Haslingden High School and Sixth Form Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Leaders should continue with their work to further improve teaching and thereby improve outcomes, including in the sixth form, by:
  • sharing the good practice already evident in the school to ensure that teaching in all subjects matches the quality of the best
  • ensuring that teachers plan work that provides sufficient challenge for all pupils, especially the least able.
• Leaders should make better use of information about pupils’ numeracy skills when they start school, to ensure the least able pupils make more rapid progress in mathematics from the start of Year 7.
• Leaders should continue to develop their work with disadvantaged pupils so that differences in achievement between this group and other pupils nationally diminish even further.
• Strengthen the effectiveness of leadership at all levels by further refining action plans with specific targets against which leaders can measure their impact.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Senior leaders and governors provide effective leadership. They have tackled the areas for development raised in the previous inspection. Parents and staff who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaires were overwhelmingly positive about the school and are supportive of the headteacher and his senior team.
• Senior leaders work well as a team and provide effective support and challenge to teachers and middle leaders. Staff at all levels fully understand what leaders expect of them and the majority meet these expectations. Senior leaders take robust action to challenge and support colleagues who do not meet these expected standards.
• Since the school’s last inspection, there has been some instability in staffing in both science and mathematics. This led to a dip in outcomes for pupils at the end of Year 11 in 2016 in these two subjects. Leaders have worked hard to rectify this and staffing is now stable in both departments.
• The school has a strong team of subject leaders. In most subjects, teaching is good and pupils make good progress. Recent leadership appointments in mathematics and science have strengthened these two departments. As a result, teaching in mathematics and science is improving and the majority of pupils make good progress in these subjects.
• The leadership of teaching, learning and assessment is effective. A systematic and effective approach to monitoring and improving teaching has been developed. Professional development activities link to individual and school needs and encourage teachers to develop their practice. Teachers say they welcome the increased opportunities to work collaboratively, but the sharing of best practice is not yet fully embedded.
• Leaders and governors use appraisal effectively to improve staff performance. As a result, teaching continues to improve through the support and challenge provided.
• There is very strong leadership of pastoral support. School staff go to great lengths to assist pupils and their families, especially when pupils are facing individual difficulties and challenges, including pupils for whom English is an additional language. Leaders work with a range of agencies to secure appropriate support when it is needed.
• Senior leaders, including governors, monitor and evaluate the work of the school robustly. They have a sound knowledge and understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses because they visit lessons regularly and frequently examine the quality of work in pupils’ books. Senior leaders meet regularly with subject leaders to hold them to account for the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement in their subjects.
• School improvement plans are targeted closely at the correct areas for improvement. However, improvement is not always as rapid as it might be because targets are insufficiently specific and leaders do not always evaluate the impact of their actions directly against measurable targets.
• The school’s use of its pupil premium funding to raise the achievement of disadvantaged pupils is becoming increasingly effective. A review of provision was commissioned earlier this year and leaders have acted upon the recommendations from that review. Leaders increasingly personalise their approaches to supporting individuals and groups of pupils and tackle any barriers to learning. Consequently, the progress made by disadvantaged pupils is improving towards that of other pupils from the same starting points.
• Leaders use funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities effectively to ensure that they are fully supported and make good progress.
• The school uses its Year 7 catch-up funding to help develop the literacy and numeracy skills of pupils whose English and mathematics scores were low at primary school. Some pupils do not make as much progress as they could in mathematics in Year 7. This is because information about the gaps in their knowledge has not been used to plan work that will enable those gaps to be plugged.
• Leaders have created a caring and supportive ethos in which pupils feel safe and happy. Pupils’ behaviour is good. Relationships between pupils, and between pupils and staff, are very strong. Pupils support one another collaboratively. They take on a range of leadership positions and enjoy taking part in decision-making.
• Over recent years, the rate of exclusions and the persistent absence of some groups of pupils have been too high. Leaders have taken concerted action to address these two problems. They have been very successful in raising attendance and exclusions remain low overall.
• The school’s curriculum has been reviewed and is broad and balanced. There is a suitable focus on subjects in the English Baccalaureate and the school is steadily increasing the numbers of pupils entering and passing this suite of academic qualifications. There are a wide range of opportunities within the curriculum to support pupils’ personal development.
• Leaders have created an inclusive school culture that effectively prepares pupils for life in modern Britain. Pupils were very clear that prejudiced behaviour is not tolerated and said that staff act swiftly and effectively to resolve any issues that might occur.
• The school’s work to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is effective. Pupils learn about fundamental British values, such as democracy and the rule of law. Pupils had the opportunity to discuss the most recent general election and take part in democratic processes in school to appoint pupil council representatives. Pupils often proactively participate in charity events.
• The school offers a good range of extra-curricular activities, such as sports clubs and music bands, which are well attended by pupils. Thursday’s Child, the school’s acoustic pop group, have recorded songs in the school’s semi-professional recording studio, and played live on local radio. Pupils also take part in theatre visits, national competitions, charity fundraising and volunteering.

Governance of the school

• Governance is strong and effective. Governors have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and they hold leaders and managers to account well.
• Governors regularly review pupils’ performance data and have an awareness of how well pupils are performing and where the priorities for development lie. The lack of measureable targets in action plans is currently preventing governors from fully evaluating the impact of leaders’ actions in terms of outcomes for pupils.
• Governors provide support and challenge through their roles as ‘link governors’ to departments or key sections of the school. One governor told an inspector how she regularly visits the senior leader with responsibility for disadvantaged pupils. This gives her a good insight into how effective provision for these pupils is and where it might need support.
• Through rigorous recruitment, governors have appointed strong mathematics and science teachers who are already strengthening teaching in these subjects.
• Governors check that additional funding, such as the pupil premium, is appropriately targeted. They appreciate that there is more work to be done to assess the impact of this spending on outcomes for pupils.
• Governors bring a wide range of experience and expertise to the governing body. They play a key role in setting the vision and direction of the school.
• Governors have not ensured that the requirements on the publication of specified information on the school’s website have been fully met. The impact of the pupil premium expenditure for 2016 has not been published and the current languages curriculum is not the same as the one that is on the website. Urgent and decisive action was taken to address this during the inspection.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders actively promote a culture of vigilance where pupils’ safety and welfare are paramount. Safeguarding and child protection are very high priorities and safeguarding policies and practices are strong.
• The school has rigorous checking procedures in place for child protection. All staff have been trained in safeguarding and child protection and they know what to do if a child is at risk. All staff are required to report even the slightest concern in order to protect pupils and these are followed up meticulously by key workers. Record-keeping is thorough.
• Staff have had training on the ‘Prevent’ duty, the government’s programme for preventing radicalisation and extremism. Staff training on safeguarding is kept up to date.
• Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe, for example through e-safety initiatives. The school has filters in place to prevent inappropriate internet usage and the system is monitored robustly.
• Governors are suitably trained in safeguarding and in the safe recruitment of new staff.
• The school works effectively with parents and external agencies to keep pupils secure and safe from harm. For example, pupil absence is followed up immediately and home visits are undertaken when pupils are persistently absent from school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Strong leadership of teaching, including in overcoming staffing difficulties, is leading to greater consistency in teaching across the school and in all subjects, including in mathematics and science.
• Relationships between staff and pupils are excellent and this supports effective learning. During the inspection, many pupils told inspectors how much they appreciate the support they receive from their teachers.
• Teachers have good subject knowledge and they use it to encourage pupils to think carefully about their work and to respond to challenging questions. This was particularly evident in English and humanities.
• In mathematics, teaching is much improved and teachers provide opportunities for pupils to apply their learning to real situations and to problem-solving. However, there remain some inconsistencies.
• Pupils who read for inspectors during the inspection read fluently and with some expression. Pupils are encouraged to read at various times during the school day, including during registration and sometimes when they have completed work in lessons.
• Teachers generally use the information they have about individuals to plan suitably challenging work. This is not always the case and where the level of challenge is too low, for example for lower-ability pupils in mathematics and in science, and when pupils find the work too easy, they do not put as much effort into their learning. When this happens, they do not complete as much work as they could and consequently, they make slower progress.
• Information about pupils’ numeracy skills when they start school is not being analysed sufficiently. This limits teachers’ ability to plan work and learning activities which fill gaps or build upon prior learning in Year 7.
• Teachers increasingly use information about disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities to plan activities that both challenge and support these groups to learn well. Support for pupils who speak English as an additional language is effective in enabling them to make good progress in line with their peers.
• Teachers set homework regularly in accordance with the school’s policy. Parents are generally positive about the amount of homework provided. Pupils say it generally reinforces learning.

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 polite and courteous. They hold doors open for visitors and for each other and are quick to offer help. Pupils are proud to attend the school. They wear their uniform with pride, are punctual to lessons and bring the correct equipment.
• Pupils’ attitudes towards their learning, as seen in their work books, are generally positive. Written work shows pupils are keen to learn and produce work of a good standard.
• Pupils believe the school takes care of their emotional and health needs and they feel very safe at school. They are taught how to keep themselves safe. For example, they understand the risks attached to using social media, and know what to do if they have any concerns.
• Incidents of bullying are rare and pupils work well with staff to resolve these incidents when they occur.
• All staff promote equality of opportunity and diversity in the school by challenging stereotypical views and unacceptable language. This fosters good relations among pupils and contributes directly to the respect for others shown by pupils.
• Pupils receive careers advice and guidance throughout the school from Year 7 to Year 13. This enables them to develop an understanding of the broad range of careers open to them. The programme is managed effectively, although leaders do not yet fully evaluate its impact. They have recently begun to review provision in response to comments from students about wanting to hear from a wider range of employers. The school ensures that vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils are fully involved; the most able disadvantaged pupils are encouraged to have high aspirations for themselves. This has led to an increase in the proportion of disadvantaged pupils staying on into the sixth form.
• Parents are very positive about the support provided for their children. One parent said, ‘My daughter is happy here learning at her level with lots of support academically and emotionally.’
• Leaders take effective steps to ensure the safety of pupils who are educated off-site, at alternative provision.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Teachers follow the school’s agreed procedures to manage behaviour using rewards and sanctions. Pupils say that most teachers are consistent in their approach.
• The school is a calm and orderly place in which to learn. During the inspection, there were no instances of poor behaviour. Pupils reported to inspectors that behaviour in lessons and around school is usually good.
• Pupils are confident that the rare instances of poor behaviour are dealt with promptly and effectively by teachers.
• Leaders have worked hard to secure increasingly good attendance for all groups of pupils and attendance is above the national average. Pupils enjoy coming to school. They understand the benefits of good attendance and appreciate the rewards they receive when they attend well.
• Whereas the number of exclusions in recent years has been too high for disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, this year the school has significantly reduced the numbers of exclusions for these groups of pupils. Leaders have done this by ensuring that behaviour policies are consistently applied and by raising the aspirations of these groups of pupils.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Leaders have worked hard to overcome a dip in the results of national tests caused by staffing difficulties in 2015 and 2016. The results in science and mathematics were especially affected by the number of temporary staff over two years.
• In 2016, the school’s published GCSE results appeared low overall. Unfortunately, staffing turbulence in both the mathematics and science departments meant that the school had to call on a number of temporary teachers and this impacted adversely on the progress made by pupils in these two subjects. In most other subjects, performance in 2016 was good and the rates of progress made by pupils in the majority of subjects were strong.
• In 2016, pupils made good progress in English and in languages. Their performance in the ‘open element’, where pupils have a choice of a range of subjects beyond the compulsory core, was also strong.
• Inspection evidence shows that current Year 11 pupils are making stronger progress in both mathematics and science and many are making good progress. School data also shows that the good progress made by pupils in many subjects last year has been maintained with current pupils.
• Good work seen in pupils’ books across a range of subjects, including in English, mathematics and science, confirmed that the school’s assessments are valid and that most pupils, especially the most able and middle-ability pupils, are making better than average progress. Assessment information is moderated internally and with partner schools.
• The school makes good use of its pupil premium funding and has sound strategies in place to address the barriers to learning of disadvantaged pupils. In 2016, disadvantaged pupils achieved approximately three quarters of a grade less on average across eight subjects than did their non-disadvantaged peers nationally. However, as a result of concerted and determined whole-school action by leaders and teachers, the disadvantaged cohorts are now performing better. The progress they make is improving towards that of other pupils from the same starting points. Leaders acknowledge that they still have more work to do to ensure that differences in achievement continue to diminish. They understand the challenges that many of these pupils face and are determined to drive forward the school’s efforts to improve their life chances.
• Year 7 catch-up funding is used to improve the standards of literacy and numeracy of pupils in Years 7 and 8 through targeted support and raising the profile of literacy across the curriculum.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and pupils for whom English is an additional language receive good support from their teachers and from teaching assistants. Most are making good progress.
• The most able pupils make good progress because teachers have high expectations of what they can achieve and set suitably challenging work for them.
• The school succeeds in getting very high proportions of pupils leaving Year 11 into further education, employment or training. In 2016, 98% of pupils went on to these destinations, which is above the national average.
• Pupils educated in alternative provision are successful in developing personal and academic or vocational skills. The very few pupils for whom this is the case do not make progress in line with their expectations because they have missed too much time in school as a result of historical poor attendance. However, leaders ensure that alternative provision is meaningful and enables these pupils to be successful in the next stage of their lives.

16 to 19 study programmes Good

• Leadership in the sixth form is good. There are systems in place to evaluate the quality of teaching and outcomes for students; and leaders are aware of the strengths and areas for improvement within individual subjects.
• Teaching is carefully monitored and appropriate professional development activities are put in place to raise expectations of teaching in post-16 classes.
• Teaching is good. Inspectors witnessed some very effective teaching in the sixth form, through an examination of work in students’ books and files. However, this was not entirely consistent. For example, in history and law students’ presentation of work was excellent and they routinely acted upon feedback from teachers to improve their learning. Their essays reflected a high level of understanding and achievement. In creative media, there was little evidence of students being provided with opportunities to review and evaluate their work in order to improve it. The content of these folders was mainly printed worksheets and there was little evidence of students having the opportunity to develop their writing skills.
• The progress students made in academic subjects at A level or its equivalent improved over the three-year period from 2014 to 2016. Progress in applied general courses was broadly in line with the national average in 2014 and 2015 and dipped in 2016. Leaders have identified this as an area for improvement and are taking steps to improve weaker-performing subjects. Currently, assessment information and work seen in Year 12 books and files indicates that students make good progress in academic courses.
• A few students resit English or mathematics GCSEs in the sixth form. The majority of those who take resits improve their grades.
• The post-16 curriculum offers students a broad range of academic and applied vocational choices. Retention from Year 12 into Year 13 is good and figures are rising. Students are provided with an extensive range of enrichment activities.
• Students speak highly of wider curriculum opportunities which are designed to support their personal development. They say they feel safe and are well looked after and appreciate the support they receive from their teachers.
• The school meets the requirements of the 16 to 19 study programmes. Students are well informed about the world of work. All students in Year 12 participate in work experience.
• Students receive good advice and guidance when considering progressing to university and/or employment. All receive a ‘next steps guide’ and former students visit and speak to current students, which supports students in making appropriate choices. A high proportion of students move on to higher education. The most able students, including disadvantaged students, receive a wide range of information aimed at raising their aspirations. As a result, increasing numbers of students, including disadvantaged students, gain places at prestigious universities.
• Attendance in the sixth form is high. Students sign themselves in and out and leaders immediately follow up non-attendance.
• Safeguarding is effective in the sixth form because teachers are vigilant and the school’s systems and procedures are followed consistently.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 119767 Lancashire 10032429 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 comprehensive School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Gender of pupils in 16 to 19 study programmes Maintained 11 to 18 Mixed Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1,556 Of which, number on roll in 16 to 19 study programmes 221 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Mr John Davey Mr Mark Jackson 01706 215726

www.haslingdenhigh.com school@haslingdenhigh.lancs.sch.uk

Date of previous inspection 12–13 December 2013

Information about this school

• The school does not meet the requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• Haslingden High School and Sixth Form College is a large-sized secondary school.
• The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average.
• Approximately one in seven pupils are from a minority ethnic group and one in 10 speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is slightly higher than average.
• The headteacher is a national leader of education and provides support for a secondary academy in Bradford.
• A small number of pupils on roll attend alternative provision off the school site, including at The Heights, CoalClough and Accrington and Rossendale College.
• The school met the current floor standards in 2016. These are the minimum expectations of pupils’ progress set by the government.

Information about this inspection

• At the time of this inspection, Years 11 and 13 had completed their courses and external examinations and were therefore no longer in school. Alongside this, pupils in Years 7 to 10 and in Year 12 were sitting internal examinations.
• Inspectors reviewed the books of pupils in Years 7 to 10, across a wide range of subjects, to see how well pupils were learning. Some of the work scrutiny, in mathematics, science and English, was undertaken jointly with subject leaders.
• Inspectors spoke with pupils to find out more about how well they were learning. Inspectors listened to two Year 7 pupils and two Year 8 pupils read.
• Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in and around the school. Discussions were held with pupils in Years 7 to 10 and Year 12.
• Additional meetings were held with senior leaders, subject leaders and members of the governing body.
• Inspectors observed the work of the school more broadly and looked at a range of documentation, including policies, minutes of governing body meetings and the school’s improvement plan and self-evaluation document.
• Inspectors considered 145 responses to Ofsted’s online parental questionnaire and 130 responses to the questionnaire for staff.

Inspection team

Helen Gaunt, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Elizabeth Haddock Michael Holland Dympna Woods Phil Hyman David Roberts Annette Patterson Linda Griffiths

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