Chace Community School

CHACE COMMUNITY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 7 - 11 October 2002

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CHACE COMMUNITY SCHOOL

Full inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 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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CHACE COMMUNITY 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. Chace Community School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Huw Jones-Owen

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 21 April 1997 Chace Community School - 4

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Aspect responsibilities

7281 Bob Drew Registered inspector What sort of school is it? How high are standards? a) The school’s results and achievements How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 9710 Elizabeth Burgess Lay inspector How high are standards? b) Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 4677 Val Banks Team inspector Information and communication technology Geography (sixth form) 30899 Kenneth Boden Team inspector Design and technology Design and technology - Engineering AVCE (sixth form) 18447 Ronald Cohen Team inspector History (sixth form) 17709 Alan Giles Team inspector Physical education Physical education (sixth form) Psychology 31100 Geoffrey Hunter Team inspector Mathematics Mathematics (sixth form) Chace Community School - 5 21785 Veronica Kerr Team inspector Physics (sixth

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Aspect responsibilities

form) Science 7958 Georgina Lewis Team inspector Special educational needs 16950 Caroline Orr Team inspector Educational inclusion English as an additional language Modern foreign languages 19867 Maxwell Pettitt Team inspector Art Music 19214 Geoffrey Price Team inspector English English (sixth form) 30427 Felicity Shufflle-Botham Team inspector History (sixth form) Religious education 10564 John Tomlinson Team inspector Geography How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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Aspect responsibilities

Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS

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Aspect responsibilities

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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Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Chace Community School - 6

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7

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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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 16

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Chace Community School is an 11 to 18 comprehensive school with 1189 pupils on roll, including 148 sixth form students. It serves the town of Enfield, sharing its catchment with several high schools that are selective. Year 7 includes many high-attaining pupils, but also has a significant proportion with a range of learning difficulties. On balance, attainment on entry to the school is below average, especially in terms of literacy skills. About 27 per cent of pupils are on the special educational needs register compared with 18 per cent nationally, though the proportion with statements of special educational needs, at 1.9 per cent, is slightly below national levels.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Pupils come from very varied backgrounds, with one minority of quite affluent homes represented and another experiencing significant social and economic disadvantage. The school’s intake matches that of schools nationally. Ethnically the school is very mixed with pupils of white (U.K.) heritage making up about two thirds of the school and small groups of pupils from many ethnic minorities accounting for the other one third. The Black (Caribbean), Black (African), Bangladeshi, Indian, Turkish and Greek communities are represented, and there are about 30 children of refugee status. Many more pupils describe themselves as being of mixed race. English as an additional language is used by 283 pupils, though most have a secure grasp of the language and only 15 are at an early stage of acquiring English.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Since the last inspection of April 1997, the school has had four headteachers as the result of the death of one previous head and the retirement of an earlier one. Two new deputies have also been apppointed. The number on roll has risen. A large budget deficit arose and is being successfully reduced and the school has participated in a range of initiatives including ‘Excellence in Cities’, the Sportsmark Award and the work of the ‘University of the First Age’. Along with most London schools, it has increasingly faced difficulties in filling some teaching posts, but has been more persistent and successful than many.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a sound school with many good features. It is improving noticeably in its positive impact on pupils. It already enables pupils from a very wide range of backgrounds to make sound, sometimes good, progress across Years 7 to 11 and also in the sixth form. Standards, while below national averages, are rising at a faster rate than nationally. Teaching is sound overall with many areas of strength and the school is very well led and managed. Spending is broadly average and the school gives satisfactory value for money.

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What the school does well

• Leadership and management are very good and the head and governors set an excellent tone and sense of direction. • Teaching and learning are very good in English, art, French and drama and good in physical education, history, geography, design and technology, mathematics and religious education. • There is an ethos in which the vast majority of pupils take a pride in their school and adopt positive attitudes to learning. • Pupils make better than average progress in art, English, mathematics, geography, design and technology, physical education, history, French and drama. • The school identifies pupils’ varied needs very effectively and ensures that inclusion works well. • There is very good guidance for the moral development of pupils. • The quality of liaison with parents and with neighbouring schools is good.

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What could be improved

• Provision for information and communication technology (ICT) is unsatisfactory. • Teaching is unsatisfactory and progress too limited in music, German, science and ICT. • Attendance, though much improved, is still below average. • Regional problems in recruitment leave the school unable to staff some areas with teachers who are appropriately trained and experienced. • Accommodation is unsatisfactory because the school lacks adequate ICT, drama, media studies, dining or music facilities and corridors and some classrooms are too small for number on roll. Chace Community School - 8 The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has improved well since the previous inspection of April 1997. It has tackled the key issues of that report successfully, especially in terms of defining senior managers’ roles, introducing strategies to improve behaviour and the quality of support on literacy. Boys’ attainment is improving, as is attendance. Outstanding statutory requirements are met, apart from ICT and religious education in the sixth form.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

In addition, the school has noticeably improved its support from the local community and has many more pupils making the school their first choice. Results in Years 9 and 11 and those in the sixth form are currently rising faster than the national trend. A well co-ordinated approach has been put in place to ensure pupils of every background are effectively supported and challenged to learn well.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 11 and sixth form students at the end of Year 13 based on average point scores in GCSE and A level/AS-level examinations.

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similar

schools well above average A 1999 2000 2001 2001 above average average B C GCSE examinations C D D B below average well below average D E A-levels/AS-levels D D D

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similar

Pupils enter the school with below-average levels of attainment. They achieve satisfactorily in Years 7 to 9, though progress varies between subjects. Progress is best in English and art and good in many other subjects. Progress is unsatisfactory in science, ICT and music. Standards reached in national tests by pupils in Year 9 are below the national average for all schools, but above average for schools in the same free school meals category. Standards reached by the current Year 9 are still below average overall, but show a trend of improvement.

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similar

Pupils in Years 10 and 11 also make sound overall progress. They make very good gains in art and in drama and progress well in many other subjects. Unsatisfactory progress is made in ICT, German and music, and in science pupils make poor progress. By the end of Year 11, therefore, pupils are reaching standards that, collectively, are below average for all schools, but above average for similar schools. However, results in examinations range from high in art and well above average in physical education to well below average in German, science and ICT.

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similar

Targets for National Curriculum test results were exceeded, but those for GCSE were over-ambitious given the pupils attainment in Year 7, and were not met. Both for Year 9 and Year 11, standards have risen more rapidly between 2000 and 2002 than nationally and the interim assessments of current students’ work confirm this upward trend. A range of measures taken by the school has helped boys to narrow the gap between their performance in Year 9 and that of girls; in Year 11 their standards are also rising, though girls continue to do better than boys.

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similar

Pupils with special educational needs make good progress, responding well to effective analysis of their needs and good support for their learning. Pupils with English as an additional language and those deemed gifted or talented generally make the sound overall progress of their peers.

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similar

Standards in the sixth form are reported in more detail elsewhere, but they are just below national average overall: this amounts to good progress, since many students begin their courses with lower GCSE grades than in many sixth forms. Chace Community School - 9

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good. Pupils’ attitudes reflect the belief of most of their parents that they like school. They are enthusiastic, animated and keen to take up opportunities offered to them.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Satisfactory. In most lessons and around school, pupils behave well, often very well. A significant minority lack self-discipline and can be boisterous at times, though staff generally deal with this well.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Good. Pupils have been strongly encouraged by the school’s recent policies to view learning as their principal task in school. They show a good awareness of how to take initiative in lessons, how to research topics and how to relate well to others.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Unsatisfactory. While considerably better than at the time of the previous inspection, attendance levels are below the national average. The intermittent attendance of a minority of pupils significantly hampers their learning.

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Teaching of pupils: Years 7 – 9 Years 10 – 11 Years 12 – 13

Quality of teaching Satisfactory Satisfactory Good 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: Years 7 – 9 Years 10 – 11 Years 12 – 13

Teachers are good at placing high expectations on their pupils and at managing the behaviour of pupils. Their planning and use of assessment is also a strength in Years 10 and 11. All other features of teaching are sound in Years 7 to 11, except the use of numeracy and ICT in day-to-day teaching. Pupils, including those with English as an additional language and those deemed gifted and talented, learn soundly across Years 7 to 11. Pupils with special educational needs learn more effectively than their peers in Years 7 to 9 because of the amount of good support they receive. In the sixth form, the quality of teaching is good, and students learn well. Teachers use very good subject expertise to good effect and establish very good working relationships with students.

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Teaching of pupils: Years 7 – 9 Years 10 – 11 Years 12 – 13

Pupils’ learning is very effective in English, art and French and in GCSE drama and good in many subjects across Years 7 to 11. However, it is unsatisfactory in science, ICT, German and music. Where ICT is taught, it is generally sound, but too little teaching takes place across the curriculum as a whole. In the sixth form, both teaching and learning are very good in psychology, art and English and good in all other subjects.

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Teaching of pupils: Years 7 – 9 Years 10 – 11 Years 12 – 13

This school, as with most London schools, finds it hard to recruit and retain staff. It goes to greater lengths than many to counter this problem, yet teaching and learning still exhibit wider contrasts than nationally. A great many teachers consistently teach well or very well and promote very effective learning. They are typically, but not exclusively, established members of staff, familiar with the school’s expectations and curricular requirements. A minority of teachers have been in the school too little time, as yet, to acquire these elements and they account for the majority of unsatisfactory teaching. Chace Community School - 10

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory. The National Curriculum is enhanced by GNVQs, drama GCSE, good personal, social and health education and good literacy strategies. However, ICT provision is too limited to meet statutory requirements, and arrangements for supporting numeracy across the curriculum are unsatisfactory .

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. This is well organised, and the use of support assistants is generally good. They have their best impact where they are concentrated in Years 7 to 9.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Satisfactory. Specific resources for English as an additional language support are limited, but used well.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good. The school provides very good guidance for pupils’ moral development. Social and cultural development are both well promoted. Spiritual development is satisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Good. Arrangements for monitoring and promoting academic progress are sound and improving. Those for ensuring personal support and guidance and the overall welfare of pupils are very good. The school has established a good working partnership with parents.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Very good. The headteacher sets an excellent tone and sense of direction for the school. Senior managers support her and implement school policies very well. Leadership and management in English, art, physical education, mathematics and drama they are very good. They are unsatisfactory in ICT and music. Accommodation and the levels of staffing and resourcing are unsatisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good. Governors show a much better than average awareness of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They are well organised and provided good strategic advice and support to the school. The vast majority of their statutory duties are met.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Good. The school is strongly committed to reviewing the quality of its work. It has shown that it can take action to improve provision.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Satisfactory. The school is making sound progress in their three-year financial recovery programme. ‘Best value’ principles are used well to decide on which suppliers of services to use and to compare the school’s performance with that of others. Chace Community School - 11

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The very high expectations the school has of all its pupils. • The school staff are very approachable. • The fact that their children enjoy school. • The success the school has in helping their children become mature and responsible. • The good progress made by pupils. • The school is well led and managed. • Consistency with which homework is used. • The range of extra-curricular activities on offer. • The behaviour of a minority of pupils. • The quality of science teaching, especially its continuity.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspectors fully endorse the parents’ overall support for the school’s work and their high approval of the items listed above. Inspectors judge that progress is sound with much that is good, but some areas are less effective. Inspectors agree with the minority of parents who felt that science teaching is not satisfactory and a minority of pupils do not behave well. They found that extra-curricular activities are limited in music, though good elsewhere. The school is already taking well-informed and effective action on these areas. Homework is used well by most teachers and is satisfactory overall. Chace Community School - 12

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SIXTH FORM

There are currently 148 students in the sixth form compared with 120 at the time of the last inspection. Students come from a wide range of social and economic backgrounds, but overall fewer students than average are from families that pursue higher education. The balance of male and female students varies from year to year, with boys outnumbering girls significantly in 2001, with the situation reversed in 2002. The ethnic background of students is very mixed with about 70 per cent of UK White origin and another ten minority communities each contributing a small proportion of students each year. Black students form a smaller proportion of the sixth form than they do of the school as a whole. About half the school’s Year 11 pupils enter their own sixth form while a smaller but significant proportion pursue sixth form studies in other schools in the town in order to meet their preferred subject choices. A similar number of

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SIXTH FORM

students from other schools attend lessons in this sixth form.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SIXTH FORM

On balance, the prior attainment of students is below the norm for sixth forms, reflecting a relatively open-enrolment policy. For a relatively small sixth form it offers an appropriate range of AS and A2 courses as well as several GNVQ courses in Year 12. The school liaises well with other sixth forms and colleges to extend the range of opportunities on offer, jointly running further AS and vocational courses. In addition, it offers GCSE resit courses in Year 12 in English and mathematics. All students participate in a complementary programme of school and community service.

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HOW GOOD THE SIXTH FORM IS

The overall effectiveness of the sixth form is now good. In both respects, the post-16 provision is currently improving markedly. Results have been well below national average until recently, although this has represented satisfactory progress for the students concerned. Trends in AS, A and vocational subjects are upward, improving far faster than nationally. Value-added for students taking exams in 2002 was very good and all indicators suggest that this trend will continue. Take-up of all courses has risen dramatically over the last two years, making them all more than viable. Teaching is good and leadership and management in the sixth form is very good. Students’ needs are well met through the combination of courses offered on site and those run in co-operation with other institutions. Cost effectiveness is sound.

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Strengths

• In all those subjects inspected in detail students make good progress and very good progress in art and psychology. • Amongst the subjects inspected in detail, teaching is very good in English and psychology and good in the vast majority of others. • The sixth form promotes very positive attitudes, which are reflected in their very valuable contribution to school and community. • Careers advice is very good. • The sixth form is very well led and managed: students’ needs are analysed well and their progress monitored closely. • Standards are rising rapidly, with points scores improving from 10.0 to 15.4 in the last four years. • Joint provision arrangements are very good.

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What could be improved

• Examination results and standards of work seen during the inspection are below the school’s general standards in science, geography and ICT. • Religious education fails to meet statutory requirements. • Registration arrangements do not ensure adequate health and safety precautions. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. Strengths and areas for improvement in individual subjects are identified in the sections on individual subjects in the full report. Chace Community School - 13

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THE QUALITY OF PROVISION IN INDIVIDUAL CURRICULUM AREAS

The table below shows overall judgements about the provision in the subjects and courses that were inspected in the sixth form. Judgements are based mainly on the quality of teaching and learning and how well students achieve. Not all subjects in the sixth form were inspected.

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Curriculum area Overall judgement about provision, with comment

AS/A Provision is good. Teaching is good and students reach national average standards through good progress. The subject is very well led and managed.

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Curriculum area Overall judgement about provision, with comment

AS/A Provision is satisfactory. Teaching is good, based on an accurate analysis of students’ strengths and weaknesses. Progress is sound. While attainment is well below national averages, many students start from a low GCSE base and reach or exceed their predicted grades.

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Curriculum area Overall judgement about provision, with comment

Engineering (Intermediate) Provision is good. Results in examinations are above average, completion rates high and a high proportion of students gain distinction or merit grades. Teaching is good and the course well organised. Students’ work is assessed thoroughly.

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Curriculum area Overall judgement about provision, with comment

Business Studies Good provision. There is a range of courses including established ‘academic’ and ‘vocational’ ones. All provide good teaching and management of courses and learning is good as a result.

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Curriculum area Overall judgement about provision, with comment

Physical Education Provision for physical education is good. Teaching is consistently good with high expectations and well-planned activities. Attitudes to studying are very positive.

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Curriculum area Overall judgement about provision, with comment

History Provision in history is good. Students feel well supported by good teaching and the additional help that teachers are willing to give outside lessons. Resources for independent learning are limited.

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Curriculum area Overall judgement about provision, with comment

Geography Provision is satisfactory. While standards are below average, students start with lower than average GCSE results in Year 12 and make sound progress in the sixth form.

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Curriculum area Overall judgement about provision, with comment

Psychology Provision for psychology is excellent. Standards have consistently risen since the last inspection and are now well above the national average. Teaching is very good. Students have excellent attitudes towards learning.

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Curriculum area Overall judgement about provision, with comment

AS/A The provision in English literature is very good. Students make good gains in relation to their levels of attainment at the beginning of Year 12. This is due to their own positive attitudes to learning and to the very good teaching they receive.

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Curriculum area Overall judgement about provision, with comment

In addition work was sampled from post-16 lessons in biology, chemistry, media studies, art, ICT, sociology and key skills. Teaching and learning quality was good overall and standards reached by students were, on balance, in line with national averages. This represents good achievement by students. Chace Community School - 14

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Aspect Comment

How well students are guided and supported Students are well supported in the sixth form. Individual subject teachers give very good direction about course requirements and help students through regular marking and reference to targets. Careers advice is very good and students have many opportunities to visit universities or businesses or have speakers talk about both in school. Many valuable opportunities are provided for students to engage in school or community service activities, such as peer tutoring in Year 7 classes and the Youth Action Volunteer scheme. Key skills are taught and monitored through a well-organised programme.

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Aspect Comment

Effectiveness of the leadership and management of the sixth form The sixth form is very effectively managed. The head of sixth form organises and administrates most efficiently. She has helped raise standards by selecting a pattern of courses in Years 12 and 13 that is attracting increasing numbers of students and presenting them with both greater challenge and more regular evaluation of their progress. She is very successful at matching students’ needs to the courses available within the local consortium of sixth forms. She leads and supports sixth form tutors and subject teachers very well, encouraging them to expect consistently high rates of academic progress and behaviour from students. Together they provide good opportunities for students of all social and academic backgrounds and monitor their progress effectively.

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What students like about the sixth form What they feel could be improved

• Virtually all students said they enjoyed being in this sixth form. • They strongly believe they are treated as a responsible young adult. • The overwhelming majority believe they are taught well, helped to study and research topics independently and helped to settle well in the sixth form. • They strongly believe the courses they are on suit their talents and career aspirations and that information about courses was clear and helpful. • The vast majority find that teachers are accessible and helpful if they have problems with their work. • A very high proportion believes that the school listens and responds to the views of sixth form students. • A minority would like more information about the progress they are making. • A minority do not feel careers advice has clarified what they should do after school. • A minority do not think the school provides a good range of extra-curricular activities and enrichment courses.

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What students like about the sixth form What they feel could be improved

Inspectors judge that the students are right to be so positive about the sixth form and strongly supportive of the areas specified above. Of the topics where a minority hope for improvement, the monitoring of progress is judged by inspectors to be good, careers advice much better than average and the range of extra-curricular provision broadly average. Chace Community School - 15

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COMPARING PROVISION IN SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

Inspectors make judgements about provision in subjects and courses, and about leadership and management, in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. Excellent and very good are equivalent to the judgement “outstanding” in further education and sixth form college reports; poor and very poor are equivalent to “very weak”. Chace Community School - 16

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Currently pupils enter the school with below-average levels of attainment. They achieve satisfactorily in Years 7 to 9, though progress varies between subjects. Standards reached by pupils in Year 9 are below the national averages for all schools, but above average for schools in the same free school meals category. Data on older pupils suggest the limitations in their literacy skills were more marked. Even amongst current Year 7 and 8 a significant minority have reading ages two years below their chronological ages.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. The school’s results in National Curriculum tests are above average compared with all schools in English, just below average in mathematics, but well below average in science. Compared with the results for similar schools, however, these standards are collectively above average. In the work seen during the inspection, pupils reach above-average standards in English, the national average in mathematics and well below average in science. Inspectors saw work that was well above average in art and above average in history; it was below average in German, music, ICT and religious education and well below average in music.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. While pupils’ achievement is sound overall by Year 9, they make good progress in many subjects, notably mathematics, French, history, geography, design and technology, physical education and religious education. In English and art, progress is very good. This is the result of effective teaching and learning in these subjects, and very good quality in the case of English. In turn these departments are characterised by strong leadership, a commitment to constantly improve and a very good awareness of how pupil’s varied needs can best be met in their lessons. Pupils respond well to the high expectations in these lessons and the way teachers encourage and support them. However, unsatisfactory progress is made in science, ICT and German, while in music progress is poor. Leadership in music and ICT fails to provide the motivation towards high attainment amongst pupils. In ICT the curriculum, resources and training of staff lags behind

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

national norms and the department has suffered discontinuity in leadership, while in music there is an urgent need to bring teaching strategies and approaches up to date. Science is currently well led, but teaching has been very badly affected by substantial changes in personnel and heavy dependence on temporary staff some of them not fully equipped to succeed with the children and curriculum before them.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. By Year 11, pupils are gaining results in examinations that, collectively, are below average for all schools, but above average for similar schools. However, results range from very high in art and well above average in physical education, to well below average in German, science and ICT. Pupils in Years 10 and 11 make sound overall progress. They achieve well in English and mathematics and also make good gains in history, design and technology, geography and physical education, while achievement in art and in drama is very good. Unsatisfactory progress is made in ICT and music, and in science and German pupils make poor progress.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. Standards have risen more rapidly over recent years than nationally both for pupils in Year 9 and those in Year 11, and the 2002 test and examination results confirm this trend. Targets for National Curriculum test results were exceeded, but those for GCSE were over ambitious given the pupils attainment in Year 7, and were not met. The positive trends reflect good leadership and management at senior level, which has succeeded in pursuing better attendance, more positive attitudes to learning and better help for the many pupils with a range of behavioural and social problems which previously prevented them and their peers from learning as effectively as they now do. Equally the quality of teaching has improved significantly since the last inspection, so that despite shortcomings in some areas, most teaching is increasingly successful at motivating the full range of pupils. Literacy levels have been low amongst Year 7 pupils for many years, but a

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

good strategy for improvement has been implemented and its benefits have been felt in many departments, especially art, English, geography and physical education. Numeracy standards have also been below average, but less so than literacy: they have not yet improved to the same Chace Community School - 17 degree because the school’s numeracy policy is less well established than its work on literacy. The school has worked hard to help boys narrow the gap between

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

their performance in Year 9 and that of girls; at 16 their standards are also rising, though girls continue to do better than boys. Boys have especially benefited from work on literacy, behaviour management strategies and tighter lesson structuring.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. The school has also made many improvements in provision for pupils with special educational needs so that they make good progress overall. By Year 9, many of these pupils have increased their reading ages by as much as two years and at the end of Year 11 they gain GCSE examination results which are above what might be expected from the tests at the end of Year 9 and the tests set at their entry to the school at 11. In some subject areas, especially science, pupils with special educational needs achieve less as a result of less than satisfactory teaching or poor liaison between support staff and subject teachers. Pupils who are supported by teaching assistants in Year 7 classes make good progress. Those who are withdrawn for individual tuition make very good progress as a result of the structured programmes used by teachers and teaching assistants. Pupils with English as an additional language and those deemed gifted or

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

talented generally make sound overall progress. Only a small proportion of pupils with English as an additional language has been assessed by teachers in the primary school or by the English as an additional language teacher as being in the early stages of learning English. The great majority of pupils with English as an additional language make progress at the same rate as others in their class or ability group. Those in the early stages of learning English make better progress when they have specialist support than in other circumstances. Overall, however, the progress made by pupils who are just starting to learn English relates closely to their aptitude for learning: in general, their progress is satisfactory, and on occasion it is remarkable.

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Sixth form

7. Standards in the sixth form are generally below national averages but this represents good progress, since many students begin their courses with lower GCSE grades than in most sixth forms. While results in 2001 produced an overall points score of 11.0 compared with a national figure of 17.8, the school results for 2002 gave a markedly better points score of 15.4. In addition those Year 12 students set to produce final results in 2003 reached much higher standards than previous Year 12 groups, so that this upward trend in standards is likely to continue. Amongst the subjects focused on during the inspection standards and progress are well above average in psychology, and above average in English. This reflects the consistently impressive quality of teaching in these subjects and the very positive attitudes of students. Similar qualities were evident in subjects observed in less detail, particularly in art, drama and French. Standards in

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Sixth form

subjects with an inspection focus were mostly in line with national averages, which is indicative of good progress given the overall prior attainment of students. In geography, standards and group sizes have been variable with below average results in 2002 after a period of improvement. Standards in Year 13 are below average in some of the more lightly sampled subjects, notably ICT, biology and chemistry and elements of business studies. Discontinuity of teaching has adversely affected standards in all of these subjects, but the school has now made suitable appointments or redirected incoming students onto alternative courses. In addition, this year for the first time Year 12 students followed the AS ICT course and achieved well given that their prior experience was very limited. The general improvement in standards in the sixth form are the result of good management decisions, especially the whole-hearted adoption of the new national

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Sixth form

approach to post-16 provision launched in 2000: this has led to the school offering a much wider range of AS courses, all supported in more viable numbers of students, with well-defined progression into A2 courses. The overall work load and level of challenge for students is now high and regular results from assessed units keep them well informed about their progress and helps them work to clearly focussed targets for future work. In addition the very good leadership of the sixth form creates an ethos of high expectations, full participation by students, and close personal monitoring and support from a strongly committed team of teachers and tutors.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

Chace Community School - 18 8. Pupils’ attitudes to school are good and their standards of behaviour satisfactory. For many pupils, both features are very good. Personal development and relationships in the school are good. Rates of attendance are unsatisfactory.

p.18

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. Pupils’ attitudes to lessons are good. In lessons, they are better amongst older pupils; in over a third of lessons in Years 10 and 11 attitudes are very good or excellent, especially where expectations of what can be achieved are high and work is appropriately matched to provide challenging tasks to pupils with different capabilities and needs. For example, in art, pupils make excellent use of sketchbooks and work hard without close supervision. In a fifth of their lessons, pupils in Years 7 to 9 show similarly very good attitudes; for example, in mathematics, pupils show good levels of interest, are keen to learn and to contribute with confidence to the lesson, and in French, they pay full attention when the pace of the lesson is brisk. However, in about a tenth of lessons, especially where the focus of the lesson is not clear, teachers are indecisive or expect too little from pupils, who fail to engage in the lesson, chatter and learn very little. This

p.18

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

was particularly evident in several science and music lessons, but also was seen in a Year 9 geography lesson, where a noisy start was not controlled well and concentration throughout the lesson suffered as a result. It is often, but not only, boys who show unsatisfactory attitudes. Most pupils show enthusiasm for school, and are keen to learn and to be involved in the extra- curricular activities offered, especially in sports and drama. They take advantage of homework clubs in several subjects. The learning resources centre is used well for study and research.

p.18

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Behaviour in the school is satisfactory. Most pupils are sensible in moving around the school, where the corridors are often too narrow for the numbers using them, and most treat others with consideration. At dinner times, a social atmosphere prevails, although the hall is very busy and crowded. However, in the shorter morning break, the crowds round the snack bar sometimes get out of hand as pupils are impatient to be served. In lessons, behaviour is predominantly good or better, and improves as pupils mature, but in those lessons where the teacher is not fully in control there are outbursts of silly, disruptive behaviour in all years. Exclusions, both permanent and fixed-term, usually the result of abusive or violent behaviour, are high for a school of this size. However, no pupil was excluded in the two terms prior to the inspection, and the rate of fixed-term exclusions is falling. More boys than girls are excluded and a higher proportion of black and other

p.18

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

ethnic minority pupils are excluded, but no more so than is true nationally. Exclusion is used as a final sanction, after considerable efforts on the part of the school to ensure that all can benefit from the school community.

p.18

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Pupils’ responses to school life are good. They are attentive in assemblies and observe well the short periods for reflection. They respect other people’s values and beliefs. In a history lesson in Year 10, pupils showed a good understanding of how Nazi ideas, which they did not share, could appeal to various groups of people, and in religious education, they responded well to the spiritual moment when the teacher was describing the beliefs of suicide bombers involved in the destruction of the ‘twin towers’ in New York. They understand well the impact of their actions on others and there is an absence of oppressive behaviour in the school. Pupils of all ages report that bullying is minimal and any problems are quickly sorted out. Pupils of all racial backgrounds are accepted as of equal value to others, reflecting the school’s commitment to equal opportunity.

p.18

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Pupils’ ability to show initiative and personal responsibility is satisfactory. As they mature, they grow in confidence, volunteering, for example, to read aloud in class. With the best teaching, they respond to opportunities to develop independently. In art, the youngest pupils were seen developing good working habits while exploring the use of colour in their drawings. Year 11 pupils were attentive and responsive to questions in science, even where the lesson was not particularly stimulating. However, in some lessons, pupils used the boring nature of the lesson as an excuse to be silly, and mistreated equipment such as musical instruments.

p.18

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Relationships are good and often very good or excellent. The mutual respect evident between pupils and their teachers generates the confidence for pupils to try new ideas and contribute to class discussions. Excellent relationships between Year 9 pupils and their mathematics teacher promoted real interest and a keenness to learn in one lesson observed, for example. Younger pupils work well with sixth form students, who help with reading, and appreciate their help in settling into school. Pupils work well in groups of mixed gender and race, as well as friendship Chace Community School - 19 groups, and pupils identified as gifted and talented were seen supporting well the lower-attaining pupils in their class. Relationships between pupils and their form tutors are good, and even when there is a need to remind pupils how to behave they accept admonishment gracefully.

p.18

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Attendance is unsatisfactory. Even allowing for absence due to study leave, it is below the national average for secondary schools, although the above-average level of unauthorised absence has been reduced to an average rate over the past year. A very small number of pupils achieve 100 per cent attendance certificates. There are a number of individual pupils with poor attendance with whom the school and the educational welfare officer work closely. Those absent due to long- term medical problems are well supported. The majority of pupils in all year groups have a number of odd days of absence throughout the school year, and a small minority are taken on family holidays during term time. Most pupils are punctual for lessons, although there are instances where pupils arrive late for registration or for lessons, showing no sense of urgency.

p.19

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. More positive attitudes and better standards of behaviour overall are seen in school than at the last inspection: however, as then, attitudes are often dependent on the conditions applying within a particular lesson. Pupils now show a greater enthusiasm for school and are more confident and willing to be involved in all aspects of school life. Attendance rates declined sharply after the previous inspection, but in the last three years, unauthorised absence rates have reduced significantly and overall attendance has also improved, though it is still below average. The frequent absences of some pupils hinders both their learning and that of pupils in the same teaching groups.

p.19

Sixth form

16. Very good attitudes pertain in the sixth form in all subjects. Students enjoy their courses, are highly motivated and clearly involved in their work. They are all fully engaged in lessons and work with a sense of purpose, both independently and in groups. They use appropriate terminology, for example, in business studies, where they provided compelling answers to prove their solution to a problem. In English, they express ideas vehemently, as seen in a lesson where they explored the characters in ‘Othello’.

p.19

Sixth form

17. Students participate fully in the school community, providing good role models for younger pupils. They act as mentors for Year 7 tutor groups to assist the process of settling in, and carry out their prefect duties responsibly. They willingly help younger pupils with reading and undertake mentor training to counter bullying. In the wider community, they assist with sports activities in primary schools and in activities with the local Youth Action Volunteers.

p.19

Sixth form

18. Relationships in the sixth form are very good, as seen in many lessons where students collaborated well in discussions, for example, analysing ‘Hamlet’; co-operative, large group-work is a particular feature in psychology. In mathematics, the mutual respect they showed and the help they afforded each other enabled all to make progress.

p.19

Sixth form

19. Students develop good personal and learning skills. They take initiative well, as seen during a hockey skills lesson, to which they responded enthusiastically. Good independent work, producing a business letter, was seen in ICT, and in art, students do substantial research for their practical work, showing excellent working practices and a high involvement in individual projects. They listen well, undertake appropriate research and develop a good understanding of their subjects.

p.19

Sixth form

20. Students are happy in the sixth form and express very positive views about the experience that it affords them. They voiced strong appreciation of the way they are treated as young adults, and the help afforded them by teachers. Responses to a questionnaire of their views showed some reservations about the advice they received on sixth form courses and careers, and about the information they received on their progress. However, in discussions during the inspection, students said that these were areas that they valued, a view supported by the inspection team.

p.19

Sixth form

21. Attendance in the sixth form is good. Most students have good attendance records and are generally punctual for lessons. Chace Community School - 20 Chace Community School - 21

p.19

HOW WELL ARE STUDENTS TAUGHT?

22. For the school as a whole, teaching and learning are sound, with 92 per cent of the lessons seen during the inspection having at least satisfactory teaching and learning. The quality of both is sound across Years 7 to 11 and good in the sixth form. Much teaching is very good and some outstanding, but there is a minority that is less than satisfactory, particularly in Years 7 to 9.

p.21

HOW WELL ARE STUDENTS TAUGHT?

23. There are strengths in teaching common to most of the school staff. Central to these is the placing of high expectations on pupils. Teachers generally make the aims of their lessons very clear and they ensure pupils and students realise that their best work and behaviour are required at all times. Pupils with English as an additional language learn soundly in Years 7-11. All teachers receive details of their level of attainment in English, and the length of time pupils have spent in the country. Those receiving special support are identified for particular attention by the teacher. In consequence, most teachers are aware of needs. However, the amount of specialist support available through EMAG funding is inadequate for the needs of all the pupils who are in the early stages of learning English. There is more specialist support for pupils with special educational needs and they learn well in Years 7 to 9 where the help is concentrated and soundly

p.21

HOW WELL ARE STUDENTS TAUGHT?

in Years 10 and 11. The school also provides well for many other pupils with behaviour which could disrupt their own learning or that of others or pupils with social or emotional problems likely to hamper their concentration in lessons. The Learning Support Centre enables these pupils and those in their teaching groups to learn more effectively than they otherwise would.

p.21

HOW WELL ARE STUDENTS TAUGHT?

24. In the most successful lessons, these features of high expectation and good pupil managements are then backed up by the use of tasks and exposition from the teacher that reveal a very close grasp of National Curriculum or Examination Board requirements in the subject. In addition, the wide range of pupils’ needs in each class is successfully met by resources, activities or personal support that match different individual or group needs. For example, in a Year 10 art lesson, the opening few minutes involved a first rate review of previous work: all pupils, in rapid sequence, commented on the still-life painting they were working on, and they and the teacher used this information to shape their subsequent progress. Quickly drawn, but very impressive, examples provided by the teacher inspired pupils to high standards.

p.21

HOW WELL ARE STUDENTS TAUGHT?

25. The other, related, strength common to teaching as a whole is the good management of pupils. In the sixth form, management of students is very good. In all year groups, the great majority of staff establish very positive relationships with pupils, who in turn bring constructive attitudes to learning. Teachers reward good behaviour well and, through setting high expectations, consistently place challenging and interesting work before their pupils. A significant minority of pupils bring very challenging behaviour to lessons and teachers generally respond by successfully applying school policy: sanctions and support are used within the classroom and, when required, referral to other colleagues in line with an agreed well-operated system. In a Year 9 geography lesson, for example, one of many strong features was the frequent use of praise and encouragement to pupils across a wide range of ability. The mix of paired work, oral discussion,

p.21

HOW WELL ARE STUDENTS TAUGHT?

individual written work and use of a video clip made it easy for all pupils to join in. Pupils showed very strong commitment to study as a result. The teacher’s clear instructions, decisive response to any lapse in attention and very helpful manner ensured good attitudes and behaviour from a highly varied group, leading to very good learning.

p.21

HOW WELL ARE STUDENTS TAUGHT?

26. In about 8 per cent of lessons, pupils’ learning is unsatisfactory. Generally, the cause is the failure of teachers on those occasions to set the high, well-matched expectations seen in most lessons or to apply the successful strategies for managing pupils so widely used at other times.

p.21

HOW WELL ARE STUDENTS TAUGHT?

27. For example, in a Year 11 design and technology lesson, teaching and learning were unsatisfactory because the expectations were too low, due to the teacher’s lacked familiarity with the specific approach needed for that part of the course. The work set for pupils failed to provide challenging tasks in a logical order. The lesson lacked a clear purposeful start, and, as pupils’ behaviour deteriorated, the teacher failed to adopt any new teaching strategies or take appropriate action early enough. Chace Community School - 22 28. Differences in teaching and learning exist between phases in the school. In Years 7 to 9, teaching is sound overall and enables pupils to make satisfactory collective progress. While more lessons than normal seen during the inspection, about 13 per cent, had unsatisfactory teaching in these Year groups, this was concentrated within a limited number of subjects currently suffering more teacher absences than is usual. Teaching in Years 7 to 9 overall

p.21

HOW WELL ARE STUDENTS TAUGHT?

counteracts this factor sufficiently well to ensure pupils’ learning is sound for the curriculum as a whole. In Years 10 and 11 the proportion was 8 per cent, while in the sixth form no lessons had unsatisfactory teaching or learning. This difference largely reflects the fact that amongst teachers with some unsatisfactory lessons, their timetables often had a Year 7 to 9 focus. The school achieves more and more success with pupils’ attitudes and behaviour the longer they are at the school, so that approaches to learning are significantly better in Years 10 and 11 compared with Years 7 to 9.

p.22

HOW WELL ARE STUDENTS TAUGHT?

29. Pupils’ learning is good in Years 10 and 11 in terms of knowing their target grades and how these should be met. It is also a strength in the sixth form, but in Years 7 to 9, pupils and their teachers make less use of targets and show less familiarity with National Curriculum levels than with GCSE grades. Again in Years 10 and 11, teachers’ planning is good, whereas it is satisfactory in Years 7 to 9. In Years 10 and 11, there is better use of assessment data, which provides more precise guidance to teachers in shaping the work they set and leads to the good pace and productivity of most lessons; pupils’ learning benefits from this specific tailoring of challenge and tasks to their needs.

p.22

HOW WELL ARE STUDENTS TAUGHT?

30. A general weakness in otherwise sound and sometimes good teaching is the unsatisfactory integration of ICT and numeracy skills in lessons. The current lack of ICT resources and training largely explain this factor, but its impact on pupils is nonetheless a harmful one: many pupils’ learning skills are hampered because too little ICT teaching takes place. Numeracy teaching across the curriculum is currently a priority for development in the school, and needs rapidly to become a beneficial learning aid for pupils.

p.22

HOW WELL ARE STUDENTS TAUGHT?

31. Teaching and learning are very effective in some subjects. In Years 7 to 11 both are very good in English, art and French and they are good in history, mathematics, physical education, design and technology and religious education. In addition, in Years 10 and 11, teaching and learning are good in geography and very effective in drama.

p.22

HOW WELL ARE STUDENTS TAUGHT?

32. The quality of teaching and learning is, however, unsatisfactory in ICT, German, science and music. Too little ICT teaching takes place across Years 7 to 11, since teachers in many subjects lack the confidence and resources to integrate it into their day-to-day teaching. Specialist ICT teaching is satisfactory in quality. Science teaching demonstrates more than other subjects the lack of secure management of pupils and knowledge of National Curriculum or GCSE, standards identified earlier as a general cause of unsatisfactory teaching. In music, Years 7 to 9 lack a formal scheme of work and teaching misses opportunities to develop varied and stimulating practical activities: unsatisfactory teaching results from these factors and insecure management of pupils.

p.22

HOW WELL ARE STUDENTS TAUGHT?

33. Teaching and learning in the school are affected by a range of factors, some typical of areas such as London, where recruitment is a serious problem. Established teachers in the school generally teach well or very well, and while there are exceptions, they are few. New staff are constantly joining the school for varying lengths of time. Some of these adapt very quickly to the requirements of the National Curriculum, UK examination board requirements and the needs of urban UK pupils, while others are less successful. A disproportionate share of the school’s unsatisfactory teaching and learning is accounted for by such staff. The school has improved teaching quality since the last inspection, despite the recruitment factor worsening, a tribute to strong staff development policies, increasingly effective monitoring and support and the determination and hard work by the vast majority of teachers. Training for newly qualified

p.22

HOW WELL ARE STUDENTS TAUGHT?

teachers and orientation sessions for student teachers are both very effective, but some overseas trained staff do not receive adequate preparation for teaching in the school.

p.22

Sixth Form

Chace Community School - 23 34. Teaching and learning are good. All lessons seen during the inspection were at least satisfactory, and good teaching or better accounted for about two thirds of the total. The level of subject expertise was consistently very good and the management of students also very effective. Coupled with the very positive attitudes to school found amongst students, good learning is the norm. For example in a Year 12 engineering lesson, the teacher had exploited his detailed knowledge of milling processes to the point where students could participate in discussion of quite sophisticated procedures such as “spot facing” on castings. In Year 13 physical education lessons it is the norm for teaching to refer to knowledge and experience gained by students beyond the classroom. This requires students to extend their independent study very seriously and is one of several factors that leads to a mature sharing of responsibility for progress between

p.23

Sixth Form

teacher and student. In history lessons it is typical that students are asked to learn from each other through paired investigations and from the presentation they then make to the group. This succeeds because teachers provide good initial guidance as students begin research tasks and because students are then expected to operate independently and to high standards as they pursue their investigative work.

p.23

Sixth Form

35. In English, psychology and art, teaching and learning are very good, with some lessons of excellent quality. Teaching and learning are good in virtually all other subjects and unsatisfactory in none.

p.23

Sixth Form

36. At its best, teaching and learning in the sixth form are exemplary, as evidenced by a Year 13 psychology lesson. Here, the teacher’s excellent knowledge of the subject was supported by a very detailed grasp of examination board requirements: this enabled her to place a constant flow of well focused challenges to her students so that they had to reconsider, justify or illustrate their ideas. They responded well in the very positive atmosphere created by the teacher and demonstrated excellent learning.

p.23

TO STUDENTS?

37. The school offers a satisfactory range of learning opportunities in Years 7 to 11. Curricular opportunities are very good in art and good in English and physical education. It is satisfactory in mathematics, science, design and technology, geography, history, modern languages, physical education and religious education. It is unsatisfactory in ICT and music. Statutory requirements are met, with the exception of ICT, which only receives a minimal amount of time in Year 7 and is not taught at all in Year 8. The school plans to teach ICT through other subjects, but this is not yet happening in a sufficiently co-ordinated way to ensure that pupils are taught the programmes of study required by the National Curriculum. Pupils do not receive their entitlement to ICT teaching in Years 10 to 11.

p.23

TO STUDENTS?

38. In Years 7 to 9, in addition to the National Curriculum subjects and religious education, pupils are also taught drama. All pupils follow a personal, social and health education course that includes careers education. Pupils in Years 10 to 11 follow a range of courses that provides good links to Year 12 and to further education courses. The Student Training and Remotivation course (STAR) organised by the local education authority is well used by the school and links well with further education colleges to ensure the inclusion of a group of pupils for whom the main curriculum is too demanding, a particularly successful development.

p.23

TO STUDENTS?

39. The personal, social and health education course is being revised, but provides a good link between school and the outside world. The course is taught by tutors in Years 7 to 9, and run by a dedicated team of teachers in Years 10 and 11, led by a co-ordinator with vision and enthusiasm. It includes drugs education, relationships and personal development and careers education; the school recently received an award for the quality of the careers library. All pupils in Year 10 take part in a two-week work experience scheme and most pupils find this interesting and worthwhile.

p.23

TO STUDENTS?

40. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. There is very good provision for equality of access and opportunity, and the school has a strong commitment to mixed-ability Chace Community School - 24 groups, which works well in some subjects, such as geography, but is less effective in other areas.

p.23

TO STUDENTS?

41. The effectiveness of the school's strategies for teaching literacy is good, but that for teaching numeracy in most subjects is unsatisfactory. Pupils are able to study with greater success than in previous years because of improving confidence in reading, and this has especially helped boys raise their standards of attainment. While mathematics teaching has a good impact on basic numeracy skills too few other subjects are reinforcing this aspect of learning and this is limiting the scope for generally satisfactory learning to become good or very good.

p.24

TO STUDENTS?

42. There are good relationships with local primary schools, though the stress is on helping pupils to transfer from Year 6 to Year 7, and curricular links are not a strong feature. Links with further education colleges are very good and are used effectively to extend the curriculum for a small but significant group of pupils who are professionally supported by the school’s Connexions Co- ordinator. Ten pupils taking part in the Heaven Academy scheme at Capel Manor College have the opportunity to take NVQ modules in horticulture and animal care.

p.24

TO STUDENTS?

43. The provision for extra-curricular opportunities is satisfactory. There is a range of activities, covering sporting and academic activities. The school was awarded the Sportsmark Award in 2000. Mentors provide good drop-in facilities that are well supported by both boys and girls. In addition, most subjects provide homework and study clubs that provide extra learning support. As part of an Enfield/DfES pilot the school has developed a range of exciting study support and out-of-hours learning activities with peer tutors, including Super Learning days, literacy work and University of the First Age art summer school.

p.24

TO STUDENTS?

44. Since the last inspection, there has been satisfactory improvement in the arrangements for the curriculum. In Years 7 to 9, the physical education curriculum is now satisfactory, and all pupils study religious education. However, there has been insufficient improvement in arrangements for ICT in Years 7 to 11 and religious education in the sixth form. The total teaching time has been increased from 24 hours to 25 hours per week in all years.

p.24

Sixth form

45. The range of learning opportunities in the sixth form is satisfactory. There are AS and A level courses in a wide range of traditional subjects. In addition, students have the opportunity to study drama, media studies, physical education, psychology and sociology. There are also Intermediate GNVQ courses in business and engineering and in leisure and tourism. Good provision is now made for ICT in the sixth form where everyone follows a key skills course or an ICT examination. The newly introduced AS ICT course allowed current Year 12 students to build successfully on the very limited ICT expertise they had on entry to the sixth form. The school’s curriculum benefits greatly from its role as a partner in the Enfield Collegiate system. This involves each sixth form in the town offering only those courses that are strengths in terms of teaching expertise and learning resources. Collectively the various sixth forms offer a far wider range of

p.24

Sixth form

good quality courses than could be provided by any single institution and students are advised to study subjects where provision is best within the system. However, the school does not meet statutory requirements as students do not study religious education.

p.24

Sixth form

46. The school offers the Community Sports Leadership Award and there is also a wide range of voluntary activities in the school, where students support pupils in the lower school with their reading, and also in the wider community, where students work with the elderly and groups of people with disabilities.

p.24

Sixth form

47. Entry requirements to the sixth form are flexible. Students are advised and individual circumstances are considered, but occasionally this leads to problems. The below average results in A level science subjects, for example, reflect the very flexible entry requirements.

p.24

Provision for Personal Development – Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural

Chace Community School - 25 48. The school’s provision for personal development is good. Many lessons provide discussion opportunities on spiritual, moral, social or cultural issues, in which pupils participate at various levels. Some are planned and teachers facilitate a good depth of understanding of pupils’ place in the world and a sense of right and wrong. In some lessons and subjects, opportunities are recognised by the teachers, but not made explicit to pupils. The contribution made by each subject to personal development is not being assessed by the school. As at the last inspection, provision is uneven across subjects, and the raising of questions by pupils has not become a noticeable feature of all classroom practice. However, provision has improved, and most subjects, with the notable exception of music, make a stronger impact on personal development. 49. Provision for spiritual development is satisfactory. English, art, religious education and personal,

p.25

Provision for Personal Development – Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural

social and health education lessons all make positive contributions, enabling students to benefit from discussions, about, for example, the symbolism and message behind a painting of the crucified Christ ruined by warfare, or the imagery in William Blake’s poem ‘The Sick Rose’. However, many subjects neither plan for, nor contribute to, pupils’ spiritual development. The contribution from music is unsatisfactory. In geography, opportunities are missed to encourage pupils to reflect on the power of natural forces such as the sea, or the amazing power of earthquakes and volcanoes.

p.25

Provision for Personal Development – Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural

50. A short moment for reflection forms part of the twice-weekly assembly in which all pupils participate, but this is insufficient to develop ideas suggested by the content. Music is played at the start and finish of assemblies held in the hall, but again, too little time is given to listen in silence and reflect on its impact. The published ideas for form reflections during inspection week, to extend the ideas for Harvest discussed in assemblies, were not referred to by form tutors in any year group observed.

p.25

Provision for Personal Development – Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural

51. Provision for moral development is very good and permeates the life of the school. Many teachers’ approach to lessons has an inherent expectation that pupils know right from wrong. Moral issues are often at the heart of literature studied, such as Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’, and topics studied in history and personal, social and health education lessons have a strong moral theme, such as a study of the rights and wrongs of America attacking Iraq, animal rights issues, factory conditions over a hundred years ago or Nazi Germany. Pupils show interest in expressing their views on these issues.

p.25

Provision for Personal Development – Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural

52. Provision for social and cultural development is good. Form times and personal and social lessons encourage good social interaction and the formation of good relationships. Some teachers use seating plans effectively to integrate boys and girls and encourage co-operation between pupils from different backgrounds and races and of different abilities. The most able willingly help their less able peers in these circumstances. In design and technology, there is a good social emphasis on individual responsibility for safe working, and in drama, good peer group attitudes are promoted, which increase confidence and engender positive attitudes. Extra- curricular opportunities also help social development, with pupils keen to be involved in work for charity, such as washing cars and making cakes for sale at school productions. There is a rich cultural diversity in the art curriculum and religious education includes the study of different faiths.

p.25

Provision for Personal Development – Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural

Other cultures, including Japan, Italy and Kenya, are studied as part of the geography curriculum. A range of visits is made to museums and to places of worship. Some Year 9 pupils have visited Belgian war graves, and other opportunities for foreign visits are planned, such as a French exchange and a school skiing trip. There is much cultural diversity within the school; ethnic sources have been well used in design and technology as the starting point for textile projects and day-to-day teaching and themes in assemblies help ensure pupils are being prepared effectively for life in the multicultural society they represent. Where there are very small numbers of a particular ethnic minority, steps are taken to ensure that they are not patronised, but given equal value in the school community.

p.25

Sixth form

53. Provision for personal development in the sixth form is similar to that in the main school, with English and art making strong contributions. In addition, enrichment is provided through a range of mentoring and volunteer programmes. For example, students have good opportunities to be involved with younger pupils, and volunteer to act as prefects, to train as counsellors to counter Chace Community School - 26 bullying, to help Year 7 pupils settle in with their tutor groups, or to help with reading. In the wider community, students are involved in the local Youth Action Volunteers and some train as community youth sports leaders and help with sport at some of the feeder primary schools. As in the main school, there is no daily act of collective worship.

p.25

Advice, support and guidance

54. The school makes very good provision for the care of its pupils. There are established procedures to identify and handle issues related to child protection; staff are informed of their responsibilities by the designated teacher and in the staff handbook. Good procedures are in place to protect the health and safety of pupils and staff, and there are clear guidelines to deal with first aid and minor emergencies. A high standard of care is apparent throughout the school. New pupils, whether they join the school at the start of Year 7 or at any other time, are very well supported. A wide range of support strategies are in place to remove barriers to learning which many encounter during the course of their time at school. All groups of pupils are enabled to make progress regardless of gender, ability, race or family background.

p.26

Advice, support and guidance

55. The school’s monitoring of academic performance and personal development is satisfactory, with good educational and personal support and guidance available to pupils. Procedures for monitoring attendance are good and the level of unauthorised absence has fallen significantly, although the overall attendance rate is little changed since the last inspection. Registration is efficiently conducted. The services of the educational welfare officer are used effectively. Procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour are good and those for eliminating oppressive behaviour are very good. Pupils with behaviour problems are given very good support, and those who encounter specific barriers to learning are helped by specialists within the school and from outside agencies. Progress of these pupils is closely monitored. All pupils are encouraged by the good use made of rewards and praise for high standards and application.

p.26

Advice, support and guidance

There is a notable absence of oppressive behaviour in the school and pupils of all ages report that any bullying which occurs is dealt with swiftly and well. Sixth form students are trained in peer counselling to help this process.

p.26

Advice, support and guidance

56. Procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment and academic progress and the use of assessment information to guide curricular planning are satisfactory. In some subjects, notably art, mathematics and English, assessment is very good and pupils are well informed about their academic attainment. Procedures for assessing pupils’ work have been recently revised, so that pupils are assessed in line with national standards in all subjects every half term. At present, assessment data is not used sufficiently well to inform pupils and their parents of progress towards national tests taken in Year 9. In Years 10 and 11, pupils have a much better idea of how they are performing against past performance, and clearer indications of what they must do to improve. Assessment in music and ICT is unsatisfactory. Since the last inspection, assessment procedures and use of the data have improved in most subjects but there is no

p.26

Advice, support and guidance

consistent strategy across the whole curriculum.

p.26

Advice, support and guidance

57. Procedures for monitoring and supporting pupils’ personal development are good. Tutors, who teach personal and social education to their own form in the three lower years, know their pupils well and monitor many aspects of their personal life. Pupils use their planners well, recording their own attendance and punctuality, homework, achievements and rewards in the form of stickers. This information can be shared with parents and is monitored by tutors. Pupils set their own targets for learning in conjunction with their tutor at the twice-yearly learning review days. This is a useful exercise, but sometimes the targets are too general in nature. Tutors use form times well, forming good relationships with their group. They are well informed about pupils’ individual targets and are instrumental in encouraging pupils to read more regularly and widely.

p.26

Advice, support and guidance

58. Since the last inspection, high standards of pastoral care have been maintained and a range of strategies implemented to support vulnerable groups of pupils. Chace Community School - 27

p.26

Advice, support and guidance

59. The educational and personal support and guidance for students in the sixth form is good. Those interviewed were very happy about the guidance they receive. However, procedures for monitoring and improving attendance are unsatisfactory. Although formal registration periods are held in Year 12, the data is not collated, and for safety reasons there should be a record of the numbers on site.

p.27

Advice, support and guidance

60. The quality and accessibility of information, advice and guidance provided to students is good. The head of sixth form is readily accessible to students, as are other subject teachers. Many students have opportunities to experience a second work placement. Careers education and

p.27

Advice, support and guidance

guidance provided in the sixth form to enable students to plan for future courses, study or career opportunities are very good. External services are used well and visits to other educational establishments provided.

p.27

Assessment

61. In the sixth form, procedures for assessing students’ attainment and progress are good. Predictions are made for each student based on past performance in, for example, GCSE examinations and other national assessments. Students know their predicted grades and what they must do to achieve and improve on them. Individual learning needs are well provided for. Assessment data is used well to guide curricular planning and there are good procedures in place to monitor and support pupils’ academic progress. The efficient storage and retrieval of assessment data in the sixth form and across the rest of the school is a strength of the school’s approach to using management information systems.

p.27

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

62. Parents view this as a good school. They expressed their views in a questionnaire and at a meeting for parents with the inspector; some submitted written comments. The majority of parents were very positive about all aspects of the school. In particular, they said they feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem; they feel that their children are expected to work hard to achieve their best and they make good progress. Pupils are helped to become mature and responsible and are happy at school. Parents express high praise for the head teacher and the improvements that she has made to standards, progress, and pupils’ attitudes and behaviour. Most feel she is responsive to parents’ ideas and that communication between home and school is good.

p.27

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

63. A small number of parents were concerned about the amount of homework set and there were some criticisms regarding the usefulness of the learning review days after Year 7, so that some feel insufficiently informed about how their child is getting on. There is some concern about behaviour, notably in some Year 9 and 11 classes, and particularly in science lessons, where pupils have experienced a number of supply teachers.

p.27

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

64. The inspectors found that parents are kept well informed about the school and that they have every reason to be happy with the school’s provision. They found that the attitudes and behaviour of a minority of pupils are unsatisfactory, but judge the school to have appropriate strategies in place to ensure that all groups of pupils can succeed.

p.27

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

65. The school has very good links with parents. All parents are kept well informed about the school as a whole and about their individual child, through written communications and personal contact. Letters of praise are sent when pupils have achieved well in their learning and parental contact is made at an early stage if attendance, behaviour or other problems occur. There is very good, regular contact with the parents of those pupils whose performance is closely monitored, such as Chace Community School - 28 pupils with special educational needs, those who are gifted or talented, or who feature in one of the school’s support programmes, such as that provided by the learning mentors.

p.27

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

66. The quality of information provided is good. The information provided to parents before pupils join the school and the regular school bulletin are very good. The newly combined information book and governors’ annual report are full and informative about all aspects of school life. Annual written reports on pupils’ progress are generally good and set useful targets for improvement in each subject. However, at present, National Curriculum levels are not reported in Years 7 to 9, and there are some omissions in reporting on ICT. Suitable arrangements are made to ensure that all the school’s information is accessible to parents and carers whose first language is not English.

p.28

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

67. Parents’ involvement in the work of the school is good and they provide a good contribution to their children’s learning at school and at home. Ballots are held when parent governors are elected, reflecting the commitment of parents to become involved in this role. The Chace Association enables many parents to contribute to school life, organising or supporting social and fund-raising events. They show their commitment to the school by signing a home-school agreement and attend meetings with staff when requested should problems arise. Attendance at school presentations, open evenings and productions is high. They use pupils’ planners well to contact teachers, although this is not always reciprocated. A good partnership with parents has been maintained and strengthened since the last inspection.

p.28

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

68. Parents of sixth form students expressed very positive views about the school and recognise the many improvements that have been effected in the learning environment since their children joined the school. They generally feel that their children have been well prepared for sixth form life and appreciate the opportunities that are given to them to participate fully in the whole-school community. Very good contact with parents continues after Year 11 into the sixth form and many continue to be involved in main school activities. Parents receive well-presented progress reports on each subject that indicate current performance against expected examination grades, and suggestions for improvements.

p.28

Leadership and management

69. The overall quality of leadership and management in the school is very good, and the role played by the headteacher in setting the tone and direction of the school’s work is excellent. Most subjects have leadership and management that are good, and in some they are very effective; in a small minority, standards are unsatisfactory.

p.28

Leadership and management

70. At senior level, the headteacher, in post for four years, has built a new team of deputy and assistant heads. Most are relatively recently appointed and some have just joined the school. Their collective impact is yet to be fully felt. However, the headteacher has already galvanised staff at every level into a strong commitment to the school’s ethos. Staff, parents and inspectors recognise it immediately as an inclusive community, operating through teamwork and aiming to raise standards for all pupils. All senior staff are highly visible about the school and accessible to pupils, colleagues and parents. They act and speak in a very constructive and supportive manner, but equally insist on high standards of behaviour, especially in terms of respect for others. The mission statement of the school – built around its name – is visible in every room and corridor of the school, leaving no scope for missing the overwhelming emphasis placed on

p.28

Leadership and management

promoting learning. By constantly re-stating this commitment in serious terms and in more light- hearted ways, the headteacher has succeeded in helping the vast majority of pupils, all staff and a great many parents understand the essence of what the school stands for.

p.28

Leadership and management

71. This achievement has real substance because senior staff, operating as a very effective team, are formulating and implementing good policies that promote effective learning. They have clear job descriptions and can act independently to a high degree, while still keeping colleagues fully informed of the progress they are making. As a result, one assistant head has made rapid Chace Community School - 29 improvements in the last few years on co-ordinating aspects of pupil development, especially for those with distinctive learning needs; a deputy headteacher has efficiently redefined the role of heads of year to combine their pastoral and academic responsibilities more effectively. Collectively they have introduced systematic monitoring and supporting of faculties and of year groups. The combined effect of their personal qualities, collective efficiency and willingness to work alongside colleagues in any context earns them considerable respect. The headteacher is

p.28

Leadership and management

particularly successful in these terms and inspires commitment in those around her.

p.29

Leadership and management

72. Leadership and management of departments are satisfactory on balance. Leadership is very effective in art, English, mathematics and physical education, and it is good in most others. However, in ICT and music, the quality of leadership and management is unsatisfactory. Science is currently well led and improvement is taking place, but this has yet to produce satisfactory provision for pupils.

p.29

Leadership and management

73. Governors show a very good knowledge of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, arising partly from well-organised meetings and a good exchange of information between governing body groups and school staff. There is also an adequate level of governor visits to the school to observe it in session. As a result, governors provide good strategic advice and support to

p.29

Leadership and management

senior management. They fulfil the vast majority of their statutory obligations well including recent requirements for a clear policy statement on racial equality, though they fail to ensure that a daily act of collective worship and ICT meets requirements are met.

p.29

Leadership and management

74. Financial management is now satisfactory. It was insecure during the late 1990s, when spending on various items began to generate a budget deficit, exacerbated by attempts to secure better quality supply staff, whose cost rose unpredictably. However, the current senior management team have taken action, supported by the local education authority, to eliminate the overspending within three years. The deficit has now peaked and the process of implementing measures to reduce it is progressing well. Current financial monitoring by the bursar and senior management team and governors is efficient.

p.29

Leadership and management

75. Development planning in the school is good. It involves considerable consultation, but remains manageable. The chosen priorities are very appropriate to the school’s needs and the strategies for bringing about improvement are realistic yet challenging.

p.29

Leadership and management

76. Monitoring and supporting teaching and the work of departments are satisfactory. Systematic and frequent monitoring is a relatively recent development, pursued energetically by the current headteacher, though not common practice before her appointment. Already all faculties have been reviewed and year groups are also monitored on a planned programme by senior managers. The senior leadership team has begun to train both heads of faculties or departments and heads of year – because there has been relatively little formal observation of colleagues by some middle managers, although good practice is evident in several departments. These processes have been successful in identifying needs and putting remedial action in place in many areas, for instance in science and modern languages, in setting new arrangements to supporting pupils with specific learning needs and behavioural problems as well as strategies to reducing pupils absences. This

p.29

Leadership and management

process of self-evaluation has also led the current leadership team to speed up the adoption of the government’s ‘Key Stage 3 Strategy’, preparation for which should have been made by previous incumbents at senior level. However, the oversight of ICT and music by senior managers has been ineffective for too long, allowing these subjects to remain badly led.

p.29

Leadership and management

77. Staffing is unsatisfactory because of factors largely outside the control of the school. The school has made great efforts to deal with staffing shortages that are related to the London location. There are currently 18 members of staff employed through agencies because the school has been unable to make permanent appointments. In the last four years, there have been 18 teachers on maternity leave. These problems have been concentrated in particular areas of school, for example, in the science department. Here the headteacher and other senior staff have monitored extensively and have given extensive support and guidance. In the design and technology department, the high turn-over of staff has caused problems of discontinuity and has had a Chace Community School - 30 negative impact on the learning of pupils. Thus, the match of teaching staff to the curriculum is unsatisfactory overall because it is having an adverse affect on standards.

p.29

Leadership and management

78. There is a well-planned programme of induction for newly qualified teachers to which other new staff are invited. The school also makes use of the borough's programme for overseas trained teachers, but not all such teachers are able to benefit from this training. Some of these teachers have experienced different education systems and need further training in particular issues, such as the National Curriculum and the use of levels to assess pupils. They would also benefit from more specific subject training to match their needs and by the inclusion of work on cultural differences and the behaviour of UK children. At the moment, this programme is organised by one of the assistant head teachers and provided by heads of faculty.

p.30

Leadership and management

79. There are good links with the local universities and the school welcomes student teachers on a regular basis, which is proving a useful system for identifying high-quality young teachers, and the school is sensible in appointing some of the best to its permanent staff.

p.30

Leadership and management

80. The performance management scheme is well established and well organised. It is clearly linked to the training programme that is focused on its positive impact on learning in the classroom. Chace Community School - 31 81. The team of teaching assistants who support pupils with special educational needs is very effective and ensures that their learning and progress are good. The technicians in the science department are of good quality and provide good support. There is an extensive team of support staff that is ably led by the bursar. The school has taken the decision to employ its own catering staff and cleaners and they provide very good support and are well integrated into the school. They have their own school-developed appraisal scheme that has been used as a model by other institutions.

p.30

Leadership and management

82. The school is taking part in the Investors in People programme as part of its commitment to good training and the development of effective and efficient systems.

p.31

Leadership and management

83. Accommodation is unsatisfactory because of the overcrowding and lack of space. The school is equipped to take 196 pupils in each year group, but for several years has been admitting over 200 pupils each year. The school makes good use of the buildings and site and they are clean and well maintained. There are almost no problems of vandalism or graffiti and the site manager and his team are very effective in their care for the site. However, as the school has become more popular and numbers have grown, the facilities have not kept pace with the expansion in pupil numbers. Accommodation is a problem in design and technology, ICT, drama and music. The design and technology area needs an extra workshop in order to ensure that all aspects of the National Curriculum are taught to the highest possible standards. The music department has moved three times since the last inspection. It now has a good-sized room, but its location is not

p.31

Leadership and management

helpful to other departments and the practice rooms are away from the main room and therefore not easily supervised. These deficiencies place demands on the department and influence teaching and learning styles by restricting the development of small group-work. Facilities for ICT are limited and the main room is very small. The learning resources centre has helped to improve the situation and when the new room is available, access will become easier. Drama is taught in a converted room and on the stage. The stage is inadequate for this purpose and as the hall is also used for assemblies and for dining there is some disruption to lessons. There are limited outside hard surfaces and in wet weather this creates problems. Another result of the school's expansion has been the loss of the youth wing to teaching spaces so that there are now poor social facilities for pupils at breaks and lunch times: for pupil’s personal and social development

p.31

Leadership and management

to improve still further obstacles such as these limiting factors needs to be removed. The school has poor facilities for dining and the provision of a temporary building is only a poor compromise. There has been some attempt to modify the building to improve its accessibility, but this is limited and access for people with disabilities is poor with access restricted to the ground floor.

p.31

Resources

84. As part of the school’s three-year budget recovery plan, the proportion of the budget allocated to learning resources has been reduced to well below average and this has led to inadequate resources in several areas of the curriculum. This is a considerable reduction from the time of the last inspection, when expenditure on resources was described as well above average. Expenditure is carefully monitored and money available for resources is reviewed regularly. The school is aware of the need to protect classroom resources and although the overall budget has been cut a greater proportion of the available funds has been devolved to subject areas. This move has been at the expense of central resources, such as reprographics. Good management of the well-equipped and highly cost-effective reprographics centre has provided a valuable school resource and minimised the possible effects of a cut in its budget. A recent refurbishment of the

p.31

Resources

learning resources centre has provided pupils with a pleasant and welcoming environment in which to learn. The centre manager has up-dated the stock and pupils have access to good quality books and general resources. The number of books, however, is well below that expected for the number of pupils in the school. Because the centre is open before and after school, pupils have good access to its facilities and they make good use of the computer suite.

p.31

Resources

85. General resources in art are good, but in this area, and in many others, pupils’ limited access to ICT facilities affects standards. In science, for example, data-logging equipment is out of date and access to appropriate computers is inadequate. Similarly, English, geography, history and physical education experience difficulties in integrating ICT into pupils’ work because of Chace Community School - 32 inadequate access to computers. Recent investment in computers and computer-aided design and manufacturing equipment has made provision for design and technology good. There is a shortage of keyboards and instruments for use in music, and the modern languages department does not have basic audio-visual equipment, such as overhead projectors and screens. Book resources are good in English and GCSE physical education, but in science, geography, and history, they are insufficient and pupils often have to share. While this does not prevent good

p.31

Resources

learning from taking place it hinders attempts to improve the degree of independent study by pupils and the school’s attempts to raising learning quality to ‘very good’.

p.32

Leadership and management

86. Leadership and management of the sixth form are very effective. There is good liaison between the head of sixth form and the headteacher and other senior managers to ensure consistency in approach, but there is also real delegation on matters specific to the sixth form. The head of sixth form sets a very good tone for all post 16 work, leading by example with the highest possible expectations of staff and students in her teaching and first rate organisational and administrative skills. She has made a major contribution to raising standards by policy decisions regarding the curriculum, principally by committing the school to thorough adoption of the government’s ‘Curriculum 2000’ proposals involving AS, A2 and key skills courses. As a result, courses in Years 12 and 13 are attracting increasing numbers of students and presenting them with both greater challenge and more regular evaluation of their progress. Results are improving noticeably

p.32

Leadership and management

as students see regular feedback on their work in the form of grades for AS modules. Target setting for subsequent work is able to benefit from this data and provide a sharp focus to predictions. The head of sixth form has proved very adept at matching students’ needs to the courses available within the local consortium of sixth forms. She leads and supports sixth form tutors and subject teachers very well, encouraging them to expect consistently high rates of academic progress and behaviour from students. As a team they ensure that students of all social and academic backgrounds are able to make good progress in the sixth form.

p.32

Resources

87. There is adequate sixth form accommodation and it is well maintained. Social facilities and independent research areas are satisfactory. Sixth form students are major users of the learning resources centre.

p.32

Resources

88. Most sixth form teaching is satisfactorily resourced and in some subjects the levels are better than average, but the quantity of reference texts for post-16 study is modest. The quality is good. Students generally share the same general resources as pupils in Years 7 to 11 and there are few areas where students benefit from resources intended solely for their use. There is a general lack of ICT equipment, which, in business studies in particular, is crucial to the course content and beneficial in developing independent learning skills. Resources are satisfactory in geography, but students in history have no suitable textbook. Psychology, however, has a very good range of books and subject-related magazines, and physical education was recently established at this level with good resources.

p.32

Resources

89. The match of teachers to the demands of the sixth form is satisfactory. For most subjects most of the time it is very good, but staff absences are higher than average, and finding good replacements is hard. This has adversely affected recent results in geography. The school’s participation in the local consortium for sixth form courses enables it to widen the range of specialist teachers available to its students. Chace Community School - 33

p.32

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

90. In order to continue the improving trend in the school’s work, governors, the headteacher and staff should:

p.33

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) In line with current plans, but with additional monitoring and support by senior staff, radically upgrade ICT provision so that: • all staff are securely trained in the use of ICT across all subjects; • facilities are enlarged and made readily accessible to teacher and pupils; • the leadership and management of ICT provides dynamic and practical guidance to colleagues in promoting the subject. (Paragraphs 2, 3, 30, 37, 72, 83, 85, 76, 154-161)

p.33

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Take all necessary steps to ensure that teaching in music, German, science and ICT reach satisfactory levels so that pupils can make sound progress. (Paragraphs 2, 3, 4, 32, 72, 119- 123, 162-167, 171, 172)

p.33

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) Minimise the disruption to learning caused by pupil’s frequent absences by intensifying the already good manner in which attendance strategies are currently used and developing new ones. (Paragraphs 14, 15)

p.33

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(4) Review the training procedures used by the school for newly recruited agency staff in order to provide all with rapid acclimatisation to the distinctive needs of both UK pupils and curricular requirements in English schools. (Paragraphs 33, 77, 78, 123, 137, 166, 176)

p.33

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(5) Take all possible steps to render accommodation satisfactory by extending ICT, drama, media studies and music facilities and pursuing the issue of overcrowding in corridors and some classrooms with all relevant parties. (Paragraph 83)

p.33

Minor Issues

(1) Take addition steps to raise standards of numeracy across the curriculum

p.33

Sixth form

(1) Ensure that standards in science, geography and ICT rise to at least match the sixth form’s overall standards by: • raising the GCSE standards required of students opting for post-16 science courses in order to offer a better chance of success at AS and A2 than is currently managed; • taking all possible steps to maintain staffing continuity for AS and A2 geography teaching; • completing the introduction of new ICT courses into Year 13 so as to extend the recent successes achieved in Year 12.

p.33

Sixth form

(2) Implement statutory requirements for sixth form religious education.

p.33

Sixth form

(3) Ensure that registration arrangements are altered so that the numbers and location of students on site at any one time are known and meet health and safety requirements. Chace Community School - 34

p.33

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed Years 7-11 130

p.34

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 57

p.34

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.34

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Percentage 6.9 20.8 32.3 29.2 6.9 3.1 0.1

p.34

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching.

p.34

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Y7 – Y11 Sixth form

p.34

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll 1051 148

p.34

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 220 4

p.34

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Y7 – Y11 Sixth form

p.34

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 24 0

p.34

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 229 4

p.34

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.34

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 283

p.34

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.34

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 49

p.34

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 46 Chace Community School - 35

p.34

Attendance

National comparative data 8.1 National comparative data 1.1

p.35

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

p.35

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9)

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 3 for the latest reporting year 2001 115 93 208

p.35

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9)

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.35

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9)

Boys 71 58 57 Numbers of pupils at NC level 5 and above Girls 70 46 42

p.35

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9)

Percentage of pupils School 68 (58) 51 (53) 48 (45) at NC level 5 or above National 64 (63) 66 (65) 66 (59)

p.35

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9)

Percentage of pupils School 36 (26) 30 (28) 14 (10) at NC level 6 or above National 31 (28) 43 (42) 34 (30)

p.35

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9)

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.35

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9)

Boys 39 75 70 Numbers of pupils at NC level 5 and above Girls 48 61 54

p.35

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9)

Percentage of pupils School 42 (41) 66 (50) 60 (55) at NC level 5 or above National 65 (64) 68 (66) 64 (62)

p.35

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9)

Percentage of pupils School 18 (14) 31 (26) 19 (15) at NC level 6 or above National 31 (31) 42 (39) 33 (29)

p.35

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9)

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Chace Community School - 36

p.35

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 11)

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 4 for the latest reporting year 2001 102 105 207

p.36

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 11)

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

p.36

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 11)

Boys 30 81 95 Numbers of pupils achieving the standard specified Girls 41 94 96

p.36

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 11)

Percentage of pupils achieving School 34 (33) 85 (87) 92 (91) the standard specified National 48 (47) 91 (91) 96 (96)

p.36

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 11)

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

p.36

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 11)

Average point score School 34.6 per pupil National 39.0

p.36

Attainment at the end of the sixth form (Year 13)

Number of students aged 16, 17 and 18 on roll in January of the latest reporting year Year Boys Girls Total who were entered for GCE A-level or AS-level examinations 2001 16 31 47

p.36

Attainment at the end of the sixth form (Year 13)

Vocational qualifications Number % success rate

p.36

Attainment at the end of the sixth form (Year 13)

Number in their final year of studying for approved vocational qualifications or School 33 91

p.36

Attainment at the end of the sixth form (Year 13)

units and the percentage of those pupils who achieved all those they studied National 76 Chace Community School - 37

p.36

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions

p.37

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 4 3 0

p.37

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 8 0 0

p.37

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 2 0 0

p.37

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 12 1 0

p.37

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 1 0 0

p.37

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 20 19 0

p.37

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – any other Black background 2 0 0

p.37

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

p.37

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 79.9 Financial year 2001-02

p.37

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 19.1

p.37

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 27 Total income 3,859,837

p.37

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 785 Total expenditure 3,953,888

p.37

Teachers and classes Financial information

Deployment of teachers: Y7– Y13 Expenditure per pupil 3,289 Percentage of time teachers spend in contact with classes 89.1% Balance brought forward from previous year -69,451

p.37

Teachers and classes Financial information

Average teaching group size: Y7– Y13 Balance carried forward to next year -163,592

p.37

Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Chace Community School - 38 Chace Community School - 39

p.37

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 25.9

p.39

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 31.8

p.39

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.39

Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 15

p.39

Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0

p.39

Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Chace Community School - 40

p.39

Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.40

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 44 44 6 1 2

p.40

Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 24 51 14 2 7

p.40

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 24 49 19 4 3

p.40

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 36 41 16 2 3

p.40

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 63 31 3 1 2

p.40

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 59 39 1 0 1

p.40

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 29 51 12 2 4

p.40

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 46 37 4 4 8

p.40

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 41 48 8 1 3

p.40

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 24 46 16 4 9 Chace Community School - 41

p.40

ENGLISH

Overall, the quality of provision in English is very good .

p.41

ENGLISH

Strengths • Very good teaching ensures that by the end of Year 11 pupils make good gains compared with levels of attainment when they enter the school. • Excellent schemes of work for pupils in Years 7 to 9 are helping them to achieve very well. • Pupils learn effectively because they are invariably positive about their work in English lessons. • Good teaching in media studies helps pupils to achieve good examination results. • Very good leadership and management are helping pupils and teachers to raise standards.

p.41

ENGLISH

Areas for improvement • Pupils’ GCSE examination results in English and English literature remain below national averages. • Pupils have few opportunities to develop independent learning skills, especially using ICT.

p.41

ENGLISH

91. During the inspection, standards of work seen were above average for pupils in Years 7 to 9 and average for pupils in Years 10 and 11. Pupils participate well in class discussions and work very effectively in small discussion groups. They are often confident and effective speakers. They write effectively for different purposes and generally present written work well. Levels of accuracy are at expected levels. Pupils do not use ICT as extensively as in many schools. All pupils read a very challenging range of texts with good understanding and an appreciation of language. From Year 7 on, they are able to analyse how writers achieve their effects. In the optional GCSE media studies course, pupils achieve standards of work at expected levels. They have a sound knowledge of the media and use terminology appropriately.

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ENGLISH

92. National Curriculum test results in 2001 for pupils at the end of Year 9 were above the national average. Results were better than those in mathematics and science and have improved above the national trend over the last few years. Boys performed a little better against national figures than did girls. Provisional test results in English for 2002 are similar to those of the previous year.

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ENGLISH

93. GCSE results in 2001 for English and English literature were below the national average. Almost all pupils are entered for GCSE English literature. In both subjects, boys achieved less well than girls, in line with the national picture. English GCSE results overall were similar to those achieved in mathematics and ahead of those in science. Results have been rather inconsistent in recent years, but have remained below the national average. Provisional results for 2002 are lower in English, but improved in English literature. In the 2001 GCSE media studies examination, pupils achieved above-average results. Provisional results for 2002 are even higher.

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ENGLISH

94. Levels of attainment on entry to the school are below average. By the end of Year 9, pupils make very good gains so that they achieve above average National Curriculum test results. Pupils in Years 10 and 11 continue to make good gains. Comparison of 2001 GCSE English grades with the levels that pupils achieved in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 9 shows that most pupils made gains at or beyond expected levels. Over the two years this represents good achievement. Pupils with special educational needs also achieve well and they make very good progress in Years 7 to 9. Teachers make good provision for the particular needs of these pupils in mixed-ability classes. Support in class from teaching assistants also helps pupils to make good progress in lessons.

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ENGLISH

95. Teaching and learning are very good. Pupils learn very well because teachers ensure that activities are varied and appropriately challenging. They have very good relationships with teachers, enjoy their lessons and are very positive about their work in English. Teaching and learning were very good or excellent in two lessons out of five of those observed. In two lessons Chace Community School - 42 out of three they were good or better. Teaching is very well supported by schemes of work that provide all teachers with an excellent basis for planning high quality lessons. In many lessons, pupils benefit initially from a short word-based activity. In one very good example, the class teacher used individual whiteboards to check pupils’ spelling of poetic terms that were to be used in the lesson. In another, the teacher asked pupils to link together items written in three columns on the whiteboard, effectively testing their memories of details from earlier work on Shakespeare’s

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ENGLISH

‘Macbeth’ and preparing them for the next stage of their reading. Teachers seek to extend pupils’ reading by choosing literature that will offer real challenge. Pupils in a Year 8 lesson were reading a section of ‘Angela’s Ashes’ by Frank McCourt that was rich enough to extend even the most able. All pupils made very good progress in developing scanning techniques to infer meaning, helped by the teacher’s skilful guidance on how to collect and organise textual evidence. Additional materials were provided to help lower-attaining pupils and those pupils with special educational needs worked very effectively with a teaching assistant. A newly arrived pupil with little English also made very good progress on parallel work with a teacher from the learning support department. In this stimulating workshop atmosphere, all pupils learnt very well, and typifing the best teaching of the department. Teachers have very high expectations of all pupils.

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ENGLISH

In a Year 10 media studies lesson, the expertise, knowledge and experience of the teacher brought the work being done on ‘re-presentation’ to life for the pupils. By the end of the lesson, they were able to construct their own media message in words and pictures and showed that they had made excellent progress. Learning is less impressive in those lessons where teachers set tasks with little explanation or when they fail to tell pupils how they can judge whether they have been successful. Pupils make little use of ICT in their day-to-day lessons and opportunities to work independently, for example in the learning resources centre, are limited. Resources for media studies do not encourage high-quality practical work.

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ENGLISH

96. The English faculty is very well led and responsibilities are clearly delineated. The head of faculty and those sharing management roles have clear ideas about what they want to achieve. All teachers in the faculty work very well together and share their enthusiasm. Schemes of work are excellent and are continually revised. Development plans are focused and realistic. They include further development for ICT and independent learning. Since the last inspection, very good improvement has been achieved in areas identified for development, such as standards of work in Years 7 to 9, the quality of speaking and listening and schemes of work. Overall this is a very strong faculty.

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Literacy

97. Across the curriculum, pupils’ skills in literacy are average. In speaking and listening, pupils show good skills in about half of their subjects, including geography, media studies, physical education and French. Pupils read competently and cope adequately with the demands of all subjects. This represents a marked improvement on overall literacy skills of pupils when they first join the school. Silent reading takes place each Friday in tutorial time and good reading practice occurs in media studies, including phonic work with individual pupils. Elsewhere, reading opportunities are limited, although a little reading aloud takes place in science. The learning resources centre provides an attractive environment for reading and is well used by a large number of pupils. However, usage by departments varies and book resources are limited. Pupils’ writing is generally well presented and accurate. In geography, there is good support for pupils to write

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Literacy

at length. In physical education, very good strategies are used to improve pupils’ writing through drafting and the use of outline frames to support structuring and there is very good practice in art lessons. Opportunities for drafting and re-drafting writing are also evident in ICT, where pupils write for a variety of purposes. Chace Community School - 43

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DRAMA

Overall, the quality of provision in drama is very good .

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DRAMA

Strengths • Good teaching enables pupils to achieve examination results that are consistently very high compared with national averages. • Many pupils in all years are involved in drama activities outside the classroom and this provides a valuable addition to the curriculum. • Pupils in Years 7 to 9 are very enthusiastic about drama. It is an increasingly popular choice for pupils in Years 10 and 11. • The department is well led and managed.

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DRAMA

Areas for improvement • Pupils make slower progress in the minority of lessons in which they are not clear about learning objectives and are not given guidance on how to do things well. • Poor accommodation and insufficient resources restrict the scope of drama teaching outside the drama studio.

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DRAMA

98. Drama is taught to all pupils in Years 7 to 9, where standards of work seen are generally in line with expectations. Almost all pupils, including those with special educational needs, enjoy drama lessons and make good progress in lessons. They learn to develop a range of performance skills and acquire good knowledge of important figures in the development of the theatre. However, in lessons taught outside the drama studio, teachers face additional problems to overcome before good learning can take place.

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DRAMA

99. Drama is a popular optional choice for pupils going into Years 10. GCSE examination results have been consistently high in recent years and in those for 2001 almost all pupils entered achieved grades A* to C. Provisional results for 2002 are a little lower, but remain well above national averages.

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DRAMA

100. Teaching and learning are very good overall. There is excellent teaching in the department. In one good lesson Year 10, pupils explored character through a montage of sinister nursery rhymes and a subsequent ‘hot-seating’ activity. Because of the teacher’s careful planning, excellent management and high expectations, all pupils made very good progress, including those with the highest attainment levels and those with special educational needs. In another lesson, Year 9 pupils gave sensitive first recitals of their memorised short scripts, showing that they had thought hard about their adopted characters. Learning is less successful when teachers do not make learning objectives clear to pupils so that their activities become rather aimless and they have no criteria to judge their success.

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DRAMA

101. Leadership and management of the department are good. Enthusiasm runs through all drama activities and is particularly evident in the many clubs and productions that take place almost daily. The teacher in charge is newly in post. He is in the process of reviewing schemes of work to focus more sharply on learning objectives. Procedures for monitoring teaching and learning are also being reviewed in order to maintain the high standards that characterise the work of the department.

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MATHEMATICS

Overall, the quality of provision in mathematics is good .

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MATHEMATICS

Strengths • Teaching is good and includes some that is excellent. • There has been good improvement since the last inspection. • The introduction of the national numeracy strategy is having a very positive effect for pupils in Years 7 and 8. Chace Community School - 44 • The department is now fully staffed after a period of turbulence. Chace Community School - 45 Areas for improvement • There is insufficient use of computers as a learning tool in lessons. • Some teaching lacks variety. • Pupils in Years 9, 10 and 11 need a clearer understanding of what precisely they need to do to improve.

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MATHEMATICS

102. For two years, the department has been faced with difficulties arising from staff illness and turnover. The current head of department took up post two years ago. Since that time the situation has improved markedly. This improvement is reflected in that the London borough of Enfield has identified mathematics at Chace Community School as one of its leading departments.

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MATHEMATICS

103. Pupils scored below the national average in the National Curriculum tests taken at the end of Year 9 in 2001. Their results were in line with those of pupils in similar schools. The trend at that time was below that nationally. Results for 2002 show a marked improvement. There is no significant difference in the performance of girls and boys over time, nor do the detailed analysis of examination outcomes done by the local education authority indicate any significant difference in performance by different ethnic groups.

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MATHEMATICS

104. The work of pupils in Years 7 to 9 seen during the inspection was better than is reflected in the tests. Improvement stems from better departmental organisation and improving teaching standards. The way in which the department is implementing the national strategy for numeracy is a key factor in this raising of standards. The teaching programme for pupils in Years 7 and 8 has been completely rewritten and now includes very good arrangements for assessing the pupils’ work. Pupils are better informed about what they can and cannot do and what they must do to improve. Classroom teaching is also made more interesting and more challenging for the students by the introduction of variety and pace to the lessons. Standards are now nearly in line with those seen nationally, representing good progress over time since pupils are working at below national standards on entry to the school.

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MATHEMATICS

105. In Year 9, higher-attaining pupils use continuous data to create frequency tables and find the estimated mean. Average-attaining pupils solve problems using angle sum of a triangle and angles at a point. They can round to a given number of decimal places. Current Year 9 pupils in the lowest sets recognise different angles, such as obtuse, and acute reflex, but make errors when measuring or drawing them accurately. They can find the perimeter of simple shapes based on a rectangle given the relevant dimensions. Numeracy standards are at least in line with national levels.

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MATHEMATICS

106. Results in the 2001 GCSE examinations in mathematics are in line with national levels for all schools and above those for pupils in similar schools. These results compare favourably with other subjects in the school and represent a rising trend over time.

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MATHEMATICS

107. The work of the pupils currently in Year 11 seen during the inspection was in line with national standards. Number work is secure. Pupils in top sets make good use of the sine and cosine rules. They solve simultaneous equations graphically and by elimination and use the formula to solve quadratic equations. Middle attainers can solve two-step linear equations by balancing and can gather like terms and simplify. They can find the volume of a cuboid given its dimensions and work out costings involving area, such as the price of carpet to cover a floor. Pupils in lower sets can evaluate the probability of events occurring or not using a tally chart to work out the probability space of an experiment, such as throwing a pair of dice or drawing cards from a pack, and can reduce the consequent fractions to their lowest terms. They cope with simple examples of directed numbers, but algebraic work and understanding are weak. This represents good

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MATHEMATICS

progress over Years 10 and 11 with pupils from all groups achieving well. Computation skills improve and algebra, even for the lower attaining, gets better. There is much-improved trigonometry for middle and higher attainers.

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MATHEMATICS

108. Pupils at Chace Community School come from a wide range of backgrounds and have varying levels of prior knowledge and ability. Many do not have English as the first language of the home. Chace Community School - 46 Of these, a proportion has but recently come to England. Across this range as a whole, the progress that pupils make and their achievement in relation to their prior learning is good,

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MATHEMATICS

especially in earlier years in the school. There is no significant difference between the standards reached by boys as compared with girls, between different ethnic groups or for those with special educational needs.

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MATHEMATICS

109. A wide range of teaching quality was seen during the inspection. Taken as a whole, teaching is good. This global judgement spans, however, lessons that were very good and excellent and one that was poor. In most lessons, teaching was good or better. In the one lesson in which teaching was less than satisfactory, the teacher did not know the pupils well enough and was not sufficiently aware of what the pupils could do already or were capable of doing. The lesson was taught at a very slow pace and the pupils’ interest and involvement were not maintained, so that they learned little. In contrast, the two lessons in which teaching was excellent captured the pupils interest from the beginning, one with an emphasis on ‘intensive listening’, the other by drawing links between numbers leading to the concept of a perfect number. Both lessons were outstanding in the quality of their planning and execution. The pupils learned most effectively

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MATHEMATICS

because they were interested, understood fully what was expected of them and sustained their efforts throughout.

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MATHEMATICS

110. In all lessons, what the pupils were enabled to learn was closely associated with the teaching so that learning was good overall. Teaching and learning now compare very favourably with the last inspection, when improving the quality of mathematics teaching was seen as a key issue.

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MATHEMATICS

111. In the lessons seen pupils were usually encouraged to use language carefully, when speaking to the class or answering questions. There were lists of key vocabulary posted on classroom walls. There were some, but not many, instances of spellings being corrected in exercise books. Teaching of literacy is therefore satisfactory in mathematics. The use of ICT does not, however, play a significant enough role in the pupils’ learning experiences. Opportunities for the use of ICT are identified in lesson plans and work programmes and there is access to a reasonable range of software, but the department rightly recognises this as an area for development.

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MATHEMATICS

112. In almost all of the lessons seen, the pupils’ attitudes and behaviour were good or better. This good behaviour stemmed from pupils responding well to the good teaching they were receiving. Where there was unsatisfactory behaviour, it arose from the lack of challenge and variety in the lesson content offered. Relationships in the classroom, both between the teachers and the pupils and amongst the pupils themselves, are good. It is apparent that the teachers value the pupils and want them to succeed. The quality of relationships does much to contribute to the pupils’ progress.

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MATHEMATICS

113. Departmental leadership is very good. The head of department has identified the key areas in need of improvement and enables the teachers to work well together as a team. She is very well organised and sets exemplary standards as a teacher in her own right. The teachers’ work is supported by regular classroom observation including the opportunity to watch and learn from each other. Arrangements for support for newly qualified teachers and for training those new to the department and to the profession are good, which has enabled the department to regain its strength in a time when there is a teacher shortage nationally. Three of those currently teaching successfully in the department learned their trade within it, one as a mature entrant to the profession and two as postgraduate students.

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Numeracy

114. The teaching of skills in numeracy is good within the mathematics department, but underdeveloped elsewhere. The fact that there is no identified person with specific responsibility as a co-ordinator of numeracy across the curriculum is a contributory factor to what has been unsatisfactory progress in this area. An audit of skills in each subject area has been carried out and a working group of teachers is considering how to improve the school’s approach to teaching numeracy across the curriculum. As yet, however, no whole-school policy has been produced so individual departments also lack policies. The lack of a common approach necessarily means Chace Community School - 47 that many opportunities for improving pupils’ knowledge, skills and recognition of when to apply them are being missed. There is detailed staff guidance in geography, drawing the teachers’ attention to how to approach the teaching of equations, measuring of distance and use of climate

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Numeracy

graphs. There is also good use of number in Year 10 and 11 coursework. However, in most departments, there is a lack of awareness of the importance of teaching the use of number in context and in some, as in science, numeracy is not an element in lesson planning and teachers are unaware of the advances that have been made in mathematics.

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Numeracy

115. Pupils display average and sometimes better numerical skills in their work across the curriculum, which are not always taken advantage of by the teaching. There is no evidence to suggest that pupils fail to access the curriculum because of poor numerical skills.

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SCIENCE

Overall, the quality of provision in science is unsatisfactory .

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SCIENCE

Strengths • Very good leadership and good management, which is rapidly and successfully addressing the weaknesses in the department. • Good long-term development planning. • Accurate and frequent assessment of pupils' progress and attainment. • Rapid improvement in the attitudes of pupils to the study of science.

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SCIENCE

Areas for improvement • The quality of teaching and learning. • The standards of attainment. • The resources available to support learning, including textbooks and the equipment needed for ICT.

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SCIENCE

116. Since the last inspection, the department has experienced an extremely high number of changes in staffing. All the teachers then in post have left. The nine teachers who presently constitute the department have been appointed at various intervals during the intervening period; five have been in the department for less than a year. Furthermore, during this time, another ten teachers have worked in the department on short-term contracts. In addition, there have been many temporary teachers employed on a daily basis. During this same period there have been five changes in the post of head of department. The present head of department was appointed in January 2000. This level of change has disrupted the pattern of pupils' work and during this time they have not progressed as they should.

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SCIENCE

117. The standards achieved in the tests taken in Year 9 in 2001 are well below the national average and below those of schools with similar pupils. Standards have been at this level over recent years. As pupils enter the school with standards in science that are below the national average, these standards represent unsatisfactory progress. In contrast to the national picture, boys do better than girls. The results in 2002 show significant improvement. The proportion achieving the standard expected for pupils of this age has risen from 48 per cent to 63 per cent. Evidence gathered during the inspection confirms the rise in standards evident in the 2002 results. For example, pupils in a Year 8 class were able to discuss the formation of lactic acid in tired muscles, at the level of knowledge and understanding needed for the higher levels in the national tests. However, there is a consistent weakness in pupils' skills in investigation. Their abilities to

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SCIENCE

carry out experiments accurately and write up their findings in the correct way are not satisfactory.

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SCIENCE

118. The results gained in the GCSE examinations taken in 2001 are well below the national averages and well below those of similar pupils and pupils whose attainment they matched in Year 9. This poor progress extends across all groups of pupils. Results have been at a similar level over the last three years. The results in 2002 showed a slight improvement. Again, atypically, boys do better than girls. Standards observed during the inspection are much better. Pupils are now taking a modular GCSE course and the present Year 11 already have marks for modules taken Chace Community School - 48 during Year 10. If this group of pupils continues to maintain this standard of work throughout Year 11, the proportion of pupils gaining the higher grades (A* to C) will be at least 50 per cent better than in 2002. Work seen in lessons was all of an appropriately standard for pupils of different levels of attainment. Pupils in the Year 11 top sets are getting a good understanding of the

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SCIENCE

periodic table of elements, and are starting to grasp the difficult concepts involved in ionic bonding. Pupils in a Year 10 top set could use their knowledge of the concepts of static electricity to explain how photocopiers work. Year 11 pupils in a low set can distinguish between the scientific definition of ‘work’ and the everyday use of the word; they are also beginning to understand the difficult concept of ‘potential energy’. The relative weaknesses in experimental and reporting skills are still evident.

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SCIENCE

119. The quality of learning in most lessons is satisfactory or better, but in some lessons it is unsatisfactory and very occasionally it is poor. Overall, learning is unsatisfactory.

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SCIENCE

120. Good learning occurs when teachers have detailed knowledge of pupils' previous learning and plan lessons that build from the right starting point. Lessons that include a variety of stimulating activities help to maintain concentration and lead to effective learning, provided that the teacher establishes an orderly atmosphere. All these features were evident in a lesson taken by Year 8 pupils learning about the role of oxygen in muscle function. After a careful recap of the content of the last lesson, pupils worked in pairs to measure the effect of exercise on their own muscles. Throughout the lesson, which they thoroughly enjoyed, pupils worked hard, behaved well and learned a great deal. Year 11 pupils maintained concentration on a lengthy section of difficult work on atomic structure, because of their very good relationship with a respected teacher, who used the overhead projector skilfully to illustrate each point. Some of the best and most secure

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SCIENCE

learning was observed in lessons that included experimental work. For example, Year 8 pupils carefully measured the pH (acidity/alkalinity) of common household products. This practical use of reagents such as Universal Indicator greatly enhanced their understanding of an important section of chemistry. Learning is also most effective when the teachers communicate their own enthusiasm for the subject to the pupils, talk about it with animation and keep pupils involved in answering lots of questions. In one such lesson, based round an experiment that has to be demonstrated by the teacher, pupils were kept involved by a constant stream of interesting and humorous commentary, interspersed with relevant questions.

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SCIENCE

121. Unsatisfactory learning was observed in lessons where the teacher failed to establish good order and that were based on copying from textbooks. In these instances, pupils were bored, behaviour deteriorated and little was learned.

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SCIENCE

122. In Years 7 to 9, pupils are grouped in mixed ability classes. In many of the lessons for these groups, most particularly in Year 9, teachers are struggling to provide suitably difficult work for all the pupils in the class, which often results in the highest-attaining pupils doing work that is too easy. The presence of learning support assistants in some lessons ensures that the requirements of pupils with special educational needs are met. In unsupported classes, these pupils often struggle to keep up.

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SCIENCE

123. The critical factor affecting standards over recent years has been the complete lack of stability in the teaching force. Despite the best efforts of senior management and those charged with running the department, all pupils have experienced a succession of teachers, many only in the school for a few days. This has destroyed continuity and completely disheartened most pupils. The present situation is better, with the department fully staffed for the year. However, more than half are not permanently contracted and, although qualified in science, do not have teacher training which is recognised in the United Kingdom. Some of these teachers have trained (and practised) as teachers in Commonwealth countries. However, this training has not provided them with all the skills, or the knowledge of the National Curriculum, needed for teaching in this country.

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SCIENCE

124. Another important factor having a negative effect on standards is the low level of certain learning resources. Some of the textbooks being used are seriously out of date and should be replaced. Even including recently acquired and better books, in class pupils always have to share. There Chace Community School - 49 are no books that can be taken home. The department has no ICT equipment that can be used to enrich and vary the learning of science.

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SCIENCE

125. The recently appointed head of department is giving very good leadership and the management of the department, which is shared with colleagues who hold responsibility posts, is now good. Accurate analysis of the department's weaknesses is enabling the head of department to move with impressive speed to effect much needed change. The GCSE course has been changed to one that is much better suited to the pupils at this school. The benefits of this change are evident in standards in Years 10 and 11. The schemes of work for Years 7 to 9 are under constant review and are rapidly becoming more effective. In particular, they are addressing the need to improve the pupils' experimental skills and to meet the needs of teachers who have not trained in this country. The long-term assessment of pupils' attainment and progress is now good. The results of frequent tests, based on National Curriculum standards, are providing a database that is

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SCIENCE

effectively used to set targets for individuals and groups of pupils. It is also used to monitor the effectiveness of teaching. Very good support and as much appropriate training as possible is being provided for overseas trained teachers, whose quality of teaching is rising quickly.

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SCIENCE

126. Most importantly, the head of department's vision, enthusiasm and determination have raised the morale of the department. Teachers and the very good technicians are now working together as a mutually supportive team, sharing the determination to raise standards. Pupils are regaining their trust in science teachers, starting to enjoy the subject and working harder. Their increased commitment is evident in the large and increasing attendance at out of school support sessions that are freely given by many teachers.

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SCIENCE

127. Since the inspection in 1997, there has been unsatisfactory improvement. However, in the last two years there has been good improvement. The department has experienced unusual difficulties that have resulted in the provision for science becoming unsatisfactory. All aspects of work are now improving at a commendable rate.

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ART AND DESIGN

Overall, the quality of provision in art and design is excellent .

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ART AND DESIGN

Strengths • Results at GCSE are high. • Pupils' achieve very well. • The quality of teaching is very good. • Departmental management is good.

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ART AND DESIGN

Areas for improvement • ICT is under-used. • Accommodation is cramped.

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ART AND DESIGN

128. The standards of pupils' work in Year 9 are well above average. They enter the school with satisfactory practical skills and all pupils make very good progress in Years 7 to 9 in all aspects of the art curriculum. Pupils make excellent use of sketchbooks to record images, sketch and refine their ideas and explore the work of a range of artists and styles. The quality of their finished work is at least good and often outstanding. Still life work based on studies of Cubism and Picasso reveals confident drawing skills and bold and imaginative colour work transferred from initial ideas. In a lesson linked to a study of William Morris, pupils showed a good command of technical terminology and could relate his work to other topics studied. Pupils confidently evaluate their achievements and show imagination across a range of media, including print- making and batik. They develop good working habits and are able to work independent of the

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ART AND DESIGN

129. The standards of pupils' work at in Year 11 are well above average. In the 2001 GCSE examination the proportion of pupils gaining A* to C grades was significantly above the national average, representing an impressive rate of improvement since the last inspection, and further Chace Community School - 50 consolidated in the 2002 results. Examination results in art are the most successful in the school. In the work seen during inspection, standards and progress are very good and often excellent. In work inspired by study of aboriginal art, pupils demonstrated confident drawing skills, applied colour with flair and imagination and built up finished pieces from well-researched material. Their knowledge of the spiritual significance of aboriginal pattern was very good and they could confidently discuss their work and relate it thoughtfully to work studied in previous years. Pupils take a great pride in their achievements, work skilfully in a range of media,

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ART AND DESIGN

including batik and ceramics and possess excellent working habits, reflected in their well-used sketchbooks. Pupils achieve of their best in art irrespective of gender, special needs or specifically identified talent.

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ART AND DESIGN

130. In art lessons, pupils display very good attitudes. They behave extremely well, demonstrate friendly and positive attitudes with teachers and their peers, show good levels of personal initiative and are respectful of art room resources.

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ART AND DESIGN

131. Pupils succeed very well in art because teaching is always very good or better. Teachers work as a cohesive team and provide teaching that has been meticulously planned to provide a progressive, challenging and imaginative experience that enthuses pupils and significantly builds their self-confidence and esteem. Teachers' possess excellent knowledge of their subject, reflected in skilled demonstrations, confident questioning skills and the wealth of media provided for pupils. Lessons are well disciplined at all times and pupils make rapid progress because of the range of timed tasks provided. Most lessons include sufficient time for initial discussions, review of previous work, current practical tasks and focused class evaluations of a range of pupils' work. Over time, pupils’ confidence and independence are thus developed, and excellent working practices are established in which theory and practice are fully integrated. The discreet provision

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ART AND DESIGN

for pupils with special educational needs and those deemed gifted and talented is excellent. Considerable attention is paid to literacy skills in all lessons ensuring that pupils' sketchbooks, research work on artists and homework are appropriately presented. Pupils know exactly how to improve aspects of their work because teachers provide skilled assessment, often derived from their own work as examiners.

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ART AND DESIGN

132. The quality of leadership and management in art is excellent. The head of Art has a clear vision for art education that permeates all aspects of the department. The quality of documentation and awareness of developmental priorities is outstanding. The range of extra-curricular provision significantly enhances pupils' educational experience. The department is taking appropriate steps to alleviate the current paucity of ICT and the cramped accommodation in some of its rooms.

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ART AND DESIGN

133. The art department has made excellent improvement since the previous inspection report.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

Overall, the quality of provision in design and technology is good .

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

Strengths • Good teaching leads to good working relationships with pupils and a positive learning atmosphere in most lessons. • There has been good co-operation and team spirit at a time of difficult staffing circumstances. • The improving use of computers and computer-aided design and manufacture has begun to improve the quality of pupils’ work.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

Areas for improvement • Year 9 pupils’ National Curriculum levels are not sufficiently closely matched to assessment criteria. • Assessment information is not used effectively to monitor pupils’ progress and take effective action.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

134. Teacher assessments for pupils in Year 9 are well above average. In lessons and work seen, however, attainment is only average. This mismatch highlights the need for a more realistic Chace Community School - 51 assessment of pupils’ standards throughout Years 7 to 9. Pupils have good practical skills and work best in practical situations. For example, Year 9 pupils in food technology prepared and cooked pasties in an organised way. The good quality outcomes were not, however, supported by folder work of a similar standard. In general, pupils’ folder work lacks care and organisation. Higher-attaining pupils can use competent two- and three-dimensional drawings to communicate ideas, but, in general, graphic skills are not well developed. Pupils are beginning to use ICT more readily to improve both content and presentation of their work. This is not, as yet, extensive, but where used, it broadens opportunities for pupils to carry out independent research. Pupils need

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

instruction in the correct use of the Internet to become more selective in its use. Sources of information for research tend to be limited to magazine cuttings and pupils find independent work difficult. The development of these skills is assisted by structured projects that particularly help the progress of lower-attaining pupils and those with special needs. In a well planned Year 9 textiles lesson, for example, two lower-attaining pupils with special needs were able to pin, tack and machine the component parts of their hat designs successfully. The practical nature of the tasks helps those pupils whose first language is not English to make good progress. One Year 8 pupil, recently arrived in the country and speaking little English, was given good help by the teacher and fellow pupils to produce a pictorial plan of his work in textiles. Because pupils enter the school with below-average attainment and reach average standards by Year 9, their progress

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

135. GCSE results for 2001 are average. Figures indicate a small upward trend over the last four years. When each technology subject is considered separately, graphics achieves better results than other areas. In general, pupils’ examination results are in line with their prior attainment in the subject and with their predicted grades. Comparative figures indicate that many pupils perform better in technology than in many of their other examination subjects. Inspection evidence reflects these results. Because of good checking procedures, pupils of all abilities are able to follow a good design methodology, but lack of independent learning skills limits the depth of research and analysis in many GCSE folders. Some higher-attaining pupils produce quality design folders with well-organised research and a combination of good, hand-drawn and computer- generated techniques, but in general many pupils rely too heavily on teachers to direct their work.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

For example, one Year 11 pupil had only used resource materials provided by the teacher for her graphics research. Standards on the newly established vocational GCSE engineering course are above average and pupils are developing very good background knowledge. The course content, however, is not always understood by some girls in the group. Conversely, the sole boy in a Year 10 textiles group was fully included in the lesson and produced work of above-average quality. Pupils continue to make good progress throughout Years 10 and 11.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

136. Teaching is good or better in nearly three-quarters of lessons and satisfactory in most of the remainder. A small proportion of teaching is unsatisfactory. Because lessons are planned in detail and with well-defined objectives, pupils understand what is expected of them and work with a sense of purpose. These factors helped to provide a good quality of learning for pupils in a Year 7 group. They developed good understanding of computer-aided design and manufacturing processes because of thorough preparation and brisk timing by the teacher. Teachers are knowledgeable and manage practical lessons with confidence. Most are experienced and have constructive relationships with pupils that create a good working atmosphere in most lessons. Pupils respond with very positive attitudes and good behaviour. Teachers give good individual help and advice, resulting in good levels of concentration, attentiveness and co-operation. Where

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

teaching is unsatisfactory it is usually because teachers use a narrow range of techniques and do not structure lessons to provide a variety of learning experiences. One lesson, for example, was conducted from one place in the room and no checks were made to ensure that pupils carried out the tasks. Monitoring of teaching has taken place, but more needs to be done to identify and promote good practice. Good use of technicians increases teachers’ effectiveness in the classroom.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

137. Leadership and management are satisfactory. Because there is no overall head of design and technology at present, the day-to-day management of the department is successfully maintained by five experienced and capable teachers. Management of each area is good, but lack of overall leadership creates problems of co-ordination and development. For example, although procedures for assessing pupils’ work are good, there is no overall strategy for using the Chace Community School - 52 information to monitor the progress and attainment of pupils, a contributory factor in the very high teacher assessments of National Curriculum levels in Year 9. Some aspects of staffing are unsatisfactory. There is a good core of experienced and capable teachers, but difficulties in recruiting permanent staff have caused discontinuity for some pupils, with adverse effects on standards. The quality of temporary teachers is often good and established teachers provide

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

good support, though an extra burden is thereby placed on permanent staff. The curriculum for pupils in Years 7 to 9 is mostly broad and balanced, but does not provide opportunities for control technology. Provision for computer-aided design and manufacture are now good and are beginning to enrich the learning experience for pupils at all levels. Timetable arrangements have resulted in shared teaching groups and fragmented time allocation that limit opportunities for developing alternative methods of curricular organisation. The curriculum for pupils in Years 10 and 11 is enriched by the new vocational GCSE in engineering and a successful course in child development.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

138. Since the last inspection there have been satisfactory improvements in examination results, the provision and use of ICT, technician support and the content of the curriculum for pupils in Years 7 to 9.

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GEOGRAPHY

Overall, the quality of provision in geography is good .

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GEOGRAPHY

Strengths: • The good progress of pupils from Year 7 to Year 11 resulted in GCSE results above the national average in 2002. • Boys attain well, exceeding national averages at GCSE. • The leadership and management of the department provide clear guidance and support.

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GEOGRAPHY

Areas for improvement: • ICT skills are limited because of limited resources and there are insufficient opportunities to make use of the National Curriculum programmes of study in ICT. • There is a need for greater consistency in teaching and learning across the department to ensure that the more able pupils are sufficiently challenged.

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GEOGRAPHY

139. Standards of work seen during the inspection are average. Teaching is good and encourages the pupils’ good learning. The achievement of Year 9 pupils in relation to standards at the start of Year 7 is good. The achievement of pupils in Years 10 and 11 is also good. Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are satisfactory.

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GEOGRAPHY

140. In Year 7, pupils enter with a very varied experience of geography and many have below-average attainment. The well-planned teaching that includes clear aims enables them to make good progress. Fieldwork is a part of the studies and Year 7 pupils are able to benefit from a town trail through Enfield to develop their skills of observation. In all year groups, the majority of books are kept well and work is organised well and neatly presented. By the end of Year 9, the majority of pupils can describe volcanic eruptions and begin to explain the processes of continental drift and simple plate tectonics. They are aware of the environmental issues related to economic development of tropical forests. Higher-achieving pupils have a good understanding of the nature of superpowers and the development of Japan in particular. Their Ordnance Survey map skills are average, but relate mainly to work done in Year 7, and there is scope for greater understanding of

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GEOGRAPHY

map interpretation. Pupils' knowledge of places is good and is reinforced by imaginative use of case study material. However, their knowledge of location is less satisfactory, with many pupils unable to name key features on atlas maps or locate major countries or cities.

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GEOGRAPHY

141. The results of GCSE examinations at the end of Year 11 are about the national average. In 2001, 56 per cent of pupils achieved grades A* to C and all pupils achieved a grade. These results were not quite as good as the previous two years, but in 2002 the proportion attaining grades A* to C was above average. The results of boys have been better than those of girls, contrary to the national pattern and reflecting the work that the department has done to raise the attainment of Chace Community School - 53 boys. The results show that pupils do better in geography than in their other subjects in this school and perform well compared with pupils in other schools. The department is successful with pupils with special educational needs and with pupils whose main language is not English. The proportion of high-attaining pupils in 2002 was only slightly lower than usual and the numbers of pupils taking geography has fallen in recent years. However there is now evidence that

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GEOGRAPHY

142. The standards of work seen in GCSE groups during the inspection are average. Pupils in Years 10 and 11 competently carry out fieldwork under guidance, and many produce high-quality studies comparing shopping areas in Enfield. Many of these studies show a clear understanding of the issues and a good use of graphical skills to analyse the data and to reach realistic conclusions. However, even the highest-attaining pupils are not always able to cope with computer graphing programmes to produce appropriate graphs with similar scales for comparison. The lower- achieving pupils are often only able to reach simple conclusions and require great support with their organisations skills. The majority can describe patterns and use case studies to develop their thinking. The work on London and Leicester shows their understanding of land values and urban development. The Year 11 lesson on Leicester provided a novel and stimulating

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GEOGRAPHY

introduction that made learning fun. The majority of pupils have a good understanding of physical processes and can describe landforms associated with coastal processes. They use appropriate technical vocabulary, although their spelling is sometimes individualistic.

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GEOGRAPHY

143. Learning is good overall. It is satisfactory in Years 7 to 9 and good in Years 10 and 11. In most lessons, pupils make good gains in skills and knowledge and increase their understanding. In most lessons, pupils are interested and occasionally very enthusiastic. The lesson using the video on Spurn Head involved pupils in a good recap and enabled them to show their learning and their interest and there are some good examples of creativity in the Year 9 wall sheets on the tropical forests. Some lessons move too slowly, for example, a Year 9 lesson on coastal processes, whilst others are carefully structured and take the pupils forward appropriately - such as a Year 9 lesson on transportation and deposition along the coast.

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GEOGRAPHY

144. Teaching is good. In Years 7 to 9, teaching is satisfactory, but varies from very good to a proportion that is unsatisfactory. In Years 10 and 11 teaching is good. Teachers know their subject material and can provide good illustrations and relate the work to real places. The teaching of basic skills is satisfactory. There has been some useful work on literacy, and key words are displayed and emphasised in lesson plans. This strategy includes the use of 'command words', but could be further extended by including more work on connectives, especially in Years 10 and 11. The teaching of numeracy is less well developed, and whilst there has been an audit of Year 7 work, more specific teaching of numeracy skills is required. The teaching of ICT is very limited, even though opportunities are identified. Planning is good overall, with some clear schemes of work, and this ensures that teaching builds regularly on previous

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GEOGRAPHY

work and sets progressively more demanding tasks. However, individual lesson plans are more variable. Most individual lessons have clear, with well-defined objectives and good teaching strategies, whilst a minority are less focused. The management of pupils is good and there are good relationships with pupils. This has a sustained and beneficial impact on pupils’ interest in the subject and their willingness to work hard in lessons. Strategies for team teaching or more collaborative working could be explored. Teachers assess the work of pupils and increasing use is being made of National Curriculum levels for specific pieces of work. There is some very good detailed and helpful marking that shows the level of attainment and gives suggestions on how to improve.

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GEOGRAPHY

145. The department does not yet make full use of ICT to enhance the learning of pupils and has insufficient resources for this type of work. There are no facilities for weather recording and the supply of textbooks is restrictive of the type of work that can be set for homework. The library has too few books to support individual study and research. The management of the department is good and provides clear aims and good guidance. Improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory and improvements are being maintained.

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HISTORY

Chace Community School - 54 Overall, the quality of provision in history is good .

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HISTORY

Strengths • The teaching of history is good, with some very good features. • History is well planned and managed. • Teachers are enthusiastic and knowledgeable. • Very positive relationships encourage and support learning. • Good use is made of displays of pupils’ work to create a good learning environment for the subject.

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HISTORY

Areas for improvement • Year 9 Teacher Assessments reflect too severe an approach to marking. More pupils are worthy of the higher levels and marking in the school should reflect this. • There is insufficient access to ICT.

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HISTORY

146. Pupils’ attainment on entry to the school in Year 7 is below average. Standards of attainment in Year 9 are well below the expected level, judged by teachers’ assessments of National Curriculum levels. However, in classes seen and in scrutiny of their work, pupils standards are at least in line with national ones and in some cases are above.

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HISTORY

147. At GCSE, pupils’ attainment is a little higher than the national average. GCSE results in 2001 showed 52 per cent attaining A* to C grades, about the same as 2000. Girls did better than boys, in line with the situation found nationally. The unvalidated figures for 2002 show a substantial increase overall to 67 per cent. However, boys did very much better than girls, unlike national trends.

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HISTORY

148. Observation of lessons and analysis of pupils’ work confirm that by the end of Year 9, attainment is above the national expectation. All pupils make good progress in their first three years in the school. They develop a wide range of subject skills, including interpretation of evidence, prioritising of historical issues and the understanding of chronology. They use a wide range of materials, including thematic worksheets, pictorial evidence, timelines, writing frames, card-packs and a range of primary and secondary evidence. By the end of Year 9, pupils successfully analyse the complex social issues of eighteenth century factory conditions. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress in line with other pupils, because their teachers and learning support assistants know them well and provide effective guidance in lessons. Higher- attaining pupils make good progress, particularly through their oral contributions in class.

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HISTORY

However, pupils do not have sufficient access to ICT to support their understanding of the subject and ensuring a high level of presentation of work.

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HISTORY

149. Attainment at GCSE has been broadly average in recent years, but there was a marked improvement in results in 2002, and current standards in Year 11 are above average. By the end of Year 11, pupils develop their analytical skills effectively and achieve well. For example, Year 10 pupils analysed a range of sources to decide which classes of the German society would be most likely to vote for the Nazis. In lessons seen, girls and boys of all ethnic backgrounds and those with wide-ranging special educational needs make good progress.

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HISTORY

150. Teaching is good overall, and it is very good in many lessons. A similarly strong profile of teaching applies to all years. Teachers know their subject very well. They have an obvious love for it and this commitment is strongly communicated to pupils, providing a firm basis for learning. Lessons are well planned and teachers use a wide range of methods that support learning well. Homework is set regularly and marking is well focused, supporting progress, learning and achievement.

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HISTORY

151. Pupils learn successfully. They behave very well, with high concentration and focus. Very good relationships underpin learning because pupils listen intently to each other and work well together in all years. In several lessons, pupils work very effectively in mixed pairs, a method of organisation thoughtfully employed by the department, mindful of supporting the attainment of Chace Community School - 55 both girls and boys. In all years, but particularly in Years 7 to 9, pupils‘ work displays a lack of wider reading, and retention skills are lacking.

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HISTORY

152. The subject is led and managed well. The head of department has produced documents which are informed and informative and which underpin much of the good work of the department. In this, she is supported by her head of faculty and her colleagues. She gives effective and efficient leadership of the subject. She is a good role model of commitment to continually improve standards. She is aware of the importance to monitor and evaluate teaching and assessment, particularly in Years 7 to 9, where pupils do not yet have National Curriculum levels in their notebooks. She does not have the time allocation to do this effectively.

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HISTORY

153. The trend in standards since the last inspection has been one of steady improvement. Chace Community School - 56

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Overall, the quality of provision in information and communication technology (ICT) is unsatisfactory .

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Strengths • The new senior management team is committed to improvement. A detailed development plan is in place. • Technical support from the network manager and technician is of a high standard.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Areas for improvement • Statutory requirements for ICT are not met as it is not taught across the curriculum in a planned and co-ordinated way. • ICT knowledge and skills are not taught in Years 7 to 9 to meet requirements. • In Years 10 and 11, all pupils do not have the opportunities to develop their skills. • Standards in GCSE are low.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

154. Overall, standards in ICT are unsatisfactory. Pupils do not develop and apply their skills at an appropriate level. The majority of subjects make insufficient use of ICT to develop pupils’ skills or to enrich their learning.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

155. The management of ICT is not clear and provision is not planned and co-ordinated. Arrangements for reporting to parents are unsatisfactory. In Years 7 to 9, requirements are not met and in Years 10 and 11 all pupils do not experience all the aspects of the ICT programme. Pupils in Year 7 and 8 have insufficient opportunities to develop their skills and to enrich their learning. The subject is taught through other subjects whose contributions have not been planned and co- ordinated systematically. It is taught separately in Year 9. By end of Year 9, pupils have at least satisfactory keyboard skills and can perform straightforward tasks using text and graphics, for instance, to produce a theatre poster for a production of ‘Macbeth’. Drafting by average and higher-attaining pupils show that they think about their ideas. Most use spell checkers to correct their mistakes. A number do not really understand the advantages and disadvantages of using

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

different software packages for presenting information. In a theory lesson, lower-attaining pupils found it difficult to grasp the idea of pagination for creating layouts. No difference was seen in the performance of boys and girls and between different ethnic groups.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

156. Standards are below average and progress in Years 10 and 11 is unsatisfactory because all pupils do not have the chance to develop their skills in the required depth. As cross-curricular ICT is not assessed or reported on, it is difficult for the school to plan for their needs. In 2000, some pupils took GCSE ICT, though their results were well below the national average and many underachieved. They did less well than in their other subjects. Similarly, this year’s standards were lower compared with last year’s and most underachieved. In many cases, pupils did not work as hard as they could, especially with their coursework, and the department is monitoring this factor more carefully. The course is attracting rising numbers and about a sixth of the year group now take GCSE.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

157. In formal lessons and in the work seen, standards are below average, but most pupils make satisfactory progress from a low starting point. Pupils in Year 10 are making better progress than Year 11 because they are particularly well motivated. In Year 11, most show sound knowledge of computer basics, but many have difficulties in remembering information from one lesson to another. Poor writing skills affect much written work. In class, higher-attaining pupils have sound understanding of ideas, but their written explanations, for instance, about how certain software programmes could help a child to learn arithmetic, are superficial. In assignments to produce and refine a programme for school sports day, all show good awareness of the intended audience and evidence of refining their ideas as they proceed. Good support materials help them with this process. Most can select information needed and organise it in different ways. Most can design

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

simple spreadsheets, for example, to record sporting events, but are weaker in using them for modelling.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

158. Teaching is unsatisfactory. Many teachers do not have the computer skills or facilities to teach at the appropriate level. New arrangements are in hand for those teachers who have not had or Chace Community School - 57 have not completed government training. The school is short of computers, other equipment, and up-to-date subject software. Access to computer rooms for most subjects is difficult. Facilities in the learning resources centre are used mainly by individual students. A new computer room for other subjects is due to open in a few weeks. While ICT is integrated into the majority of subject work schemes, few subjects, with the exception of business subjects and design and technology, use it on a regular basis. Design and technology has been using computerised sewing machines for some time and pupils in resistant materials lessons are now making good progress using the new software and machines in their recently installed computer suite.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

159. Teaching in formal lessons varies from unsatisfactory to good. Teachers and technical staff are hard working and pupils benefit from using the facilities in the learning resources centre and the computer room after school. Teachers know their subject well and manage pupils well by giving them good-humoured support so that they tackle individual tasks confidently. They provide interesting support materials, often available on the network. Because they enjoy ICT, most pupils, with the exception of a few disaffected boys in Year 11, come to lessons prepared to work hard. Teachers are well organised so that pupils settle quickly and can move around safely, often in cramped conditions with inadequate space to work away from computers. Most have to work in pairs. As a result, some pupils are easily distracted. Where pupils make unsatisfactory progress, they work too slowly because they are insufficiently aware of what is expected of them

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

by the end of the lesson or teachers do not interrupt lessons often enough to develop new ideas or explain difficulties. Not enough use is made in planning of information on what pupils have learnt.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

160. Unsatisfactory improvement has been made since the last inspection. Management arrangements are unsatisfactory, the result of staff changes at the end of the summer. Current roles are unclear and need to be rationalised. Work plans are too general and would not support other teachers well. The new senior management team is aware of the situation and is committed to improving the provision. They have a clear policy linked to training and improving resources.

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MODERN LANGUAGES

Overall, the quality of provision in modern languages is satisfactory .

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MODERN LANGUAGES

Strengths • The quality of teaching in French is very good and pupils concentrate well in lessons. • Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour in French lessons are very good. • The overall management of French is good. • The quality of marking and setting of homework is very good in French.

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MODERN LANGUAGES

Areas for improvement • A significant proportion of the German teaching is unsatisfactory. • Monitoring of teaching, learning and exercise books in German is not rigorous enough. • Behaviour in German is not always managed firmly enough. • ICT is not integrated in the German schemes of work. • Some shortages in essential teaching resources reduce the range of activities in German.

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MODERN LANGUAGES

161. Approximately equal numbers of pupils take French or German in every year. Since 1998, almost all pupils have studied a foreign language for five years and have been entered for GCSE examinations. This high level of provision is unusual and commendable, when compared with the national picture.

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MODERN LANGUAGES

162. Standards in lessons and other work seen of pupils in Year 9 are below the national average in French, and well below in German. The difference in favour of French is the result not only of recent staffing instability in German, but also of consistently better teaching in French. In French, pupils make good progress in developing their writing and speaking skills. The few higher attainers write extended descriptions of their homes and school with appropriate detail, and, in accounts of their holidays and future plans, they show some control of the past and future tenses. Chace Community School - 58 Middle attainers make consistent effort in writing French in these contexts, but do so with less accuracy. Lower attainers write much more simply, but nevertheless usually take great care with their copy writing. Many pupils develop confidence in speaking French, because they listen carefully to the teacher and practise the language constantly in every lesson. In German, pupils

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MODERN LANGUAGES

are much less confident and many are very hesitant in using the language. They write German with less accuracy and detail. Many pupils, even the higher attainers, are slow to remember vocabulary they have met before in their reading and listening work. Although some pupils do not make satisfactory progress in German, pupils make good progress in French, especially the gifted and talented. Pupils with English as an additional language and those with special educational needs make progress that is at least satisfactory in French. In German, however, in large classes where there is a wide range of attainment, the needs of these pupils are not fully met, and they make insufficient progress. The teachers’ assessments at the end of Year 9 in 2001 and 2002 presented a picture of well below average overall attainment in modern languages. There were no departmental assessments for the separate languages.

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MODERN LANGUAGES

163. Standards reached by pupils in Year 11 are below average in French, and well below in German. In French, pupils at all attainment levels follow closely the very supportive guidance teachers provide when preparing them for writing examination course work. Pupils generally take part well in French speaking activities and realise the importance of developing good accents. Their close attention to listening tasks and very good behaviour make important contributions to their good progress, particularly among the gifted and talented. Pupils with English as an additional language and those with special educational needs make at least satisfactory progress. In German, pupils make unsatisfactory progress: they are hesitant in speaking and the few higher attainers find it difficult to talk about themselves, even simply. Most pupils’ written work is affected by weaknesses and many have difficulty in manipulating tenses. A minority of pupils

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MODERN LANGUAGES

have lost interest in German and tend to misbehave, preventing others from making progress, particularly those with special educational needs.

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MODERN LANGUAGES

164. In 2001, GCSE results in French were well below average. Girls did better than boys, and the gap between the performance of boys and girls was wider than was the case nationally. In German, the 2001 GCSE results were also well below average. There was no overall difference between the boys’ and girls’ results. Over the last two years, French results have improved slightly. Results in German have fallen over the last two years. In 2002, results in French maintained their slight rising trend, whereas in German results continued to fall, largely as a result of many staffing changes over two years.

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MODERN LANGUAGES

165. The quality of teaching in modern languages is satisfactory overall, but varies between the two languages. In French, teaching is of high quality and pupils’ concentrate well in all lessons. All teachers use French constantly for classroom instructions, presentation of new vocabulary and in the intensive language practice in every lesson. Pupils respond immediately to the high demands placed on them and gain confidence in their own listening and speaking skills. Teachers plan the lessons well to cover all attainment targets, and make effective use of a wide range of well- produced overhead transparencies, work sheets and practice reading sheets. Pupils enjoy this variety and the fast pace of most lessons. They are stimulated to further effort by a range of ‘fun’ language games. For example, in one game, a pupil sat in the ‘hot seat’, while fellow pupils quick-fired vocabulary questions at him. In another game of hide and seek for a flash card, all

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MODERN LANGUAGES

pupils repeated the word for the object on the flashcard softly, when the girl ‘seeker’ was far from the flash card, but called loudly when she approached it. Teachers understand well how pupils learn grammar, and how to extend their written work for the demands of examination course work. Pupils are given plenty of practice in building on what they know, and in developing new expressions and phrases. Teachers also give plenty of repetition and support to shyer pupils and those with special educational needs, so that they too can make progress. In German, however, the teaching, although just satisfactory overall, is occasionally unsatisfactory. In the unsatisfactory lessons seen, the teacher did not manage the pupils firmly enough and did not provide activities that allowed the pupils to take part and practise the language themselves. Teachers in German are sympathetic towards the difficulties pupils have had during the period of

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MODERN LANGUAGES

staffing disruption. They work hard to keep pupils interested. However, they do not push the lesson on at a pace that stimulates the pupils to concentrate fully. Nor do teachers insist on high enough standards of accuracy and careful presentation in exercise books. The quality of Chace Community School - 59 overhead transparencies is often not good enough. Nonetheless, in about a third of the lessons seen, many pupils responded positively when the teaching was more focused and behaviour was firmly managed.

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MODERN LANGUAGES

166. Since the last inspection, there have been many changes in German teachers, and in the attainment range of pupils entered for GCSE in modern languages, which has widened considerably. The quality of teaching and the good progress in French have been sustained, but strengths have not been maintained in German, because of the difficulties of retaining well- qualified staff.

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MODERN LANGUAGES

167. The faculty is led satisfactorily under recent new management, but there is much left to do in raising standards in German. Priorities for development include the improvement of teaching, learning and behaviour in German, to reach the higher standards evident in French. In this context, action by the heads of the faculty has not yet been rigorous enough. The quality of display is good in most classrooms, but the languages corridor lacks stimulating posters and maps. ICT work is not integrated into the schemes of work. The German schemes of work require immediate revision. Some shortages in essential teaching resources, such as trolleys and reliable overhead projectors, reduce the range of teaching and learning activities in German.

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MUSIC

Overall, the quality of provision in music is poor .

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MUSIC

Strengths • Peripatetic instrumental teaching is very good. • There are good relationships between pupils and teachers. • Discipline in the classroom is good.

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MUSIC

Areas for improvement • Teaching is unsatisfactory. • Standards achieved by pupils are too low. • Curricular planning is unsatisfactory. • There are no rigorous procedures for the assessment of pupils' work. • There are not enough opportunities for extra-curricular performance.

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MUSIC

168. The standards of pupils' work in Year 9 are well below average. They enter the school with wide ranging musical skills but make poor progress across Years 7 to 9. Only those pupils with regular peripatetic instrumental tuition make satisfactory progress. In the lessons inspected, pupils' performing and listening skills were extremely variable in quality, with many demonstrating poor co-ordination in rhythmic percussion work and modest facility on electronic keyboards. When required to compose, pupils' work was seriously restricted by the inappropriate tasks set by the teacher, showed little musical imagination and was often marred by weak musical literacy. The quality of pupils' work in Year 7 was of a better standard than in the rest of the key stage. Pupils with special educational needs achieve in line with other pupils. Those identified as talented make equally poor progress.

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MUSIC

169. The standards of pupils' work in Year 11 are below average. Over the past few years, the numbers taking GCSE have been low, making any comparisons with national averages inappropriate. In the 2001 examination the numbers gaining A* to C grades were below average, but all pupils secured a grade. The 2002 results indicate a decline in standards. In the work inspected, pupils demonstrated modest performing skills on voice and guitar taught outside class lessons, but inadequate co-ordination in rhythmic class percussion work. Pupils' compositions rarely extend beyond limited diatonic procedures and lack musical imagination. The progress made by pupils with special educational needs and those identified as gifted and talented is unsatisfactory.

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MUSIC

170. Pupils display satisfactory attitudes in music lessons; the majority behave sensibly and form positive relationships with teachers. Chace Community School - 60 171. The quality of pupils' learning in music is impeded by the unsatisfactory and sometimes poor quality of teaching provided in class lessons. Whilst pupils benefit from teaching that is well disciplined, supportive, good humoured and patient, they make insufficient progress because lessons are poorly planned and methods used are either outdated or inappropriate. During the inspection, similar rhythmic percussion work was taught to widely different year groups, providing pupils with no sense of progression or challenge over time. In several lessons, pupils with special educational needs or those identified as gifted and talented made little or no progress because teachers did not identify them or provide work appropriate to their needs. In some of the practical

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MUSIC

activities set, pupils lost focus and learnt very little because the teacher provided unclear explanations, did not fully question the whole class to consolidate understanding and allotted far too much time to simple tasks. In most lessons, teachers miss opportunities to develop pupils' key skills and key words are not provided in the music rooms. Pupils do not know what they need to do to improve because teachers' provide insufficient day-to-day assessment. Homework is not set or marked on a regular basis to support lessons and enhance pupils' learning. Those pupils who work with peripatetic instrumental teachers make good progress because the quality of teaching is very good, being skilfully focused on progressive and demanding tasks.

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MUSIC

172. Pupils' learning in music is significantly restricted by the poor quality of departmental management. Years 7 to 9 lack a coherent, progressive scheme of work, which means that lesson content is too ad hoc and new staff in the department are unable to ensure continuity of learning. In all years, scant attention is paid to lesson planning to ensure a demanding and integrated range of activities in each lesson. Little thought has been given to the best use of time in Year 9 classes. Pupils' are not provided with a sufficient range of regular, high-quality extra- curricular activities to extend their musicianship. The current procedures for assessment are inadequate. There are insufficient instruments for both music rooms, no opportunities for the use of computers in music and the lack of practice rooms adjacent to the main teaching rooms makes small group work impossible.

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MUSIC

173. Music has made unsatisfactory improvement since the previous inspection. The majority of weaknesses identified in the last report remain unresolved.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Overall, the quality of provision in physical education is good .

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Strengths • Good teaching across the school. • Well above average standards at GCSE. • Good overall progress by pupils.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Areas for improvement • The relatively low proportion of A and A* grades at GCSE. • The interruption to physical education provision caused by extensive use of the sports hall for other purposes.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

174. The percentage of pupils gaining A* to C levels in GCSE physical education in 2001 is well above the national average, which represents excellent improvement in GCSE standards since the last inspection. The results for 2002 show a decline in comparison to the exceptional previous years’ results. However, pupils still achieve well in line with predictions and previous learning. Girls out- perform boys in theoretical studies but scrutinised work show the department is redressing this imbalance with the use of homework, a variety of literacy strategies and excellent marking to improve understanding and written responses. The introduction of short-course GCSE physical education for all pupils in Years 10 and 11 has significantly raised standards. For pupils to make very good overall progress the present percentage of pupils achieving the higher grades needs to rise is since it is not fully representative of ability levels and potential. Standards in Year 9 and in

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Year 11 are in line with national expectations, which represents good improvement since the last inspection. The most recent statutory teachers’ assessments of pupils show boys to be above Chace Community School - 61 the national average. Inspection findings confirm these judgements within the performance element of their work, but less so with their planning and evaluatory skills. Chace Community School - 62 175. Pupils make good progress at all stages. Many pupils enter Year 7 with below average attainment. They make good progress between Years 7 and 9 in understanding the principles of preparation for exercise and games’ playing. They specifically nominate muscles and joints that relate to the area being studied. The same pupils achieve appropriate standards and acquire relevant skills and techniques in a wide range of activities. Challenging tasks in a Year 7 football lesson improved pupils’ understanding of tactics and decision-making. Learning further improved

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

because of the high expectations for pupils to describe their learning, leading to a good understanding of specialist vocabulary. The achievement of pupils between Years 7 and 9 has significantly improved since the last inspection. Vocational and certificated course tasks aid a continuation of the understanding of tactics and decision-making. Self-evaluation of performance at all ages is under-developed. Although often planned for, pupils are not consistently asked to evaluate their own and others’ performances and to make oral contributions related to their findings.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

176. The quality of teaching is good overall and is often very good. Some teachers have very good knowledge of their subject and are aware of the tasks and challenges in the National Curriculum programmes. This level of expertise is not always shared with colleagues who are less familiar with the requirements. Teachers are well aware of the needs of pupils. Their encouragement and planned level of challenges particularly helps lower-attaining pupils and those with special needs to make good progress. The department has yet to consider fully strategies to stretch higher attainers and gifted and talented pupils whose rate of progress is often slower than that of other pupils. Very good management strategies ensure that pupils remain concentrated. In the better lessons, pupils respond well to the enthusiasm and high expectations of their teachers and are motivated to succeed. They have confidence in their ability to take initiative and to analyse their

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

achievements. Sometimes pace and rigour is sacrificed because of time-consuming teacher interventions to resolve inappropriate behaviour. Teachers try to make good use of ICT to enhance and record pupils’ learning, but resources are poor. The department has worked very hard to develop more appropriate schemes of work and lesson planning now ensures relevant and challenging tasks for all. Teachers now use relevant criteria to assess all pupils and to set learning targets. Monitoring of teaching is not yet fully established, nor is the sharing of good practice.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

177. The department is very well led and managed. A thorough audit of needs and support by senior management has resulted in very good improvement since the last inspection. Newly appointed staff have very good subject expertise and have played a major part in raising standards. Various strategies have been introduced to improve pupil participation and attitudes to the subject, with notable successes. The ‘Sportsmark’ award is a recognition of the significant improvements in the breadth and balance of the curriculum and learning opportunities for all pupils. The head of department is establishing productive links with local education partners and community sport schemes. Pupils who study for community ‘Sports Leader Awards’ have been involved in community projects with younger children and local feeder schools welcome this involvement. A recent increase in the number of extra-curricular activities is increasing participation rates. Other

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

schemes, such as the centre for excellence in dance, badminton and trampolining, all held at the school, provide opportunities for talented pupils to make further progress. The department recognises that further connections are needed to enable other pupils to use their talents and increase their learning opportunities beyond school. The continuity of learning is affected when the sports hall is used for examinations. Recent and necessary refurbishment has been completed in the girls’ changing rooms but not yet in the boys’.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Overall, the quality of provision in religious education is good .

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Strengths • A supportive environment encourages pupils’ confidence. • Pupils have the opportunity to develop their own beliefs and values. • The attractive rooms and the range of artefacts stimulate interest. • Teachers relate topics to the pupils’ experience and to contemporary issues. Chace Community School - 63 Areas for improvement • Half the year groups being taught at the same time results in the use of non-specialist teachers for GCSE groups. • Lack of consistency in teaching staff prevents the development of skills and understanding.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

178. Results in the 2001 GCSE examinations in the short course were below the national average. Results in 2002 were lower than 2001, but the proportion of students gaining a grade was above average. All pupils in Year 11 follow the course and all are entered for the examination, a creditable achievement by the department. In 2002, all pupils who took the examination achieved a grade. Girls achieved significantly higher grades than the boys in 2002, but in 2001 boys achieved higher grades.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

179. Standards in Year 9 are just below average, satisfactory achievement given the students’ standards on entry to the school. By Year 9, pupils have a simple understanding of symbolism and recognise that it may be used to represent abstract concepts, such as their own individuality or the beliefs of others. Higher-attaining pupils recognise that to believers, the concept of god is complicated, and that Hindu believers use symbolism to demonstrate the many facets of the power of God. Pupils have an understanding of some of the key features of Islam and through skilful teaching are encouraged to develop an understanding of Islamic practices, and to link them with the concept of commitment. They are able to sympathise with the feelings of Muhammad as he came to the realisation of his calling and to express this in free response. Boys are often quicker to respond in oral work than girls, though the written work of girls demonstrates more

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

concern for accuracy. Pupils with special educational needs make satisfactory progress due to the clear structuring of the lessons and some materials that are adapted to their needs.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

180. Standards in Year 11 are below average. However, a significant minority of pupils achieve standards that are at least average. Pupils make satisfactory progress, but the progress of some higher attaining pupils is reduced by a lack of motivation that results in their reluctance to strive to achieve their best in their written work. With the support of good questioning by teachers, pupils display perception and interest in their oral work, but written responses are often less developed. In a lesson where pupils were studying the symbolism of an anti-war painting, they moved from careless observation to a level where they could apply previous knowledge of religious beliefs to the work of the painter, as a result of very good teacher encouragement and questioning. Pupils have a secure grasp of the concept of prejudice and consider the forms that it takes. In extended writing higher attaining pupils demonstrate some understanding of the Christian view of equality,

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

which they then relate to the inequality shown in the church’s attitude to women. Lower attaining pupils identify the inequalities, but do not relate it to Christian teaching. With support pupils are identifying key religious teachings, but only a minority are applying them to the moral issues they study.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

181. Attitudes to the subject are improving and behaviour is good. Pupils generally concentrate and complete their work, but there is limited enthusiasm for written tasks. Discussion and debate arouse greater involvement. Relationships between staff and pupils are good and pupils are confident that their responses will be positively received. Pupils are encouraged to develop their own beliefs and opinions whilst respecting the opinions of others, through the good role models of their teachers and the reflective approach that teachers adopt.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

182. The quality of teaching and learning is now good. Discontinuity in teaching has weakened its impact in the past but stability has been achieved. Teachers have created a supportive learning environment that enables pupils to feel free to explore and develop their own beliefs and values. Pupils are encouraged to reflect on the concepts they investigate and to relate them to their own experiences. An example was observed in a Year 9 class when pupils compared the idea of the many manifestations of Brahma with the many sides to their own personalities. Teachers plan lessons well, sharing the objectives of the lesson with the pupils so that they can recognise their progress. The best lessons are planned to involve pupils actively and to enable them to learn through discovery. Where lessons become too teacher led and pupils become collectors of information their interest and involvement declines. Pupils make less progress when tasks are

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Chace Community School - 64 not well matched to their abilities or to the supporting materials. When this happens pupils become frustrated or are not stretched to achieve their potential.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

183. The choice of GCSE topics ensures that pupils investigate contemporary moral issues, and teachers encourage pupils to consider current events, such as the present threat of war, in the light of religious teaching. Pupils are encouraged to develop their ideas in their homework and teachers encourage their pupils to develop good study skills through their high expectations of presentation, particularly in the lower school.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

184. The leadership and management of the department is good. Schemes of work are being reviewed and a new assessment policy has been planned for the lower school. The department is established in two attractive rooms that enable the subject to develop a positive profile in the school. A very good range of resources provides opportunities for students to learn through investigation, and the use of video provides visual stimulus. Pupils are more actively involved in their studies, however the library is not yet used to provide opportunities for independent learning. The use of ICT is undeveloped. Except for pupils in Year 7, pupils do not have the opportunity to gain first hand experience of talking to people of other faiths or to visit places of worship. The annual change of teachers of the subject is well managed by the subject co-ordinator, however there is little opportunity to build on any previous experience. Time that could be used to develop

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

the subject is instead used to inform staff of the day-to-day requirements of the subject.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

185. The department has made good improvement since the last inspection. Schemes of work have been reviewed in the light of the locally agreed syllabus and more active teaching strategies are used in order to involve pupils in their learning. Religious education is now taught to pupils in Years 10 and 11and the short course GCSE is offered to all. The department has developed a good range of resources and is established in two new bases. There is still no religious education in the sixth form. Chace Community School - 65

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CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES IN THE SIXTH FORM

In the inspection, 9 subjects and courses were inspected and are reported on in detail. Work in other subjects and courses was sampled and contributed to the overall picture of teaching and learning in the school.

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CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES IN THE SIXTH FORM

The table below shows entry and performance information for courses completed in 2001.

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GCE A level and AVCE courses

Subject Number entered % gaining grades A-E % gaining grades A-B Average point score

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GCE A level and AVCE courses

School England School England School England

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GCE A level and AVCE courses

Communication Studies 9 100 93 44 31 6.4 5.5

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GCE A level and AVCE courses

English Literature 13 100 95 8 37 4.8 5.9

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GCE A level and AVCE courses

Full Design and Technology 10 70 91 20 30 3.6 5.4

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GCE A level and AVCE courses

Other Social Studies 12 100 87 42 34 6.5 5.3

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GCE A level and AVCE courses

Vocational Studies 1 100 76 0 26 6.0 4.4

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MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCES

186. The focus in inspection was on mathematics and physics, but chemistry and biology were also sampled. For these subjects, there are only AS courses taken in Year 12. Lessons in both were observed and the teaching was always satisfactory and sometimes good. Standards in recent years have been well below the national averages and remain so in the classes observed. However, when the performance of individual pupils is compared to their attainment on entry to the courses, their progress is satisfactory. Chace Community School - 66

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Mathematics

Overall, the quality of provision in mathematics is good .

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Mathematics

Strengths • The students’ attitudes to their work and their teaching are positive. • Teaching is good. • A good number of students choose to study mathematics.

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Mathematics

Areas for improvement • Lessons sometimes lack sparkle. • Links between different aspects of the course are not always made as apparent to the students as they could be.

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Mathematics

187. The department offers courses leading to mathematics at AS level and A2 level. The students taking mathematics study a combination of pure mathematics, statistics and mechanics.

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Mathematics

188. Course numbers are healthy. There are 15 students currently studying mathematics for AS level and 14 for A2. Relatively few students decide to drop mathematics during the first year sixth once they have made a commitment to the course.

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Mathematics

189. The number of students entered for A level has until recently been relatively small. Comparisons with national averages, therefore, are not appropriate in most years since the last inspection. Results vary a little from year to year, but have usually been broadly in line with national norms and have reflected the students’ prior attainment and prior attainment. In 2001, the students performed below the national average, largely because of staffing problems, which have now been resolved. In all other years, including 2002 when all entered for A2 secured grade E or better, students’ achievements were better than predicted by the Durham University measures for improvement.

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Mathematics

190. The school has decided to design the mathematics course so that students do not take the third examination needed to qualify for an AS award until the second year in the sixth form. In September 2001, 23 students started the course leading to advanced level in June 2003. Two of these left the course and took no examination in June 2002 and two were unsuccessful in these examinations. The remainder are continuing to take examinations leading to either AS or A level.

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Mathematics

191. The standard of work seen during the inspection was broadly in line with the national average and current rates of progress are satisfactory. Year 13 students find statistics more straightforward than mechanics unless they are also studying physics A level. Nevertheless, they show a fair understanding of how to analyse the path of a projectile in a vertical plane, although they are less comfortable when dealing with the same problem using vector notation. In pure mathematics, basic differentiation and integration are secure, with most able to simplify algebraic fractions in order to integrate them. AS level students in Year 12 at the beginning of their sixth form studies were seen learning about co-ordinate geometry for a straight line. Most have begun to come to terms with the greater degree of rigour associated with studying A level mathematics and are benefiting from the improved curricular arrangements for this year, which lay greater emphasise on

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Mathematics

the importance of algebra and basic trigonometry. Interconnection between these components of mathematics is not stressed or illustrated as often as it might be.

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Mathematics

192. Teaching is good. Lessons seen during the inspection were well or very well taught, except for one in which teaching was satisfactory. Lessons were well prepared and delivered at a brisk pace. In some lessons, however, there is too little variety in the teaching. Students are not sufficiently involved in problem-solving and discussion and are not given enough opportunity to contribute. This extra dimension would provide the sparkle missing from some lessons.

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Mathematics

193. The students feel well supported by their teachers. They feel free to approach them when they are in difficulties and are appreciative of the amount of time outside of normal lessons that the teachers are prepared to afford them. Some students rightly feel that elements of the course as a Chace Community School - 67 whole are not presented as coherently as they might be. This is particularly the case where teachers share responsibility for teaching different elements of a common part of the syllabus. 194. The mathematics department benefits from very good management. The teachers are well qualified, experienced and very hard working. There is a commitment to improvement and the capacity to see that it takes place.

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PHYSICS

Overall, the quality of provision in physics is satisfactory.

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PHYSICS

Strengths • Teaching is good. • Relationships with students are very good. • Technical support is very good.

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PHYSICS

Areas for improvement • The majority of students start the course with levels of attainment at GCSE that are too low. Despite good teaching, these students struggle to achieve the standards needed for a pass grade and their presence in class tends to slow the rate of progress of all students. • A lack of ICT equipment limits aspects of learning.

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PHYSICS

195. In 2002, no students were entered for A level. From 1998 to 2001, there was a low uptake and few students completed the course. Of these, less than half achieved a pass grade and only one student gained a higher grade (A or B). This level of attainment is well below national figures. As the great majority of these students started from a low GCSE base, their individual results show at least satisfactory progress. There is no significant difference in the performance of boys and girls.

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PHYSICS

196. There is now a healthier uptake, with eight students in both Year 12 and 13. Observation of lessons, students' notes and the results of internal tests indicate that the standards are improving. Although still below the national average, the pass rate is in line to be much better than the recent results. The present Year 13 took AS level examinations at the end of Year 12, all but one gaining a pass grade, but none achieving a higher grade. When each student's result is compared to his or her prior attainment, all reached the predicted standard and some exceeded, so that overall achievement is sound. Year 12 students are working very hard, but at a level and pace below the national expectation. The insecurity of their GCSE knowledge and understanding is limiting their ability to cope with AS level work.

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PHYSICS

197. Teaching is always good and often very good. Great skill is shown in presenting difficult abstract concepts in small logical steps that build on the students' existing knowledge. The clever use of analogy and metaphor enabled students to grasp the intricacies of eddy currents in a Year 13 lesson. Year 12 students were presented with a problem that required them to link two different strands of knowledge. At first, they were perplexed, but careful questioning by the teacher resulted in their recalling their previous learning and all eventually were able to solve the problem. However, despite the teacher's best efforts, the lesson moved at a limited pace. Some of the basic GCSE knowledge had to be re-taught. The basis of this good teaching of students, who find A level work difficult, lies in the very good relationships evident in lessons. Teaching instils confidence and enthusiasm. Students trust their teachers, cope well with their difficulties and

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PHYSICS

198. Leadership and management of the subject are very good. Teachers have a very good command of the subject matter and their work is well co-ordinated. They also have an accurate understanding of the requirements of the examination, which enables them to ensure that students maximise their performance in all parts of the course. Very high quality technical support for the experimental work in A level sciences is a particular strength.

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PHYSICS

199. The low number of students with high-grade GCSE results taking the course is a great concern. This is in part due to the present low standards in GCSE science. The future health of A level Chace Community School - 68 science courses is dependant on an improvement in GCSE results, followed by an increased uptake by high-attaining students.

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ENGINEERING, DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING

200. The focus for this inspection was GNVQ intermediate engineering, but AS/A level product design (resistant materials) and AS/A level product design (graphic communication) were also sampled. In 2001, results for graphics were well below average, a considerable drop from the previous year when the average points score per student was at the national average. Results for resistant materials were well above average in 2001 and a considerable improvement on the previous year. Taken together, results have been below average for the last four years and have fluctuated without a definite trend. In general, results have been in line with their prior attainment and predicted performance. Currently, students on both courses are working at an average level of attainment. Independent working skills and levels of individual research and analysis are not well developed. Some students in resistant materials are working at a higher level and some practical

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ENGINEERING, DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING

projects are imaginative and made with good standards of craftsmanship. In lessons seen, teaching and planning were good, and students expressed very positive views about the courses.

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GNVQ Intermediate Engineering

Overall, the quality of provision in GNVQ Intermediate Engineering is good .

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GNVQ Intermediate Engineering

Strengths • Teaching is good and good teamwork ensures that staff expertise is used effectively. • The course achieves above average results with students who might not otherwise benefit from sixth form work. • Students’ achievement is good.

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GNVQ Intermediate Engineering

Areas for improvement • The integration of computer-aided design and manufacturing processes into assignment work is at an early stage of development.

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GNVQ Intermediate Engineering

201. Examination results are above average. Of nine students completing the course in 2001, two gained distinctions and five gained merits, an improvement on previous years and a good completion rate. At present, there are six students in Year 12. They started the course with weak GCSE results and have varied backgrounds in design and technology. In the short time since they began the course, their progress has been good. They have developed good background knowledge in engineering terminology and processes enabling them to participate in discussion with understanding. For example, in a discussion of British Standard drawing conventions, one student had sufficient knowledge of milling to see that it could be used to carry out ‘spot-facing’ on a casting. Students have made a good start on the first practical assignment that has been carefully chosen to provide them with a wide range of engineering skills and

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GNVQ Intermediate Engineering

processes. Students had completed components for an airbrush and compressor project and were justifiably pleased with the quality of the outcome. Their graphic skills are developing in line with their practical ability and the quality of drawing is sufficient to support manufacturing. A scrutiny of work completed by last year’s students, showed that projects were challenging, involved detailed research and analysis and covered all aspects of the assessment criteria.

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GNVQ Intermediate Engineering

202. Teaching is good. The course is taught by a team of experienced and knowledgeable specialists, and, because team expertise is deployed effectively, the quality of learning is good. The mathematics of engineering, for example, is taught by a specialist. Teachers have been successful in developing good relationships with students. Students enjoy the work, and speak enthusiastically of its personal benefits as well as of improvements to their technical knowledge. One student was adamant that because teaching was good, he had made rapid progress since coming to the school at the beginning of Year 12. Similarly, another student had made good progress in personal organisation after disappointing GCSE results. Chace Community School - 69 203. Course management is good. Students’ work is assessed thoroughly and they receive good written and verbal information on their progress. All students are made aware of the criteria

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GNVQ Intermediate Engineering

against which their work will be marked. Course documentation is detailed. Thorough planning ensures that strict deadlines are met and that syllabus content is systematically covered. Leadership is enthusiastic and this is communicated effectively to students. Computer-aided design and manufacturing processes are beginning to be integrated into assignment work and teachers have undertaken appropriate training. Recently installed CAD/CAM equipment will make a significant impact on the quality of work as it becomes more frequently used. Accommodation and equipment are now good and the network of contacts established over many years means that students have good access to examples from the engineering workplace.

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Business Studies

204. Business studies is part of the faculty of Work Related Learning, which also offers vocational engineering and leisure and tourism. The school offers business education in Years 10 and 11 and at post 16. The inspection concentrated on provision in the sixth form, where the school offers GNVQ intermediate level, and AS/A2 levels. The school did offer AVCE business, but it is currently not being offered because of a lack of demand.

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Business Studies

Overall, the quality of provision in business studies is good .

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Business Studies

Strengths • There is a wide range of provision, including academic and vocational courses. • The admission policy contributes to the school’s ethos of inclusion. • Good value is added to pupils’ attainment. • Leadership and management of the subject at both faculty and departmental level are good.

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Business Studies

Areas for improvement • Monitoring teaching and spreading best practice is not well developed. • Strategies to encourage wider reading and methods to assist retention techniques are not used.

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Business Studies

205. The department’s open-door philosophy about entrance to the sixth form, echoes the philosophy of the school, and students are encouraged to enter a sixth form which offers a curriculum which is broad, balanced and offers opportunities for success. Students make very good progress both within and between courses.

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Business Studies

206. At the AVCE, completed for the first time in 2002, students attained standards that matched national ones: of the four students who completed, three gained the full advanced awards at A, B and C grades and one pupil attained a D and was awarded an AS level.

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Business Studies

207. Work seen during the inspection indicated standards at least in line and occasionally above national expectations and students confidently and accurately use a wide range of business terminology. They demonstrate clear understanding of key business concepts, such as the use and importance of administration in business organisations. Work is thorough and covers the requirements of the assessment evidence grid in a broad way. The strength of the students’ class work is the steady accumulation of knowledge, which is well organised in their files, and in their basic understanding of the subject matter. Relative weaknesses are the interpretation and analysis of data and students’ failure to retain the knowledge and understanding over time, leading to weaker performances in examinations. Nevertheless, given the students’ prior attainment at entry to the sixth form, there is tangible evidence of good added value.

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Business Studies

208. In A level business studies, both at AS and A2, the examination results were below average for the last two years. In 2001, only 9 per cent of pupils attained A or B grades, compared to 32 per cent nationally. However, there are many encouraging trends in examination figures, since, in 2002, as yet unvalidated, figures indicate 33 per cent achieved grades AB. The standards Chace Community School - 70 reached by current students, as seen in lessons and in their written work, are at least in line with, and occasionally, above average. Their projects are interesting, well produced and professionally presented.

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Business Studies

209. In Years 12 and 13, students make good progress in understanding the central ideas of the subject. However, their achievement is no more than satisfactory overall. This is due mainly to the lack of wider and in-depth reading around the subject, often because of additional interests outside school which impact on the time they can devote to learning.

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Business Studies

210. Overall, the quality of the teaching on all courses in the department is good, and is occasionally very good. Teachers have excellent rapport and expert knowledge of their subject underpins discussion and lends clarity to the explanations provided. Lessons are carefully planned, and effective use is made of case studies and other activities to allow students to apply and extend their learning. However, there is a tendency to provide too much such help for the students at the expense of ensuring that they have enough practice in the kinds of analysis that will enable them to become more independent learners.

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Business Studies

211. Resources are adequate. New textbooks are available for most course/unit areas. There is a lack of appropriate videos for business studies. The accommodation is adequate. The vocational aspects of the subject gains particularly from there being a specialist room. Leadership and management are very good. The head of faculty, and the head of the business studies department have a clear vision for the future of the department and they drive a good team forward to meet the wide and differing needs and aspirations of future cohorts of students.

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Physical education

Overall, the quality of provision in physical education is good .

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Physical education

Strengths • Teaching of AS physical education is good, expectations are high and theory and practical activities well planned. • Students are achieving well in the early stages of the AS course. • Attitudes to studying are very good. • The use of resources and external centres of excellence is a very good feature.

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Physical education

Areas for improvement. • Evaluation of performance is not consistently brought into practical work. • Strategies to improve the practical abilities of students on entry to the sixth form are at an early stage of development.

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Physical education

212. In recent years, a small number of students have studied AS and A level physical education at other centres, with results well below the national average. The present group began their AS studies in September 2002. Inspection evidence shows that these students are producing work of average standards. In student-led presentations, many satisfactorily describe the physiological characteristics of joints and effectively use a range of specialist language. In a practical hockey session, they worked well in applying their understanding of motor ability and psychomotor ability. The quality of work varies: students who have achieved less well in the theory aspects of their GCSE course struggle with the anatomy and physiological aspects of course work. Lower attainers also struggle in the practical elements of the course, which leads to lack of completion of tasks in lessons.

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Physical education

213. All students make at least satisfactory progress. Many have made good progress since they started the course and are achieving well. In folders, the highest attainers produce accurate drawings in their anatomy studies, a key skill for the course. They also provide examples of the range of joint movements in specific sports. A good start has been made, especially with the help of teacher-produced resources, to identify a skill continuum in various activities, enabling Chace Community School - 71 students to evaluate the degree of difficulty in completing these activities. However, there is a general weakness in students’ ability to use appropriate criteria for evaluating the impact of performance. Also, there is a lack of extended writing on relevant sporting examples in their theoretical studies.

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Physical education

214. Overall, the teaching of AS level physical education is good. The most effective lessons involve high expectations of students to extend their studying outside the classroom, which greatly improves understanding of the theoretical implications of practical performance. The department has made a good start in developing a range of resources and interesting tasks that help students to improve their skills in their chosen activities. The use of a nationally renowned hockey centre is an important learning aid in an area of weakness for many of the students. The department contributes well to the promotion of sixth form key skills through activities such as presentations to other students.

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Physical education

215. Students show a most responsible attitude towards their work and collaborate very well when involved in group tasks. Their learning benefits greatly from the relationships with their teachers and they respond willingly to the challenges given. However, opportunities for participation in sport outside school are not sufficiently exploited. Higher attainers make good use of ICT in compiling their folders and all students are involved in redrafting work, a practice that improves their knowledge and understanding and the overall standards of completed work.

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Physical education

216. The department is well led and managed. The newly developed course is seen as an important priority for the subject and a natural progression for the recent excellent improvement in GCSE results. The three teachers involved are knowledgeable about their areas of responsibility and there is a shared commitment to make the course a success. There is a recognised need to improve the students’ involvement in additional external activities because of restrictions in on-site facilities and to incorporate ICT fully. A low departmental budget allocation presently inhibits these two developments.

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History

Overall, the quality of provision in history is good.

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History

Strengths • Students have good relationships with their teachers, which encourages confidence. • Students’ progress is supported by teachers’ experience and good knowledge of their subject. • Extra-curricular help is available for individual students who require additional support for a task.

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History

Areas for improvement • Students would appreciate greater practice in applying the marking criteria to written responses. • Resources in the department and the library do not support students’ independent learning.

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History

217. The school offers courses at AS and A level in history. The number of students following the subject in Year 12 is increasing and most of those who begin the course go on to complete it. Students were entered for the AS level examination in 2001. The majority of students who followed the AS course have chosen to continue into Year 13.

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History

218. The standards of work seen during the inspection are average in both Years 12 and 13 when compared with other students at a similar stage in the course. This is reflected in the A level results, which in 2001 were in line with the national average. Results in 2002 are likely to be similar. Students achieve well in history when compared with other subjects in the school. Boys and girls achieve similar standards, with no significant trend in results over the last three years.

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History

219. Students have a secure grasp of the development of the Nazi movement in Germany, building on their studies from previous years. They recognise Hitler’s use of propaganda to create his image, Chace Community School - 72 and identify the means by which he removed opposition to his influence. Students recognise the contribution of economic situation of the inter-war years to Hitler’s rise, and are aware that personal circumstances affected the response of the German people to his policies. They identify underlying causes of events, such as the agreement between the Roman Catholic Church and the Nazi government, and recognise that a range of factors can contribute to the actions of governments. Students undertake simple analysis of the motives of leaders and higher-attaining students recognise degrees to which these motives have influence. They can distinguish between actions designed to limit the power of rivals and those that are intended to destroy it.

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History

220. Students are developing an overview of the changes that took place in the role of women in the 19 th and 20 th centuries and higher-attaining students identify the pressures that led to these changes. They are aware that change was not constant across the country and that women of different standing had varying experiences. Students use source material confidently in order to extract relevant information, but lower-attaining students do not set the author in context or evaluate what is included in the sources. They use information as narrative for their essays rather than analysing its significance. Higher-attaining students use sources as corroboration for their responses and are able to gain insight not only from the information that is included, but also infer from what is not included in the text. Extended writing is clear and fluent, higher-attaining students ensuring that the title is addressed and that they relate different factors to the title rather

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History

221. The quality of teaching in the sixth form is good. Teachers have very good knowledge of their subject and this supports clear explanation, and thus students’ understanding. They plan their lessons well and encourage students to take responsibility for their learning. Students are encouraged to learn from each other through paired investigation and from their presentations to the group and to develop their understanding through discussion. Students achieve most when they become responsible for their learning and when they investigate a question rather than receive information. Teachers have a realistic assessment of the abilities of their students and provide appropriate support while fostering high expectations. Using skilful questioning teachers encourage students to develop their responses, and by addressing individual students they are able to assess the level of their understanding. They provide good support for students note-

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History

taking, encouraging them to highlight key information and to develop their understanding through display of information in ‘mind maps’.

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History

222. Teachers encourage students to read widely through the development of reading lists and provide excerpts from books, but the school has only a limited selection of books for student use. The library is not yet developed to support their independent learning or to encourage wider reading through a wider range of attractive history books. Students do not have course books to support their studies, as a result of which some students have purchased their own texts. ICT is not generally used as a learning tool although students are encouraged to word process their essays and coursework. The department is arranging for students to attend a series of lectures, but there is at present insufficient enrichment of the course or opportunity to investigate history at first hand.

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History

223. Students feel well supported and essays are marked well and annotated with constructive comment. The support for their note-taking enables them to compile a set of notes and diagrams that provide a useful base for their revision. Students are informed of their predicted grades and progress, and appreciate that their teachers are readily available for additional advice. Teachers provide opportunity for students to assess their work although they would appreciate more opportunities to develop greater understanding of the marking criteria through practice and in more detailed essay preparation.

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History

224. The quality and leadership of the department is satisfactory. Schemes of work are being developed and teachers work closely to ensure students are well supported in their studies. Teachers are developing their understanding of the AS and A2 courses through links with the examination board and results are closely monitored and analysed. Students have a variety of teaching rooms, not all are conducive to small group work however, and there is no opportunity for display to support their study. Since the last inspection, the AS level course has been successfully introduced. Chace Community School - 73

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Geography

Overall, the quality of provision for geography is satisfactory .

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Geography

Strengths • The course attracts students with a wide range of ability. Almost everyone achieves a grade at A level. • Students are committed. • Teaching and learning, after a period of instability, are now good. • The department is led and managed well. Areas for improvement • Examination results in 2002 at AS and A level are not good enough. • Only small numbers take A level courses. • The literacy standards of some students are low.

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Geography

225. The department caters for 18 students following examination courses. The courses attract students with a wide range of ability. They are committed and regularly continue their education. In 2001, four went to university to study geography or related subjects. The results have improved steadily over the last few years although they remain just below average. Almost all students have passed. In 2001, one student achieved an A grade and nearly everyone gained a grade. An analysis of their performance up to this year showed that they made satisfactory progress in relation to their potential. In 2002, everyone passed. The popularity of the AS examination is growing. In 2001, nearly two thirds of sixth formers taking AS obtained pass grades, including one girl with special educational needs. In 2002, just over half achieved a pass. They did less well than expected. Small numbers take A level. Less than half continued the course and this

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Geography

year’s A level group is smaller than usual. There were no significant differences in the work of male and female students, either in examinations or as observed during the inspection. Between 2000 and 2002, teaching and learning were affected by teachers leaving, illness and the course being taught by teachers unfamiliar with the examination requirements. A detailed review has led to careful monitoring of students’ progress, training for inexperienced teachers and more balanced teaching of the course units.

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Geography

226. In Year 12, standards are average and students make good progress. Most either have appropriate grades in geography or across a range of GCSE subjects. As a result, teachers can pitch their lessons at the right level and build successfully on earlier work. Students use and understand geographical terms well, the result of the teachers’ emphasis on accuracy. They are well supported with glossaries. Work on urbanisation and water management shows sound understanding. Higher-attaining students, for example, make good links between the causes and effects of flooding and ways in which it is managed.

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Geography

227. Standards at end of Year 13 in lessons and the work seen are below the national average. Students are making satisfactory progress in relation to their potential. Last year, they were affected by staffing difficulties and underachieved in some units. They are making better progress this year. They use key vocabulary confidently and write comprehensive notes that are useful for revision. They have acquired a sound range of techniques although maps and diagrams are sometimes not as accurate or explanatory as they might be. They are all able to pursue an investigation, handle statistics and interpret information, improving their numerical and research skills through residential fieldwork and web sites. They show developing understanding of geographical ideas, in work about hurricanes and the importance of conserving tropical rain forests. In discussion, they showed limited awareness of current affairs, for example, about

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Geography

recent global summits on the environment. Essays of higher-attaining students are carefully organised. Some students’ work is poorly structured and contains grammatical mistakes. Overall, their essays and investigations at this stage lack the detailed analysis and evaluation required for A level work. Discussion skills are weak in both years. Although teachers make good use of questions to develop independent thought and students respond readily, they lack the ability to explain their ideas in detail. Teachers are endeavouring to encourage more discussion through presentations and role-play. Examination material about Holderness was effectively used for this purpose. Chace Community School - 74 228. Teaching is good and on occasion very good, as in a lesson where the teacher used his expertise to give background information to develop students’ understanding of how hurricanes are formed and develop. Very good planning over a series of lessons results in students being given the

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Geography

opportunity to apply what they have learnt to an in-depth presentation, thereby improving their communication and ICT skills. Activities are generally well structured to encourage student participation and are closely linked to examination requirements. Resources are used well. Video clips encourage reflection and the white board is used to build up and synthesise information. Marking is thorough, with detailed and helpful comments on essays. Other information about students could be used more consistently in lessons to help students to improve. Chace Community School - 75 229. The department is led and managed well. The teacher in charge of sixth form studies and the head of department work effectively together to achieve a balanced work programme, enabling a smooth transition from AS to A level. Students appreciate the support given to them. Teachers work well together to share good practice. Good progress has been made since the last

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Geography

inspection. Resources have improved. Assessment procedures are better. Grades are predicted and targets set to help students to improve.

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Psychology

Overall, the quality of provision in psychology is excellent.

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Psychology

Strengths • Examination results are well above average. • Students’ display excellent attitudes. • Leadership of the department is good. • Teaching and learning are good.

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Psychology

Areas for development • Best teaching practices could be shared to raise standards even further within the department.

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Psychology

230. A level psychology results in 2001 are well above the national average. 2002 results continue this trend, with a significant number of students gaining the highest grades. These achievements represent excellent improvement since the last inspection, with standards rising from well below to well above the national average. The 2001 AS results are well above the national average and the 2002 results exceed these, with 68 per cent of students achieving A or B grades. Inspection findings confirm that the department is maintaining these high standards.

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Psychology

231. The vast majority of students in both years are beyond the level expected of them. Continuing from their well above average AS results in 2002, present Year 13 students have a clear understanding of psychological studies. When reading their essays in a lesson, they show a very good understanding of the links between hypothesis and evidence. Work in folders interprets a range of media assumptions by linking them to psychological evidence. Students’ work is well organised. Although some Year 12 students struggled to define social learning theory, they nevertheless had a good understanding of experiments that show laboratory modelling of aggressive behaviour. They made good progress when studying traditional research into the variables and validity of experimental practices. Some students are passive in lessons and struggle to keep up with the pace of teaching.

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Psychology

232. Overall, the teaching of AS and A level psychology is very good. Very good knowledge of their subject enables the two teachers to provide important research references and prepared notes to aid understanding. Teachers explain key terminology to emphasise the traditional aspects of psychological theory, but the challenge and pace in the study of social learning provides difficulty for some Year 12 students. Checking strategies are not consistently used to determine their understanding of familiar words that have different interpretations in psychology. Teaching styles are varied to match student needs. Successful strategies, such as paired work, peer group questioning and timed, written exercises improve the pace and rigour of learning. There are excellent strategies for monitoring the impact of learning. A year 13 topic, looking at adherence to medical advice, was improved by in-depth teacher marking and analysis of students’ essays.

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Psychology

233. Students have excellent attitudes to their work and there are very good retention rates from Year 12 to Year 13. They talk very positively about their experiences. The course is also popular with students from other schools within the collegiate system. They make very good use of private research time to enhance their learning and to prepare tasks for the next lesson. This level of research has a positive impact on learning and increases interaction in the classroom.

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Psychology

234. The subject is enthusiastically and successfully led and managed. The subject is proving a popular sixth form choice, with viable AS and A level groups. The head of department understands syllabus requirements, which greatly influences the content and delivery of the curriculum. The recording of students’ achievements and their own knowledge of their progress is Chace Community School - 76 a significant motivating factor. There is careful monitoring of target grades, with appropriate challenge for all levels. The department is also aware of the gifted and talented students and they are challenged accordingly. A significant number of these students gain the highest grades and go onto study psychology at university.

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English literature

Overall, the quality of provision in English literature is very good .

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English literature

Strengths • Very good teaching enables students to achieve above-average examination results. • Good leadership and management ensure that students learn in a well-ordered way. • Students are very positive about the course and enjoy their learning. • Students make good gains by the end of Year 13 compared with their levels of attainment when they entered the sixth form.

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English literature

Areas for improvement • Information from assessment data is not always used methodically to monitor how well students are performing. • Students have only limited opportunities to use ICT.

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English literature

235. Standards of work in Year 13, seen during the inspection, are above average; this represents a continuation in the improving trend of examination results. Very good teaching encourages students to work hard. They are very positive about the English literature course. The overall achievement of students in relation to their standards on entry to the sixth form is good.

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English literature

236. Work seen during the inspection is above average. Students show consistently by their oral work in small groups and class discussions that they are good listeners and capable speakers. One very good example occurred in a Year 13 lesson on Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’ when students explored the relationship between events and Othello’s progress towards becoming a murderer. Such was the quality and passion of the debate that it continued long after the lesson had formally ended. Students show evidence of wide background study, for example, good background knowledge of eighteenth century literature to support their reading of Sheridan and familiarity with all Shakespeare’s major tragedies to place in context their study of ‘Hamlet’ and ‘Othello’. All students show in their analysis of complex texts that they are able to deduce meaning and hypothesise about writers’ intents. Notes are carefully collated and well presented.

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English literature

The best essays are assured in tone and very well expressed, as seen in work on U. A. Fanthorpe’s poems.

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English literature

237. Results in the 2001 English literature A2 examinations were below the national average, but provisional results for 2002 were at the national average. The proportion of students gaining the highest grades was above average. Results have improved over the last three years.

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English literature

238. Set against their levels of attainment on entry to the sixth form, students achieve well in English literature. Almost all students achieve examination results that meet or are above expectations according to data measuring the progress that students make over time. There is no significant difference in the performance of male and female students.

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English literature

239. Teaching and learning are very good. Teachers have very good knowledge of their subject. The course is carefully planned so that students know precisely where they are in the programmes of study. They are clear about examination specifications and aware of what they must do to succeed in gaining good grades. Marking is very conscientious and teachers provide detailed comments to help students raise the standard of their essays. Students’ folders show that notes are very detailed and painstakingly collated. However, evidence of the use of ICT is limited. Teachers have high expectations and set tasks that are intellectually challenging, as, for example, in the work on semantic fields in Emily Bronte’s ‘Wuthering Heights’. A minority of Chace Community School - 77 students in Year 12 initially find the work a little daunting, but their rather sketchy early responses soon give way to more confident and developed work as a result of very good teaching and their

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English literature

own hard work. In one very good lesson on ‘Hamlet’, Year 12 students were asked to read a scene in groups and then to produce a ‘reduced’ version linking together key quotations to show how Shakespeare had developed character and plot. This work stretched even the highest- attaining students, but lower-attaining students were well supported both within their groups and by the class teacher. As a result, all students made very good progress in the main objective of extending their understanding of Hamlet’s character.

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English literature

240. The English literature course is highly regarded by students. Attendance is good and few students leave before they have completed the course. Students enjoy their lessons and appreciate the way that teachers treat them like adults. They find marking helpful and are very clear about their progress.

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English literature

241. The leadership and management of sixth form English are good. Schemes of work are carefully planned to meet examination specifications effectively. Good improvement has taken place since the previous inspection. Standards of work have improved substantially over the last three years.

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