Morecambe Community High School Ofsted Report

Full report

In accordance with section 44(2) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform.

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve pupils’ progress, in all year groups, so that their attainment rises quickly to meet the national average across a range of different subjects.
• Improve the quality of teaching so that pupils in all year groups, especially disadvantaged and most-able pupils, make good progress by ensuring that:
  • teachers’ assessments are accurate and are well used to target support where it is most needed
  • teachers have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve, set them challenging targets and plan activities that are well matched to their needs
  • teachers develop pupils’ capacity to learn from their mistakes, think for themselves and become more confident learners
  • teachers take every opportunity to promote pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills across the curriculum.
• Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by ensuring that:
  • leaders implement sharply focused plans to improve pupils’ outcomes and further develop the curriculum, and then effectively evaluate the impact of their actions
  • all subject leaders are fully accountable, and develop the necessary skills, to enable them to raise standards and improve the quality of teaching in their subjects
  • the most effective teaching is shared across the school so that teachers learn from seeing best practice
  • governors have the skills and understanding to hold school leaders to account for the school’s performance
  • pupil premium funding has a positive impact on the attendance, the progress and the attainment of disadvantaged pupils
  • literacy and numeracy catch-up funding has a positive impact on those pupils in Year 7 who need to improve their basic skills.
• Improve attendance including in the sixth form, and reduce the persistent absence of disadvantaged pupils across the school by:
  • carefully evaluating the impact of the school’s strategies for improving attendance to determine which strategies are effective and which are not
  • challenging and supporting parents of pupils with high levels of absence to ensure that their children’s attendance improves. External reviews of governance and the school’s use of the pupil premium funding should be undertaken to assess how these aspects of leadership and management might be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Leaders have been unable to arrest the decline in outcomes since the school was last inspected. Since the previous inspection the school has experienced significant turbulence in terms of leadership and staffing. An improvement in results in 2016 proved to be a false dawn and was not sustained in 2017, when results declined markedly. Systems and procedures that had been implemented did not become embedded in day-to-day practice. Further changes to staffing over that period, including at senior leadership level, added to the challenges of school improvement.
• The new executive headteacher took up post in January 2018. She had previously carried out several pieces of work with the school, including undertaking a comprehensive review of its effectiveness. Alongside her, a national leader of education is providing additional leadership support. These two leaders are under no illusion as to the challenges facing the school. Their knowledge of the school has enabled them to hit the ground running. The executive headteacher is leading with drive and determination and has already begun to gain the respect of staff and pupils.
• Current leaders and governors have used their accurate understanding of the quality of education that the school currently provides to develop appropriately targeted improvement plans. However, improvement plans are too long and the impact of actions taken to effect improvement is not routinely evaluated.
• The fluctuation in staffing contributed to a delay by leaders and teachers, in all key stages, in implementing recent national changes to the structure of examinations, subject syllabuses and assessment systems. Added to this, teachers’ assessments in many subjects have lacked accuracy and pupils have been underprepared for end-of-course examinations. As a result, the curriculum, particularly at key stage 4, has not fully met the needs of all pupils.
• The new leadership team is aware that securing these national changes is their key priority. A key stage 4 curriculum review is under way and opportunities are being provided for teachers to moderate the outcomes of assessments and tests. While the current Year 11 will not feel the full benefit of the curriculum review, leaders are taking appropriate steps to support Year 11 pupils who are in danger of underachieving.
• Leaders have also commenced a full review of what is taught at key stage 3. This is to ensure that there is sufficient rigour to prepare pupils for the increased demands of the key stage 4 curriculum.
• Leaders have not consistently ensured that the pupil premium funding or the funding for Year 7 pupils who need to catch up is used to good effect. They have funded a range of programmes to support some pupils, for example with reading and mathematics, but do not have a clear understanding of which interventions have proved to be the most effective. Early indications are that recent changes to the leadership of this aspect of the school’s work are having a positive impact. Action plans have been strengthened and teachers have become more focused on meeting the needs of these pupils. However, the actions taken have not yet had time to significantly affect pupils’ outcomes.
• Leaders have used the additional funding for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities effectively to provide specialist support for this group of pupils, including for their emotional and social development. Pupils are given appropriate support from teaching assistants in lessons and the progress that they make is improving across a range of subjects.
• Leaders have established new protocols for improving pupils’ attendance and the attendance of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities has increased. However, these systems have not yet had an impact on the absence of disadvantaged pupils, which remains too high.
• The senior leader responsible for leading improvements in teaching and learning has been at the school since September 2016. She has a very clear and accurate view of the quality of teaching and is taking appropriate steps to address weaknesses. This work is having a positive impact. For example, teachers now apply the school’s policies consistently when managing behaviour.
• A rigorous system of teacher appraisal has been developed and underperformance is being tackled more effectively. Teachers receive training and support to help them improve their practice and the quality of teaching is improving. However, leaders know they have further work to do to share the best practice that exists within the school and beyond. They are also aware of the need to set high expectations of all teachers so that teaching is consistently good across the school.
• While subject leaders are increasingly being held to account for the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes in their area, their skills are not fully developed. They are receiving guidance from senior leaders but have not had enough opportunities to share good practice with subject leaders in other, high-performing schools or to work collaboratively in developing assessment systems and schemes of work.
• Pupils have access to an extensive range of extra-curricular activities, including a variety of sports, music and performing arts. These contribute positively towards pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
• Pupils benefit from a coherent and well-planned programme for developing their understanding of life in modern Britain. Assemblies and tutorials provide time for pupils to reflect on respect and diversity. Pupils show positive attitudes towards their responsibilities as young citizens, taking part in charitable fundraising events each year.
• A small number of pupils follow an alternative curriculum, which includes some learning in off-site provision. The programme offers a range of options to suit pupils’ interests. Leaders liaise closely with providers to check the safety and well-being of these pupils.
• The local authority has brokered links with a strong local school to provide support for mathematics and has advised governors in respect of the appointment of the executive headteacher.
• While the majority of parents are satisfied with the school, there are some whose perceptions are less positive. School leaders have identified the need to review communications between home and school to keep parents informed. For example, they are considering ways in which parents may become more involved in decision-making.

Governance of the school

• Governors are very supportive of the school and give willingly of their time to undertake link governor meetings and attend school activities. However, in the past, they have not held leaders and managers robustly to account. This is partly because some of the information that they have received has not been accurate, for example information about pupils’ progress, and partly because they have not had the necessary skills.
• Over time, governors have not ensured that the additional funding for disadvantaged pupils, and those who arrive in Year 7 with weak literacy and numeracy skills, is spent effectively on helping these pupils to overcome barriers to their learning. Nor have they ensured that all of the information that is required to be published on the school’s website is published, including information about the impact of pupil premium funding.
• Following the last inspection, a review of governance was undertaken and changes made to the structure and nature of committees. A skills audit has been completed and several new governors, with complementary and relevant skills, have recently been appointed to the governing body. They have identified weak leadership in certain areas of the school and have begun taking steps to address this.
• Governors are aware of their shortcomings and welcome a further independent review. They are intent on getting the necessary training to enable them to carry out their roles effectively and to further strengthen the governing body. Governors are keen to ensure continuity as the chair of governors nears the end of her term of office and have sensibly put strategies in place to ensure a smooth transition.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders take pupils’ safety and welfare seriously. Pupils have access to a range of professionals within the school should they have any concerns. Leaders also work effectively with a wide range of outside agencies. They have secure lines of communication with parents and carers when safeguarding concerns arise.
• Leaders deal appropriately with any incidences of bullying that may occur. They take effective action to ensure that pupils always report bullying and that staff address any concerns.
• Leaders are very committed to supporting pupils in staying safe online. They also take effective action to educate pupils about the dangers of radicalisation and extremism.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Leaders’ work to improve the quality of teaching is having a positive impact. There is now more stability in staffing, any underperformance is routinely challenged and teaching is improving. Leaders are determined to ensure that any remaining pockets of weak teaching are eradicated.
• Leaders recently introduced a new assessment system to help teachers plan for pupils’ future learning. Teachers in Year 11 glean information from national examination papers to assess pupils’ progress, making effective use of the accompanying marking schemes. Training and support to standardise teachers’ assessments has now been put in place within departments and links with other schools are being developed. This has served to increase the proportion of accurate assessments.
• There is, however, still room for improvement in the accuracy of teachers’ assessments across a number of subjects. As a result, suitably challenging targets are not set for all pupils and teachers do not consistently pick up on where pupils need additional support.
• Some teachers do not plan activities that enable pupils to make consistently good progress. Teachers sometimes set work for pupils that is too easy. This is because some teachers’ expectations are not high enough and they do not consistently stretch and challenge pupils, including the most able. Where this is the case, pupils do not make the progress that they should.
• Leaders and teachers recognise that many pupils can and should achieve more. Over time, there have been limited opportunities for teachers to learn from the good practice that does exist in the school and in other schools. Leaders have started to create such opportunities now.
• Historically, some poor-quality teaching has left gaps in pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding. Leaders are acutely aware of this and have introduced a range of support programmes. Teachers in Year 11 provide some pupils with additional mathematics and English lessons in place of an option subject. Teachers are readily available for additional support. For example, the library is open after school for pupils who want to work in a calm environment and receive extra help. Pupils value these opportunities and say that teachers are always willing to help them.
• While there are positive signs that the quality of teaching across the school is now improving, opportunities to improve pupils’ outcomes are still being missed. Not all teachers promote pupils’ literacy and numeracy confidently. This does not help pupils to reinforce their fluency in punctuation, grammar and numeracy. Some pupils said that they did not always get regular homework in all subjects. Although whole-school protocols for marking and feedback to pupils have been developed, teachers do not consistently ensure that pupils are learning from their mistakes.
• Where pupils learn best, for example in art, physical education and at times in English, teachers plan lessons that inspire pupils and promote independence. Teachers plan activities that require pupils to take responsibility for their own learning and to think widely and deeply about the key concepts that they are learning. For example, in a Year 7 English lesson, pupils were fully engaged and produced work of a high standard when writing a summary, using complex vocabulary, about one particular fairy tale, which they had researched for homework. This illustrated pupils’ potential when fully challenged and motivated by their teachers.
• Expectations of behaviour have increased. Most teachers create a calm and positive learning environment. This is because they establish clear and effective routines, in line with the school’s behaviour policy. Pupils recognise the improvements that leaders have made to behaviour for learning.
• When there are other adults in the classroom to support pupils’ learning and progress, these other adults are effective in providing the required support. This is having a positive impact on the progress that these pupils make.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare

Personal development and welfare

Requires improvement

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.
• Some pupils lack the skills to express themselves confidently. Although they respond to teachers’ questioning in lessons, they are not confident enough to be keen and enthusiastic learners.
• Pupils’ attitudes to their lessons are variable. A small minority of pupils are late for lessons and need encouragement from staff to get to their lessons punctually.
• A minority of pupils in Years 10 and 11 who responded to the online questionnaire raised bullying as an issue. However, pupils who spoke to inspectors during the inspection said that bullying is rare and that, when it occurs, their teachers deal with it well. The majority of pupils who responded said that they enjoy going to school and attending lessons. Incidences of bullying have reduced over the past 12 months.
• Pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9 told inspectors that they are happy in school. These younger pupils feel that the school encourages them to be ambitious and that the rewards system motivates them to work hard.
• The curriculum effectively covers a wide variety of risks to young people, including, for example, e-safety and bullying. Pupils told inspectors in detail about how assemblies have made them alert to the risks of extremist views, especially online.
• The vast majority of pupils who filled in the online survey agree that the school encourages them to respect people from other backgrounds and to treat everyone equally.
• Teachers have developed pupils’ knowledge of fundamental British values well.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. Behaviour has improved with new procedures but there is some low-level disruption in lessons when teaching fails to fully engage pupils in their learning.
• The importance of good attendance is communicated thoroughly by leaders. Staff from the pastoral team have had some success in reducing rates of absence for some pupils. However, absence and persistent absence remain too high for some disadvantaged pupils, who do not attend school as regularly as they should. This is having a negative impact on their learning and progress over time.
• Pupils typically conduct themselves well during social times, including breaktimes and lunchtimes. They queue patiently and chat among themselves calmly as they wait to buy food from the canteen. Pupils treat the school environment with respect and litter is rarely seen.
• Leaders regularly check on pupils’ attendance and the quality of their behaviour when they are being educated in alternative placements.

Outcomes for pupils

Inadequate

• Pupils’ outcomes overall declined in 2017 and represented a picture of significant underachievement for too many pupils. Outcomes for disadvantaged pupils were particularly poor both in 2016 and 2017 as their progress was well below that of other pupils nationally. In 2017, disadvantaged pupils made three quarters of a grade less progress than others nationally in GCSEs overall and in mathematics and science. In English it was a whole grade less. This illustrates how additional funding has not been used effectively to ensure that disadvantaged pupils make better progress.
• The proportion of pupils who attained a good GCSE in English and mathematics in 2017 was well below the national average. All groups of pupils at GCSE, and those on academic courses in the sixth form, made slow progress from their starting points. Attainment in some other subjects has been particularly weak for some time. For example, the proportion of pupils gaining a good grade in English language, English literature, mathematics, biology, chemistry and physics, additional science and history were well below the national average in both 2016 and 2017.
• Pupils currently in Year 11 have not made enough progress and are not being equipped with the skills that they require to succeed in the new and more challenging GCSEs. This is linked to teaching over time which has not consistently met pupils’ needs and the poor attendance of some pupils. Although support is now being provided, pupils in Year 11 have a long way to go to reach their targets.
• Although teachers’ confidence in using assessment information is improving, there is still inconsistency in the challenge for the most able pupils. At times, they become disengaged and demotivated because they find the work too easy. They said this to inspectors during the inspection. Many teachers fail to gauge when pupils are finding the work too easy and to set additional challenge when it is required. As a consequence, too many of the most able pupils do not achieve the standards of which they are capable.
• Weak literacy and numeracy skills are highlighted as being one of the main barriers to improving outcomes for some pupils, including those who are disadvantaged. Work to address these deficiencies is now in place but not showing measurable impact, especially for older pupils. Much of the support that has been provided has been reactive rather than planned and there has been little evaluation of where strategies are working and where they are not working.
• There are signs of emerging green shoots of recovery. Work in current pupils’ books shows improvements emerging for Years 7, 8 and 9 as a result of changes to the curriculum in key stage 3 and improvements in teaching.
• Many pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress from their starting points. This is because their individual needs are being met.
• Provision for independent advice and guidance is in place across the school and pupils are being supported to make informed choices. However, weaknesses in the curriculum and poor outcomes have meant that, over time, a higher proportion of pupils than nationally do not progress to next steps in education, employment or training at the end of Year 11.

16 to 19 study programmes

Requires improvement

• Leadership of the sixth form requires improvement. While self-evaluation is accurate overall, there is a lack of recognition of the barriers to learning caused by the poor attendance and punctuality of many students. Many students leave their courses during, or at the end of, Year 12.
• Leaders have given insufficient focus to preparing students for the demands of the new syllabuses. There is variability in the progress students make in academic and applied courses from year to year. Overall, progress hovers between the national average and just below average year on year.
• The quality of teaching and learning is variable across subjects. This has not been addressed by leaders because there is no systematic approach to monitoring the quality of teaching and students’ progress. Teachers’ subject knowledge is secure, but not all teachers have appropriate expectations of what students can achieve. Therefore, students do not consistently complete work that challenges them to make the fastest possible progress from their relative starting points.
• There is variability in the quality of guidance offered to students in different courses. In A-level biology, teachers provide timely, appropriate and personalised help to students which enables students to maintain high rates of progress. In other subjects, weak questioning leads to misconceptions not being identified or addressed. This is preventing students from making the progress that they should.
• Rates of attendance have fallen for both Year 12 and Year 13 and are now below average. This has not been reported to governors as a barrier to improving outcomes. Students are frequently late to lessons and form periods. Leaders know students well and they intervene to bring about improvements in the punctuality of individual students. However, not enough attention is paid to monitoring the impact of their interventions.
• Pupils speak positively about the independent careers education, information and guidance they receive in the sixth form. This has resulted in a higher proportion of students opting for more appropriate apprenticeship courses rather than universities. All students who complete their courses are successful in progressing to education, employment or training at the end of Year 13.
• Students appreciate the independent study areas that they are provided with, which they utilise to make effective use of the time when they are not in lessons.
• Students have access to a well-rounded enrichment and personal development programme. However, the personal development programme is somewhat constrained by the time allocated to it on the timetable. This reduces the opportunities that students have to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding of wider issues.
• Students make a positive contribution to the community through voluntary work, for example at local primary schools. They enjoy and value the relationships they build up through these opportunities.
• Students who have SEN and/or disabilities are provided with high-quality personal and academic support. They are enabled to succeed and progress to higher education, training or apprenticeships.
• A very small number of students enter the sixth form without attaining at least a standard pass in English and/or mathematics. These students receive appropriate teaching and support. The success rates when these students retake these examinations are above national figures.
• Leaders ensure that the sixth form meets the requirements for 16 to 19 study programmes.
• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 119761 Lancashire 10042445

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Gender of pupils in 16 to 19 study programmes Secondary comprehensive Maintained 11 to 18 Mixed Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1,380 Of which, number on roll in 16 to 19 study programmes 182 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Executive headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Judith Catt Victoria Michael 01524 410207

www.morecambehigh.com

reception@morecam.be Date of previous inspection 2–3 February 2016

Information about this school

• The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information about pupil premium on the website.
• The vast majority of the pupils are of White British heritage.
• The proportion of pupils who have support for special educational needs and/or disabilities is above the national average. The proportion of pupils who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is below average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported through the pupil premium is above average.
• A small number of pupils are educated off-site in alternative provision. Providers include TM Noble, Drainsaway, DJC Paving, Wakelins Building Services, PS Autos, Chadwick High School and Heysham Library.
• In 2017, the school met the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 11. In 2017, the school also met the minimum interim standards for sixth forms.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 37 lessons across all key stages and

subjects. They also visited registration and form periods. Six lessons were observed jointly with the executive headteacher and two deputy headteachers. In addition to looking at pupils’ books during lesson observations, inspectors undertook a separate scrutiny of the work in books. They also visited classrooms and other learning areas to evaluate the effectiveness of support for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.

• Meetings were held with the executive headteacher, senior and middle leaders, governors and a representative of the local authority. Inspectors also met with a group of teachers, a group of teaching assistants and with some pupils from key stages 3 and 4 and the sixth form.
• Inspectors reviewed the school’s self-evaluation, improvement plans, the school’s quality assurance, monitoring and assessment records, minutes of governing body meetings and case studies of vulnerable pupils who receive additional support. Inspectors scrutinised safeguarding procedures and records relating to behaviour and attendance.
• Inspectors considered 52 responses received from parents to Ofsted’s online parent survey and 65 responses to an Ofsted staff survey. They considered the 203 pupil responses to an Ofsted questionnaire as well as taking into account the views expressed by pupils in meetings, during lessons and at social times. Inspectors also listened to pupils reading. Telephone conversations were also held with several parents.

Inspection team

Helen Gaunt, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Tim Long Tanya Sheaff Elizabeth Haddock Liam Trippier

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector