Fazakerley High School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by ensuring that:
  • school leaders make better use of the pupil premium funding to improve the academic achievement and attendance of disadvantaged pupils
  • governors are more effective in holding school leaders to account to improve teaching, attendance and outcomes
  • subject leaders are more consistent and effective in setting and ensuring high expectations across the departments that they lead
  • school leaders are more effective in leading and managing careers education and extra-curricular provision
  • leaders monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of provision in the sixth form so that outcomes improve in academic subjects, attendance rises and all students fulfil their study programme entitlement.
  • Improve the quality of teaching, and thereby outcomes, by ensuring that:
    • teachers set work that challenges all pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils and those with average and above-average starting points teachers have consistently high expectations of their pupils, so that they always produce their best work and behave well in lessons teachers and sixth form leaders assess students’ learning and progress more effectively and provide effective challenge and support to students when they need it.
  • Improve pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare by ensuring that:
    • pupils attend school more regularly
    • pupils improve their attitudes to learning in lessons where behaviour is not good. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• The school’s leadership, including the governing body, has not been successful in sustaining the good quality of education seen at the previous inspection in May 2013.
• Outcomes for pupils across a range of subjects require improvement. Disadvantaged pupils do not make good progress. In the sixth form, progress in academic subjects is improving but remains below the national average. It is broadly in line for applied subjects in the sixth form.
• The leadership of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement. In some subjects, such as English, leadership is good, and because of this teaching is regularly good or better. Teaching in mathematics is also improving as a consequence of good leadership. However, this is not the case in other subjects. In these areas, for example science, leaders do not set high enough expectations for their pupils.
• For some groups of pupils, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, plans put into place by school leaders to improve attendance are starting to show signs of improvement. Overall, however, leaders have not been effective in ensuring that all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, attend school regularly
• The leadership of pupil premium funding requires improvement. Funding is not used as effectively as it should be. Although school leaders have plans that identify barriers to learning for disadvantaged pupils, and use the funding allocated to overcome them, improvements are not quick or significant enough. Disadvantaged pupils make less progress than other pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils. Added to this, their attendance is lower than other pupils nationally. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.
• The leadership and management of the Year 7 catch-up premium requires improvement. The monitoring of its effectiveness by school leaders is inconsistent. Year 7 catch-up funding in reading is effective. Almost all Year 7 pupils who joined the school with low reading levels this year have made good progress. However, the plans to support pupils who join with low mathematical skills are not led well enough and the effectiveness of the Year 7 catch-up premium in mathematics is variable.
• School leaders have improved the range of subjects offered, especially at key stage 4. For example, geography has been reintroduced as a GCSE subject. School leaders describe plans to introduce separate qualifications for biology, chemistry and physics at GCSE level, but these are not yet in place.
• The leadership of extra-curricular activities requires improvement. Although there are a wide range of activities available, participation of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, is not measured effectively. Of the 107 pupils who responded to the inspection questionnaire 46% said that they rarely or never attended extra-curricular activities.
• The progress of the small number of pupils who attend alternative provision is regularly monitored by school leaders.
• The leadership of careers education and information, advice and guidance for pupils to successfully move on to their next stages in education, employment and/or training requires improvement. School leaders do not have a secure knowledge of the destinations of pupils who leave the school, including disadvantaged pupils. Of the pupils who completed the pupil questionnaire during the inspection, 51% said that they were not provided with good enough information regarding careers and next steps.
• Leaders have an accurate view of the overall effectiveness of the school. They are clear about its strengths and areas for improvement.
• The leadership of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is good. These pupils are supported effectively in and out of lessons, and because of this they are making progress in line with other pupils nationally. This includes current pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities who have middle or high starting points. The attendance of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities has improved.
• Teachers, including those who are recently qualified, are positive about the programme of ongoing training that they receive. It has been especially effective in ensuring that good and consistent safeguarding systems are in place. The overwhelming majority of pupils say that there is somebody in school they can speak to if something is worrying them.
• Performance management and pay progression is managed effectively. Targets are set by school leaders and governors. They include targets relating to the progress of pupils. Staff and school leaders are eligible for pay progression if these targets are met.
• Opportunities for developing pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural knowledge and fundamental British values are led and managed effectively. An overwhelming majority of pupils say that they respect the views and cultures of others because of how they are taught at the school. Diversity is recognised and celebrated. Pupils say that racist and/or homophobic bullying is not an issue at the school and they are confident that it would be dealt with quickly and effectively if it happened.

Governance of the school

• Governance requires improvement. Some governors do not have a clear enough knowledge of key areas of the school’s policies, procedures and practice. For example, their understanding of the effectiveness of the pupil premium grant is insecure.
• Governors do not challenge school leaders, including the headteacher, with sufficient rigour or regularity. Consequently, the school is not improving quickly enough.
• Governors are effective in leading and promoting the practice and culture of safeguarding at the school. There is a safeguarding lead governor and governors have completed safer recruitment training.
• Governors play a key role in the performance management of staff and school leaders, including the headteacher. They recognise that staff should only achieve pay progression if targets, including those relating to pupil outcomes, are met.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• There is a strong culture of safeguarding at the school. Staff are well trained and are vigilant. Pupils say that they feel safe. They are thoroughly prepared through assemblies and the wider curriculum to recognise potential threats to their safety. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe.
• The overwhelming majority of parents and/or carers say that their child or children are safe and well looked after in school.
• School leaders liaise effectively with parents and carers to ensure that pupils are safe. They also engage well with other agencies to ensure the safety of pupils.
• The small number of pupils who attend alternative provision are kept safe through appropriate and regular checks on their attendance, behaviour and well-being.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Teaching is not consistently good, and consequently pupils do not make good progress across a range of subjects, across year groups.
• Not all teachers plan activities that provide pupils with an appropriate level of challenge. This is particularly the case for pupils with middle or high starting points. The work set is sometimes too easy and there are low expectations of pupils. This prevents pupils making enough progress.
• Teaching does not consistently meet the needs of disadvantaged pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils. The pupil premium is not being led and used successfully to ensure that teaching promotes fast enough progress by this group of pupils.
• Teaching does not promote high standards of behaviour in class or attitudes to learning in lessons with enough consistency. Where teaching is challenging and expectations are high, such as in English, pupils often make good progress. Pupils often become disengaged or their behaviour deteriorates where teaching fails to sustain their interest. Some pupils’ books show incomplete or poorly presented work.
• Assessment is not consistently good, and because of this it holds back the learning of pupils. In some subjects, the agreed department assessment systems are not used. Teachers do not always check that pupils understand where they have gone wrong or how to improve. In lessons where assessment is strong, pupils are making better progress.
• Teaching in English is consistently good. Teaching has started to improve in mathematics because of improved leadership and higher expectations. Teaching remains inconsistent in science and modern foreign languages.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The effectiveness of the school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is not consistently good.
• Careers advice is not effective. Although it is impartial, pupils who were interviewed, and others who completed the inspection questionnaire, said that it was not effective enough in supporting them in planning their next steps in education, employment and/or training.
• Some pupils do not engage in extra-curricular activities.
• Pupils consistently show respect for the ideas, views and beliefs of others. They say that the school is effective in encouraging and expecting them to respect people from other backgrounds and treat everyone equally. Pupils acknowledge diversity as a strength of the school and those with different sexualities are supported effectively.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and the teaching of fundamental British values are led and managed effectively. Pupils are provided with many opportunities to reflect upon and develop their beliefs and attitudes. Pupils have well-planned opportunities in tutor time, assemblies, lessons and ‘dimension’ days that focus on a key theme for the entire day.
• Pupils say that bullying is rare. This includes racist and homophobic bullying. When bullying does occur, pupils are confident that it is dealt with quickly and effectively. Pupils feel safe at school.
• Pupils are taught how to stay safe and healthy. They learn how to reduce and manage stress and why they should have a healthy diet and stay fit. Pupils follow a programme of lessons and activities that teach them how to recognise risks and keep themselves safe online.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• Most pupils are well behaved in and out of lessons. However, in a minority of lessons seen by inspectors, including those where expectations and academic challenge were low, pupils’ attitudes to learning and behaviour were not good. Pupils who completed the inspection questionnaire, and those who were interviewed, said that behaviour was not always good in lessons.
• Pupils are generally well behaved around school and at break and lunchtime. They are friendly and polite. Pupils are almost always on time for lessons. A minority of pupils leave litter in the corridors and on the playground at break and lunchtime.
• In the period since the last inspection, exclusions from school have been very low and significantly lower than the national average.
• Attendance is not good. Although it was better in 2016 than the previous year, it was in the lowest 10% nationally. The proportion of pupils who were regularly absent from school, including disadvantaged pupils, was in the top 10% nationally. Plans put into place by school leaders to improve attendance have had a limited impact so far and attendance of pupils remains stubbornly low. There are, however, a few encouraging signs. Several disadvantaged pupils who had previously been poor attenders now attend school regularly and now make better academic progress. The attendance of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities has improved this year.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Outcomes in 2016 fell below the minimum national requirements set by the government. School leaders recognise that significant improvement is required. As a result of a sharp focus on improving outcomes, pupils now make better progress in English and mathematics. However, outcomes are not yet good enough in other subjects, including science and languages.
• The attainment and progress made by disadvantaged pupils, especially those with average and above-average starting points, was well below the national average in 2016. Although outcomes are better this academic year, they are still not good because the improvement has not been consistent or fast enough, especially for the most able disadvantaged pupils. This is because pupil premium funding is not led and managed as effectively as it should be.
• The rate of progress for pupils with different starting points is inconsistent. Pupils with below average starting points generally make progress in line with others nationally, across a broad range of subjects. Pupils with average and above-average starting points now make better progress than in recent years, but their outcomes remain lower than others nationally. In particular, the progress made by the most able pupils is slower than other groups of pupils at the school. They are not challenged sufficiently well to excel.
• Pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9, including those who are disadvantaged, make better progress across a broad range of subjects, including English and mathematics, than those in Years 10 and 11. The progress of some pupils in Years 10 and 11 is limited due to poor attendance.
• Outcomes for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities were very low in 2016, especially for those who had average starting points. There is effective leadership and good support for this group, and consequently pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities now make much better progress.
• Pupils’ reading skills are good. Teachers provide pupils with many opportunities to read and there is a positive culture of reading across the school. The books that pupils choose challenge them to improve their reading. Consequently, pupils from all starting points, including those who receive the catch-up premium in Year 7 and the best readers, enjoy and make good progress in reading.

16 to 19 study programmes Requires improvement

• The leadership and management of the sixth form requires improvement. Leaders do not review and evaluate provision systemically enough, and consequently improvements are not as rapid and effective as they should be.
• The study programmes of some students are not comprehensive enough, especially in Year 13. Some students have not completed their work experience entitlement. Others have reduced the number of subjects they are following because of poor outcomes in examinations at the end of Year 12. Consequently, these students are not able to gain the same number of qualifications as other students nationally.
• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement, especially in academic subjects. Too often students are not challenged enough to tackle activities and ideas that stretch their thinking, and consequently their progress is limited. In a small number of academic subjects where expectations are higher, such as A-level English, students make better progress and outcomes are in line with their target grades.
• The monitoring of assessment information is not effective. It is neither swift nor systematic. Consequently, students, including those who are disadvantaged, who have fallen behind in their learning are not identified quickly enough or supported effectively enough to catch up.
• English language and mathematics GCSE resit classes are taught effectively and consequently students make good progress in both subjects. The proportion of students who have attained an A* to C grade in English language or mathematics already this year is well above the national average.
• Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inconsistent and require improvement. Attendance is low, particularly in Year 13. Sixth-form leaders are not taking robust action to resolve this. Nor do they analyse the attendance data effectively enough. They are unable to identify quickly any groups for whom poor attendance is a concern.
• Behaviour in lessons and attitudes to learning are good. Students are positive about how teachers and leaders support their welfare.
• Students are positive about the quality of careers guidance and preparation for further study they receive, and the numbers of students who moved on to higher education, training or employment rose to 94% in 2016. However, leaders are not effective in monitoring and evaluating the destinations of students.
• Outcomes require improvement. Students’ progress across the broad range of academic subjects was significantly lower than the national average in 2016. Progress in academic subjects has improved this academic year, with more students working at A* to C grades and A/A* grades than previously. However, academic progress is still not as good or consistent across a broad range of subjects as it should be. Students’ outcomes in vocational subjects were in line with national averages in 2016. They remain higher than academic outcomes.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 104692 Liverpool 10024405 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 Number of pupils on the school roll Of which, number on roll in 16 to 19 study programmes Community 11 to 18 Mixed Mixed 876 120 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Tony Withers James H Beaton 0151 524 4530 www.fazakerleyhigh.org admin@fazakerleyhigh.org Date of previous inspection 21 to 22 May 2013

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The proportion of disadvantaged students and those supported by the pupil premium is much higher than the national average.
• Most pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, or who speak English as an additional language, is well below average.
• The proportion of pupils who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health or care plan is below average. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities supported by the school is well above average.
• A very small number of pupils attend alternative provision.
• The school did not meet the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress by the end of Year 11, in 2016.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed a range of lessons. Some of these observations were conducted jointly with members of the school’s leadership team.
• Inspectors observed tutorial periods, assemblies, breaks and lunchtimes and listened to small groups of pupils reading.
• Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, governors, school senior leaders, subject leaders, newly and recently qualified teachers, groups of pupils and a local authority representative.
• Inspectors scrutinised a range of school documentation, including policies, the minutes of governors’ meetings, the school’s self-evaluation, the school’s improvement plan and information about pupils’ outcomes, behaviour and attendance.
• Inspectors considered the views expressed in 35 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, several letters from parents and neighbours of the school, 28 questionnaires returned by school staff, and 107 questionnaires returned by pupils.

Inspection team

Stephen Ruddy, lead inspector David Roberts Tim Long Mike Merva Toni Roethling Deborah Bailey Ofsted inspector Ofsted inspector Ofsted inspector Ofsted inspector Ofsted inspector Ofsted inspector