Park Community School

Park Community School

Address: Middle Park Way, Leigh Park, Havant, Hampshire, PO9 4BU Unique reference number (URN): 116473

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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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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils benefit enormously from a well-designed personal development programme that prepares them for the demands of adult life. They receive effective personal, social, health and economic education that keeps them informed about key issues such as finance and personal safety. Staff expect pupils to act responsibly within the school community. Pupils consistently meet these expectations, for example working with adults to keep the site clean and well maintained.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils recognise the value of diversity and understand the importance of respecting different views. They debate ethical issues that strengthen their moral understanding. They show these principles in their daily interactions with staff and with one another.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

The school offers a wide range of leadership opportunities through its ambassadors’ programme. Pupils represent subjects they enjoy and take pride in their roles. A significant proportion of these pupils are disadvantaged, ensuring that they can contribute meaningfully across the school. A large proportion of pupils contribute to school and local and youth councils. This deepens pupils’ understanding of the importance of fundamental British values such as democracy.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Enrichment plays a central role in every pupil’s ‘more than school’ curriculum. Pupils gain practical experiences that help them apply their learning, such as working in the school kitchen and learning to cook alongside catering staff. Pupils take on these responsibilities with enthusiasm. They are highly motivated by the extensive opportunities to contribute to school life.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Careers education is a particular strength. Every pupil receives beyond their entitlement to careers guidance and careers experiences. Careers learning is woven into every aspect of pupils’ education, meaning that pupils consistently link their learning to meeting their life goals. The successful careers education contributes to improving numbers of pupils sustaining education, employment and training over the past 2 years.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The school’s curriculum is broad and ambitious. It reflects pupils’ needs and future aspirations, and it emphasises essential life skills. The STAR curriculum in Year 7 is carefully structured to strengthen literacy and numeracy because pupils often start at this school with lower levels of attainment.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The curriculum is well sequenced and coherent. Learning builds in logical steps so pupils can connect prior knowledge to new ideas. It leads to ambitious end points that prepare pupils well for post-16 education, employment and training. The vocational curriculum is a particular strength. Expert teaching enables pupils to develop detailed knowledge that supports future success.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teachers understand curriculum aims and usually design learning that aligns well. They check pupils’ understanding routinely. Where teaching is most effective, pupils have regular opportunities to practise and embed new knowledge. In a minority of lessons, however, work does not match pupils’ needs closely enough. Some pupils fall behind, while others find tasks too easy. This sometimes prevents pupils from working at the standard they are capable of.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Pupils who need help to read receive expert support. Pupils increasingly write at length with improving accuracy. However, expectations for writing, spelling and sentence construction vary between subjects. This means that some pupils do not always practise important foundational skills enough.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and staff consistently go the extra mile to improve pupils’ lives. The school gives pupils support and resources that strengthen their experience in school and at home. Pupils who need help to access healthy food, clothing or enrichment activities receive excellent support through the school. This ensures that pupils have every chance to be successful.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders establish effective systems to identify pupils with barriers to learning. As a result, they hold a secure and detailed understanding of pupils’ levels of need. Leaders use this knowledge to implement tailored support without delay. Leaders provide extensive support for pupils through a range of well considered avenues. The precision with which they evaluate the impact of each element of support is not precise enough, however. This means that it is not always clear how effectively support addresses the specific barriers it targets, for example low attendance.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The school works closely with professionals to ensure that pupils receive the support outlined in their education, health and care plans and personal education plans. Teachers ensure that pupils with significant barriers to learning receive consistent support across the curriculum. Leaders use additional funding, including the pupil premium, well. Alternative provisions enhance pupils’ education, enabling pupils to access learning that matches their future aspirations, such as mechanics and farming.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and governors share a clear commitment to every pupil and their family in this unique school. They understand the school’s strengths and know where improvement is needed. Their work focuses on improving pupils’ experiences in school and their lives beyond it. Leaders act in the best interests of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The impact of this focused leadership is evident. However, some sharpening would further enhance the effectiveness of it. Pupils’ behaviour, attendance and achievement continue to improve, showing the difference that leaders and staff are making. Leaders build systems

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Needs attention

that support sustained progress. They act on feedback and external expertise, such as working in partnership with local attendance hubs, to strengthen provision for all pupils.

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Needs attention

Governors bring a wide range of skills and experience to their role. They understand national and local issues linked to disadvantage. They do not lower expectations. Governors hold leaders to account with effective challenge and support, ensuring that resources, including pupil premium funding, are used well to remove barriers to learning.

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Needs attention

Staff feel respected and proud to work at the school. Leaders remain mindful of staff wellbeing and help them manage their workload. Staff value the professional learning available to them. They benefit from peer coaching, and some contribute to innovative county wide expertise. This builds expertise across the school. Parents and carers speak highly of the support and care their children receive. Leaders maintain positive relationships with families and work with external professionals and community partners to enhance the support available to pupils.

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Achievement Needs attention

Published outcomes show that pupils have not achieved as well as they should. Over time, fewer pupils have sustained post-16 education, employment or training than national averages.

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Achievement Needs attention

These outcomes do not reflect pupils’ wider success, however. Many pupils achieve well in vocational qualifications that do not contribute to performance measures. A large proportion, including disadvantaged pupils, achieve well in more than one of these qualifications. Many pupils also pass alternative English and mathematics qualifications. As a result, far more pupils have sustained post-16 destinations over the past 2 years. Even so, too few pupils achieve English and mathematics qualifications at a suitable standard.

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Achievement Needs attention

Across the curriculum, pupils typically work well towards aims that match their starting points. Pupils with very low starting points make rapid progress. Reading gaps are identified quickly and addressed through appropriate interventions. Work in books shows that pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, generally learn well and in line with their peers.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Leaders recognise that there is more to do to ensure that pupils attend school more regularly. Attendance is improving, however, particularly for pupils who are vulnerable. Leaders track attendance patterns to identify the main barriers that prevent pupils from attending regularly. They analyse trends and act quickly when concerns arise. Leaders work closely with families to offer practical guidance so parents can support positive attendance. The school goes to great lengths to incentivise positive engagement with education. Leaders’ approaches to behaviour promote respectful relationships between staff and pupils. In lessons, staff generally insist on pupils giving learning their full attention and best effort. Pupils understand school routines such as when to line up for lessons. They show awareness of right and wrong and apologise when they make mistakes. Suspensions have reduced significantly because pupils receive timely support to manage their emotions. Pupils

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

often praise the caring staff and the positive behaviour of their peers. Leaders understand that bullying can take many forms and record incidents with care. Bullying is rare. Pupils speak positively about how leaders act swiftly when unkind behaviour occurs. They feel reassured that staff will take their concerns seriously.

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

Park Community School lives up to its motto of being much more than just a school. Pupils enjoy extensive opportunities to find what they love. Enrichment activities, including learning to cook or caring for farm animals, form an integral part of every pupil’s curriculum offer. Many pupils gain valuable employment experience by running school clubs during the summer or by helping to maintain the school site. These experiences enable them to develop important life skills that prepare them well for future employment. The school’s excellent personal development provision raises pupils’ aspirations and helps them understand their potential with increasing confidence.

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

Pupils with barriers to learning, for example special educational needs and/or disabilities, receive effective support. Skilled adults create a culture in which pupils believe they can succeed. Teachers understand how to make learning accessible for those with additional needs. In some lessons, however, work does not provide enough challenge to ensure that pupils apply their learning in more complex and demanding ways.

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

Published examination performance data does not fully reflect pupils’ achievements. Alongside academic pathways, the school enables a high proportion of pupils to achieve well in vocational qualifications such as construction, hair and beauty and horticulture. Increasing numbers of pupils now achieve essential qualifications in English and mathematics. Despite this improvement, too few pupils currently reach the expected standard.

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

Typically, pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. As they grow older, they learn to conduct themselves with mature confidence. Most staff insist that pupils meet high expectations for effort and conduct consistently. Pupils report that bullying is rare because adults help them resolve disagreements successfully. Attendance remains low overall, but continues to improve, particularly for pupils with additional vulnerability.

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Next steps

Leaders must continue to implement their attendance strategy so that attendance improves and persistent absence reduces, especially for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders should ensure that teachers consistently adapt learning activities to match pupils’ needs, so pupils can apply knowledge and write about their learning in more detailed ways. Leaders should continue to ensure that pupils achieve well in the qualifications they study, including increasing the number who reach expected standards in English and mathematics. Leaders should refine how precisely they check the quality of the school’s work so they can judge the impact of their actions with confidence and secure sustained improvement.

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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 during the inspection. The lead inspector met with governors, including the chair. Inspectors also spoke with representatives from the local authority. Inspectors spoke with representatives of the alternative providers that the school uses. Inspectors also visited the school's off-site provisions. Inspectors spoke with pupils and staff.

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About this inspection

Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for pupils and staff and Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.

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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 unregistered and 2 registered alternative providers.

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About this inspection

The school operates 2 off ‑ site facilities where pupils receive part of their education. Pupils in key stage 4 can attend Inspired Learning full time, and the school also shares Lift Off with a local secondary school, although no pupils from this school were enrolled there during the inspection.

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About this inspection

All pupils attend 3 off ‑ site facilities on rotation during key stage 3: Park Design and Print, Apex Construction Centre and a smallholding on a local farm. Many pupils continue to access these provisions in key stage 4 to work towards accreditation.

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Team inspectors:

Alan Johnson, Ofsted Inspector Paul Gibson, Ofsted Inspector Chris Sykes, Ofsted Inspector Catherine Old, His Majesty's Inspector Jody Murphy, His Majesty's Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 23 June 2026

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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. National average: 1,154

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 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 needs support 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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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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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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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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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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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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Persistent absence

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

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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

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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