Shevington High School

Shevington High School

Address: Shevington Lane, Shevington, Wigan, Lancashire, WN6 8AB Unique reference number (URN): 106529

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders, staff and pupils share the view that Shevington includes everyone. This ethos runs through every strand of school life. Leaders make sure that staff receive highly effective training to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Teachers say that this training has helped them to improve their teaching. This is true.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders have developed clear systems to identify any pupils who may experience barriers to their learning. Teachers know pupils very well. They use the information that they have about pupils to make highly effective adaptations in the classroom. This means that all pupils have equal access to the curriculum. As a result, more pupils are achieving their potential in the work they produce in lessons. This is the case for disadvantaged pupils.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders use pupil premium funding to enhance the life chances of pupils. This includes the removal of any financial barriers to trips or clubs that pupils may face. Staff work closely with a wide range of external agencies. They routinely tailor bespoke support plans to ensure that every pupil has the best chance to succeed. For example, pupils known or previously known to social care receive enhanced mentoring in school. This is highly impactful in improving the wellbeing and academic success of these pupils.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders and governors share a highly ambitious vision for all pupils. They monitor and evaluate the impact of their actions extremely well. This is true for the continued improvements in the quality of teaching and the achievement of pupils in national examinations at the end of key stage 4. Additionally, the rapid improvements in the behaviour of all pupils and the provision in place for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities have been as a result of the effective systems in place to drive improvements. Leaders have a very secure understanding of what needs to happen to continue to improve all areas of the school.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders at Shevington High School are brave in the unique decisions they take. For example, the international links they have fostered and the digital strategy they have in place are highly effective in improving pupils’ world views and employability.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Governors go beyond fulfilling their statutory duties. They provide high-quality support for leaders’ wellbeing. They balance this support with rigorous oversight and continuous reviews of the impact of leaders’ actions.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Staff enjoy coming to work here. They are positive about the support leaders provide to reduce their workload and improve their wellbeing. Staff value the way leaders consult them about any changes and that their views are included in any decisions. They appreciate the highly individualised professional learning they receive. This helps them to continually improve.

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Expected standard

Parents are proud to send their children to Shevington. They appreciate the positive changes leaders have made. They know their children are well supported to succeed here.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders have designed an innovative and comprehensive personal development programme. This provides pupils with a plethora of opportunities to prepare them to take their place in society. The 'SAIL' curriculum teaches pupils how to develop holistically. Pupils complete regular ‘missions’ to enable them to develop their values. For example, they learn how to create sustainable products. This helps them to understand the importance of ethical choices.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders make sure that pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe. Pupils are very secure in this knowledge. They articulate the dangers they may face online and in the local community. This is echoed in their knowledge of how to respect others. Pupils exude tolerance.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils can choose to attend highly effective small-group coaching sessions weekly to discuss their personal goals with staff. Increasingly, most pupils attend these sessions. They say these sessions help them to become the best version of themselves. Pupils who regularly attend these sessions achieve very well, in line with their starting points.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Many pupils benefit from the range of enrichment opportunities, including international visits to Sweden and China. Leaders are proactive in their work to ensure that any pupils who may experience barriers to these opportunities have the help they need. For example, pupils who may need help with transport to attend clubs have access to transport provided by the school, such as taxis. Additionally, trips abroad are funded for those pupils who may have financial barriers. This means that all pupils have equal access, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders prioritise the provision for pupils who may need support with their wellbeing. This means that pupils have access to trained staff and external help when they encounter challenges.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

The careers programme is highly effective. Pupils receive bespoke guidance and advice. As a result, most pupils leave school and attend appropriate education, employment or training.

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Achievement Expected standard

Generally, pupils achieve well in national examinations at the end of key stage 4. Some pupils, in some subjects, are achieving very well indeed.

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Achievement Expected standard

Leaders have sharpened how they analyse pupils’ achievement. As a result, in recent years, pupils are achieving closer to their potential, based on their starting points. This is steadily improving for all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Achievement Expected standard

Leaders identify pupils who may need support to improve their reading. These pupils receive effective help. This means that they make rapid progress with how well they can read. Pupils who need more help with their writing and number skills are also identified. However, the support these pupils receive is not as embedded, so progress for some pupils slows.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils leave school well prepared for their choice of education, employment or training.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders have recently put stronger systems in place to track how well pupils attend school. As a result, pupils who may face barriers to attending now receive the right help they need to come to school. Most pupils do attend school regularly. This includes disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Although there have been steady improvements, attendance rates have remained in line with national averages for a number of years. Leaders know there is more to do to further improve attendance of pupils who face additional barriers.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders have very high expectations for how pupils should behave. All staff share these high expectations. Recently, leaders have improved the systems in place to monitor how well pupils behave. As a result, pupils receive timely support if they need help to follow the high expectations. Leaders teach pupils how to become resilient and self-motivated young adults. In lessons, pupils quickly start their work and display excellent attitudes to learning. This means that classrooms are a haven of calm where pupils strive to achieve their best. Bullying and discrimination are never tolerated. Pupils have a secure understanding of how to treat others. They know that any incidents of unkindness will be dealt with quickly and effectively by staff.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have embedded a well-sequenced curriculum across all subjects and year groups. They regularly review and adapt this curriculum in response to pupils' needs. Teachers are masters of their subject. They engage in regular training to enhance their subject knowledge.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have well-established, supportive systems in place to monitor the effectiveness of teaching. They use this information to inform the professional learning for teachers. Teachers value this bespoke support, and it enhances their practice.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Typically, teachers make astute choices about the learning activities they deliver. They know their pupils very well. Disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive well-tailored support. This means that these pupils produce similar work to that of their peers.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teachers regularly check what pupils know. Generally, they use this information to skilfully identify misconceptions. That said, occasionally, this information is not used effectively to build pupils’ knowledge. In some subjects, teaching is not as secure. This means that pupils in these subjects do not learn as well and do not achieve as well as they could in national examinations at the end of key stage 4.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils and staff live out the school values of respect, aspiration, inclusion and kindness. Pupils delight in being part of this vibrant community. They feel safe in the knowledge that staff will listen to them if they have any worries or concerns. Pupils are confident that bullying and unkindness do not happen here. They know that caring and supportive staff will deal with any minor issues that arise. Generally, pupils attend school regularly. This is steadily improving.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils behave very well. They show maturity and self-motivation in abundance. Pupils use their digital knowledge to skilfully switch between written work and digital media usage. This means that they have effective autonomy over their learning.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Generally, pupils achieve in line with national averages in their national examinations at the end of key stage 4. This is improving over time. They achieve well because teachers typically check what they know. They make useful adaptations to help pupils build on their knowledge. This means that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and pupils who may encounter other barriers to their learning regularly learn well.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils benefit from a number of international projects, activities and trips. They have close links with organisations across the world, such as in Sweden and China. These encounters mean that pupils gain a deep understanding of how to be an international citizen. As a result, pupils go on to suitable education, training or employment when they leave school. This is especially true for disadvantaged pupils.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils engage positively in small-group coaching sessions. Consequently, pupils take responsibility for their own academic and spiritual development. This is also true for pupil leaders. These pupils thrive on the important decisions they make to improve school life.

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Next steps

Leaders should continue to refine the strategies in place to improve the attendance of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils. Leaders should continue to strengthen teaching across all subjects to reduce the variability in the quality of teaching pupils receive. Leaders should continue to develop the systems in place to measure the impact of their actions to improve how well all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, achieve in their national examinations at the end of key stage 4.

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Team inspectors:

Jane Holmes, Ofsted Inspector Alan Hammersley, Ofsted Inspector David Woolley, Ofsted Inspector Dawn Johnson, Ofsted Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors in this school is James Royal.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher and other senior leaders, including the designated safeguarding lead, during the inspection. Inspectors also spoke with a representative of the local authority and a group of governors, including the chair.

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About this inspection

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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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

The school makes use of 3 alternative provisions, including 2 that are unregistered.

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About this inspection

The current headteacher has been in post since September 2024.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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English and maths GCSE

Percentage of pupils who achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSE.

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national average

2024/25 (final) 51.7% 45.4% Close to average

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national average

2023/24 (final) 42.3% 45.9% Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (final) 47.4% 45.3% Close to average

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Attainment 8

A measure of pupils' point scores across 8 subjects including maths (double weighted), English (double weighted if both language and literature are taken), 3 EBacc measures and 3 GCSE or technical measures.

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national average

2024/25 (final) 49.0 46.1 Close to average

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national average

2023/24 (final) 46.4 45.9 Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (final) 47.9 46.3 Close to average

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Progress 8

How much progress pupils made between the end of primary school (key stage 2) and the end of secondary school (key stage 4), compared to pupils across England who got similar results at the end of key stage 2.

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national average

2023/24 (final) -0.18 -0.03 Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (final) -0.25 -0.03 Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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Disadvantaged pupils' English and maths GCSE grade 5 or above

Percentage of disadvantaged pupils achieving grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSE.

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national average

2024/25 (final) 26.7% 25.8% Close to average

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national average

2023/24 (final) 24.0% 25.8% Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (final) 26.1% 25.2% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' Attainment 8

A measure of disadvantaged pupils' point scores across 8 subjects including maths (double weighted), English (double weighted if both language and literature are taken), 3 EBacc measures and 3 GCSE or technical measures.

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national average

2024/25 (final) 34.7 34.9 Close to average

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national average

2023/24 (final) 34.7 34.6 Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (final) 35.1 35.0 Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' Progress 8

How much progress disadvantaged pupils made between the end of primary school (key stage 2) and the end of secondary school (key stage 4), compared to pupils across England who got similar results at the end of key stage 2.

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national average

2023/24 (final) -0.64 -0.57 Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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Disadvantaged pupils' English and maths GCSE grade 5 or above

Percentage of disadvantaged pupils who achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSE.

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Disadvantaged pupils' Attainment 8

A measure of disadvantaged pupils' point scores across 8 subjects including maths (double weighted), English (double weighted if both language and literature are taken), 3 EBacc measures and 3 GCSE or technical measures.

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Disadvantaged pupils' Progress 8

How much progress disadvantaged pupils made between the end of primary school (key stage 2) and the end of secondary school (key stage 4), compared to pupils across England who got similar results at the end of key stage 2.

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Destinations after 16

Percentage of pupils staying in education or employment for at least 2 terms after the end of secondary school (key stage 4).

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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national average

2024/25 (3 term) 7.4% 8.4% Close to average

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 7.6% 8.9% Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (3 term) 7.8% 9.0% Close to average

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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national average

2024/25 (3 term) 20.4% 23.4% Close to average

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 21.5% 25.6% Close to average

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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