The Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School

Inspection Report The Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School

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116991 Unique Reference Number Herefordshire LEA 279971 Inspection number 7 December 2005 to 8 December 2005 Inspection dates Brian Cartwright HMI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Hampton Dene Road School address Comprehensive Type of school Tupsley Voluntary aided School category Hereford, Herefordshire HR1 1UU 11 to 16 Age range of pupils

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01432 347500 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01432 347566 Fax number 1188 Number on roll Mr Keith Lawton Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Andrew Marson Headteacher 4 December 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279971 7 December 2005 - 11 to 16 8 December 2005 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report 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.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors of schools and four Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is the only Voluntary Aided (VA) Church of England comprehensive school in the Diocese of Herefordshire. It is a little larger than most 11–16 schools. 60% of pupils are from the local area. There are few pupils claiming free school meals, low numbers of minority ethnic pupils, and very few pupils whose first language is not English. 25% of pupils are on the school’s special needs register, with 5% having statements of special needs (twice the average). The socio-economic profile of the pupils’ background is favourable. The school is a Specialist Technology College. It is a designated Training School and one of the Marches Consortium providers for School-Centred Initial Teacher Training.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: The Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School, 7 December 2005 to 8 December 2005

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Grade: 1

The Bishop of Hereford’s Bluecoat School is outstanding. It provides good teaching, good curricular provision and excellent care, guidance and support. These factors, combined with strong parental support and motivated pupils, ensure outstanding progress for all learners. The school is well led and managed and has no areas of significant weaknesses. Consistently good performance by all departments maintains high overall standards. The school is adequately resourced and the provision for information and communication technology (ICT) is good and well used by staff and pupils. Value for money is good. Staff meticulously track and monitor the progress of every pupil, then provide excellent personal support for those at risk of underachieving. Learners with difficulties and disabilities are fully engaged with the school. Those on the register of special educational needs make exceptionally good progress. A rich programme of out-of-hours

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Grade: 1

activities maintains pupils’ motivation. The pupils’ good commitment to the school and to their own learning is evident in their very high attendance and the low numbers of exclusions. The school has reviewed the integration of pupils in its Kielder centre, in response to the previous inspection recommendations. The excellent outcomes for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities illustrate the continuing effectiveness of this complex provision. This shows good capacity to improve, as do rising standards since the previous inspection. The school’s own evaluation of its effectiveness (good) did not fully recognise the very high achievement of pupils.

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What the school should do to improve further

There are no significant issues that must be addressed. The school should prioritise its review of the effectiveness of behaviour management policy. It can draw upon the excellent practice developed through its work with challenging pupils.

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Grade: 1

Pupils enter the school with above-average standards. End-of-Year 9 results in the 2004 National tests were well above average and they were even higher in 2005. A large proportion of the pupils gained the higher levels in English, mathematics and science. These results represent outstanding progress through Key Stage 3. 2004 standards at GCSE were also exceptionally high. All subjects did well except for the short course in religious education. The progress these pupils made through the school placed the school amongst the highest 10% of schools in 2004. In 2005, results show that these high standards have been maintained, with gains in A* to C grades, but a slight fall in the number of very high grades. Work seen during the inspection showed very high standards. Most groups of learners achieve very well, with remarkably good progress by pupils on the register of special educational needs. There are no

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Grade: 1

2 Inspection Report: The Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School, 7 December 2005 to 8 December 2005 groups of pupils underachieving. Boys made slightly better progress than girls. Progress from Key Stage 3 to 4 is good, and the school is focusing on improving this by undertaking a timely review of its Key Stage 4 curriculum. The school sets challenging targets that are much higher than prior attainment data would recommend, and hits them consistently. This very good progress demonstrates outstanding achievement and standards.

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Grade: 2

The good social skills of pupils are evident in their ability to work together and organise events to raise money for charities. This includes raising funds to build a school in Uganda. Their awareness of other cultures is well expressed in their work and there is a good level of participation in music and drama productions. Pupils are especially considerate towards pupils who have impaired mobility. New pupils are made welcome in part through the links, formed both before and during their time in Year 7, with senior school volunteers. Opportunities for spiritual reflection are plentiful, although not always well taken, or well regarded, by some pupils. There are regular formal services throughout the Church year and weekly voluntary communion, as befits the school’s religious foundation. Pupils are clear about the right way to relate to each other, and have high moral standards. There are very few serious disciplinary issues

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Grade: 2

and low numbers of exclusions. There is a formal school council and system of prefects. However, not every pupil is fully aware of what the council does and some feel their views are ignored. Behaviour is good overall. In some classes, excellent management of challenging pupils produces a calm and positive working environment. However, in lessons where pupils’ attention is not fully engaged there can be too much low-level disruption. Some parents feel that behaviour is not always good. The school and governors are acutely aware of these concerns. Attendance is well above average. This contributes significantly to high standards as pupils complete their courses without interruption. Pupils arrive punctually to lessons most of the time. Pupils are motivated to work hard out of school and this independent study plays an important part in their success. Pupils enjoy coming to school, and take a pride in it, with particular enthusiasm for the wide range of extra-curricular activities.

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Grade: 2

Their good self-discipline contributes to the effective way pupils stay safe and follow health and safety advice. Their high participation in sport and high take-up of the good diet available in school helps keep them fit and healthy. Many pupils take part in the public service aspect of the Bishop’s Award or the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. This ensures an excellent contribution to the local community, and is a key strength in the development of pupils at the school. Workplace skills are well developed through opportunities to take responsibility for the welfare of others, for example, in the school’s peer mentoring scheme and through the attachment of prefects to younger tutor groups. The ICT Key Skills and very high standards in English and mathematics complete the outstanding preparation for pupils’ next steps. 3 Inspection Report: The Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School, 7 December 2005 to 8 December 2005

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Grade: 2

Teaching is good. The best lessons are characterised by expert planning that directs tasks to match the learning capabilities of pupils, then captures their interest. Any challenging behaviour is skilfully managed. Pupils are included in class discussions by carefully directed questioning and given ample opportunity for independent and group work. They take genuine delight in their achievements, for example, in producing their first ink ‘Print’ in art, or discovering starch during food testing, or sharing their music compositions. This increases their self-motivation. Pupils’ work is helpfully marked, informing them what they should do to improve. In practical subjects, pupils demonstrate good personal organisation as a result of good training in workshop and laboratory procedures. The few weaker lessons lacked a crisp start and subsequent motivating focus. The resultant distracting behaviour was poorly managed.

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Grade: 2

Training school status has contributed to rising standards, most particularly in science, modern foreign languages and music. There is a comprehensive teacher training programme run by the school’s training centre that serves other local authority schools. The school meticulously monitors pupils’ progress, identifies learners at risk of underachievement, then intervenes with effective personal support and mentoring. This is one of the key factors in raising attainment. Pupils with learning difficulties are closely supported in the integral Kielder Special Education Needs (SEN) centre. In mainstream classes, good teaching assistants contribute significantly to the outstanding progress of pupils on the SEN register. The school devolves marking policy to departments and, as a result, pupils experience different approaches. Pupils generally know their current performance and how this relates to national levels and grades.

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Grade: 2

Many also know their final target grades and what they need to do to achieve them.

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Grade: 2

The school has maintained a broad and balanced curriculum in Key Stage 4. All pupils take an ICT key skills course. Recent changes have introduced a vocational option and reduced the total number of examined subjects for about a quarter of pupils. There is a work-related learning programme for a small number of pupils. Pupils with special educational needs are helped towards GCSE or entry level qualifications where possible. The curriculum is good enough to ensure most pupils can continue with their chosen career paths, which for the majority is further education. There is an excellent and diverse programme of extra-curricular activities in which nearly every pupil participates. There are morning, lunchtime and after- school sessions. This is a key factor in maintaining the commitment and motivation of pupils throughout the school. Sport and the performing arts are strongly represented. There is access to

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Grade: 2

the library and ICT centres out of lesson time. Day trips and residential visits at home and abroad enrich the learning and personal development of all pupils. 4 Inspection Report: The Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School, 7 December 2005 to 8 December 2005

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Grade: 1

The school meets the requirements for child protection and health and safety procedures. There is a full-time counsellor and an innovative ‘listening link’ where senior pupils are available to discuss concerns, such as bullying. Pupils report that incidents of bullying are dealt with effectively. The school’s pastoral system supports learners well. The effective house system helps to maintain motivation and deals with pupil concerns. Careers guidance is excellent. Pupils understand the options available very well and are confident in their ability to make appropriate choices. Key Stage 3 options guidance is equally effective. Marking and assessment ensure pupils are aware of their current progress towards their targets and they know what they should do to reach them. The support available to pupils, in particular those with learning difficulties, is very effective in ensuring their progress.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good and have secured consistently high levels of achievement over time. The headteacher provides a clear lead on the maintenance of high standards and is well supported by other members of the leadership team. Middle managers play an important and successful role in strategic developments. They regularly monitor lessons, using this analysis to develop strategies that improve learning in their departments. The school does not analyse these lesson reviews as a whole, so is not able to provide a common lead on areas for improvement. The school rigorously reviews examination results, setting challenging targets to raise pupils’ achievement. However, these targets are often too general and lack measurable outcomes, so quality assurance is difficult. The school does not review the effectiveness of its policies, although its self-evaluation has accurately identified areas for focus. The judgements

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Grade: 2

by managers of lesson quality are accurate. The school systematically seeks the views of parents through formal questionnaires. The headteacher uses complaints as further reasons for review and change, and reports the outcomes to governors. The school council formally meets with school management twice yearly to offer their view, but the views of all pupils are not systematically canvassed. The school’s promotion of equal opportunities is outstanding, ensuring absence of discrimination in all aspects of school life. Resources are effectively deployed and the school provides good value for money. Governors know the school well. They take an active interest in all aspects of school life through good link governor arrangements that give independence to their monitoring of school performance. The school continues to review the integration of pupils in its Kielder centre. It responds carefully to external

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Grade: 2

initiatives, and is consulting fully on changes to staff management structures. The 5 Inspection Report: The Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School, 7 December 2005 to 8 December 2005 school retains the capacity to maintain high performance, and has done so over many years. The Technology College Initiative has had a positive effect on improved standards in technology and given more opportunities for pupils to use computers. Technology provision itself is not distinctive, but the school’s development of technology and ICT in partner schools is outstanding. 6 Inspection Report: The Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School, 7 December 2005 to 8 December 2005 .

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Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 Inspection Report: The Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School, 7 December 2005 to 8 December 2005

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Inspection judgements

16-19 School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

NA 1 How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? NA 1 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA NA The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 1 How well do learners achieve? NA 1 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 1 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 1 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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Personal development and well-being

NA 2 How good is the overall personal development and well-being of the learners? NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 1 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 1 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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The quality of provision

NA 2 How effective are teaching and learning in meeting the full range of the learners' needs? NA 2 How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? NA 1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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The quality of provision

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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Leadership and management

NA 2 How effective are leadership and management in raising achievement and supporting all learners? NA 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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Leadership and management

The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them The extent to which learners make a positive contribution Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the

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Leadership and management

wider community The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams Yes Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form Yes Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

The Bishop of Hereford’s Bluecoat School Hampton Dean Road Tupsley Hereford Herefordshire HR1 1UU 8 December 2005 Dear Pupils, Thank you for your time you gave us to talk about your school this week. Your knowledge of and enthusiasm for the school helped us to understand the way the school works for you. We think your school is giving you an outstanding education that makes sure you really do achieve to your potential. This is because you are usually experiencing good teaching and you are well-motivated, hard working learners. You show great care and consideration for others, particularly those in the greatest need. The school knows your progress very well, and provides you with excellent care, guidance and support. You usually show excellent behaviour in lessons, especially when you enjoy the subject and the way that teachers guide your learning. Occasionally, some pupils make learning difficult for everyone else by chattering during lessons

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

or ignoring the teacher altogether. The huge range of extra activities and trips is a real bonus for you and we are impressed by how many of you take part. You also take homework seriously, which helps a great deal in giving you more practice, and reinforces your learning. Your attendance rates are excellent. The teachers are planning better ways to help manage the odd niggles about behaviour. You should continue to be proud of your school and try your best to represent it by the way you act whilst you are wearing its uniform. It is doing an excellent job in equipping you for your future. Yours sincerely Brian Cartwright Her Majesty’s Inspector

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