Setting

Version 1 – September 2007 05 October 2007

p.1

Mr Graham Torbett Headteacher Moorbrook School Ainslie Road Preston Lancashire PR2 3DB

p.1

Ofsted monitoring of Notice to Improve schools

Thank you for the help which you and your staff gave when I inspected your school on 4 October 2007, for the time you gave to our phone discussions and for the information which you provided before and during my visit. Please also thank the governors who came in and the students that I spoke with. Their views have helped me to build up a picture of how well the school is progressing with the points for improvement identified by the last inspection.

p.1

Ofsted monitoring of Notice to Improve schools

This letter will be posted on the Ofsted website. Please inform the Regional Inspection Service Provider of any factual inaccuracies within 24 hours of the receipt of this letter.

p.1

Ofsted monitoring of Notice to Improve schools

As a result of the inspection on 5 February 2007, the school was asked to:

p.1

Ofsted monitoring of Notice to Improve schools

 Improve students’ behaviour in and around the school.  Increase the students’ levels of attendance.  Provide a broad, balanced and more personal curriculum.  Provide staff training in behaviour management.

p.1

Ofsted monitoring of Notice to Improve schools

Having considered all the evidence I am of the opinion that at this time the school is making good progress in addressing the issues for improvement and in raising the pupils’ achievement. Action plans have been well designed to promote improvement.

p.1

Ofsted monitoring of Notice to Improve schools

Student’s behaviour in and around the school is improving because good progress has been made with the consistency and quality of behaviour management and because curriculum developments are providing improved motivation for students. Staff are now well trained in managing behaviour as a result of a range of strategies. The local authority has provided good levels of support through whole-school training and through individual coaching. Good use has been made of school Nord Anglia Inspections Anglia House Carrs Road Cheadle Stockport SK8 2LA T 08456 40 40 40 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 0161 491 4191 Direct F 0161 491 9677 expertise to deliver training and staff have been consulted about policies and procedures. This has given the staff a sense of ownership and helps to ensure the consistency in the application of policies. Students have also been consulted. They understand the ‘ladder of consequences’ which results from poor behaviour and think

p.1

Ofsted monitoring of Notice to Improve schools

it is fair. They have behaviour targets and are well motivated by the emphasis on the positives and the short and long-term rewards for good behaviour.

p.2

Ofsted monitoring of Notice to Improve schools

The numbers of fixed-term exclusions, internal isolations and the need for handling to restrain students have all reduced significantly since the previous inspection. Because behaviour is improving, staff have increasing confidence to vary the teaching and learning styles they use and plan more trips and visits designed to enrich the curriculum. However, new staff are not systematically provided with full information about the individual academic, behavioural, emotional and social needs of each student to help them plan their lessons.

p.2

Ofsted monitoring of Notice to Improve schools

Staff are beginning to discuss the factors that trigger poor behaviour with the most persistently re-offending students. Students generally are not yet encouraged to consider the antecedents to poor behaviour and what coping strategies might best de-escalate problem situations or help them cope with the increasingly wide range of situations that curriculum initiatives are placing them in.

p.2

Ofsted monitoring of Notice to Improve schools

The breadth and balance of the curriculum are being improved so that it better meets students’ needs. The provision from the local authority’s music service has enriched Key Stage 3 and students enjoy these lessons. A range of external partnerships has helped to personalise the curriculum in Key Stage 4. Students have more varied choices for work-related learning and opportunities are being sought to extend the academic possibilities for students. Students have been particularly successful in physical education for example, as a result of a partnership with a local mainstream school. Good consideration is being given to particular flexibilities that might be available to Year 9 students to help them with the choices they make in the future. Time is appropriately built into the curriculum to reward good behaviour with a range of leisure activities and to identify personal targets for behaviour and

p.2

Ofsted monitoring of Notice to Improve schools

attendance. This helps to meet students’ social and emotional needs.

p.2

Ofsted monitoring of Notice to Improve schools

Suitable developments are under way to ensure teachers place an increased focus on assessing students’ learning, and whole-school systems are being devised to track the achievement of students and set academic targets for the ends of key stages. However, teachers are not yet routinely expected to use the information to inform their lesson planning and so better meet students’ individual academic needs. Systems to ensure the accuracy of curriculum self-evaluation and subject development planning are in the early stages of development.

p.2

Ofsted monitoring of Notice to Improve schools

Seventy-five percent of students have improved their attendance since the previous inspection. This is largely because of their increased motivation and apt changes to systems of automatic exclusion. Students say they increasingly enjoy lessons, feel safe, think systems fair, value rewards and have opportunities to be consulted. Attendance is being more tightly monitored. Data is shared with students. They understand what the school will do to help them achieve their attendance targets. First-day absences are quickly followed up with telephone contact and some home visits are made to challenge and support parents as needed. However, the local authority has not been successful in providing consistent support to enable the school to improve the attendance of the most persistent absentees, particularly those students who live farthest from the school.

p.2

Ofsted monitoring of Notice to Improve schools

Students’ achievement overall is improving as a result of better attendance, less time being lost to poor behaviour and adaptations to the curriculum that increasingly meet the students’ needs. I hope that you have found the visit helpful in promoting improvement in your school.

p.3

Ofsted monitoring of Notice to Improve schools

Sonya Williamson HMI Her Majesty’s Inspector

p.3