Conisborough College Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Leaders should:
  • continue to develop and train middle leaders so that they can support and challenge their teams
  • ensure that all staff follow the new teaching, learning and assessment policy
  • establish a culture of reading so that pupils develop a love of reading for pleasure
  • improve the leadership of literacy across the curriculum implement plans to introduce the new PSHC programme into the key stage 4 curriculum.
• Teachers should:
  • use assessment information to plan lessons which challenge pupils who have different starting points or needs
  • recognise and respond when pupils are not engaged in their learning
  • ensure that pupils know how to improve their work.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• Some middle leaders do not have high expectations for all pupils. In a few departments, middle leaders do not check that teachers plan lessons which challenge pupils. Some departments do not manage pupils’ behaviour effectively. Where teachers plan lessons which challenge and enthuse, pupils’ behaviour is positive.
• There is a wide range of training for middle leaders to support them in leading and managing their teams. The Lewisham Secondary Schools’ Partnership and the Atlas teaching school provide much of the training for middle leaders. This training is too recent to make an impact on pupils’ outcomes in some subjects.
• The curriculum did not meet the needs of all pupils. Too many pupils were encouraged to study an academic curriculum which included triple science. Pupils’ outcomes in 2016 and 2017 public examinations were affected adversely because of this. The curriculum is changing to meet pupils’ needs and abilities. More time is allocated to English and mathematics and leaders have expanded vocational courses for some pupils.
• There is a lack of strategic leadership for pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities do not always make the progress of which they are capable. SEN funding is not used effectively for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities unless those pupils are supported in the specially resourced provision.
• Senior leaders and governors are ambitious for their pupils. They set high expectations for pupils’ attainment and behaviour. Standards are rising, albeit slowly, and pupils’ behaviour is improving.
• Leaders’ self-evaluation is rigorous and accurate. Plans to improve pupils’ outcomes are in place. Difficulties in recruiting teachers into many subject areas have affected the rate of improvement. Leaders have recruited specialist teachers into all areas for September 2018.
• Leaders regularly check the quality of teaching. There is a programme of support in place for teachers who need to improve their craft. This programme is already having a positive effect on pupils’ progress in some lessons.
• Pupils have access to a range of extra-curricular opportunities. There are many visitors to the school and staff organise visits for pupils to travel abroad and around London. During the inspection, key stage 4 pupils from the specialist provision were on a residential trip to France.
• Pupil premium funding and Year 7 literacy and numeracy catch-up funding are used well. Pupils who start school in Year 7 behind their peers in reading, writing, communication and mathematics are making effective progress. Pupils who are disadvantaged are also making progress.

Governance of the school

• Governance is a strength of the school. Governors know the school well and hold leaders to account. They are aware of the strengths and weaknesses and ask probing questions to challenge leaders in making improvements.
• Governors recognised that the information provided to them last year on pupils’ progress in mathematics and some other subjects was inaccurate. They have brought in external help to check the accuracy of the information this year and to support departments where necessary. English and science are two departments which benefit from this external support.
• Governors are robust and brave. They are keen to see the school improve. They fully understand their role and are not afraid to tackle difficult staffing challenges, particularly around middle leadership. The quality of middle leadership is also improving because of external support.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders carry out all the appropriate checks on staff prior to their appointment. Governors and the local authority regularly review this process.
• The safeguarding leaders, governors and staff are trained. They ensure that robust processes are in place to keep pupils safe. Staff are diligent in their actions in keeping pupils safe.
• Staff ensure that the organisation and maintenance of information and medicines for pupils with medical needs are carried out conscientiously. There are thorough preparations and risk assessments for all school trips.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching across key stages 3 and 4 is inconsistent. Teaching across departments and within departments is inconsistent. Where teachers do not plan effectively, pupils do not make good progress.
• The school policy states that all departments should have clear schemes of learning in place. Some departments, for example English and science, do have schemes of learning. Other departments such as mathematics do not. Teachers who are recent trainees find planning difficult because of this lack of support. The quality of teaching and learning in English, geography and physical education is better than that in mathematics.
• Leaders give information to teachers about pupils’ needs and abilities. Teachers rarely plan to meet the needs of pupils with different starting points. In most lessons, all pupils do the same work. There is little evidence of challenge for the most able pupils. Pupils do not attain the grades that they are capable of because of this.
• Teaching assistants are not always used effectively to support learning. Teachers use the assistants to prompt pupils and to deal with disruptive behaviour. Some pupils have work missing and work is poorly presented. There is inconsistent guidance for pupils about how to improve their work.
• Leaders have an accurate view of the quality of teaching in the school. They visit lessons regularly and give teachers advice on strengths and weaknesses in their teaching. Pupils are keen to learn and to do well. In many lessons, teachers have strong subject knowledge which they use to engage and excite pupils.
• Where teachers plan tasks which challenge pupils, and use effective questioning to develop pupils’ learning, pupils make strong progress. Most teaching in Year 11 lessons deepens pupils’ understanding and prepares them well for examinations.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.
• Some pupils do not take pride in their work. Teachers do not give them enough guidance about how to be successful learners. White British pupils, disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities have lower attendance than other pupils in school. Pupils’ self-confidence in their learning is affected by poor attendance and lack of guidance.
• Spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is taught in PSHC lessons in key stage 3. This is a well-developed programme which pupils enjoy and which prepares them well for life in modern Britain. This programme includes work on supporting pupils to develop healthy lifestyles and strong mental health. There are plans to introduce this PSHC programme in key stage 4. Pupils in key stage 4 learn how to keep safe and healthy during specialised days, when the normal timetable is collapsed. Pupils are aware of dangers such as knife crime and the risks associated with using social media. They know how to keep themselves safe.
• There is a wide programme of careers advice and guidance in key stage 4. Year 10 are given the opportunity for work experience. The guidance in key stage 3 is expanding. Pupils are taught about fundamental British values, including democracy and respect for other cultures and religions. Pupils are given effective guidance to prepare them for life in modern Britain.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• Where teaching is weak, a few pupils display off-task behaviour. There is a new process for recording poor behaviour in class. Some teachers are overzealous in their application of this process. This results in a high level of incidents being recorded centrally. Pupils find this inconsistency confusing and unfair.
• The number of permanent exclusions is high. The permanent exclusions are the result of serious behaviour incidents. Pupils who are at risk of exclusion are given additional support. Although exclusions overall are high, the number of pupils who are repeatedly excluded is below national averages because of this support.
• Most pupils arrive for lessons smartly dressed, with the correct equipment. Pupils respond promptly when given clear instructions. Where teachers fail to give clear guidance to pupils about the way to leave lessons, the behaviour on the corridors is sometimes a little silly.
• Overall attendance and persistent absence is close to national figures. There are robust systems in place to check attendance and support pupils who are frequently absent. Leaders are focusing on Year 10 to improve their attendance as this is the weakest year group. There are accurate systems in place to follow up the destinations of pupils who leave school other than at the end of key stage 4 to ensure that they are safe.
• Pupils said there is little bullying in school. Any bullying is dealt with well by teachers. Pupils show respect for their teachers and each other. Leaders are aware of a very small amount of homophobic name calling. They include work in the PSHC lessons to help the pupils develop an understanding that this behaviour is unacceptable. During the inspection, inspectors did not see or hear any derogatory or offensive behaviour.
• The school uses a range of effective alternative provision for pupils. The attendance of pupils in alternative provision is checked daily and most of these pupils are improving their attendance. Some pupils have access to specialised counselling and mentors in their alternative provision. Teachers monitor pupils’ behaviour in the provision. Most pupils improve their behaviour, and some have been able to return to school.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Pupils’ attainment and progress in public examinations for the last two years were below national averages. Pupils’ progress in mathematics, science and humanities was in the bottom 20% in 2016 and 2017. Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with high and middle prior attainment made weak progress in 2016 and 2017. These outcomes arose because of weak teaching and a curriculum offer which did not meet pupils’ needs.
• Boys’ progress is still below the girls’ progress. The most able pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable. Pupils are making weaker progress in mathematics than in English. This information is supported by evidence from pupils’ books. Leaders are unable to accurately compare pupils’ attainment in mathematics with previous years because the assessment of attainment in mathematics in 2017 was unreliable.
• In key stage 3, pupils’ progress and attainment are inconsistent across subjects. There is a new assessment system in place and not all teachers are confident in assessing attainment accurately. There are some subject areas, such as mathematics and geography, where pupils’ progress remains slow.
• Pupils do not read widely, nor do they read for pleasure. Teachers do not give pupils guidance on which books to read. Pupils do not improve their skills in reading, writing and communication as much as they could, because teachers do not routinely focus on literacy. Pupils would like more advice in developing skills and on careers information, so that they are prepared for the next stages in their education.
• Pupils in the specially resourced provision are given individual support using a range of strategies. Teachers focus on pupils’ needs and their progress. The local authority checks pupils’ progress in the specialist provision regularly. Pupils in this provision make variable progress. There is a lack of strategic planning for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities who are not in the specialist provision.
• Pupil premium funding is used to offer additional academic support and wider opportunities such as theatre trips for disadvantaged pupils. Disadvantaged pupils’ progress and attainment in public examinations were below national averages in 2016 and 2017. The progress and attainment of current disadvantaged pupils are improving slightly in line with improvements of other pupils in the school.
• Year 7 numeracy and literacy catch-up funding is used to provide additional support for pupils in mathematics and English. Pupils who start the school in Year 7 behind their peers are making stronger progress in tests because this funding is used well.
• Information provided by the school shows that pupils’ progress overall in key stage 4 is improving slightly. There is evidence in pupils’ work that their outcomes are improving particularly in English and science. Key stage 4 pupils believe that they are making stronger progress in these subjects and this is supported by evidence from internal examinations. Pupils with high- and middle-prior attainment are making stronger progress in English. Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are making better progress in some subjects, such as English.
• In key stage 3, in most subjects, more pupils are reaching and exceeding their targets than in previous years. Pupils in key stage 3 are making much stronger progress in modern foreign languages and English in comparison with pupils in key stage 3 last year.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 100742 Lewisham 10052807 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 Community 11 to 16 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 888 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Ms Victoria Whittle Dr Stuart Mundy 020 8461 9600 www.conisboroughcollege.co.uk headteacher@cc.lewisham.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 28 29 June 2016

Information about this school

• The school uses four alternative education providers. They are the Bromley Tutorial Foundation, Street Vibes, ARCO, and Abbey Manor, the local authority provision for excluded pupils.
• The school runs specially resourced provision, a specialist autistic spectrum disorder unit, which supports 35 pupils aged from 11 to 16. There are also 25 pupils with an education, health and care plan in the main school.
• The school receives support from the local authority secondary school partnership. They also receive support from Colfe’s independent school and from the Atlas teaching school.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited classes across all key stages and subject areas. They looked in pupils’ books to review progress over time. They also visited one assembly.
• Inspectors met with pupils, teachers, middle and senior leaders and governors. The lead inspector met with representatives of the local authority. Inspectors reviewed a range of school documents relating to pupils’ behaviour, safety, teaching and learning, and pupils’ progress and attainment.
• Inspectors considered 37 free-text responses from parents, 65 responses from pupils and 48 responses from staff to the Ofsted online questionnaires. They also reviewed the school’s questionnaires from staff, pupils and parents, which were conducted recently.
• During the inspection, Year 10 pupils were on work experience. A book scrutiny of Year 10 work was carried out.
• Key stage 4 pupils from the specially resourced provision were on a residential trip to France during the inspection week.

Inspection team

Dame Joan McVittie, lead inspector Niall Gallagher Shaun Dodds Kanwaljit Singh

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector