St George's School A Church of England Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching by:
  • embedding the school’s assessment system and using it effectively to improve standards
  • ensuring that teachers challenge pupils to achieve more and develop a thirst for
  • learning improving teachers’ questioning skills so that pupils can develop a deeper understanding of the concepts being studied and apply that knowledge in a range of contexts.
• Improve outcomes by:
  • improving the progress pupils make in mathematics, science and English to at least match that of others nationally improving the progress made by disadvantaged pupils, including those who are most-able.
• Improve leadership and management at all levels by:
  • ensuring that there is as strong a focus on developing academic excellence as there is on pastoral support
  • ensuring that leaders use the information they have about the quality of teaching to improve standards for pupils
  • ensuring that leaders know how well pupils are progressing and that they use this information to provide timely, appropriate and effective support
  • embedding the new robust systems introduced to improve practice across the school
  • addressing the shortfall in provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

Governance of the school

• Governors have an over-generous view of the quality of education provided by the school because, until recently, they have not questioned leaders stringently enough. As a result, they have not ensured that pupils make sufficiently good progress across a range of subjects, in particular mathematics, English and science.
• Governors do not give enough attention to academic excellence. There is an over-emphasis on pastoral care in comparison with pursuing scholastic excellence.
• Governors, until lately, have not asked sufficiently challenging questions about the impact of the extra funding from the government to support disadvantaged pupils. As a result, disadvantaged pupils do not make progress that is similar to that of other pupils nationally. More recently, a governor has taken responsibility for the progress of disadvantaged pupils and is beginning to hold leaders to account. There is now challenge and accountability for how money is spent.
• There are robust recruitment procedures in place to recruit new governors. The chief executive of the Cidari Multi-Academy Trust appoints the chair of the governing committee following a rigorous interview and selection process. A new chair of governors is now in office. He is clear that the school needs to improve.
• The governing committee is passionate about improving the standards achieved by pupils at St George’s School. Governors now undergo routine training, provided by the trust, to ensure that they have the skills required to hold leaders to account for standards in the school. The trust has recently reviewed the skills and expertise of the governors and now they are better equipped to carry out their duties and offer appropriate support and challenge.
• Governors are effective in carrying out their statutory safeguarding duties. This is a significant strength.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The leadership of safeguarding is highly effective, and systems to protect pupils from harm are secure. The link governor to the safeguarding team is knowledgeable and keeps a check on the effectiveness and efficiency of policy and procedure by asking probing questions. Leaders have meticulous records of the work they have done with pupils. As a result, pupils are safe.
• Leaders and governors ensure that safeguarding training is rigorous and frequent. Staff have the opportunity to contribute to this training and inform school policy. As a result, staff know and recognise the signs of abuse. They understand their role in dealing with incidents of ‘sexting’ or spotting potential signs of radicalisation. Leaders’ work with external agencies ensures that pupils at risk get the help they need. They are well supported by the wealth of experience across the multi-academy trust; the chief executive is an ambassador for the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre. For these reasons, parents believe that the school keeps their children safe.
• The teaching of online safety is a strength. Pupils are protected well by the school’s internet filtering systems. There is a wide range of information available on the school’s website to help pupils stay safe. Parents also have access to a range of resources to help them to understand how to keep children safe. Online safety is taught across the curriculum. As a result, pupils can articulate the dangers of technology; they know how to stay safe.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils are genuinely proud to attend their school and they wear their uniform with pride. Pupils have the opportunity to undertake numerous leadership roles; for example, they sit on the college council. As a result, pupils know that their voice is valued by teachers and leaders, including governors.
• Assemblies and form time are used well to promote an understanding of Christian values. During form time, pupils complete activities to promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils know a lot about other religions and display tolerance and respect. They know right from wrong. For these reasons, pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.
• Pupils, including those who attend alternative provision, are safe. Staff at St George’s work tirelessly to protect their pupils. Parents are proud that the school looks after its pupils so well. There are no spaces that are unsafe in the school. Pupils are trusted to be in the building during break- and lunchtime and they treat it with the utmost respect. Bullying is uncommon in the school. There are bullying ambassadors who support pupils with anxieties or worries. A school assembly on anti-bullying made pupils think deeply, reflect and empathise with all those involved in such incidents.
• Pupils are taught to be accepting of each other. Pupils told inspectors that they welcome pupils from different cultures and those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or gender fluid. Governors and leaders promote equality at every opportunity. Consequently, pupils feel valued and safe and they know the value of human worth.
• Pupils receive good careers education, information, advice and guidance at St George’s School. However, pupils would like links to careers to be made more explicit in their curriculum areas, for example, mathematics, and inspectors agree. There is a programme of university visits, a Cambridge University tour, careers evenings and a careers library. Only one pupil last year did not progress to education, employment or training.
• Although pupils’ personal development is good, they are not as well prepared for the next stages of their education as they should be. This is because pupils do not yet make the progress of which they are capable, and therefore the full range of academic opportunities is not available to them.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils’ behaviour around the school is good. Pupils are courteous, polite and willing to engage in conversation with adults. There is no litter or graffiti around the site because pupils respect their environment.
• Pupils have good attitudes to learning. Leaders have strong systems in place to help pupils who experience difficulties, so that the school can intervene and offer tailored support. Consequently, exclusions are declining over time.
• Pupils attend school regularly. Attendance continues to be in line with the national average and is a strength of the school. In particular, leaders’ work to improve the attendance of disadvantaged pupils is a success. The proportion of pupils who are regularly absent from school is also in decline.
• The school’s ‘achievement for all’ programme is successful. It engages more families in pupils’ education. It supports parents to help their children make good progress and breaks down barriers that may prevent pupils from doing well. The programme’s success means that it is being extended to even more families. The school is at the leading edge of this initiative and is helping other schools to establish similar projects.
• While most pupils have good attitudes to learning, these are not yet excellent because pupils are not sufficiently challenged by their teachers to achieve their very best. There are some minor incidents of low-level disruption in a minority of lessons.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 140759 Blackpool 10024120 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Secondary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Number of pupils on the school roll Appropriate authority Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Academy converter 11 to 16 Mixed 1,004 Academy trust Angus MacLeod Graham Warnock 01253 316725 http://stgeorgesblackpool.com enquiries@stgeorgesblackpool.co.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected as an academy

Information about this school

• St George’s School is an average-sized Church of England school in Blackpool.
• It is a member of the Cidari Multi-Academy Trust, which is part of the Blackburn diocese.
• The proportion of pupils known to be disadvantaged and therefore supported through the pupil premium funding is above average.
• The proportion of children who are looked after by the local authority is well above average.
• Most pupils are of White British heritage.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average.
• A small number of pupils are educated off site at Chrysalis, Athena and Myerscough College.
• 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 key stage 4.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with DfE guidance on what academies should publish

Information about this inspection

Inspection team

Jonathan Smart, lead inspector Andrew Cooper Alyson Middlemass Claire Hollister John Leigh Annette Patterson

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector