The Martin High School Anstey Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the progress made by pupils, especially in mathematics, by:
  • planning learning more effectively with a greater focus on identifying gaps in pupils’ understanding, or skills
  • developing activities in lessons that motivate and enthuse some boys more effectively
  • ensuring that the work of teaching assistants is planned more consistently so they have a clearer focus for their work in supporting learning.
• Improve the effectiveness of leadership, by:
  • continuing to provide support for subject leaders and teachers where pupils are not making good progress
  • developing further the effectiveness of strategies to support disadvantaged pupils so that the difference between their progress and their peers is reduced
  • improving the quality of information reported to parents in order to provide more information about the strengths and areas for development in pupils’ learning improving the accuracy of teachers’ assessment further so that leaders can be more confident about information they receive on progress across a wide range of subjects. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• Leaders have not had an accurate understanding of how well pupils were doing. When the school extended its range, to include key stage 4 pupils, they believed that pupils were achieving very well. Estimates for the GCSE results in 2015 were significantly more positive than the actual outcomes achieved because assessment was not accurate.
• School leaders did not respond quickly enough to the priorities for improvement in the previous inspection report. The lack of progress made by pupils was not clear, until the confirmation of the 2015 key stage 4 results.
• The systems used to check on the quality of teaching were weak. Leaders were not effective in identifying areas where teaching was not good enough. Little effective training and support for teaching was provided.
• Teachers with responsibility for leading subjects have underestimated the challenge of teaching GCSE courses since the school extended its range to include key stage 4 pupils. Some of the leadership of subjects where pupils are not making good progress is not strong enough because some priorities for development are still not improving with sufficient urgency.
• Previous leaders did not recognise that pupils in key stage 3 were also not making sufficient progress. Many of these pupils still have to catch up with their learning.
• Reports to parents do not provide sufficient detail about how well pupils are learning and any strengths or gaps in their understanding of subjects.
• New senior leaders have been in place for just over one year. The headteacher has ensured that staff understand the urgency needed in improving the progress made by all pupils. She, and other senior leaders, has put in place focused plans, which aim to improve all aspects of the school. They are now leading to improved progress, especially in key stage 3.
• Over the course of the last 12 months, since the new leaders started their roles, many of the priorities identified in the previous inspection have improved significantly. The large majority of staff, parents and pupils recognise the positive changes that have taken place.
• Some aspects of the school’s drive to improve the quality of teaching and the progress made by pupils have not had sufficient effect. This is mainly because they have not had time to be fully effective. However, across the school, pupils are already making better progress in the majority of subjects.
• Current school leaders have created a strong culture of respect within the school. Relationships between staff and pupils are positive. Equality and diversity have a high priority.
• School leaders now have an accurate understanding of what needs to be improved. Regular checks show them how effective teaching is. Additional support and training ensures that teaching improves. Leaders understand that it is still not consistently good in some subjects.
• The school provides lessons in a broad range of subjects. The time allocated to subjects ensures that pupils have the chance to focus on key skills of literacy and numeracy.
• The school provides opportunities for pupils to participate in a good range of additional trips, clubs and additional activities. The provision for physical education clubs is a strength and is valued by pupils and parents.
• The ethos of the school is supported well by strong and well-planned opportunities to explore spiritual, moral, social and cultural aspects of learning. Pupils receive good guidance that prepares them for life in modern Britain.

Governance of the school

• The governing body has not been effective enough at holding school leaders to account for the performance of the school.
• The governing body has not ensured that the school is performing as well as it should. The information that governors have received about pupils’ progress has been inaccurate and too optimistic. Governors have accepted information without checking sufficiently whether it is credible.
• The governing body carried out an external review of its work because of a recommendation made as part of the previous inspection. It was slow to respond to the priorities identified in the previous inspection report and the areas identified in the review.
• In the last three months, the governing body has started to address these issues more effectively. The governing body is now much more realistic about the challenges faced by the school. The recently appointed chair of the governing body is ensuring that governance focuses on the improvements needed. These changes are too recent to have had time to be effective yet.
• Governors have participated in training in order to ensure that they update and improve their skills. They have a much more realistic understanding of the sort of further training they need.
• Governors have not been effective enough in checking that additional funding for disadvantaged pupils leads to them making better progress. Although governors are aware of how much funding is available they are not sufficiently aware of the difference in achievement between these pupils and their peers.
• The governing body has not checked that additional catch-up funding improves the progress of the identified pupils.
• The governing body is starting to ensure that the performance of staff is checked in a more robust way.
• Although the governing body has not been strong enough since the previous inspection a further review of their work has not been recommended because they need more time to demonstrate that the new governance arrangements are effective.

Safeguarding

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Teaching did not improve fast enough after the previous inspection because leaders did not make this a high enough priority. Although much of the teaching has improved over the last 12 months it is still not consistently good.
• The effectiveness of teachers’ planning for learning is not always strong enough. In some subjects, where pupils do not make good progress, insufficient account is taken of gaps in pupils’ understanding or skills.
• Teaching is still not leading to consistently good progress in mathematics, history, religious education and some aspects of science.
• The work of teaching assistants is not planned well enough in some lessons. Although they regularly provide general support and encouragement for pupils, a lack of sufficient information, or focus for their work, makes them less effective.
• The school has struggled, over time, to ensure that assessment information is accurate and realistic. This has resulted in school leaders having an overoptimistic view about the progress being made across a wide range of subject areas.
• Pupils are able to write confidently using a range of styles and techniques. A few boys are less secure, or do not take sufficient care over their work.
• The teaching of mathematics is still too inconsistent. Although in some classes pupils are confident and secure in their use of calculations, this is not typically the case.
• During the course of this year, the quality of marking and feedback given by teachers is often in line with the school’s policy. This has resulted in a more consistent approach across subject areas and pupils say that they understand and feel confident about the systems used. Some comments and feedback provided by teachers are still not helping them to address gaps in their knowledge or understanding, even though the format used matches the policy expected by the school.
• Teaching is starting to improve across the majority of subject areas. Additional support and training has led to better teaching being in place for the last 12 months. This is starting to have a positive effect on the progress made by all groups of pupils.
• Many teachers now have a better understanding of the expectations they need to have for pupils in key stage 4. They are now becoming more secure in their use of assessment. In a few subjects the assessment of pupils’ work is still inconsistent, or overoptimistic.
• The teaching of reading skills is good. Younger pupils who read to inspectors had good strategies for sounding out letters. Many pupils read confidently and have a good level of understanding.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• The school has developed a strong culture in the last 12 months, which promotes equality and diversity. Pupils have the opportunity to discuss and consider issues they will encounter outside the school during tutor time, and as part of sessions organised by the school’s house system. They often participate well in discussions, although a few boys find it more difficult to engage positively in these discussions.
• Staff take bullying seriously and pupils say that the school has systems in place to deal with any concerns they may have. The large majority of parents agreed that they have confidence in these systems.
• Pupils are aware of how to stay safe when using computers. The school makes them aware of particular issues regarding their safety, such as child sexual exploitation.
• Pupils spoken to say they feel safe in school and they recognise that new senior leaders have raised expectations for their behaviour and their welfare.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• The large majority of pupils behave well in lessons. They understand and comply with the school’s approach to managing behaviour. The large majority of staff, parents and pupils feel that the school’s expectations for behaviour in lessons, uniform and conduct around the school are now much clearer, especially in the last 12 months.
• Pupils often maintain their focus and good behaviour even when the pace of learning in lessons drops, or activities are not matched well to their prior learning.
• Pupils get on well with each other. They are tolerant and listen to each other during discussions.
• Pupils arrive to lessons on time and have the equipment they need.
• A few pupils, especially some boys, find it harder to motivate themselves, particularly in subjects that are not yet addressing their needs, or gaps in their learning. This results in a small number finding it difficult to concentrate and participate. In a few cases they can engage in low-level disruption.
• School leaders have developed effective systems to support pupils who find it difficult to focus on their learning, or who need time to reintegrate after absence. The ‘aspire hub’ provision provides them with additional support and help from adults and is having a positive effect on their attitudes to learning.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• In 2015, the first year that the school had a cohort of pupils taking external GCSE examinations, all groups of pupils made poor progress, across a wide range of subjects.
• Disadvantaged pupils made poor progress from their starting points in 2015 and 2016. School leaders have made this a priority for their planning. Across the school some of the pupils, especially in key stage 3, are doing better. Some of the actions to support these pupils have not been in place long enough to have had sufficient effect.
• Pupils in key stage 4 are still catching up in many subjects because of previous underachievement when they were in key stage 3.
• The progress made by pupils in mathematics, history, design and technology and languages is not consistently good, although there are signs of recent improvement.
• Pupils did not make as much progress in English and mathematics as pupils with similar starting points did nationally in 2016. This cohort of pupils did, however, make better progress than the previous year.
• Most able pupils did not make good progress in the 2015 GCSE results. Results for this group improved in 2016 and across key stage 3 these pupils are now doing better. School leaders have ensured that improving the progress for this group of pupils is a priority and this is helping the most able disadvantaged pupils to make good progress.
• Pupils are starting to make better progress in science, although those taking additional science are still behind where they need to be.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities did not make good progress in 2015. Across the school they are now starting to do better. Some still have a long way to go in order to catch up with their peers.
• Boys have consistently underachieved since the previous inspection. School leaders are aware of this and have made their progress a focus for checks made on teaching. Although boys are starting to do better, a few are not as engaged in their learning and, as a result, are not making enough progress.
• Provisional 2016 results indicate that Year 11 pupils made better progress in most subject areas. Across a range of eight key subjects, pupils made average progress when compared to pupils with similar starting points nationally. The proportion who achieved five or more good GCSE grades, including English and mathematics, was also broadly average.
• Current pupils are starting to make consistently better progress across most subjects, especially in key stage 3. Pupils are often making good progress in English, geography, physical education, drama and food technology.
• The proportion of pupils who attained a good GCSE grade in English, mathematics, science, humanities and languages (which together contribute to the measure described as the English Baccalaureate) in 2016 was broadly average.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 137828 Leicestershire 10019568 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Secondary comprehensive School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy converter 11 to 16 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 842 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Pam Whitehead Laura Sanchez 0116 2363291 www.martinhigh.org office@martin.leics.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 19–20 November 2014

Information about this school

• The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information about the pupil premium on its website.
• The school does not comply with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish about its pupil premium strategy or the effectiveness of the use of catch-up funding.
• The school is an average-sized secondary school.
• The large majority of pupils are of White British heritage and speak English as their first language.
• The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged and supported through pupil premium funding is below average.
• The proportion of students who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.
• A small number of pupils attend alternative provision courses managed by the Melton Behaviour Partnership.
• The headteacher and other senior leaders all started their roles in September 2015. The governing body was significantly reorganised in September 2016.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed 61 lessons, an assembly and sessions with form tutors.
• Inspectors looked at pupils’ work across a wide range of subjects in lessons and during a review of work provided by school leaders.
• Inspectors met with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders, and teachers who had recently qualified. They also met four members of the governing body, including the chair of the governing body.
• Inspectors met with four groups of pupils in order to gain their views about the school. They also observed students’ behaviour around the school.
• Inspectors heard several pupils read.
• Inspectors checked the school’s policies, self-evaluation, development plans and records of monitoring carried out by senior leaders.
• Inspectors checked the school’s information about pupils’ progress and the arrangements made to keep students safe.
• The views of 46 parents and carers who responded to the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire were taken into account, along with the 28 staff who completed a questionnaire for the inspection.

Inspection team

David Bray, lead inspector Sian Hampton Richard Hartley Nigel Boyd Kathryn Hardy

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector