Rhyddings Business and Enterprise School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of leadership and management by ensuring that:
  • leaders respond rapidly to the information that they receive from school monitoring processes leaders use additional funding effectively to support disadvantaged pupils and those pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities so that these pupils make stronger gains in their learning
  • governors receive appropriate training so that they can hold leaders to account for the quality of education that pupils receive across the school.
• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that:
  • teachers have consistently high expectations of what pupils can achieve
  • all teachers use assessment information to plan learning that challenges pupils, particularly at key stage 3
  • the literacy policy is used consistently by all teachers
  • teachers plan learning that meets the different needs of those pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities so that they make consistently good progress.
• Improve pupils’ behaviour and welfare by:
  • reducing rates of absence of all pupils, but particularly those who are disadvantaged and those who have SEN and/or disabilities
  • reducing the proportion of pupils who persistently disregard school rules and disrupt the learning and well-being of other pupils.
• Improve pupils’ outcomes across the curriculum by ensuring that:
  • leaders and teachers monitor the progress that pupils are making across the curriculum and take effective action when pupils fall behind
  • teachers consistently challenge pupils to ensure that they make as much progress as they can. An external review of governance should be undertaken to see how this aspect of leadership and management can be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• For several years, the number of pupils on roll declined. This led to considerable disruption in staffing, which contributed to a decline in the standard of education that the school provides. School leaders and the local authority are confident that the school roll has stabilised and may start to increase slightly.
• A new enthusiastic leadership team is now in place under the long-standing headteacher. This leadership team has started to take effective action to improve the standards of education across the school. This has already had a positive effect. For example, pupils’ progress increased in the 2017 examinations. This was particularly the case in English.
• Despite these improvements, pupils’ progress is inconsistent and some groups of pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable. This is particularly the case for disadvantaged pupils and those pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.
• Leaders have enabled a culture of low expectations to creep in since the last inspection. Some teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can and should achieve for their age and ability. Because of this, pupils underachieve in subjects such as science, modern foreign languages, history and geography. This is particularly the case for disadvantaged pupils.
• Over time, leaders have not acted quickly enough to address the decline in the quality of teaching. They are accurate in identifying the general weaknesses in teaching and have provided good-quality whole-school training on these aspects. However, they do not have enough information to identify individual teachers’ training needs. As a result, they are not always able to offer teachers extra support to improve their teaching.
• There are a number of effective middle leaders in the school. These leaders are making a valuable contribution to the school’s recovery. This is because these subject leaders have an accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses within their subject areas and are working hard to secure improvements. Their work to improve teaching has led to pupils’ stronger progress over time.
• Some subject areas do not have such strong subject leadership. Leaders are fully aware of where this is the case. However, they have been slow to address these issues. While some actions have now been taken to improve subject leadership in these key areas, there has not been time for any impact to be seen.
• Since the last inspection, the rates of pupils’ attendance have declined and are well below national averages. The proportion of pupils who are regularly absent from school was also much higher than the national average in 2017. Leaders have now appointed a new attendance officer and this has led to improved attendance for all current pupils. Overall absence figures are now only slightly higher than the national average, although the proportion of pupils who are regularly absent remains stubbornly high.
• Leaders have put systems into place to allow staff to manage pupils’ behaviour. This has had a positive impact as the majority of pupils behave well. However, a small minority of pupils struggle to regulate their own behaviour. Leaders know who these pupils are and they provide appropriate support. Nevertheless, they do not review the impact of their actions to improve behaviour well enough. This means that they are unclear where their strategies are working and why. As a result, the proportion of pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities, who are temporarily excluded from school remains above the national average.
• Until recently, the curriculum was weak. At key stage 4, pupils studied too many subjects that did not meet their needs. However, the changes that leaders made to the curriculum are having a positive impact on the pathways that pupils can choose. Leaders also provide pupils with good-quality guidance on selecting their options appropriately. As a result, the range of subjects that pupils study at key stage 4 prepare them well for the next stage in their education.
• The work of current pupils demonstrates that curriculum changes have resulted in some subjects building on work from key stage 2 to develop pupils’ thinking in key stage 3. This flows seamlessly into Year 10 and pupils’ work demonstrates clear progression, particularly in science and English. However, this has not been embedded across all departments.
• Leaders do not always target additional funding at the pupils who it is meant to support. This is because leaders do not consider the barriers to pupils’ learning or ensure that appropriate support is in place. The school has recently had a pupil premium review and, as a result, leaders understand clearly how to use the funding to have more impact on pupils’ progress.
• Leaders do not check the progress or attendance of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities and so they were unable to take appropriate action to prevent the decline in attendance and progress rates for this group of pupils. They do not provide teachers with appropriate strategies for supporting pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. As a result, some teachers are unable to plan lessons that meet the needs of those pupils who find learning more difficult.
• Leaders provide a varied programme of activities to promote pupils’ understanding of fundamental British values. This gives pupils a clear appreciation of democracy and the rule of law. For example, a number of pupils had the opportunity to participate in a competition about democracy. Leaders are proud that the school was one of the first to be recognised by a national charity for encouraging pupils to have their say in society.
• Pupils benefit from a strong programme of careers advice and guidance. This is because leaders are passionate and committed to raising pupils’ aspirations. They have used the links that they have developed with local employers to provide opportunities for pupils to engage in mock interviews, develop their work experience or obtain local apprenticeships. Consequently, for the last two years, all Year 11 pupils have continued into further education, employment or training. This includes those pupils attending alternative provision and those who have been excluded from school.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a high priority for leaders. Through ‘citizenship days’, pupils have the opportunity to discuss the consequences of crime and the moral and ethical issues of what constitutes right and wrong. Pupils welcome the opportunity to raise money for local good causes. This allows them to develop empathy and appreciate diversity.

Governance of the school

• Governors have not always succeeded in holding leaders to account. This is because they are over-reliant on leaders for knowing what information they need and for a clear understanding of their responsibilities.
• Governors have not always ensured that additional funding has been used effectively. As a result, they have had too little influence on improving the attendance and progress of disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.
• There have been many changes to the governing body since the previous inspection. Some members of the governing body are new to their role. Governors are committed to securing better outcomes for pupils. More recently, they have been able to benefit from some training to allow them to support leaders effectively in bringing about school improvement.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders ensure that appropriate procedures are in place so that only those adults who are suitable to work with pupils are employed in the school.
• Leaders provide training so that all adults working in the school know how to identify potential risks to pupils. Staff understand the procedures that they must follow if they have concerns about a pupil. All staff are vigilant in ensuring that pupils are safe in school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Teaching is not consistently good across subjects and year groups. For instance, there are times when some teachers do not use assessment information to plan learning. This means that learning does not challenge pupils enough and their rates of progress are slow. This is particularly the case at key stage 3, where assessment systems are not embedded.
• Teachers do not routinely provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to apply their knowledge to more difficult problems. Pupils do not get enough opportunities to apply their learning to new situations and develop the ability to remain with a difficult task to the end.
• Work in pupils’ books shows that teachers sometimes do not expect the best of pupils. In subjects where pupils learn effectively, teachers challenge untidy or unfinished work and, as a result, pupils clearly take pride in the presentation of the work that they produce. This variation of expectation is having a negative effect on pupils’ progress over time in some subjects.
• Where teaching is most effective, teachers use assessment information well to plan learning that challenges pupils to deepen their understanding. Pupils can then apply their knowledge to increasingly complex activities.
• Teachers use their secure subject knowledge to support pupils who fall behind during learning. This is particularly evident in mathematics, where teachers make links between previous and current learning to ensure that pupils master common skills. This enables them to understand new topics at a faster rate.
• Strong and supportive relationships between staff and pupils mean that pupils are confident in asking for help if they are finding work difficult.
• Teachers do not consistently apply leaders’ literacy policy. There are examples where pupils misspell subject-specific vocabulary in their written work. This sometimes goes unchallenged by teachers and, consequently, pupils are unable to improve their basic literacy skills. This holds some back from enjoying success in a range of different subjects.
• Some teachers are unclear about how to best support the needs of those pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. As a result, on occasions, teachers do not plan learning that meets the needs of this group of pupils.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.
• Many pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning. However, on occasion, they lack the confidence and self-esteem to work without the support of their teachers. Where this is the case, some pupils disengage from their learning and do not use their time effectively.
• Leaders provide high-quality careers education for pupils. This has raised pupils’ awareness of the diverse and interesting careers that are available to them on leaving school.
• Leaders provide a range of enrichment activities to foster pupils’ personal development. For example, pupils have recently raised money for a homeless charity. They can develop their leadership skills through initiatives such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award, the ‘junior leadership team’ and ‘peer mentoring’. Pupils also benefit from a range of educational visits, such as the World War I battlefields trip to Belgium. This broad variety of experiences helps leaders and staff to prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain.
• The overwhelming majority of parents and pupils feel that bullying in the school is rare. Pupils and parents are confident that staff will deal effectively with any incidents of bullying that may take place. Pupils explained that they know how to keep themselves safe and who to go to if they need help.
• Pupils understand the importance of equality and diversity. However, pupils who inspectors spoke with demonstrated a lack of maturity about homosexuality and transgender issues.
• The school works well with alternative providers to ensure that pupils’ attendance is regular. Leaders check the safeguarding procedures of any providers that they use so that they know that pupils are safe.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• Pupils show respect for their environment. They do not drop litter and they consider the school a pleasant and safe place to be.
• The overwhelming majority of pupils are courteous, friendly and helpful. They move around the school in a calm and orderly manner and there are strong and effective relationships between teachers and pupils that support learning. However, there are a small number of pupils who behave boisterously in the corridors and demonstrate negative attitudes during learning activities.
• Although most pupils behave well, a small proportion of them struggle to control their own behaviour. This has led to the proportion of pupils who are temporarily excluded from school being above the national average. This is especially the case for disadvantaged pupils and those pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.
• Leaders’ actions are beginning to secure some improvements in pupils’ rates of attendance. However, pupils’ rates of absence are higher than the national average and too many pupils are regularly absent from school. This is particularly the case for disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• In 2016, the progress and attainment of Year 11 pupils were below the national average. The school did not meet the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for progress and attainment at key stage 4. Leaders took some positive action, which resulted in a considerable improvement in the GCSE results in 2017.
• Overall, pupils’ rates of progress in 2017 were broadly in line with those of their peers nationally. However, there was significant variation in pupils’ rates of progress across subjects. For example, pupils made strong progress in English and performing arts, but particularly poor progress in modern foreign languages and humanities.
• Despite an improving picture in 2017, some groups of pupils made weak progress. For example, disadvantaged pupils made considerably less progress than other pupils nationally.
• Leaders’ assessment information for current pupils shows that pupils at key stage 4 are making improved rates of progress. Nonetheless, the considerable variation across subjects and groups of pupils remains due to the inconsistencies in teaching. Although there have been some tentative improvements, disadvantaged pupils still make less progress than other pupils nationally.
• Work in pupils’ books also shows that pupils are making improved rates of progress. This is particularly the case in English and science. However, variation in rates of pupils’ progress across subjects and year groups remains. For example, the most able pupils in mathematics in Year 7 are unable to make good progress because some teachers do not take into account their prior knowledge to plan learning that challenges them.
• There is evidence in pupils’ work that standards of literacy are not good enough. For example, some pupils regularly misspell days of the week, months of the year and subject-specific vocabulary. This happens when teachers fail to challenge pupils’ grammar and spelling. As a result, pupils are hampered in developing their literacy skills.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 119721 Lancashire 10042485 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Secondary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 11 to 16 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 569 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Mr Robert Allonby Mr Paul Trickett 01254 231 051 www.rhyddings.co.uk school@rhyddings.co.uk Date of previous inspection 4 5 June 2014

Information about this school

• This is a smaller-than-average secondary school. The decline in pupil numbers has led to a reduction in the number of staff at the school.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is well above the national average. However, the proportion of pupils who have an education, health and care plan is well below the national average.
• The school met the government’s floor standards in 2017.
• A very small number of pupils attend alternative provision at Oswaldtwistle School or Accrington and Rossendale College.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning across a range of subjects, including making joint observations with school leaders.
• Jointly with school leaders, inspectors scrutinised pupils’ work in mathematics, English and science.
• Inspectors met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. They also met formally with pupils and spoke with pupils informally during social times. Inspectors spoke with a group of curriculum leaders, a group of pastoral leaders and a group of teachers.
• An inspector spoke with three governors, including the chair of the governing body. An inspector also spoke with the school adviser from the local authority.
• Inspectors examined a range of documentation, including leaders’ self-evaluation and leaders’ school improvement plan.
• Inspectors considered 48 responses from the online pupils’ questionnaire, 28 responses to the online staff questionnaire, 11 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and six written responses from parents.

Inspection team

Erica Sharman, lead inspector Claire Hollister Emma Gregory

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