Budehaven Community School

Inspection Report Budehaven Community School

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112045 Unique Reference Number Cornwall Local Authority 289158 Inspection number 4 °5 October 2006 Inspection dates David Humphries 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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Valley Road School address Comprehensive Type of school Bude Community School category EX23 8DQ 11 °19 Age range of pupils 01288 353271 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01288 353733 Fax number 1307 Number on roll (school) 277 Number on roll (6th form) Jeremy Dowling Chair The governing body Appropriate authority David Barton Headteacher 11 October 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 289158 4 °5 October 2006 11°19 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 two of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and four Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Budehaven is a specialist sports school which takes students from the seaside town of Bude and a large surrounding rural area extending into north Devon. Most students are from White British backgrounds and very few of them have English as an additional language. The proportion of students entitled to free school meals is below average, although there are significant pockets of deprivation within the school's catchment area. The school buildings are comparatively new and occupy a large campus including a leisure centre which is managed by the school in partnership with the local district council.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Budehaven Community School, 4 °5 October 2006

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Grade: 2

Budehaven is a good and improving school and some aspects of its work are outstanding. There is an increasingly purposeful atmosphere with rising expectations of what students can achieve. Behaviour is good and most students are positive about their education. They enjoy opportunities to take responsibility and are eager to contribute to the life of the school and wider community. Links with the community are strong: they enrich the curriculum and develop students' understanding of the world outside school. The school's specialist status is used well to provide students with a wide range of sporting and outdoor activities. Students feel secure and valued and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities benefit from high quality individual support. The care provided for looked after children is outstanding. The school is working hard to tackle the poor attendance of a few students, although in recent months the local authority has been unable to provide a

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Grade: 2

full range of support for this work. Teaching is good overall and, combined with students' positive attitudes to learning, is a key factor in the upward trend in students' achievement. Students now make good progress throughout the school and the most recent test and examination results are above average and are the highest that the school has achieved. Senior leaders are aware that, while it is good overall, the quality of teaching is too variable. In a few cases, students' progress is impeded by unimaginative classroom practice and the inconsistent application of school policies in key areas such as assessment. The school is developing a more rigorous approach to tackling these issues. Middle managers are taking increasing responsibility for improving the quality of work in their subject areas, though there are variations in how confidently and effectively they are doing this. The school has a keen awareness of its strengths and areas for development. The

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Grade: 2

headteacher provides clear, determined and forward looking leadership. He has established a capable and committed senior leadership team who share his vision for the future of the school. The drive to improve teaching and learning is gaining momentum and many teachers are responding enthusiastically to new ideas and initiatives. One parent commented that students 'are more ambitious and want to achieve more ° it seems now to be "cool" to get good exam results and stay on at school.'

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Grade: 2

The sixth form is good with a number of outstanding features. It has grown considerably in recent years and is providing rich opportunities for its students, including increasing numbers from another school. The two schools have established a very effective relationship to develop an imaginative and extensive curriculum. Students are well supported with their studies and in the care and guidance they receive. Impressive leadership opportunities enable students to extend their experiences and to contribute 2 Inspection Report: Budehaven Community School, 4 °5 October 2006 to the wider community. The very effective leadership and management of the sixth form have contributed substantially to its success and to its steadily improving performance.

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What the school should do to improve further

• ? • Monitor teaching and learning more rigorously to: - • ensure that school policies in key areas such as assessment are consistently implemented - • challenge less effective classroom practice so that high quality teaching is extended more consistently across the school. ? • Work with the local authority to improve the poor attendance of a small number of students.

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Grade for sixth form: 2

Students enter the school with attainment which is broadly average. There is a clear upward trend in the standards they achieve. Students make good progress in their first three years in the school and the most recent test results at age 14 are well above average. The performance of this group of students comfortably exceeded the challenging targets set by the school in English and mathematics, and was slightly above the target set in science. This good progress continues in Years 10 and 11. The most recent GCSE examination results are above average and the school has been particularly successful in raising the achievement of boys so that it now matches that of girls. Overall results are in line with the challenging targets set by the school. However, there are marked variations between subjects, with consistently strong performance in geography, English, physical education and design and technology. In

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Grade for sixth form: 2

contrast, recent examination results in science have been less impressive. High quality support provided by the school's Learning Support Base enables students with a wide range of learning needs and disabilities to make good progress. There is a similar pattern in the sixth form. Students continue to make good progress and standards are above average, although there are variations between subjects. Overall performance has improved steadily in recent years and the most recent results show that the majority of students taking advanced level courses gained A or B grades.

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Grade for sixth form: 2

Students' personal development and well-being are good. Students much enjoy and appreciate their education. They talk confidently about their own lives and feelings and are keen to discuss issues in the wider world. Many students participate in 3 Inspection Report: Budehaven Community School, 4 °5 October 2006 extra-curricular activities, both in and out of school, and these often enable them to make valuable contributions to the local community. The school's specialist status helps students to adopt active lifestyles and they have responded enthusiastically to the excellent healthy food options available in the canteen. A clear sense of maturity is evident when students have to make important choices: for example, when they move on to employment or the next stage of their education. There is a strong emphasis on preparing for future employment and most students become confident and articulate learners.

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Grade for sixth form: 2

Behaviour is good and the great majority of students are courteous and take good care of each other. Peer mentoring and sports coaching provide students with opportunities to take responsibility and develop leadership skills. Students' social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is good. Attendance at school has improved recently and is now satisfactory. However, when students take lengthy holidays during term time their progress is impeded. The school is working hard to tackle the poor attendance of a few students, but at present the local authority is not able to provide a full range of support for this work.

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Grade for sixth form: 2

There is a strong emphasis on improving the quality of teaching. While it is good overall, it is still too variable. In many lessons, lively teaching and good relationships stimulate students' interest and motivation. Work is challenging and enjoyable with a good balance between direction by the teacher and active participation by students. The best sixth form lessons combine intellectual rigour with opportunities for independent learning. In a minority of lessons, teaching is dull and unimaginative: teachers talk too much and students lose interest. In a few sixth form lessons, work is not sufficiently challenging and there is little active participation by students. Most teachers encourage students well by praising and rewarding hard work and some use questioning very effectively to develop students' understanding and check what they have learned. Many teachers provide constructive written comments which help

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Grade for sixth form: 2

students to know how well they are doing and how to improve further. However, this is not done consistently well and in too many cases marking is superficial. In a similar way, there are wide variations in the teachers' approach to homework. One parent, who was otherwise very happy with the education provided for her son, was frustrated that 'there are inconsistencies in how some staff tackle problems ° behaviour, uniform, homework etc.' 4 Inspection Report: Budehaven Community School, 4 °5 October 2006

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Grade for sixth form: 2

The curriculum is good. The school has carefully analysed the changing needs of students in the rapidly growing sixth form and is working hard to extend the range of academic and vocational courses in conjunction with a secondary school and further education college in north Devon. In Years 10 and 11, vocational opportunities complement a wide range of GCSE subjects and all students benefit from a high quality work related learning course. Sporting and outdoor activities are enhanced by the school's specialist status. The curriculum is enriched by a good range of after school clubs, activities and residential visits. These are popular with students and often provide them with valuable opportunities to develop organisational, leadership and coaching skills.

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Grade for sixth form: 2

The quality of care, guidance and support is good. The school provides a safe environment where students feel secure and valued. There are effective procedures to deal with child protection issues and with the very few incidents of bullying or racism. There is a very effective team of staff who support vulnerable students and those with learning difficulties and disabilities. The care provided for looked after children is outstanding. The school makes excellent use of the specialist support provided by a range of outside agencies. Highly committed staff are often successful in re-engaging students who are unhappy in school. A well designed induction programme helps new students to settle quickly into school. There are comprehensive arrangements to help students make choices about their future education or employment. During annual monitoring days, students review their progress and set targets with their parents and tutors. However, there are marked

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Grade for sixth form: 2

variations in how effectively this is done and in how well it is followed up.

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Grade for sixth form: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher provides clear direction which encourages staff at all levels to place students' learning at the heart of the school's work. This is now having a positive impact on students' achievement but there is still too much variation in the quality of teaching and in how consistently important policies are implemented by teachers and monitored by middle managers. The headteacher's collaborative approach is respected by many staff who appreciate his encouragement 5 Inspection Report: Budehaven Community School, 4 °5 October 2006 for the initiatives they are developing. The senior leadership team is a strong and coherent group with complementary skills. It is now well equipped to implement fully new, more rigorous systems to check the quality of the school's work and to ensure that other leaders apply school policies consistently within their areas of responsibility.

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Grade for sixth form: 2

The school's self-evaluation is sharp and accurate. Governors know the school well and provide valuable insights for its further development. Senior leaders are very clear about the school's strengths and areas where more progress is needed. The school has considerable potential to improve. 6 Inspection Report: Budehaven Community School, 4 °5 October 2006 .

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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: Budehaven Community School, 4 °5 October 2006

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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 2 How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? 1 1 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 2 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

2 2 How well do learners achieve? 2 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

2 2 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 2 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 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 2 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: Budehaven Community School, 4 °5 October 2006

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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? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 9 Inspection Report: Budehaven Community School, 4 °5 October 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I am sure that you will remember that your school was inspected on 4 and 5 October 2006. Some of you met the inspectors and many of you will have seen us around the school. We enjoyed talking to you and listened carefully to what you had to tell us because what you think about your school is very important. Many of the people who look after you at home completed a questionnaire to let us know how they felt about the school and we were very interested in their views. I hope you will talk to them about the inspection report and this letter because they explain what your school does well and how it can become better. Budehaven is a good and improving school and some aspects of its work are outstanding. Most of you are positive about your education and want to do well. The school has very strong partnerships with the local community and because it is a specialist sports college there are many sporting and outdoor activities. Many of you are keen to take responsibility and develop

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

leadership skills. Older students benefit from a wide range of vocational and examination courses and are very well prepared for the next phase of their education or employment. The school provides you with good care and support and very helpful guidance about the next stage of your education or future employment. The school is working very hard to improve the quality of teaching and this is leading to better examination results. In many lessons, you make good progress because teaching is lively and the work is interesting. However, while teaching is good overall, there are still too many variations in the quality of teaching and also in key areas such as marking and homework. We have asked the school to ensure that these things are done consistently well. The school is also working hard to improve attendance. We have asked it to try and work with the local authority to tackle the poor attendance of a few students. They need to think very carefully about how

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

missing school stops them learning and affects their future. One of the reasons for the success of your school is that you have a very good headteacher who is well supported by some capable staff. They want the very best for you and know how to achieve that. 10 Inspection Report: Budehaven Community School, 4 °5 October 2006

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