Bishop Challoner Catholic Secondary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Strengthen teaching and learning so that all pupils, especially the most able and disadvantaged pupils, make consistently strong progress across all subjects.
• Improve the effectiveness of governance so that governors fulfil their statutory duties and hold leaders to account more effectively, including for the use of additional funding.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher and his senior team are committed and dedicated to their school community. They have established a strong ethos of care and ambition for all. The headteacher has tackled previous weaknesses openly and with thought, inspiring the whole school community to work together effectively.
• Leaders’ evaluations of the strengths and relative weaknesses of the school are accurate. They responded promptly and thoroughly to the lower-than-average progress of disadvantaged pupils and those with high prior attainment in the 2017 GCSE examinations. The well-considered strategies put in place to improve the rates of progress for these groups of pupils have been effective in establishing further improvement for all pupils.
• Central to this improvement has been the high-quality professional development programme provided for teachers and teaching assistants. Leaders have used this well, ensuring that it is focused on improving different elements of teaching, such as planning. Staff value this support and routinely share their learning, creating a culture of improvement across the school.
• Staff are committed and enthusiastic. Highly effective training and support is helping newly qualified teachers to develop their practice in a purposeful environment. Several staff told inspectors how much they appreciate the great lengths that leaders have gone to in supporting their professional learning needs.
• Until recently, leaders had not routinely produced formal evaluations of the use of additional funding for disadvantaged pupils. This now happens. The new, more rigorous, approach to the use of this funding is helping leaders to identify the most successful of their strategies and so support this group of pupils much more effectively.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced. Recent adaptations have made sure that it meets the needs of all pupils. For example, leaders have added vocational subjects and qualifications in key stage 4 and are reshaping the delivery of personal, social and health education. Pupils say that they are pleased that they can study in ways that suit them and in subjects which interest them. They feel supported in their aspirations and enabled to reach their next steps successfully.
• Leaders ensure that a high-quality programme is in place to support pupils’ SMSC development and their understanding of the complex demands of society. ‘Deep learning’ days, visits and presentations help raise pupils’ awareness of diversity and life in modern Britain. Consequently, fundamental British values and pupils’ SMSC learning are promoted extremely well throughout the school community, in and out of formal lessons.
• The arrangements for supporting pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities are effective. Leaders work closely with feeder schools to ensure that appropriate arrangements are in place to support these pupils. They communicate well with parents and carers to review and tweak this support as required. As a result, these pupils make good progress from their starting points.
• Leaders are passionate about the need to offer ‘second chances’ to pupils who need a new school place, for example due to the breakdown of other placements with other providers. They offer highly effective support to all new pupils, working closely with their parents and carers to help them to settle into the school quickly. Often, this work is highly successful, and pupils do very well as a result of the support that they receive.

Governance of the school

• The governors are passionate about their school and the difference that it makes to pupils and their families. They hold regular scheduled meetings and have several key committees in order to delegate their responsibilities.
• Governors recognise the need for a wide range of skills within their team and have carried out a skills audit to help identify the areas in which they need to develop expertise. They have added associate members in order to fill identified gaps. They have also attended recent training.
• Governors are supportive of school leaders but do not hold them sufficiently to account. They are not able to fully evaluate the impact of implemented strategies. They are aware that they do not monitor effectively leaders’ use of additional funding, including the pupil premium and catch-up funding.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders have ensured that all members of staff have a strong safeguarding knowledge. The comprehensive training, delivered and organised by leaders, ensures that staff throughout the school know their responsibilities and are alert to potential issues.
• Key staff have established effective systems to track even the smallest of concerns and act on them. This extends to all members of the school community, including pupils attending alternative provision.
• Pupils feel safe and valued in school. They are confident that there are always people to talk with if they have a worry or concern. Additionally, parents feel that the school looks after their children well.
• The school’s record of checks made on the suitability of staff and volunteers to work in a school is kept accurately and meets the requirements of statutory guidance. Leaders ensure that safer recruitment procedures are followed carefully.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers and teaching assistants are determined to do their best for pupils. Staff across the school have built excellent working relationships with pupils. As a consequence, they can quickly identify pupils’ learning needs. Many provide a strong level of challenge that matches pupils’ prior learning and helps them to make good progress.
• Leaders have prioritised further improving the quality of teaching by providing high-quality professional development. The vast majority of teachers enthusiastically use this training to further develop their practice. Most recently, their focus has, rightly, been on raising levels of challenge for the most able pupils and for disadvantaged pupils. Where weaker practice remains, teachers receive targeted support and guidance to help them to improve. As a result, teaching, learning and assessment are good overall.
• Teachers have secure subject knowledge. They use this to plan and deliver effective lessons which allow pupils to make strong progress. Teachers’ skilful questions develop pupils’ understanding effectively. Pupils say that they especially like lessons where they can question each other.
• Most teaching meets the needs of disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. These pupils are challenged effectively to extend their thinking and make good progress. For example, pupils told inspectors that they like lessons where they can discuss which learning activities are best for them. They explained that this helps them to access learning that is not too easy or too difficult. Inspectors observed that, where pupils do not choose the correct task for their starting points, staff skilfully direct them to the most appropriate one.
• Occasionally, time is not well used. For example, when pupils are required to wait for others to finish before being allowed to move on, time is wasted and pupils’ progress slows. Similarly, when others rush work due to the pressure of knowing that their peers have stopped, learning is not embedded or secure.
• Inspectors sampled a wide range of pupils’ work and saw that, in most cases, the school’s assessment policy was followed well. Pupils say that assessments give them confidence in their learning, as they can see where they have strengths and where they need to improve their understanding.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. Pupils are passionate about their school and they work hard to contribute to all aspects of wider school life. There are many well-attended extra-curricular opportunities that support pupils’ learning and personal development. Pupils recognise and appreciate the ‘extra mile’ that staff go. As one pupil said: ‘There are lots of extra things we can get involved in, even on a Saturday. We feel valued and can see how much we mean to our teachers.’
• Pupils are respectful and tolerant of each other’s different views and backgrounds. They actively engage in open discussions around various beliefs. Through a powerful ‘student voice’, they have developed their own pupil-led groups, such as the equalities group which celebrates and promotes diversity.
• Pupils told inspectors that they feel safe in school and that there is always someone to talk to if they need support. They spoke with pride about having opportunities to be involved with helping others in their school community.
• A small number of pupils attend alternative provision. School leaders work closely with these providers to ensure that pupils’ specific learning needs are catered for appropriately and effectively. Leaders have established strong protocols that are followed well in order to ensure the safety of these pupils.
• Pupils thrive in the positive school atmosphere, where it is okay to try new challenges, and show resilience when things do not work first time. They have high levels of confidence in themselves and each other, allowing them to gain the skills to tackle and solve problems in complex social situations.
• Pupils say that bullying is rare, but when it happens teachers deal with it quickly and effectively. They point out that consistent and fair sanctions are applied. They like the way that efforts are made to help those responsible understand the impact of what they have done and so avoid repeating those actions.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school is exemplary. This is because leaders have created a culture which is inclusive, calm and purposeful. Courtesy and learning are the foundation of all aspects of school life.
• The reward and recognition system is highly effective. Pupils value and appreciate their ‘achievement colours’, which they wear with pride. Pupils take joy in celebrating each other’s success, both in lessons and in the wider school community. They aspire to achieve positions of responsibility, including head pupil status.
• Any rare negative behaviour is dealt with quickly, effectively and with consistency. Pupils say that they feel reassured by the fair manner in which sanctions are applied.
• The vast majority of pupils attend school regularly. Leaders and key staff set high expectations for pupils’ attendance. They work hard to remove any barriers to pupils’ regular attendance. Rigorous processes to help all groups, including disadvantaged pupils, get to school every day are increasingly successful.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Across the school and in most subjects, including English, mathematics and science, pupils’ progress is typically good due to effective teaching.
• Historically, pupils’ attainment is high. In 2017, this trend continued, with much higher proportions of pupils than nationally awarded standard and/or strong passes in GCSE examinations, including English and mathematics.
• The progress of pupils in 2017 examinations was mixed. Pupils who joined the school with low or middle attainment made good progress. However, disadvantaged pupils and those with high prior attainment made less progress than their peers nationally.
• Scrutiny of school information and pupils’ work indicates that current pupils’ progress is good overall. All groups of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with high prior attainment, are now making consistently strong progress in most subjects. Progress in English, mathematics, science, history and religious education is particularly strong.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make very good progress across a broad range of subjects. Their individual needs are identified and met well.
• Pupils who join the school with lower than expected levels of literacy and numeracy receive well-considered additional support. This is effective in improving their reading fluency, comprehension and mathematics. As a result, these pupils are able to access all areas of the school curriculum and make similar rates of progress to their peers.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 116478 Hampshire 10046064 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Secondary comprehensive School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Foundation 11 to 16 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 844 Appropriate authority Chair Headteacher Local authority Mrs Kate Webb Mr John Paul Wright Telephone number 01256 462 661 Website Email address www.bcs.hants.sch.uk headteacher@bcs.hants.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 7 8 October, 2014

Information about this school

• Bishop Challoner Catholic Secondary School is an average-sized school.
• The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.
• The proportion of pupils who have English as an additional language is above average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is below average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.
• A small number of pupils attend alternative provision at Inclusion Hampshire.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed pupils’ learning in 59 lessons across the school. Many of these were observed jointly with senior leaders. Inspectors also scrutinised a wide sample of pupils’ books.
• Inspectors held meetings with senior leaders, other staff and a group of governors, including the chair of the governing body. They also spoke to a leader of the alternative provision and a representative from the local authority by telephone.
• Inspectors took account of the views of the 40 staff who completed Ofsted’s online staff survey.
• Inspectors spoke with pupils in lessons and around the school. They also met formally with groups of pupils.
• Inspectors considered the views of parents and carers. They took account of 86 responses to Parent View and all written comments.
• Inspectors reviewed a wide range of documentation, including information available on the school’s website and records relating to pupils’ attainment, progress, attendance and behaviour. Information on governance, including minutes of governors’ meetings, was examined. The school’s improvement plans and self-evaluations were scrutinised, along with records of the school’s work to keep pupils safe.

Inspection team

Gary Tostevin, lead inspector Krista Dawkins Catherine Davies Peter Fry

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector