Range High School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the capacity of leaders to achieve widespread school improvement by ensuring that:
  • leaders are clear about the standards that pupils ought to achieve
  • they use information to form accurate evaluations about the impact of their areas of responsibility on pupils’ progress and personal development
  • they have sufficient skills and qualities to lead improvement.
• Governors should hold senior leaders more rigorously to account for the rapid and sustained improvement of the school, to the benefit of all pupils on the school roll.
• Improve behaviour, most particularly of boys, enabling all pupils to do well.
• By using the strong practice that exists in some areas of the school, improve the quality of teaching so that pupils are engaged in their learning, enjoy it and see value in it.
• Improve the attendance of, and the progress made by:
  • boys
  • pupils who are disadvantaged.
• 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

• In the school’s ethos statements, leaders and governors say that they challenge their pupils ‘to achieve the best they can academically and also to develop as well-rounded, responsible and caring young adults’. While leaders achieve this aspiration for the majority of pupils, too many do not make good enough progress or learn how to behave well.
• Leaders have a great deal of information on how well pupils are achieving and behaving. However, most leaders do not use this information to accurately inform them of the impact of the school’s work. Leaders have an inflated view of how well the school is performing. The school has declined since its last inspection. Although it is now improving, the rate of improvement is too slow. There are some highly effective leaders. However, some others have not shown the necessary leadership skills, or the ability, to rapidly and sustainably improve the school.
• Leaders are not yet confident that the assessments teachers make of the pupils’ progress across key stage 3 are accurate. Assessments made of pupils’ work in key stage 4 are more accurate.
• The quality of teaching is very variable across the school, with much that is highly effective. Some pupils make weak progress in some lessons. Leaders are now providing training to help teachers to improve; many say it is of good quality. It is too early to see an improvement in pupils’ attitudes and achievement.
• Most pupils respond very positively to the teaching and support they experience. A group of influential boys do not value the education they are receiving and so disrupt some lessons. They also do not behave well around school. In the main, the school is unsuccessful in helping these pupils to positively engage with their learning and improve their behaviour.
• The provision for disadvantaged pupils is high on the school’s improvement agenda. Staff have undergone training, and this has been effective in making teachers reflect on their practice. Teachers are using a diverse range of strategies to help disadvantaged pupils to catch up with their peers. Although there is evidence of some small improvement in the progress of disadvantaged pupils, this is not sufficient to say that the additional funding the school is receiving for these pupils is being well spent. The school also receives additional funding to help Year 7 pupils, who joined this school with low prior attainment, catch up in literacy and numeracy. While there have been improvements for some of these pupils, others have not made good enough progress.
• The school’s curriculum meets the needs of most pupils and particularly the most able pupils. When choosing their GCSE subjects, all pupils have a wide range of subjects to select from. Leaders have a clear understanding of what they want to offer their pupils and why. While most pupils across the school benefit from the curriculum offered, it does not suit all, and some pupils begin to show a lack of commitment to their learning.
• The school takes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very seriously. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is core to this aspect of their work. The school seeks to promote pupils’ personal development through the ethos of the school and a broad range of enriching opportunities. These include sports, cultural and artistic visits, and visiting speakers. The curriculum also contributes to pupils’ personal development through the subjects taught. For many pupils, this provision is having a very positive impact on their moral standards, behaviour and aspirations. However, the poor attitudes of some pupils demonstrate that this aspect of provision has some way to improve.

Governance of the school

• Governors are ambitious and seek to provide a first-class school serving the local community. They know the aspects of the school that need to improve. They celebrate, with justification, the undoubted qualities of the school. They underestimate, however, the extent of the weaknesses, because they rely too heavily on information provided by the school’s leadership team. Governors have shown strong questioning of the leadership team on school improvement, particularly the provision for disadvantaged pupils. However, they have not effectively instilled a sense of urgency to improve.
• Governors have not taken sufficient steps to ensure that the school complies with regulations, including procedures and the appropriate use of coding when pupil attendance registers are completed.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Most pupils show a caring nature and respect for their peers and indeed for everyone they meet. Range High School pupils are also prepared to speak up when they see injustice or think that something is wrong. Staff are well trained on how to respond to concerns that they or their pupils may have. Safeguarding is supported with effective procedures.
• Procedures to recruit only suitable persons and train them are robust.
• During the inspection, the school took effective steps to improve the safeguarding of the school’s pupils while they are not present in the school or attending alternative provision.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching across the school is very variable. In art for example, high-quality teaching provides ample opportunities for pupils, from all ability groups, to thoroughly enjoy their learning and see a real benefit from it. Over some time, mathematics has been well taught because teachers have a clear understanding of how to build pupils’ knowledge and confidence. Strong practice exists in other subjects; however this is much less consistent.
• Where teaching is less effective, teachers do not plan well to support the range of pupils in their class, so pupils who have previously attained high standards and pupils with low levels of prior attainment do not progress as well as those in the middle prior-attaining range. Where teaching is weakest, teachers find it difficult to inspire and engage their pupils and they do not enjoy their learning. It is in these lessons where poor behaviour is most likely to occur and be disruptive. Leaders are providing support and training to help all teachers, and most particularly the teachers they consider demonstrate weak practice. However, this has brought about only a small improvement so far.
• Expectations set by teachers on the standards and quality of work are also very mixed. In the weakest cases, pupils are allowed to produce untidy and inaccurate work. Many pupils need help with their organisation. When teachers provide this support, pupils respond very positively.
• Some teachers accept their responsibility to improve pupils’ levels of literacy. These teachers give good-quality and consistent advice to pupils. When this happens, pupils’ literacy levels improve. However, too few teachers do this well enough. Standards of pupils’ numeracy skills are generally good.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.
• Despite many pupils displaying admirable personal qualities, the poor attitudes demonstrated by some boys clearly show that this aspect of the school’s work is not good enough.
• Pupils said that they know pupils who have experienced bullying and added that it is usually ‘sorted out’ by staff quickly and effectively. School leaders are unable to evaluate the effect of their efforts to reduce bullying, because they do not maintain adequate records.
• Safety is promoted well through teaching pupils how to identify and respond to potential dangers. This includes the use of social media, when out and about in their communities and also when at home.
• There are many aspects of care which are strong. Pupils said that they trust staff to help them with their work and also when they seek guidance on other matters. The school promotes good physical health and well-being.
• Leaders monitor the quality of care provided by alternative providers while pupils are on their sites.
• The school’s work to offer high-quality and impartial careers guidance is a strength of the school.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• Most pupils are polite, well mannered and keen to learn. Despite long distances between classrooms, most pupils arrive promptly to class, although some need to be hurried along by staff and this can slow the start of lessons. At break and lunchtimes, pupils tend to socialise well or participate in clubs. A small number of pupils, most commonly boys, can display inappropriate behaviour, which others find intimidating.
• Staff said that they rarely hear pupils swear. This, however, is not the experience of pupils who said that the use of inappropriate language is prevalent, and they believe some teachers who hear it do not challenge the behaviour.
• Again, there is considerable variance in classrooms. Pupils mostly behave in lessons and work hard. A small number of pupils slow the pace of learning through low-level disruptive behaviour and, very occasionally, more overt misbehaviour. Pupils said that this is much more common in lower sets where teaching is weaker.
• Public and school analyses of pupils’ attendance cannot be accurate because of the inappropriate coding of reasons for absence. However, the pattern of attendance is declining and likely to now be below the national average. The attendance of some groups of pupils is poor.
• Expectations of pupils’ behaviour are not high enough. Leaders do not employ effective strategies to help a small group of challenging boys feel positively towards their school and their education. The use of exclusion as a means to improve behaviour is increasing.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• The progress of pupils sitting their GCSEs in June of 2018 was broadly at the national average. However, this figure masks some considerable strengths and weaknesses. Girls made strong progress across the range of subjects. Pupils performed well in mathematics. There was a large difference in the performance of boys and girls, with boys progressing, on average, about half a grade less well than girls across the subject range. There was also a large difference in the rates of progress of disadvantaged pupils and others in the school. At the time of the inspection, it was not possible to compare the progress made by disadvantaged pupils in this school with other pupils nationally.
• Progress being made by pupils currently in key stage 4 is slightly better than their counterparts last year. However, differences persist in the progress made by boys and girls, and by disadvantaged pupils and others in the school.
• Pupils currently in key stage 3 and key stage 4 make strong progress in mathematics. The progress made by pupils in English is not as good, because teaching is less effective. Achievement in art is strong throughout the school. The progress made by pupils in key stage 3 is variable and weakest in the humanities, science and design technology.
• Taking their different starting points into consideration, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make progress at the national average. In the main, these pupils are well supported in the classroom and the additional support they receive is effective.
• Despite progress that is below the national average for some groups of pupils, the levels of attainment that pupils reached on leaving Year 11 were higher than seen nationally. This is because more than half the pupils in Range High School attained high standards on leaving their primary schools. Most pupils are well prepared for their next steps in education. This is because their levels of attainment are high, they have well-developed personal qualities, good attitudes towards learning and self-improvement, and receive high-quality careers advice. However, the boys and disadvantaged pupils who are not engaging successfully are not well prepared for their futures.

16 to 19 study programmes Good

• Leadership of the sixth form is strong. Students receive a well-rounded education, which helps them to achieve well and leave school as confident young people with high aspirations.
• The assistant headteacher responsible for the sixth form has an accurate and comprehensive understanding of the strengths of the provision and the aspects in need of improvement. She has taken effective steps to addresses weaknesses. For example, the teaching of English is beginning to improve. The school listens carefully to the improvements suggested by students. As a result, more opportunities for students to develop practical life skills have been introduced to the curriculum. Improved sixth-form catering facilities have been included in the building remodelling programme.
• Students said that the advice they received in year 11 enabled them to make good choices for their education beyond their GCSEs. In this sixth form, students follow one of three pathways. Students are able to take courses and qualifications that are well suited to their needs. The information and guidance that students receive to help them to make career choices beyond school is also of good quality. Students take part in a diverse range of work experience that develops their employability skills and awareness of careers.
• The school seeks to promote students’ personal development through their participation in a wide range of enriching experiences, including volunteering. Students behave well. They are tolerant of people from different backgrounds and interested in people’s different views. They are respectful. Leaders take good steps to promote students’ physical and mental health.
• Most students experience consistently good teaching. Their teachers have high expectations of what students can achieve. These teachers understand how to develop students’ subject knowledge, understanding and skills. They use questioning and other strategies well to help students deepen their knowledge. A highly positive culture enables students to offer tentative thoughts and ideas without the fear of being ridiculed. Students are generally well motivated and strongly engaged in their education.
• Leaders have effective systems that enable them to spot students who are underachieving. Usually, leaders and teachers make timely and successful interventions to help students return to achieving and developing well.
• Broadly, students make good progress and achieve particularly well in art and photography, biology, French and history. Students attend well and it is rare for a student, once started on a course, not to continue it to the end of Year 13.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 137612 Sefton 10053276 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 Academy converter Age range of pupils 11 to 18 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 Mixed Mixed 1142 150 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Mervyn Thomas Graham Aldridge 01704 879 315 www.range.sefton.sch.uk/ admin@range.sefton.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 21 May 2013

Information about this school

• Range High School is an average-sized secondary school. An above-average number of pupils with high levels of prior attainment join this school. Range High School includes a sixth form. Range High School became an academy in 2012. Its previous inspection took place shortly after this.
• The school uses three providers of alternative education. Small numbers of pupils attend Pinefields Complementary Education, Pathways and the Everton Free School, all on a part-time basis.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and other leaders and managers. The lead inspector met with six members of the governing body, one of whom is also the chair.
• Inspectors met with four groups of pupils. They also talked to and observed pupils during their social times.
• Inspectors met with two groups of teachers and also spoke to individual teachers.
• School documents were scrutinised including: safeguarding checks, information about pupils’ achievement, attendance and behaviour. Inspectors considered the school’s records of checks on the quality of teaching.
• Inspectors visited classrooms, sometimes with leaders, to speak with pupils, look at their work and observe their learning.
• The headteacher and other senior leaders were party to many of the inspection activities.
• Ofsted received one communication from a parent, details of which were passed to the lead inspector during the inspection. There were too few responses on Parent View to warrant consideration.

Inspection team

Neil Mackenzie, lead inspector Jane Holmes Erica Sharman Elizabeth Haddock David Woodhouse

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