The Kimberley School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Leaders and managers should continue to:
  • improve teaching further where this is required, especially in science and mathematics, so that gaps in understanding are identified consistently well, learning is more interesting and activities do not allow learners to become passive and disengaged improve governance so that the governing body is more effective at holding leaders to account, especially for the reporting requirements for the pupil premium strategy and use of the Year 7 literacy and numeracy catch-up premium
  • provide further training for subject leaders so that those who are new, or reliant on support from senior leaders, carry out their roles effectively.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The school has improved significantly over the last 12 months. Staff, pupils and parents all understand and appreciate the positive effect of changes made over this period. There have been significant improvements in key stage 4 outcomes in 2017. The large majority of pupils now make consistently good progress across all year groups.
• The headteacher has provided strong and effective leadership since taking up post in September 2016. Most staff, many of whom have been at the school for several years, have welcomed the strong leadership provided. Staff are working together effectively to ensure that these improvements are sustained.
• Senior staff carry out their roles with skill and determination. They make a good contribution to the improved culture of the school. They understand and support the sharply increased expectations for the progress that pupils make.
• Leaders of subjects and other aspects of the school are becoming increasingly effective. They are developing their roles and benefiting from the additional support provided. Leaders have a good understanding of strengths and areas for development within subjects. A small number of subject leaders either are too new to have become established yet, or are reliant on additional support provided by senior leaders.
• Leaders have evaluated the school accurately. Plans for improvement are clear, well focused and have contributed to the rapid improvement in the previous 12 months.
• Effective performance management arrangements hold staff to account. Teachers have benefited from additional support, as well as appropriate challenge, where performance has not been good enough.
• The school provides pupils with a broad and balanced range of subjects to study. They also benefit from a reasonably good range of additional clubs, activities and trips that enhance learning.
• The use of pupil premium funding has ensured that disadvantaged pupils are now starting to make better progress across the school. The Year 7 literacy and numeracy catch-up premium is also enabling this group to make more rapid progress. The information used to evaluate and report on the use of this funding currently does not meet government guidance.
• The use of funds to support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is ensuring that they receive appropriate support matched to their needs.
• The very small number of pupils who attend alternative provision are making good progress against the targets that have been set for their progress and attendance.
• During the previous year, a strong focus on consistency of behaviour management has led to a reduction in absence and exclusions. Both of these were previously above average.
• School leaders have revised and developed the information contained in reports to parents. They now provide a good range of information about pupils’ progress.
• The school provides pupils with a secure understanding of spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues. Appropriate themes are covered through tutor time, ‘Learning for Life’ and assemblies. Further work to develop examples of cultural diversity through displays and other aspects of the curriculum is required to make this aspect of cultural development stronger.
• The school teaches pupils effectively about British values through the curriculum and as part of topics covered in assemblies. Pupils have a good understanding of the importance of tolerance, respect and fairness.
• Careers education and guidance sessions have been developed and improved over the course of the past year. They now provide effective and independent information for pupils.

Governance of the school

• The East Midlands Education Trust (EMET) has recently appointed a new chair of the governing body. The governing body has held a few meetings since these new leadership arrangements began. The governors are starting to organise their agendas and activities in order to be more aware about the performance of the school, including the use of additional funding received for specific pupils. Although the governing body has not provided effective challenge for school leaders over time, the process of improving this aspect of its work has now started.
• EMET has provided effective challenge and support for the school. In particular, it has provided effective challenge for school leaders and ensured that an effective headteacher has been in place for the previous 12 months.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Staff receive regular training about how to identify concerns they might have regarding pupils’ welfare. Good arrangements are in place to ensure that staff understand how they might report any concerns they have.
• Good links with outside agencies have ensured that individual pupils receive helpful support and careful checks are monitoring their welfare.
• The school keeps accurate records which ensure that suitably trained and experienced staff are employed by the school.
• Pupils spoken with say they have no concerns about bullying. They feel that if they did have a problem, a member of staff would listen to them and help them to resolve it. Parents who completed a survey also recognised the improved culture of the school over the past 12 months.
• Regular checks ensure that pupils who are accessing alternative provision are safe.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching is increasingly effective across a wide range of subjects and year groups. Over the course of the previous 12 months, staff have responded positively to the higher expectations that have been introduced for the progress made by pupils.
• Teachers have a good knowledge of the subjects they teach. They use this information to plan lessons that cover subject-specific information thoroughly.
• Regular checks provide information on how well pupils understand topics or aspects of a subject in the large majority of subjects. Effective questioning in lessons, or tests, are often used to gain feedback and adjust learning.
• Teaching assistants provide a good level of support for individual pupils. They help particular groups, such as those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, to keep on task and make progress. The planning of their work is effective.
• Marking and feedback about pupils’ work are regular and consistently meet the school’s expectations.
• Homework is often set regularly and used to enhance learning further. Parents have a good level of access to this information.
• Lessons are calm and orderly. The expectations for behaviour are consistent across the school. Relationships in lessons are often supportive, friendly and helpful.
• The teaching of English has been very effective in the previous 12 months. Across the school, pupils are making good progress in their reading and writing skills. In the 2017 examination results, pupils made above average progress from their starting points.
• The teaching of mathematics is enabling the majority of pupils to make at least average progress from their starting points. A few learners are making less progress. This is especially the case where the pace of learning is slow, for example when activities take a long time to complete, or do not have sufficient purpose.
• Teaching in science is improving and helping many pupils to make good progress in most year groups. However, learning is not consistently good. The introduction of booklets with key information on topics has brought a higher level of consistency to information covered. It has not engaged the interest of some learners. In some cases, pupils have not understood previous work well enough and this has not been identified sufficiently well.
• The teaching of almost all other subjects has also improved significantly. Staff have responded well to the additional support and training provided.
• Effective planning is enabling the most able pupils to make good progress. They often receive extra challenge or support for their work. Disadvantaged pupils are also benefiting from a significantly increased focus from staff and higher expectations for their attainment.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities either receive additional support in lessons, or are making good progress because teachers plan work that enables them to build on their learning well.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils benefit from the opportunity to study and discuss a wide range of topics during tutor sessions.
• Pupils discuss ideas with respect for each other’s views, taking turns and listening to each other.
• The provision for careers guidance is organised well and helps pupils to make informed decisions about the next stage of their learning.
• Pupils are aware of the importance of staying safe when using the internet. They are also aware of road safety.
• Arrangements to monitor and check the welfare of pupils, including those who are vulnerable, are thorough and organised well.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils consistently understand and comply with the school’s expectations for behaviour.
• Behaviour in lessons is consistently good. Low-level disruption is rare. In a few lessons, especially in science and mathematics, pupils are occasionally less interested in their learning, especially where the pace of activities is slow, or the lesson does not engage their interest. In these cases, pupils do not misbehave but they do not try to work as hard as they can.
• Pupils comply with the school’s expectations for uniform and look smart.
• The attendance of pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, has improved over the previous 12 months and is now broadly average.
• The previously high level of exclusion has significantly reduced over the previous year. This reflects the work of leaders to ensure higher expectations and greater consistency in the school’s behaviour management systems.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• The provisional 2017 key stage 4 results show that pupils made good progress across a wide range of subjects. This was a significant improvement on the poor progress made by pupils in the previous two years, reflecting the strong focus on improving learning over the past 12 months.
• The 2017 provisional results also show that pupils made above-average progress in English. This was a significant improvement from the previous two years. The progress made by pupils in mathematics was not as strong as in English. However, the average progress they made in mathematics was much better than in previous years.
• Progress in science is improving across the different year groups. Some pupils are still behind in their learning and have further progress to make in order to catch up. This is often because they have not understood a topic, or because they have not found learning interesting. They are mostly starting to do so rapidly.
• Across different year groups in the school, including key stage 3, pupils are increasingly making good progress in a wide range of subjects. Outcomes in the 2017 key stage 4 examinations were higher in almost all subject areas. Work seen in lessons also confirms that expectations for all pupils are consistently high.
• Disadvantaged pupils are increasingly making good progress across the school. A significantly increased proportion made good progress in the 2017 examinations. The considerable additional focus given to this group of pupils is enabling many, but not all, to catch up rapidly. This was confirmed by the checks made by the school on progress and work seen during the inspection.
• The most able pupils are making good progress across all year groups. They often benefit from completing work that is more challenging, as well as the higher expectations that are now in place for the attainment of all pupils. In the 2017 examinations, a significantly increased proportion of pupils achieved higher grades.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are making good progress from their starting points in a wide range of subjects and year groups. They benefit from the additional support and resources provided to support their learning.
• The increased progress made by pupils in the 2017 examinations was partially an outcome of a decision to enter them all for the European Computer Driving Licence qualification. This qualification will not contribute to measures of progress in future years. However, pupils did make better progress in most subjects in 2017, even when this qualification is discounted.

16 to 19 study programmes Good

• The effective leadership of the sixth form has led to students making increasingly good progress across a wide range of subjects. Their progress in the 2017 examinations was above average, or improving in almost all areas. Disadvantaged pupils are making good progress.
• Sixth-form students receive good guidance and support. For example, a comprehensive and helpful handbook at the start of each year sets out the school’s expectations clearly. A detailed newsletter, giving advice and information on a wide range of topics, supplements this information.
• Students attend school regularly and are punctual at the start of lessons. They use the facilities provided for private study well, often before and after the school day.
• Students understand and comply with the school’s expectations for appropriate dress in the sixth form.
• Students concentrate well, focus on their work and try hard in lessons. Those spoken with say they enjoy learning.
• Learners starting the sixth form without a C grade in English and/or mathematics are able to access additional, well-focused sessions. They often achieve the required grade within their first year in the sixth form.
• The programme of careers education and guidance is good. It has been developed and improved over the previous year. Students receive helpful information about possible careers, higher education, employment and apprenticeships.
• The majority of students go on to higher education. Increasing proportions are successful in securing a place at a university of their choice.
• Students benefit from a good programme of work experience and other activities that broaden their experience. They take up opportunities to participate in community service. Many provide support for younger pupils in the school.
• The teaching in the sixth form is consistently good. Teachers have a good understanding of their subject areas and learning helps pupils to develop independence. More consistently good teaching has contributed to the improving outcomes.
• Leaders have an accurate understanding of the strengths and areas for development within the sixth-form provision. The head of the sixth form has focused relentlessly and successfully on ensuring that provision is of good quality.

School details

Unique reference number 138641 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 10036075 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Secondary comprehensive School category Academy converter Age range of pupils 11 to 18 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 Mixed Mixed 1273 146 Appropriate authority Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Board of trustees Andrew Mortimer Andrew George 01159 387000 www.kimberleyschool.co.uk office@kimberleyschool.co.uk Date of previous inspection 18–19 March 2015

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school does not comply with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish about the use of pupil premium funding or Year 7 literacy and numeracy catch-up premium.
• This is larger than the average-sized secondary school.
• It became part of the East Midlands Education Trust in December 2015. The headteacher took up post in September 2016.
• Most pupils are of White British heritage and speak English as their first language.
• The proportion of pupils known to be disadvantaged and supported through the pupil premium is below average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 11.
• The school meets the Department for Education’s definition of a coasting school based on key stage 4 academic performance results in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
• A very few pupils spend part or all of the week in alternative provision at other sites or learning establishments.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed learning in a wide range of subjects in 49 lessons. Members of the senior leadership team also observed seven of these sessions.
• Inspectors talked with pupils on several occasions during lessons, and at breaktimes and lunchtimes. They met with four groups of students to find out their views about the school. The views of the 20 pupils who completed a survey were taken into account.
• Inspectors held meetings with subject leaders with responsibility for English, mathematics and science. They met several senior leaders, including the headteacher, often on more than one occasion.
• A meeting was held with the chair of the governing body. Two meetings were held with the chief executive officer of EMET. During one of these meetings, an EMET representative with responsibility for school improvement was also present.
• The inspectors looked at a wide variety of documentation provided by school leaders. These included records of pupils’ attendance and behaviour, information about the progress of pupils, the school’s development plan, governing body minutes, the school’s self-evaluation and records of performance management. They looked at examples of pupils’ work over the previous year and checked their learning in lessons.
• The inspectors took into account the 215 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View, and held one phone conversation with a parent who had made a request to be contacted.

Inspection team

David Bray, lead inspector Bernadette Green Gill Martin Peter Monk Julian Scholefield

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector