Hall Park Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Further improve teaching and learning, by successfully encouraging teachers to challenge pupils in order to stimulate their interest and curiosity in learning.
• Further improve outcomes at key stage 4, by ensuring that pupils make consistently good progress across the curriculum, particularly in English, humanities and languages.
• Work closely with parents and external agencies to continue to reduce the level of persistent absence for disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Ensure that leaders successfully reassure all parents and pupils that any incidents of bullying will be dealt with quickly and effectively.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The headteacher leads the school exceptionally well. Her inspirational leadership is valued and respected by staff. She has been clear in sharing her aspirational vision and ensuring that all pupils have access to essential life chances.
• All leaders have been successful in ensuring that a culture of high expectations for all pupils, regardless of their backgrounds, permeates the school.
• Leaders have ensured that government funding to support disadvantaged pupils has been very well spent. The progress which disadvantaged pupils make in many subjects is now significantly above that of other pupils nationally. This is because of the exemplary support systems which leaders have provided for these pupils. Nevertheless, disadvantaged pupils are absent from school more often than other pupils.
• Leaders ensure that the appraisal system is closely linked to whole-school improvement and is supported by high-quality training for staff. Teachers have targets linked to their professional development and pupils’ progress. Leaders take these into careful consideration when awarding pay increases.
• The support provided for teachers’ professional development is strong, appropriate and wide-ranging. Excellent use is made of expertise from both within the school and from other schools in the trust. Newly qualified teachers praise the support and training they have had. Staff feel valued and teaching and learning have improved greatly as a result.
• Middle leaders are clear about leaders’ expectations and say that senior leaders support them extremely well. They enjoy working with colleagues from across the schools in the trust. This enables them to benefit from additional support and advice, and to share best practice and training.
• Leaders have recently revised the curriculum to ensure that there are appropriate pathways for all pupils and to reflect leaders’ high aspirations for all. The academic curriculum has been adapted to reflect the greater challenge of the new examination requirements in key stage 4, particularly in English and mathematics. Leaders have also increased staffing in modern foreign languages to give pupils the opportunity to study both French and German.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is developed well throughout the school. The range of extra-curricular enrichment opportunities for pupils is wide and greatly valued by pupils. Leaders have ensured that pupils have a wide experience outside their local community to broaden their horizons and raise their aspirations. Pupils have an excellent understanding of fundamental British values and are well prepared for life in modern Britain.
• The school’s use of alternative curricular provision is carefully chosen, monitored and evaluated and, as a result, pupils attend well and make good progress.
• Leaders use the Year 7 catch-up funding well. Pupils who arrive at the school with skills below those expected for their age in literacy and numeracy are given effective support. The vast majority of these pupils quickly reach the expected standard for their age.
• Leaders use well the funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities to provide highly effective, personalised support for this group of pupils. As a result, these pupils make good progress.
• The trust supports the school by providing an impartial careers guidance adviser. Leaders have ensured that pupils receive a range of support to help them make informed choices at both key stages 4 and 5.
• The vast majority of parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, would recommend the school to other parents. However, some parents were unsure about or dissatisfied with how the school responded to any incidents of bullying.

Governance of the school

• The academy trust has ensured that all aspects of the work of the school are monitored and overseen very well. The trust board, which is the executive level of governance, is very effective in holding leaders to account. Its high ambition and high standards have been instrumental in raising standards across the school.
• The trust deploys carefully targeted support from schools and staff in the trust to drive improvements as and when needed.
• The local governing body is also highly knowledgeable and provides another layer of effective support and challenge to leaders.
• Governors undertake training regularly to help them fulfil their role with rigour. For example, they have recently received training in helping to keep pupils safe and understanding information on pupils’ attainment and progress.
• The performance management of staff and of the headteacher is undertaken rigorously. Targets set for the headteacher and other leaders are high. Subject leaders and teachers are stringently held to account for the progress of key groups of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils.
• The pupil premium, the catch-up funding for Year 7, and the special educational needs and/or disabilities funding are spent well. Intervention support is evaluated carefully and regularly to ensure that the school’s actions are having a positive impact on improving pupils’ outcomes.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• All statutory requirements are met. Senior leaders have established a culture of high vigilance. Leaders and governors take their responsibility very seriously to ensure that safeguarding arrangements are effective and regularly review them so that they continue to be robust.
• The safeguarding leaders are well trained and experienced in safeguarding legislation and child protection. All staff receive regular training to enable them to be rigorous in their safeguarding duties. Records of any concerns about pupils are meticulous, because leaders know that keeping pupils safe is of central importance.
• Leaders work with external agencies effectively and ensure that referrals are dealt with promptly and thoroughly.
• Staff have a secure understanding of any signs that pupils may be at risk, including from radicalisation and extremism. Pupils were also extremely knowledgeable about these issues and, therefore, very well protected.
• Pupils feel safe in school and are confident that adults will help and support them if they have any concerns. However, not all parents are satisfied with how the school keeps pupils safe from any incidents of bullying.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Leaders have made improving teaching and learning a whole-school priority and teachers have benefited from the excellent training available through the wider trust. As a result, teaching is now good across the school and consistently strong in some subjects, especially in mathematics. This is reflected in the improved progress which pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils, now make.
• Teachers ensure that their assessments of pupils’ work are reliable and verified. Teachers make excellent use of colleagues in other schools in the trust to standardise test results and validate their judgements. Teachers use assessment information about pupils to plan learning that enables the majority of pupils to make at least the progress expected of them, including the most able pupils.
• Teachers have good subject knowledge. Subject leaders have worked with other subject specialists across the trust to gain a secure understanding of the requirements of the new examinations in key stage 4 and to support pupils to develop the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding.
• Pupils learn in a supportive atmosphere and appreciate the feedback that teachers give them to help them improve their work.
• Pupils develop their literacy and numeracy skills across the curriculum and are encouraged to use precise subject-specific vocabulary in their lessons. Teachers encourage pupils to read widely and often. The whole-school reading programme is successful in improving pupils’ reading skills. The most able readers in Year 7 also enjoy an additional lunchtime club, where they debate challenging topics and further develop their literacy skills.
• Teaching assistants are deployed effectively. They ask good questions and encourage pupils to improve their work. Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are provided with highly effective support, which has contributed to their good progress.
• Evidence in pupils’ books demonstrates that homework is used effectively to develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding in most subjects.
• Parents receive regular information on pupils’ progress.
• Most pupils get on with their work quickly and work well together to support each other’s learning. While pupils are becoming increasingly confident in trying new learning for themselves, few pupils yet demonstrate a curiosity or interest for learning outside the tasks planned for them.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Leaders promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Pupils discuss and debate topical social issues in tutor time, explore morality in subjects such as English, and enjoy participating in music and arts festivals. Pupils also learn about different faiths through religious education lessons.
• Pupils have an excellent understanding of fundamental British values. They are tolerant of others who may share a different culture or lifestyle to themselves and respectful of democracy and the rule of law.
• Pupils listen respectfully to each other and are polite when talking to adults. They support each other’s learning in lessons and help each other to achieve well. They enjoy a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities.
• The school’s vertical tutoring system is highly effective in ensuring that every pupil is well known. Their emotional well-being is well catered for, as teachers know when to provide additional support if needed and they ensure that it is provided.
• Pupils’ knowledge and understanding of issues relating to their personal, social and health education are promoted well through external visitors, assemblies and in their vertical tutoring groups.
• Leaders prioritise pupils’ safety. They have included assemblies and external speakers to help pupils to keep safe online and when texting and using social media. Pupils know how to recognise any potential dangers and to report any concerns.
• The majority of pupils take pride in their work. Most books seen were well presented and pupils demonstrate a commitment to improve their work. There are positive relationships between teachers and pupils, and a culture of mutual respect at the school. Pupils trust teachers to help them do their best.
• School records show that incidents of homophobic or racist bullying are rare. The school deals with any such incidents effectively, so that they do not happen again. However, pupils did tell inspectors that some bullying, mainly name-calling, has happened in the past. Some pupils, particularly vulnerable pupils, and parents would welcome more reassurance from leaders that any incidents of bullying will always be dealt with swiftly and effectively.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils move between lessons and around the school in a calm and orderly manner. They are punctual to lessons and follow instructions quickly.
• Pupils come to school prepared with the right equipment and wear their uniforms smartly and proudly.
• Leaders have worked hard to successfully raise standards and improve behaviour at the school. Staff and pupils all commented on improvements to behaviour. Pupils say that all staff apply the school’s behaviour system consistently. Consequently, pupils behave well in lessons and around the school.
• Pupils who attend alternative provision are closely monitored. The school makes sure they are safe and attend regularly.
• The number of fixed-term exclusions, especially for disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, has been high but has significantly reduced. This is because leaders have put in place effective strategies to support pupils’ behaviour.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are absent from school more often than other pupils. Leaders have been quick to tighten up the school’s procedures to encourage regular attendance and to use external support to help these pupils back into school. Attendance for these pupils is improving but is still below the national average.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• In 2016, pupils made significantly more progress than other pupils nationally at the end of key stage 4. This was the case in a number of subjects, including mathematics and EBacc subjects. However, pupils’ progress in English, humanities and languages was not as strong, being broadly in line with other pupils nationally.
• Pupils’ attainment in all subjects, including English and mathematics, was also broadly in line with other pupils nationally.
• Current school information shows that pupils’ progress across the school in each year group and for all groups of pupils, including the most able pupils, continues to be good. The school has highly effective systems in place to detect when pupils start to underperform. This means they can quickly be given the support needed to catch up. Teachers have put in place additional support this year to increase the number of most-able pupils who reach the highest grades at the end of key stage 4. However, it is too early to judge the impact of this.
• Pupils who enter the school in Year 7 with skills below those expected for their age in English and mathematics are supported effectively to catch up quickly.
• The very small number of pupils who attend alternative provision are making good progress towards achieving qualifications.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported extremely well and make good progress.
• A strong culture of reading is promoted across the school. Pupils read widely and often. Their skills in reading improve rapidly as a result of regular and focused support.
• Pupils are well prepared for the future. Leaders provide pupils with effective guidance and support, at each stage of their education, to help them make the right choices for the next stage.
• Pupils’ pursue academic as well as vocational courses, and do well in both. A high proportion of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, gain good qualifications in English and mathematics, giving them access to a wide range of career choices.

16 to 19 study programmes Good

• Students make good progress in the sixth form in most subjects. Their attainment in both vocational and academic subjects is good.
• Most teachers provide appropriate challenge in lessons and students’ work shows that they have successfully made the transition to key stage 5 and can confidently explore subjects in more depth.
• Leaders of the sixth form know and understand the requirements of the 16 to 19 study programmes well and they provide students with effective support. Leaders receive additional support from 16 to 19 experts within the trust to ensure that standards in the sixth form remain high and continue to improve.
• The very small minority of students who retook their GCSE examinations last year in English and mathematics increased their grades.
• The retention and attendance rates in the sixth form are high, demonstrating how much students value the sixth form and the provision made for them.
• Behaviour is good, as is students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Leaders have ensured that all students benefit from work experience to develop their wider skills and prepare them for the world of work. Students receive impartial careers advice and guidance to support them with their applications to university, work or to gain apprenticeships.
• Students contribute to the wider school and act as positive role models. They help younger pupils with their reading and support and mentor them in lessons and in sporting events.
• The school met the government’s interim minimum standards in 2016.

School details

Unique reference number 140992 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 10026541 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Secondary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Gender of pupils in 16 to 19 study programmes Number of pupils on the school roll Of which, number on roll in 16 to 19 study programmes Appropriate authority Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Academy sponsor-led 11 to 18 Mixed Mixed 654 87 Academy trust Kevin Edwards Stephanie Dyce 01773 786212 www.hallparkacademy.org.uk office@hallparkacademy.org.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school is sponsored by the Redhill Academy Trust.
• The school is much smaller than the average-sized secondary school.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and the proportion who speak English as an additional language are well below the national averages.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average.
• A very small number of pupils attend alternative provision at Redhill Trust Alternative Provision and Stone Soup Academy.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• In 2016, the school met the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment in English and mathematics by the end of Year 11.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in 31 lessons, some of which were visited jointly with a senior leader. During visits to lessons, inspectors sampled pupils’ books and talked with pupils to evaluate the quality of their learning. Inspectors also made short visits to vertical tutor time.
• Inspectors observed the behaviour of pupils at breaktime, lunchtime and as pupils moved around the school.
• Inspectors held a number of meetings with the headteacher, senior and middle leaders, newly qualified teachers, and governors, including the chair and vice-chair of the governing body. The lead inspector met with the executive principal from the Redhill Academy Trust. An inspector also held a telephone conversation with the two providers which provide alternative education for a small number of Hall Park Academy’s pupils.
• Inspectors spoke with pupils from all year groups in meetings, in lessons and around the school at breaktime and lunchtime.
• The inspection team looked at a wide range of the school’s documentation, including the school’s evaluation of its own performance, its action plan, data on pupils’ attainment and progress, attendance, bullying and behaviour records, safeguarding procedures, and minutes of meetings of the governing body.
• Inspectors took account of 43 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, and 44 responses from parents to the Ofsted free-text service. The 60 responses to the online staff questionnaire and 142 responses to the pupils’ questionnaire were also considered.

Inspection team

Sally Smith, lead inspector John Edwards Andy Hunt Chris Stevens

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector