The Toynbee School

THE TOYNBEE SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 The Toynbee School - 2 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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THE TOYNBEE SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. The Toynbee School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Bodycoats Road Chandler’s Ford Eastleigh Hampshire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr G S Pigney

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 8 January 1996 The Toynbee School - 4

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Team members

Robert Drew Registered inspector Rosemary Burgess Lay inspector William Robson Team inspector Veronica Kerr Team inspector Vincent Gormally Team inspector Edward Little Team Inspector

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Team members

The ICAA Education Centre Bighton ALRESFORD Hampshire SO24 9RE

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Team members

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:

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Team members

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE The Toynbee School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL 1-18

Standards of attainment are high because teaching is good, pupils have very positive attitudes and the school assesses and monitors progress well.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL 1-18

Very good moral and social provision is made by the school, through policies and the example of staff; the strong ‘inclusive’ ethos created encourages maximum participation by pupils in school life.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL 1-18

There is very good management, which promotes high standards. This is because clear leadership is offered, good delegation occurs, governors are very effective and monitoring systems are strong.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL 1-18

A very good curriculum at both key stages offers all pupils extensive learning opportunities. This reflects a well-designed formal curriculum, greatly enhanced by many special features and added to by the excellent extra- curricular provision.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL 1-18

A range of subjects offer particularly strong provision, notably physical education, music, science, art, design and technology, German and English. The Toynbee School - 6

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED 19-24

Mathematics provision, while broadly matching many national norms, is not of the same high standard as most of the school’s work. Teaching and management have significant scope for improvement.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED 19-24

A range of features across the curriculum, which currently operate at a broadly satisfactory level, are capable of improvement: literacy and numeracy provision is limited; use of homework lacks consistency; the management structures for co-ordinating general special educational needs provision and specific support for the visually impaired are less effective than they might be, and there are staffing pressures with special educational needs provision.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The Toynbee School is an 11-16 comprehensive school serving parts of Chandler’s Ford, Eastleigh and adjacent areas. While the overall socio-economic background of pupils is more favourable than the national one, the prior attainment of pupils is broadly average. Nearly 98 per cent of pupils are white; 5 per cent are eligible for free school meals, compared with 18 per cent nationally. About 16 per cent of pupils are on the special educational needs register, and 2 per cent have statements of special educational need: both figures being close to national averages. Since the last inspection, the number on roll has risen from 906 to 997. A new headteacher and deputy have been appointed and another deputy has acquired a headship elsewhere.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

A visually impaired unit is on site, serving 14 pupils from several local education authorities. The school is also host to a class of 25 for pupils with severe learning difficulties from a nearby special school. Fifteen pupils have English as an additional language.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very good school with many strong features.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Teaching is good and management very good; value for money is very good; standards are above average at Key Stage 3 and well above at Key Stage 4. Pupils are mature and well behaved. Spending per pupil is broadly average.

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What the school does well

• Standards of attainment are high because teaching is good, pupils have very positive attitudes and the school assesses and monitors progress well. • Very good moral and social provision is made by the school, through policies and the example of staff; the strong ‘inclusive’ ethos created encourages maximum participation by pupils in school life. • There is very good management, which promotes high standards. This is because clear leadership is offered, good delegation occurs, governors are very effective and monitoring systems are strong. • A very good curriculum at both key stages offers all pupils extensive learning opportunities. This reflects a well-designed formal curriculum, greatly enhanced by many special features and added to by the excellent extra-curricular provision. • A range of subjects offer particularly strong provision, notably physical education, music, science, art, design and technology, German and English.

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What could be improved

• Mathematics provision, while broadly matching many national norms, is not of the same high standard as most of the school’s work. Teaching and management have significant scope for improvement. • A range of features across the curriculum, which currently operate at a broadly satisfactory level, are capable of improvement: • literacy and numeracy provision is limited; • use of homework lacks consistency; • the management structures for co-ordinating general special educational needs provision and specific support for the visually impaired are less effective than they might be, and there are staffing pressures with special educational needs provision. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. The Toynbee School - 8

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has made very marked improvement since the last inspection. Improvement is part of the school’s approach on all matters, and it involves staff and governors, parents and pupils in the process very successfully. Of the key issues listed at the last inspection, it has succeeded in raising Key Stage 4 attainment; there is a now a very good match of tasks to the needs of pupils; monitoring is of a high quality; and the new systems for good management by governors, heads of department and senior management team work well. The school has also made good progress in promoting pupils’ independent learning. The Act of Worship requirements remain unmet. In addition, teaching quality has improved, with 94 per cent of lessons being judged satisfactory or better on this occasion, compared with 80 per cent in the previous inspection.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by 16 year olds based on average point scores in GCSE examinations.

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similar

schools well above average A 1997 1998 1999 1999 above average average B C GCSE A A A B below average well below average D E

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similar

In the core subjects - English, mathematics and science - at Key Stage 3, the collective standards were well above average in 1997 and 1998, and above in 1999. Compared with schools in the same free school meals category, standards are below average. At the end of Key Stage 4, standards have been consistently well above the average for all schools nationally and above the average for similar schools. These results are very creditable, given that pupils’ attainment is no more than average when entering the school. In addition, in most years, the Key Stage 3 comparison with similar schools is also favourable, with 1999 running counter to existing trends. The school sets challenging targets for both key stages and is making good progress towards its current ones.

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similar

When current pupils’ work in all subjects is considered, the collective standard for Key Stage 3 is above average. For some subjects, it is well above average, particularly in science and music. At Key Stage 4, standards overall are well above average, and this is particularly true in English, design and technology, music, physical education, German, science and art.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils are very positive in the vast majority of lessons. They are considerate. Their interest in the activities on offer is excellent.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour in lessons and around school is good, and exclusions are low.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Pupils show a strong awareness of their own needs and those of others. They are very quick to use their initiative and take responsibility; relationships in the school are very good.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance This is good. Overall attendance is above average and unauthorised absence is very low. The Toynbee School - 9 Overall, pupils are very constructive in their attitudes to school and this has a marked beneficial effect on their learning.

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Teaching of pupils: aged 11-14 years aged 14-16 years

Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.

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Teaching of pupils: aged 11-14 years aged 14-16 years

Teaching is another strength of the school. Overall it is good, and much is very good. Teaching was found to be satisfactory or better in 94 per cent of lessons seen; this includes teaching which was excellent in 4 per cent of lessons, very good in 30 per cent, good in 38 per cent, satisfactory in 21 per cent, and less than satisfactory in 6 per cent. Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 display much the same overall pattern. Teaching is particularly good in physical education, music, science, art and design and technology. It is less successful in mathematics, where teachers’ expectations are generally not as high as in the school as a whole.

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Teaching of pupils: aged 11-14 years aged 14-16 years

Teaching is very successful in the way that so many teachers have higher than usual expectations of their pupils. The constructive way they manage pupils is another strength. Some teachers are inconsistent in their setting of homework and, in general, literacy and numeracy skills are not well taught. Pupils learn very effectively. They show strong interest and commitment in the great majority of lessons. They concentrate well, work effectively with other pupils and are more aware of their strengths and weaknesses than in most schools.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Very good at both key stages. All statutory requirements are met and there are many features which enrich the taught curriculum for both high- and low-attaining pupils, as well as an excellent range of extra- curricular activities.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Current provision is very good. Pupils’ needs are well diagnosed; there is extensive in-class support and special curricular provision at Key Stage 4; and pupils with visual impairment have specialist support. There is evidence of a need to modify management structures and staffing in order to sustain or improve provision in future.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Insufficient evidence to make a judgement

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good. Spiritual and cultural development are good, while provision for moral and social development is very good and in some respects excellent.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Very good. The school’s arrangements for pastoral and academic support are very well organised, and staff make these systems work well through their care and sustained effort. Child protection arrangements are very good. The Toynbee School - 10 These aspects of the school’s provision collectively ensure an unusually rich range of opportunities for pupils, whatever their interests and aptitudes.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher and other senior and middle managers give well thought-out, clear and consistent messages to pupils and parents about the school’s aims and how it intends to meet them. There is a very strong sense of direction and good teamwork. Leadership of subject departments is generally very good, but management of mathematics is not of the same high standard.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors are far better informed and more active in their strategic role than is commonly found.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Planning and monitoring are of a very high standard. The school’s needs are effectively evaluated and very successful strategies are put in place to ensure that improvement takes place. The process of evaluation and action involves commendable delegation to staff at various levels.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Financial matters are handled efficiently and funding is allocated to wisely identified priorities in the school improvement plan. “Best Value” principles are very effectively applied by the school in all aspects of its work

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management are great strengths of the school. The management team has brought about very good improvements since the last inspection, and have the capacity to ensure further progress where improvement is still necessary.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• the degree to which their children like school • the way the school expects their children to work hard and achieve their best • the wide range of interesting activities outside lessons • the approachability of the school • the progress their children make at school • homework arrangements • the degree to which parents are kept informed about their children and general liaison between home and school • the behaviour of some pupils

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspectors agree that the strengths identified by parents are all very positive features of the school. They note the unusually high level of support for these views. They also find that homework arrangements are not followed sufficiently closely by some teachers. Greater consistency is possible. Of the other areas in which parents seek improvement, the inspectors’ judgement is that by national standards the school provides good information to parents and better than average scope for parental involvement. The behaviour of some pupils could be improved but, for the school as a whole, the attitudes and behaviour of pupils are strengths of the school. The Toynbee School - 11

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Standards of attainment are high because teaching is good, pupils have very positive

attitudes and the school assesses and monitors progress well.

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Standards of attainment are high because teaching is good, pupils have very positive

1. At the end of Key Stage 3, overall standards are above the national average, and in some years and certain subjects well above average. An even stronger picture is found at Key Stage 4, where GCSE results and the findings of the inspection confirm that the standards are collectively well above average every year, and better than the average for schools in the same free school meals category. Since the pupils’ attainment on entry is not significantly different from the national profile, this represents good progress across Key Stage 3, followed by equally good progress over Key Stage 4.

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Standards of attainment are high because teaching is good, pupils have very positive

2. At Key Stage 3, standards are particularly high in science and music, while at Key Stage 4 these two subjects are again prominent, along with physical education, design and technology, art, English and German.

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Standards of attainment are high because teaching is good, pupils have very positive

3. An average of 62.6 per cent of the school’s candidates have gained five or more A* to C passes in the last three years, compared to 44.8 per cent for the country as a whole.

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Standards of attainment are high because teaching is good, pupils have very positive

4. In the last few years, it is also noticeable that able pupils are encouraged to strive for the highest grades and succeed in doing so at both key stages. At Key Stage 3, the school regularly has two or three per cent more pupils achieving levels 7 and 8, the two highest levels, than is found nationally, while at GCSE, the A* and A grades of the school amounted to 16 per cent compared to 12 per cent nationally in 1999.

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Standards of attainment are high because teaching is good, pupils have very positive

5. Teaching for the school as a whole is good, with 94 per cent of the lessons seen being satisfactory or better. Indeed, a significant proportion of teaching, 35 per cent, is very good or excellent, and about 38 per cent is good. Teachers are particularly good at setting high expectations in lessons, establishing good relationships with pupils and creating opportunities for pupils to work independently or in groups. In a Year 7 religious education lesson, for example, pupils were challenged to go beyond merely describing, and were asked to explain the symbolism used in Sikh ceremonies. In a very well taught Year 10 English lesson on characterisation in plays, pupils were guided into taking a great deal of responsibility for their own learning, as well as being taught directly with clear exposition.

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Standards of attainment are high because teaching is good, pupils have very positive

6. Monitoring of attainment and personal development is highly developed at whole- school level. It is also a marked feature of most of those subjects producing the best results at both key stages. A great many teachers are using the extensive data generated by the assessment co-ordinator most effectively: their day-to-day and longer-term records show a detailed knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses with which pupils entered the school. Lesson plans, the general pitch of the lessons and the support and challenge for individuals reflect good use of target setting. Pupils get many opportunities to assess their own work and that of their peers. As a result, they are more familiar than in most schools with the levels or grades they should aim for, and what they should do to achieve them. Tutors and year heads are more systematic and persistent than usual in recording pupils’ personal and academic progress and in sharing this information with those who need to

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and the example of staff; the strong ‘inclusive’ ethos created encourages

maximum participation by pupils in school life .

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and the example of staff; the strong ‘inclusive’ ethos created encourages

7. A very successful ethos pervades the school, summed up by its mission phrase: ‘personal best’. The stated aims of the school are particularly prominent in classrooms and corridors, as well as in formal policy documents. They place great stress on expecting the best each pupil can achieve both in studies and in the rest of school life. They emphasise the need to provide for all pupils in school life and for others’ needs to be consistently taken into account. Equally strongly, school policy promotes the need for pupils to participate and to opt into activities and lessons. Behaviour based on honesty, trustworthiness and respect is promoted.

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and the example of staff; the strong ‘inclusive’ ethos created encourages

8. The school not only states these aims with unusual clarity and prominence, it also provides a formal and informal curriculum and a community life which exemplifies and encourages these principles. The personal and social education programme, work-related learning programme, special educational needs provision, integration of pupils with visual impairment, and the hosting of a class from a nearby special school, all give the same ‘inclusive’ message. Subjects deal more often with moral themes than is common: slavery and child labour in history, environmental management in science, global inequalities in geography, ‘blackmail,’ relationships and social structures in literary texts.

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and the example of staff; the strong ‘inclusive’ ethos created encourages

9. More important in many ways are the structures and day-to-day attitudes which indicate that the pupils matter. Year and school councils are very well organised and allow pupils to voice their opinions and the opportunity to bring about actual change. For instance, pupils have landscaped parts of the school grounds and are allowed inside school at all times, concessions which they appreciate. The scope for participation in lessons is very high: independent work, paired and group work as well as whole-class question and answer sessions are more frequent than usual. Extra-curricular activities are both remarkably extensive in range and also of a very high quality, and they allow pupils tremendous scope for participation. In music, for example, over 250 pupils out of 1000 on roll have individual instrumental lessons, while the choir has given pupils the chance to sing at international festivals with the world’s best. In physical education, the ‘Blind Cricket’

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and the example of staff; the strong ‘inclusive’ ethos created encourages

sessions offer sighted and partially sighted pupils and adults a rare opportunity to understand each other’s worlds.

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and the example of staff; the strong ‘inclusive’ ethos created encourages

10. Staff also act as good role models: they demonstrate the moral and social principles by which pupils should operate. For their part, pupils respond to all this opportunity and example with great enthusiasm. They take initiative in lessons, and participate actively in great numbers in the activities on offer. Many show strong commitment in the time and effort they give.

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clear leadership is offered, good delegation occurs, governors are very effective and

11. Leadership and management are strengths of the school. The headteacher and other key staff give the school a very clear sense of educational direction. This is encapsulated in the well-defined aims of the school, but, crucially, these aims are turned into fine practice by a range of mechanisms. Firstly, the planning for improvement is effective in that it identifies the crucial areas for change. Realistic action follows and then, finally, monitoring is thorough and influences practice. As a result, the amount of beneficial change since the last inspection has been impressive. A particular strength of management The Toynbee School - 13 is delegation: substantial tasks and on-going responsibilities are shared amongst senior managers, and some whole-school responsibilities, such as assessment co-ordination and community links, are also shared amongst middle management. Indeed, staff with no formal, paid responsibility posts are given many opportunities to contribute to aspects of

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clear leadership is offered, good delegation occurs, governors are very effective and

management which affect their departments or the school as a whole.

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clear leadership is offered, good delegation occurs, governors are very effective and

12. Monitoring of teaching and learning has been particularly well managed, both at whole-school and departmental levels. Senior managers have observed a great many lessons, giving constructive, analytical feedback, praising strengths and requiring improvement where appropriate. Heads of department have also supported and challenged their colleagues by observation and scrutiny of pupils’ work and results. Peer monitoring by teachers is also well developed in many departments. As a result, teachers and managers have an unusually clear view of what constitutes good teaching, where it is found, and how it might be disseminated. Much support and advice have been given where teaching was found to have weaknesses. The impact on teaching quality has been to raise the proportion of lessons in which teaching was satisfactory or better from 80 per cent in 1996 to 94 per cent four years later.

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clear leadership is offered, good delegation occurs, governors are very effective and

13. A significant factor behind good management in the school is the very effective work of the governing body. The guidance it offers, opportunities it has made and plans it suggests provide the school with a far better strategic overview than is usually found. This stems from the considerable amount of time spent in contact with staff and pupils by some governors, especially through visits into school by the chair of governors, the special educational needs link governors and others, and through the extensive programme of presentation by subject heads of department to the governing body. In addition, governors are extremely successful in keeping themselves informed about all aspects of their business, and are willing and able to engage in regular dialogue with the senior management team about medium- and long-term objectives. Underpinning this effective role is the well-organised sub-committee activity, which was introduced about the time of

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clear leadership is offered, good delegation occurs, governors are very effective and

the last inspection, and which has allowed governors to focus on issues and build up expertise but has also kept the momentum of change going between formal meetings.

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opportunities. This reflects a well-designed formal curriculum, greatly enhanced by

many special features and added to by the excellent extra-curricular provision.

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opportunities. This reflects a well-designed formal curriculum, greatly enhanced by

14. The school offers pupils a very good range of opportunities for both formal study and informal learning. At both key stages, the curriculum meets all statutory requirements, but it goes beyond this in very many ways. There is enhanced breadth through features such as alternative GCSE choices, for example media studies, the well-developed personal and social education programme, NVQ courses, the work-related learning project and the additional one-day events and long-term courses provided for “gifted or able and talented” (GOAT) pupils. There is excellent access to the curriculum for pupils of every background, partly because of these enhancements, but also as a result of the very extensive and specialised provision for pupils with special educational needs, including pupils with visual impairment.

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opportunities. This reflects a well-designed formal curriculum, greatly enhanced by

15. Further strengths in the formal curriculum come from very good links with partner schools and with the wider community. The school has most effective liaison arrangements with local primary schools and post-16 institutions. The concept of a limited amount of primary school work coming in a folder with pupils entering Year 7 is good, but not unique; however, the way this is used - displayed in classrooms, fed into class teachers’ initial assessments of pupils, guiding aspects of curricular planning - is far better than commonly The Toynbee School - 14 found. The links with the community are especially good, because of the high quality and wide range of links.

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opportunities. This reflects a well-designed formal curriculum, greatly enhanced by

16. Parents, pupils and staff are rightly proud of the extra-curricular activities offered by the school. These are particularly extensive, imaginative and of high quality. For example, in sport, the school is nationally recognised for success at basketball, cross-country and the biathlon. In music, the school’s choir is respected regionally and internationally. Religious education and physical education have combined imaginatively to offer a ‘Gym and Dance’ initiative, while the drama department regularly puts on high quality productions, often in collaboration with music and dance. In history, pupils have extended topics from lessons, with extra-curricular research on the personal history of local residents during the wars. A great number of visits are undertaken by many departments, with extensive exchange arrangements with French and German pupils.

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opportunities. This reflects a well-designed formal curriculum, greatly enhanced by

17. The emphasis is on participation by all pupils and take-up is very high. It includes many high attaining pupils, many lower attainers, and successfully integrates sighted and visually impaired pupils.

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A range of subjects offer particularly strong provision, notably physical education,

music, science, art, design and technology, German and English.

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A range of subjects offer particularly strong provision, notably physical education,

18. While there are strengths in all aspects of the school’s work some subjects are particularly successful. However, all those listed above combine a range of strengths so that their impact on pupils is particularly beneficial. All have above average management and in science, music, physical education and German there is very good organisation, clear leadership and very high expectation of pupils. In many of these subjects and in design and technology and art the teaching is characteristically very good, partly reflecting effective monitoring and support by heads of department. Standards of attainment are consistently above average in all of these subjects as a result of good teaching, the well designed curricula and the thorough use of assessment data to set high targets for pupils and classes.

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same high standard as most of the school’s work. Teaching and management have

19. The standards achieved by pupils in mathematics are not as good as those the same pupils tend to achieve in other subjects. Most noticeably, at the end of Key Stage 4, mathematics results in GCSE match the national average, when those in science, English and many other subjects are well above average. In 1999, for example, the percentage of candidates gaining A* to C passes was 45.5 in mathematics (national average 45.6 per cent), compared with 69.6 per cent in English, (national average 55 per cent), 66.7 per cent in design and technology (national average 49.3 per cent), and 71 per cent in art (national average 61 per cent).

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same high standard as most of the school’s work. Teaching and management have

20. Results at the end of Key Stage 3 are above the national average and this represents good added value, since the pupils enter the school with broadly average attainment levels. In 1997, for example, the school helped 71 per cent of pupils attain level 5 or above, well above the national average of 58 per cent. However, the same pupils, two years later, only just managed to equal the national score when taking GCSE. The Toynbee School - 15 21. While teaching and management are broadly average compared with national standards, they lack the consistently strong practice to be judged good or very good, unlike so many other departments in the school. For example, there is less evidence of effective monitoring of teaching and peer observation in the mathematics department, and more evidence of homework used intermittently. Assessment data is as good as anywhere in the school, but is less successfully integrated into day-to-day target-setting by teachers and the

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same high standard as most of the school’s work. Teaching and management have

strong culture of high expectations found elsewhere in the school. The recent decision to change the resource for the Key Stage 4 scheme of work appears to have had a positive effect but needed to have been taken earlier.

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visually impaired are less effective than they might be, and there are staffing

pressures with special educational needs provision.

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visually impaired are less effective than they might be, and there are staffing

22. Current provision for pupils with special educational needs, including those with visual impairment, is good, but management structures and staffing levels are not strong enough to sustain this position. The work of the special educational needs co-ordinator and the head of the visual impairment unit in the school has evolved and expanded within the last two or three years, to the great benefit of the pupils concerned and the school as a whole. It is now difficult for the special educational needs co-ordinator to co-ordinate actively the day-to-day work of learning support assistants, plan jointly with subject specialists and oversee the admirable work-related curriculum others have set up. Learning support assistants (LSAs) are of good quality, but are sometimes involved too extensively in English and literacy teaching, when subject specialist teachers are required. LSAs can then collaborate, rather than replace them.

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visually impaired are less effective than they might be, and there are staffing

23. The area of special educational needs concerned with visual impairment provides very effective mainstream schooling for 14 pupils, but it is housed separately and to a large extent is separately managed. While this has allowed the unit to meet specific visual impairment needs well, there is a degree of detachment from the special educational needs department and the school’s overall pastoral system, and this limits opportunities for professional co-operation between staff. For some pupils, their varied individual needs require a stronger, more tightly co-ordinated, whole-school response. The school does not yet have in place the management structures to ensure that all aspects of the visually impaired pupils’ education are met in a coherent and mutually planned way.

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visually impaired are less effective than they might be, and there are staffing

24. Similarly, literacy and numeracy, as well as the use of homework, are features which support pupils’ learning across the whole curriculum. They are broadly in line with the quality of provision nationally, but less impressive than the general standards in this school. Homework is used well by most staff, but sufficiently irregularly set and marked by others to warrant the concern voiced by parents and reinforced by pupils. Literacy and numeracy teaching are only recently established, and while subjects have a policy and a degree of regular literacy practice there is less emphasis in lessons than some pupils require: explaining keywords and concepts or reading appropriate extracts of text are only rarely used. Numeracy policy and practice are further behind, and more opportunities are missed here than in literacy to reinforce basic number-handling skills.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

25. The school should: The Toynbee School - 16 (1) Take all possible steps to improve provision and standards in mathematics, particularly at Key Stage 4. (see paragraphs 19, 21)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• ensure literacy and numeracy skills are effectively integrated into teaching; (see paragraph 24)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• improve the consistency with which homework is set, (see paragraph 24)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• invest in clearer management structures and enhanced staffing in special educational needs provision, including visual impairment, so as to retain the current good provision. (see paragraphs 22, 23) The Toynbee School - 17

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 20

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

4 30 38 21 4 2 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll 997

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 49

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 21

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 231

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 15

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 16

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 17

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Attendance

National comparative data 91.0 National comparative data 1.1 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. The Toynbee School - 18

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 3 for the latest reporting year 1999 102 88 190

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3

Boys 51 71 68 Numbers of pupils at NC level 5 and above Girls 66 63 63

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3

Percentage of pupils School 62 71 69 at NC level 5 or above National 63 62 55

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3

Percentage of pupils School 24 43 33 at NC level 6 or above National 28 38 23

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3

Boys 54 74 77 Numbers of pupils at NC level 5 and above Girls 68 65 70

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3

Percentage of pupils School 64 73 77 at NC level 5 or above National 64 64 60

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3

Percentage of pupils School 36 41 35 at NC level 6 or above National 31 37 28

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4

Number of 15 year olds on roll in January of the latest reporting year 1999 90 89 179

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4

GCSE results 5 or more grades A* to C 5 or more grades A*-G 1 or more grades A*-G

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4

Boys 47 85 89 Numbers of pupils achieving the standard specified Girls 56 88 89

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4

Percentage of pupils achieving School 58 97 99 the standard specified National 46.3 90.7 95.7

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4

Average point score School 45 per pupil National 37.8 The Toynbee School - 19

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 1 Black – Caribbean heritage

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage Black – African heritage

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 8 Other minority ethnic groups This table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and classes: Y7 – Y11

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 64 Financial year 1998/1999

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 15.6 FTE means full-time equivalent. £

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: Y7 – Y11 Total income 2,244,746

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 25 Total expenditure 2,210,816

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 626 Expenditure per pupil 2,301

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance brought forward from previous year 35,499

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Deployment of teachers: Y7 – Y11 Balance carried forward to next year 69,429 Percentage of time teachers spend in contact with classes

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Percentage of responses in each category

Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 40 49 5 0 6

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 21 59 12 1 6

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 14 59 22 4 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 20 48 23 6 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 44 44 9 1 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 53 43 4 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 20 54 18 7 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 25 54 7 4 9

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 30 57 10 2 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 34 53 2 4 7

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