils are confident that staff will help them if they need it. Most pupils enjoy coming to school. They feel safe and happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has recently made changes which show greater ambition for the way the curriculum is taught. Some of these changes are new and not yet firmly embedded. As a result, there are inconsistencies in how well pupils learn the intended curriculum. A significant number of pupils still do not achieve highly in external tests and assessments. This is particularly the case for disadvantaged pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school offers a wide range of enrichment opportunities. These include residential trips overseas, a club that supports pupils who are young carers and visits to universities. Many pupils regularly take advantage of these opportunities, including those who are disadvantaged. The school recently moved more of these activities to lunchtime. This has allowed pupils with commitments after school to attend these clubs more easily.

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

Pupils have not achieved as well as they should in recent years. The school has revised many areas of the curriculum to ensure that there are higher expectations for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). In many subjects, teachers are clear about how new learning builds upon what pupils already know. This supports pupils to connect, extend and deepen their learning.

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

There are inconsistencies in how well teaching checks that pupils have understood and remembered important subject information before moving on to new learning. Sometimes, teachers move on to the next activity before pupils have secured the important knowledge and skills intended. This means that pupils do not learn the curriculum as well as they might.

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

The school accurately identifies pupils with SEND. The school has developed a consistent approach to supporting pupils with SEND in the classroom. Some pupils are educated in dedicated groups in the school to meet their needs. Many of these pupils now attend and achieve more highly than they once did.

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

The school helps the weakest readers build their confidence and fluency. Staff with additional training support these pupils well. The school encourages pupils to read for pleasure. However, this strategy is in its early stages. A minority of pupils read widely and often. Leaders have begun to consider how important elements of literacy and vocabulary should be taught. These approaches are not used consistently across the school. Some pupils do not have a strong understanding of important vocabulary. 3 and 4 June 2025

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Staff and pupils agree that the school’s approach to encouraging good conduct has improved behaviour significantly, both in lessons and during social times. Overall, pupils’ attendance is improving. However, this is not the case for some groups of pupils, particularly those eligible for the pupil premium. The school has revised its attendance strategy to address this. It is too early to establish the full impact of the school’s work in this regard.

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The school’s personal, social and health education curriculum prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. Staff have received additional training to support the teaching of this curriculum. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe and the importance of fundamental British values. Their understanding of other important topics, such as of different cultures and beliefs, is developing. The school’s careers education and guidance programme is well considered. This supports pupils to go on to suitable education, employment or training.

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Despite the recent improvements, leaders at all levels know that there is still work to do to improve the school so that all pupils achieve well. Governors and trustees understand the school’s areas of strength and where further development is needed. However, the school’s work to identify the most important priorities to improve the quality of education is not as sharply focused as it needs to be. Many parents and carers now speak more positively about the school. Staff say that leaders consider their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There are inconsistencies in how well the curriculum is implemented. Teaching does not routinely check that pupils have learned and understood what they have been taught before moving onto new content. These inconsistencies affect how well pupils learn the intended curriculum and their achievement in different subjects. The school should ensure that the curriculum is implemented consistently well and that pupils build up their knowledge securely over time and achieve highly.  The school’s approaches for promoting reading for pleasure and developing pupils’ literacy, including their knowledge and use of important vocabulary, are not firmly embedded. This affects how well pupils develop their knowledge and skills in these aspects of the curriculum. The school should ensure that its approaches for developing pupils’ literacy skills, including their knowledge and use of vocabulary, are firmly embedded and implemented well.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s strategies to improve the attendance of certain groups of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, are not as effective as they could be. This means these pupils miss valuable learning time. The school should ensure that the 3 and 4 June 2025

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revised strategies for improving attendance continue to embed and have a positive impact for all pupils.  The school’s work to identify and improve the most important priorities for the development of the curriculum is not as focused as it should be. This affects how well leaders at all levels address the most important actions needed to improve key aspects of the quality of education. The school should ensure its improvement work to develop the quality of education is sharply and systematically focused upon the most important priorities identified.

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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). 3 and 4 June 2025

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School details

Date of previous inspection 22 and 24 November 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Minerva Learning Trust.  The school uses one registered alternative provision and eight unregistered provisions.  The headteacher began in her post in April 2023.  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. 3 and 4 June 2025

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 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.  During the inspection, inspectors met with the headteacher. They also met with other leaders, including those responsible for safeguarding, behaviour, attendance and personal development.  The lead inspector met with the trust’s CEO. He also met with members of the board of trustees and members of the local governing body.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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 put pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, science, art and design

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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.  Inspectors also visited lessons and reviewed pupils’ work in other subjects.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation regarding the support that pupils with SEND receive. They looked at the quality of the provision for pupils with SEND.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including minutes from governing body meetings as well as the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans.  Inspectors looked at a range of information regarding behaviour and attendance. They observed the behaviour of pupils in classrooms and at social times.  An inspector visited one of the alternative providers used by the school.  The views of pupils and staff who responded to Ofsted’s surveys were considered.

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 Inspectors considered the views of parents through the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Tim Johnson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Gill Senior Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 June 2025

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