Ken Stimpson Community School

Inspection Report Ken Stimpson Community School

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110882 Unique Reference Number CITY OF PETERBOROUGH Local Authority 288804 Inspection number 17 °18 January 2007 Inspection dates Champak Chauhan HMI Reporting inspector

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

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Staniland Way School address Comprehensive Type of school Werrington, Werrington Community School category Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE4 6JT 11 °18 Age range of pupils

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01733 765950 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01733 765951 Fax number 914 Number on roll (school) 126 Number on roll (6th form) Mrs B Holland Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mr D McPartlin Headteacher 9 December 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 288804 17 °18 January 2007 11°18 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 and three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Ken Stimpson Community School is an expanding specialist school for business and enterprise. Under changes to secondary school provision in Peterborough the school is expected to increase to 1200 pupils in the near future and it is currently undergoing substantial building work in preparation for this. Pupils' attainment on entry at age 11 is now broadly average but previously, including Year 11 in 2005-2006, was far below national averages. The percentages of pupils eligible for free school meals and those identified with learning difficulties or disabilities are well below the national average. However, the proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational need is slightly above this average. The number of pupils from minority ethnic groups, including those with English as an additional language, is below average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Ken Stimpson Community School, 17 °18 January 2007

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Grade: 4

In accordance with section 13 (3) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement because it is performing significantly less well than in all the circumstances it could reasonably be expected to perform. The school is therefore given a Notice to Improve. Significant improvement is required in enhancing the pupils' progress from ages 11 to 16. The school's overall effectiveness is inadequate because achievement and standards are unsatisfactory. Pupils enter school at age 11 with standards that are broadly average for their age. In 2005, pupils' results in mathematics and science were markedly above national averages, and above average in English. However, in 2006, results in English fell substantially and were below average. Results in mathematics and science also fell but remained above average and significant numbers of pupils achieved the higher

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Grade: 4

Levels 7 and 8 in mathematics. Progress, consequently, whilst satisfactory for pupils aged 14 to 16, is unsatisfactory overall and reflects weaknesses in pupils' attitudes and in teaching. Pupils' progress from ages 11 to 14 is particularly unsatisfactory in English. At GCSE, results improved between 2003 and 2005 but fell back in 2006 to only 37.5%, well below the school's target of 43%. Pupils' personal development and well being are satisfactory. Pupils are mostly well behaved and many are keen to learn. Most enjoy learning, attend regularly and work constructively with each other and with adults. Some, however, fail to concentrate on the activities set and hinder their own learning and that of others. Levels of fixed-period exclusions are unacceptably high despite the school's efforts to reduce them. Pupils make a good effort to lead healthier lifestyles. They talk enthusiastically about the changes they have instigated regarding their eating environment and the food provided

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Grade: 4

by the canteen. Pupils take part in physical activities and many walk to school. They generally know how to stay safe but very few wear helmets when cycling to school. They participate well in school life, for example by acting as buddies, and in the local community by raising money for charities. They are generally made aware of how to secure their future economic well-being through a comprehensive careers programme and good preparation for work-related skills. The majority of parents who responded to the inspection team were supportive of the school. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Teachers plan their lessons conscientiously and have good relationships with their pupils. Some have good knowledge of their subjects, offer lessons that are well-paced, use questioning techniques well to enhance the pupils' understanding and ensure pupils work well, both independently and in groups. However, others do not plan properly for the range of abilities in their class, dominate

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Grade: 4

the lessons with too much talk and generate passive learning. As a result, pupils become bored or they misbehave. Teachers make too little use of plenary sessions to consolidate learning. Assessment and marking procedures are variable; they do not yet enable all pupils to enhance their progress. The quality of the curriculum is good. It is broad, balanced and relevant and meets pupils' needs well. The school's specialist status in business and enterprise enables 2 Inspection Report: Ken Stimpson Community School, 17 °18 January 2007 pupils to enjoy a diverse range of learning experiences. Care, guidance and support are satisfactory, as are leadership and management. The principal and the senior leadership team work well together. They are only too aware of the continuing weaknesses in pupils' achievement and are implementing appropriate action. However, the impact of this is not yet apparent and heads of faculty are insufficiently involved

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Grade: 4

in helping to improve teaching and learning. Self-evaluation procedures are not rigorous enough across the school. Governance, in contrast, is a strength and governors have worked in partnership with the senior leaders to identify and tackle the underachievement. On balance, therefore, the school offers satisfactory value for money and has satisfactory capacity to make the improvements that are necessary.

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Grade: 2

Provision in the sixth form is a strength. It is effective and well-managed. Students make satisfactory progress but their standards by Year 13 are generally below average. They reach the examination goals expected for them and a high proportion go on to higher education. Numbers in the sixth form have been increasing and the school plays a significant role in the local post-16 federation, 'Team Peterborough'. Under these arrangements, about 100 students come to this school from other schools and about 20 of this school's students go to other schools. The federation gives students a very wide choice of subjects, including a good range of vocational courses, some of which are offered at this school. Teaching and learning are satisfactory with good features. Students are consistently challenged and work well independently. Students are positive about their experiences in the sixth form. They play a full part

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Grade: 2

in the life of the school, for example organising charity events and acting as mentors for younger pupils. They enjoy a wide range of activities, including the Sports Leadership award and Young Enterprise, and are well cared for. Their progress is carefully monitored. Careers guidance is good, offering many opportunities to explore options for higher education.

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What the school should do to improve further

In order to consistently improve pupils' progress from ages 11 to 16 the school should: • Broaden the range of teaching and learning styles so that pupils are more actively involved in their learning. • Ensure that assessment and marking procedures help all pupils to progress more. • Ensure that the proportion of good or better teaching and learning is significantly increased throughout the school by improving the quality of the school's self-evaluation procedures, especially those involving the monitoring of teaching by heads of faculty and subject leaders. 3 Inspection Report: Ken Stimpson Community School, 17 °18 January 2007

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Grade for sixth form: 3

Pupils' achievement and standards are inadequate. Whilst results in the national tests at the end of Year 9 have been rising gradually over recent years, they fell to below average in 2006 because of the poor results in English. The performance of boys at Key Stage 3 was well below that of girls. Results in GCSE examinations, which have similarly improved over recent years, remained below average in 2006, falling back sharply to 37.5%. Boys performed significantly better than girls at grades A*-C. In work seen during the inspection it was evident that pupils' progress remains uneven, reflecting the teaching they experienced. The performance of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is inadequate, as is achievement generally across the school. In 2005 and 2006, results in AS-level examinations at the end of Year 12 have been well below average for passes at grades A-C but they have been around average for

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Grade for sixth form: 3

all pass grades. In A-level examinations at the end of Year 13, results were well below average for passes at grades A-C for both years but above average for passes at grades A-E.

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Grade for sixth form: 2

The personal development and well-being of pupils are satisfactory in the main school and good in the sixth form. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory, although the school does not meet statutory requirements for collective worship. Many pupils are well behaved but there is a significant minority who are disrespectful to others and misbehave in lessons. The number of exclusions for poor behaviour is extremely high, with over one in ten pupils excluded for a fixed period last year. The introduction of an internal exclusion area has not yet reduced these numbers. The school and year councils provide an appropriate opportunity for pupils to express their views and they have been instrumental in making improvements around the school. Pupils willingly take on additional responsibilities. Others participate in the local community through, for example, helping to improve the local environment.

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Grade for sixth form: 2

The school has a good range of activities that develop pupils' work-related skills. Most pupils soundly develop the skills they will need for their future working lives. 4 Inspection Report: Ken Stimpson Community School, 17 °18 January 2007

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Grade for sixth form: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall but there are some significant weaknesses. In the better practice, teachers have good subject knowledge and plan their lessons well. Relationships are good and a sufficient variety of activities are used to enhance the progress of all pupils. However, in other lessons, learning is too passive, encouraging some pupils to misbehave. The school has taken action to improve teaching by, for instance, trying to improve the challenge for the most able pupils. Some of the more able pupils now follow accelerated learning programmes and take some of their GCSE examinations early. The adoption of national initiatives, for example, has also improved learning in mathematics and science. The school acknowledges the need to improve the effectiveness of assessment procedures and to embed these more in day-to-day practice. All pupils are given academic targets which are shared with parents. However,

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Grade for sixth form: 3

this information is not used sufficiently to modify teaching and learning approaches and to enable all pupils to progress more. Many teachers mark work conscientiously but pupils are not given enough guidance in the marking on how to improve their work.

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Grade for sixth form: 2

The quality of the curriculum is good, with strong and innovative features. It meets the needs of pupils, both in the main school and in the sixth form. Banding and setting arrangements in some subjects help pupils to improve their progress. The school's commitment to providing more appropriate vocational courses for older pupils and a good range of extracurricular activities has improved the motivation and enjoyment of pupils. The school's specialist status in business and enterprise has enabled it to enrich the curriculum and to develop very good links with the local community. The pupils' self-confidence is enhanced by the good provision of business, enterprise and work-related activities. The school works in partnership with other schools and organisations extremely well to enhance the learning experiences for all pupils.

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Grade for sixth form: 2

The quality of care, guidance and support in the main school is satisfactory with good features. It is good in the sixth form. The requirements for child protection are met and suitable risk assessments are undertaken. The school is making good efforts to 5 Inspection Report: Ken Stimpson Community School, 17 °18 January 2007 promote healthier life styles and has gained a healthy schools award and Sportsmark status. Pupils report that any incidents of bullying and racism are low and are generally dealt with effectively. Logs of these incidents are kept, although not all racist incidents are reported to the governing body, contrary to requirements. Pupils are given good guidance through careers education, for instance through the organisation of mock work-related interviews in Year 11. Support given by the teaching assistants is well focused and enables the pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities to access their

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Grade for sixth form: 2

lessons. The support and guidance given to pupils, however, are not yet sufficiently strong to ensure they meet their academic targets. In the sixth form, the closer working relationship between teachers and students means that the latter have a much better understanding of how to improve their work.

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Grade for sixth form: 2

Leadership and management are, in the main, satisfactory. The principal has provided strong leadership and direction to the work of the school, improved its performance in recent years and enhanced its standing within the community. He is dedicated and hard working. He has lately been heavily involved in helping to plan for secondary school reorganisation across Peterborough. Senior leaders work well together and are generally aware of strengths and weaknesses within the school. However, the school's self evaluation needs much more rigour and needs to be based on much firmer evidence. The senior leadership team needs to focus much more sharply on arresting the decline in pupils' achievements and their standards. This is especially true now as the school is undergoing some profound changes. The substantial building work has disrupted teaching and learning for staff and pupils. As a result, some lessons are currently

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Grade for sixth form: 2

taught in temporary accommodation and pupils often have to travel lengthy distances for some lessons, leading inevitably to their late arrival. Middle managers generally understand strengths and weaknesses in their areas of responsibility. Heads of faculty are involved in helping to check the work of their departments with senior leaders on a cyclical basis. However, not all regularly observe teaching in their subjects and demonstrate to others how to improve their practice. Governors meet regularly and they have a very good understanding of provision within the school. They are perceptive, support the school well and challenge aspects of its performance when they feel able to do so. They have developed very strong working relationships with staff through, for example, frequent visits to the school and by being actively involved in evaluating the school's strategic plan. 6 Inspection Report: Ken Stimpson Community School, 17 °18 January 2007

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Grade for sixth form: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 Inspection Report: Ken Stimpson Community School, 17 °18 January 2007

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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

2 4 How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? 2 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 4 4 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

3 4 How well do learners achieve? 4 4 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

3 4 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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well-being of the learners?

The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 3 How well learners enjoy their education 3 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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range of needs and interests of learners?

2 3 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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range of needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 8 Inspection Report: Ken Stimpson Community School, 17 °18 January 2007

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achievement and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? Yes Does this school require a notice to improve? 9 Inspection Report: Ken Stimpson Community School, 17 °18 January 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

19 January 2007 Dear Pupils Ken Stimpson Community School, Staniland Way, Werrington, Peterborough, PE4 6JT Thank you for welcoming us to your school recently. I would like to summarise below what we thought about your school but please read the full report if at all possible. You are offered a good quality curriculum which enables you to have rich and varied learning experiences. The school's specialist status in business and enterprise enables many of you to develop your knowledge and understanding about the world of work. You are looked after well by the staff and the guidance you are given, for example about careers, is good. Students in the sixth form are supported and guided well. Most of you are well behaved and you enjoy coming to school. Your attendance is slightly higher than that achieved by other secondary schools nationally. Many of you are keen to take on additional responsibilities, for example by

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

acting as buddies and mentors. The teaching and learning are satisfactory. Many of you are keen to learn and some teachers teach you well. Leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. What needs to be improved Overall, you do not make enough progress in the main school. As a result, we have asked the school to improve the overall quality of teaching and to improve marking and assessment procedures so that you know how to improve your work. Some heads of faculty and subject leaders should be more involved in making the teaching and learning better in their subjects. A significant minority of you misbehave in lessons and it is important that all of you help your teachers by behaving well at all times. We noticed some of you were not wearing safety helmets when cycling to school. It is obviously very important for your own safety that you do so. We have asked the senior leaders to check the school's assessment and marking procedures more

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

thoroughly so that all of you can achieve to your potential. The situation is of concern and, therefore, we have issued the school with a Notice to Improve. This means the school will be inspected again after one year to make sure that all of you are achieving the standards of which you are capable. I wish you all the best for your future. Mr C Chauhan Her Majesty's Inspector 10 Inspection Report: Ken Stimpson Community School, 17 °18 January 2007

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