Holy Cross Catholic High School

Holy Cross Catholic High School, A Science and Sports College Inspection report

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119803 Unique Reference Number Lancashire Local Authority 313428 Inspection number 26 March 2008 Inspection date Katrina Gueli 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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Secondary Type of school Voluntary aided School category 11 °16 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 828 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Malcolm Holt Chair Mrs Wendy Anne White Headteacher 1 January 2005 Date of previous school inspection Burgh Lane School address Chorley Lancashire PR7 3NT 01257 262093 Telephone number 01257 232878 Fax number

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11-16 Age group 26 March 2008 Inspection date 313428 Inspection number .

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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. The inspector investigated the following issues: the achievement of students and the progress they make; the strength of the evidence base and the accuracy of evaluation by middle and senior leaders; the students’ personal development and well being, and their care guidance and support. Evidence was gathered from national published assessment data and the school’s own assessment information, the school’s own self-evaluation, lesson visits, discussions with leaders, teachers and students, and the parents’ questionnaires. Other aspects of the school’s work were not investigated in detail but the inspector found no evidence to suggest that the school’s own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were not justified, and these have been included where appropriate in this report.

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Description of the school

Holy Cross Catholic High School is a slightly smaller than average secondary school. Since September 2004 it has been a designated science and sports college with its sports facilities used by the community out of school hours. The school is popular and is frequently over subscribed. The majority of students live in areas with no more or less advantage than average, as reflected in the below average proportion of students eligible for a free school meal. The proportion of students from minority ethnic groups is below average. However, there has recently been a significant increase in the number of Polish students joining the school, most of who are at an early stage of English language acquisition. The proportion of students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is well below average. The school has received the Eco silver and Healthy School awards, and Investors in People status.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Holy Cross Catholic High School, A Science and Sports College, 26 March 2008

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Grade: 2

Holy Cross Catholic High School is a good school with many outstanding features. The school provides a very friendly, caring environment, underpinned by strong Catholic values where students are highly successful in developing their personal qualities and achieve well. The vast majority of parents rightly have a very positive view of the school and appreciate the quality of education provided. Students’ attainment on entry is above average overall. By the end of Key Stage 3 standards are significantly above average in English and mathematics and exceptionally high in science. Despite improvements in mathematics in recent years, progress in this subject is slower than in English and science. However, achievement by the end of Key Stage 3 is good overall. At the end Key Stage 4 standards are significantly above average. The number of students being awarded the highest grades at GCSE in 2006 and 2007 has risen to twice the number

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Grade: 2

who attained these grades in 2005. In the last two years there has also been significant improvement in the number of students gaining five or more A* - C grades at GCSE. However, the number of students gaining five or more A* - G grades at GCSE has remained broadly average over the same time. The school is aware of the need to provide additional accredited option choices for students following alternative curriculum routes to raise attainment further. Achievement at Key Stage 4 has been variable, but is now good. Students following the alternative curriculum achieve well and all students in the 2007 group progressed into work or continued their education. Achievement of students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is good because of the high quality support and intervention they receive. The development of the specialist subjects of the school has made a difference to achievement and standards with the targets for the physical education being surpassed and the highly

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Grade: 2

ambitious target in science almost reached in 2007. Students’ personal development and well-being are outstanding. They really enjoy school life and are very appreciative of the extra time that staff give to help them make good progress. Attendance is consistently above average. Behaviour is excellent and attitudes to learning are mostly very positive creating a very good climate for learning. Students feel very safe in school and say instances of bullying are rare. They know that any incidents are dealt with effectively and are confident that someone will always listen, and respond to their concerns. Students’ social, moral, cultural and spiritual development is outstanding and this is reflected in the excellent personal qualities that they display and their wide ranging contributions to the school and wider community. ‘Student voice’ is increasingly shaping the actions of the school including improvements to the boys’ toilets and changes to styles of teaching. The curriculum experiences

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Grade: 2

and the guidance that students receive ensure they are very well prepared for their future beyond school. The wide variety of extra-curricular provision makes an excellent contribution to students’ personal development including their health, well-being and enjoyment. Students value the high quality sports facilities available and note the strong team spirit that has been developed through the work of the staff in the physical education department. Teaching and learning are good with some that is better. A ‘can-do’ culture for students has been successfully established and teacher expectations are high. Best practice incorporates well paced, engaging and enthusiastic teaching using a wide variety of activities and high levels of student involvement. Modern technologies are frequently used effectively to enhance learning. Often students are involved in assessing their work themselves and this helps them

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Grade: 2

4 of 10 Inspection Report: Holy Cross Catholic High School, A Science and Sports College, 26 March 2008 to understand how to improve. Students are aware of their targets, but in some instances they are not always clear what they need to do to move onto the next level. This is due in part to the variable quality of the written and verbal feedback that they receive. The school has identified where practice needs to be of a higher quality and is already working with departments and individuals to increase consistency. Teaching and learning have been improved through coaching, regular training and frequent sharing of best practice within and between departments. Key drivers in these developments have been the Advanced Skills Teachers and other staff from the specialist subjects. This improvement in quality has contributed to better progress, increased levels of enjoyment and students becoming more effective, independent learners.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good with outstanding features having evolved significantly since the time of the last inspection. A very wide range of academic and vocational courses are now available, both on site and through partnerships with other providers. As a result the needs and interests of students are well met. The specialist subjects have made a considerable contribution to curriculum breadth at Key Stage 4 with an increasing number of science courses on offer and accredited physical education courses for all. Adjustments to the curriculum at Key Stage 3 and different pathways at Key Stage 4 have supported improving outcomes for students. They are very well informed and supported for transfer both between key stages and for progression to post-16 education or training. Innovations such as the complimentary studies programme and activities weeks have ensured that students’ learning and personal development is greatly

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Grade: 2

enhanced. The curriculum is enriched significantly by the many and varied extra-curricular activities. Care, guidance and support are outstanding. Systems and communication between teams are coherent and all leaders and staff are focused on maximising student achievement and promoting their personal development and well-being. Assessment of progress is frequent and tracking is rigorous so any underperformance is identified rapidly. Students are helped to get back on track quickly through the use of a broad range of interventions. Guidance for students and communication with parents regarding courses, programmes and progress is of a very high quality. For example, in addition to the traditional parents evening, each year features a guidance evening. This is very effective in ensuring that parents have a good understanding of on-going assessment, are clearly briefed about possible challenges to come in the year ahead, and well

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Grade: 2

informed about how best to provide support for their child’s learning. Students with additional needs including those who enter the school at an early stage of English language acquisition receive excellent care and support from school based colleagues in conjunction with external care services. All procedures to ensure the health and safety of students are in place. Leadership and management are good with outstanding features. The headteacher provides strong leadership and there is a clear, shared drive to enhance learning and ensure the best possible outcomes for all learners. This strategic direction is reflected in all aspects of the school’s culture and is central to selecting improvement actions. Rigorous self-evaluation involving senior and middle leaders ensures that the school, including governors, are aware of current strengths and areas for development. Subsequent actions are carefully chosen and their

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Grade: 2

impact evaluated accurately. Whole school priorities, performance management and staff development are very well aligned and effectively support improvement. Governor expertise is wide ranging and well utilised. In addition to regular meetings between the headteacher and the chair of the governing body, other governors are linked with individual departments and attend staff training events. This structure, combined with the work of committees and the full governing body, ensures that governors have a good working knowledge and are well placed to hold the school to account. A very good balance has been struck between accountability for 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Holy Cross Catholic High School, A Science and Sports College, 26 March 2008 middle leaders to secure increases in standards and a culture of nurturing and support for all staff. This has been central to the rapid improvements seen over the last few years and supports

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Grade: 2

the outstanding capacity of the school to improve further. Whole school targets are set to reflect the school’s high expectations but many individual student targets are insufficiently challenging and are often quickly exceeded. Excellent use is made of partnerships and this contributes well to ensuring students’ outstanding levels of personal development and well-being.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ No significant areas for improvement have been identified of which the school was not already aware and taking appropriate action. However, the degree of challenge in the targets set for individual students could be increased so that they align more closely with those set for the whole school. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Holy Cross Catholic High School, A Science and Sports College, 26 March 2008 .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Holy Cross Catholic High School, A Science and Sports College, 26 March 2008

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Inspection judgements

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

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

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 1 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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and interests of learners?

1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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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 of 10 Inspection Report: Holy Cross Catholic High School, A Science and Sports College, 26 March 2008

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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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 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 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 of 10 Inspection Report: Holy Cross Catholic High School, A Science and Sports College, 26 March 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

28 March 2008 Dear Students Inspection of Holy Cross Catholic High School, A Science and Sports College, Chorley, Lancashire, PR7 3NT Thank you for sharing your views with me when I visited your school. I found that Holy Cross is a good school with some outstanding features. The school is a very friendly, caring community where you are highly successful in developing your personal qualities and you achieve well. You are very appreciative about what the school provides, especially the excellent sporting facilities and the very wide range of extra-curricular activities in which you are involved. Your behaviour is excellent and you show very positive attitudes to your learning allowing you to make good progress. Your attendance is good. The skills that you develop and the experiences and guidance that you receive ensure you are very well prepared for life beyond school. The curriculum is good and is well matched to your needs and aspirations. Enrichment

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

opportunities, for example those provided during activities weeks are excellent and make a very good contribution to your personal development. Lessons have a ‘can-do’ culture and teachers have high expectations for your achievement. This degree of challenge is however not always reflected in the individual targets that you are set as these are often quickly exceeded. Activities in lessons are varied, increasing your engagement and enjoyment, and your learning is enhanced by the effective use of ICT. You are often involved in assessing your work yourselves and commented that this help you understand how to improve. The care, guidance and support that you receive are outstanding. This supports your personal development very effectively and promotes your academic achievement. Your progress is monitored efficiently and you are helped to get back on track quickly if you are having difficulties. All leaders and staff are highly committed to improving the school further and are well placed

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

to do so. You are certainly playing your part in this, well done! Yours sincerely Katrina Gueli Her Majesty’s Inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Holy Cross Catholic High School, A Science and Sports College, 26 March 2008

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