Hounsdown School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Continue to improve the quality of teaching by ensuring that:
  • all teaching and assessment is as highly effective as that found in the best practice in the school
  • all teachers routinely insist on the highest standards of classwork to better provide an even higher proportion of the pupils with the subject knowledge and skills they require for the new GCSE courses and beyond.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• Excellent leadership from the executive and associate headteachers has led to significant improvements in all aspects of the school’s work. Working with governors and senior leaders, they have forged a dedicated and professional team highly committed to ensuring the best possible outcomes for every pupil. Pupils flourish because they receive highly effective teaching, challenge and support. One parent spoke for many when they commented, ‘… we are very grateful to Mrs Turvey and her team for offering such superb educational opportunities’. Another added, ‘The staff are approachable, standards of education high and opportunities wide. Great leadership team.’
• Hounsdown School’s vision of, ‘be the best you can be’ is shared by staff as well as pupils. The headteachers, governors and leaders welcome ideas to support school development further. Leaders’ evaluations of the school’s effectiveness are sharply focused. They take timely and appropriate actions, making any necessary adjustments. As a result, the school is continually improving.
• Leaders’ meticulous self-evaluation gives them an accurate oversight of all aspects of their work in the pursuit of excellence. They regularly review school performance, involving other schools and advisers if necessary. As a result, leaders are very clear on the strengths of the school, together with any shortcomings and areas for action. Consequently, leaders at all levels are quick to support improvements. For example, the recent focus on modern languages has brought about significant improvements to the quality of teaching in key stage 3 and consequently an increase in the numbers of pupils opting for Spanish in key stage 4.
• Senior leaders ensure that securing the very highest standards of teaching and learning is at the heart of the school’s work. They lead by example and provide highly effective challenge and support for teachers as well as access to a wide-ranging package of relevant training. Staff morale is high; staff are open to new ideas, embrace challenge and relish the opportunity to refine and improve their practice. As one teacher remarked, ‘Hounsdown has a supportive environment which allows and encourages teachers to take risks.’
• Subject leaders are an enthusiastic and committed team and they are driven to continually improve standards in their areas. The English and mathematics departments are particularly well led and pupils make exceptional progress. Science is similarly strong. A culture of collaborative learning, coaching and professional dialogue has led to improved teaching and learning in these subjects and across the school.
• Leaders ensure that the curriculum is well planned and provides pupils with a firm foundation for the next stages of their education. The majority of pupils in key stage 4 follow a challenging GCSE curriculum in preparation for A-level study. However, leaders ensure that the curriculum is flexible and adapted to meet the needs of all pupils. Pupils’ outcomes across a range of subjects have improved compared to national figures over the last three years. Progress is now significantly above average.
• Governors and leaders ensure that very good use is made of the additional funding for pupils who are disadvantaged. Actions taken by the school have ensured that the attainment of disadvantaged pupils has continued to rise. Leaders ensure that a raft of support enables these pupils to make accelerated progress to attain GCSE results that are in line with, or exceed, those of other pupils nationally.
• Hounsdown’s wider curriculum is a strength. Leaders ensure that pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain and the curriculum provides rich opportunities for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Well-planned assemblies, together with the ethics and beliefs curriculum, ensure that pupils focus sharply on moral choices, human rights, different religions and relationships. A well-organised citizenship curriculum, together with a wealth of extra-curricular activities and support for a partner school in Raipur enrich and extend pupils’ understanding of local and global communities.
• Leaders make sure that the Year 7 catch-up funding is used to good effect to raise standards of literacy and/or numeracy for those pupils arriving at the school with below-average attainment in English, mathematics or both subjects. The funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is also used very effectively.
• The large majority of parents are very positive about the school. They recognise the high standards of teaching and behaviour at the school and the rapid progress that pupils make. The majority who responded to Parent View would recommend the school to another parent. As one parent commented, ‘A wonderful school in which my children have excelled.’

Governance of the school

• Governance is highly effective. Dedicated governors bring a wealth of skills and educational experience, and undertake regular training and updates. This enables them to provide valuable support and challenge to leaders at all levels.
• Governors are committed to the success of the school and carry out their statutory duties diligently. They share the executive headteacher’s aims and vision for the school and they manage her performance effectively. Governors ensure the fair and consistent application of systems and policies. They make sure that only the best teaching is rewarded with pay rises.
• The governing body has successfully challenged leaders to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, and holds them to account for further improvements. Regular reports, visits and meetings enable governors to skilfully evaluate aspects of the school such as safeguarding, the provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the impact of the pupil premium funding.
• Governors monitor attendance rigorously. They have rightly identified attendance of disadvantaged pupils as a priority.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are very effective.
• The designated safeguarding lead teacher ensures that the school’s systems are fit for purpose. She has undertaken appropriate training for her role and ensures that high quality training for all staff secures the well-being and safety of the pupils.
• Senior leaders who lead this aspect of the school’s work are passionate in ensuring that the needs of the most vulnerable pupils are met. Referrals are made swiftly where pupils’ needs are such that they require assistance from the local authority. Detailed timelines and records are kept and the impact of external agencies is monitored closely, enabling rapid intervention if there are any delays.
• A nurturing ethos lies at the heart of the school’s work to keep pupils safe. Pupils recognise this as do the parents who responded to Parent View, with many of them referring to the care and attention given to vulnerable pupils as a strength of the school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• Teaching, learning and assessment across the school are of a very high quality and much is outstanding. This is because there is a shared drive to improve teaching and a passion for learning placed at the core of the school’s work. Leaders and teachers view themselves as professional learners continually striving to improve their practice.
• Teachers have a good understanding of their pupils’ strengths and weaknesses and most have very high expectations. Staff use their subject and assessment expertise to good effect to design and deliver stimulating and engaging learning activities. Strong examples of this were seen across the curriculum, particularly in science, mathematics and art.
• Access to detailed progress information enables teachers to provide pupils who fall behind with additional bespoke support, both within and outside lessons. This is particularly effective in English and mathematics where a range of interventions enable current pupils to make very strong progress. Pupils and parents were keen to share how much they appreciate the extra support that staff willingly give.
• Disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make rapid progress, in line with that of their peers, as a result of effective teaching, very precisely pitched to meet their needs. Leaders, teachers and teaching assistants make good use of assessment information and they know individual pupils well.
• All pupils, particularly the most able, are challenged very effectively with skilful questioning or additional tasks to support them gaining an in-depth understanding of important concepts. For example, in an English lesson the teacher’s probing questioning skilfully encouraged sophisticated responses related to the paradoxes in ‘Macbeth’. In mathematics, inspectors witnessed how teachers’ regular promotion of reasoning and problem-solving skills equips pupils with the confidence to discuss their interpretations of graphs and equations. In science, skilful teacher exemplification of ideas and well-planned practical work enable pupils to comprehend and engage with abstract concepts in order to form their own detailed scientific explanations.
• Similarly, there is some particularly strong teaching across the wider curriculum. For example, in art pupils enjoy improving both their technical skills and their conceptual understanding to produce some outstanding work. Teachers’ exemplary use of the target language in key stage 3 modern foreign languages ensures that pupils make rapid progress in their speaking and listening skills.
• There is a mutual respect between teachers and pupils and a studious working atmosphere across the school. Pupils are rightly proud of their high-quality work on display throughout the school and keen to explain and share their progress with visitors.
• Teachers have consistently high standards towards formal assessments and use them well to support pupils to improve their work. However, pupils’ books demonstrate that not all teachers insist that pupils’ classwork is of a similarly high standard. In a minority of instances, pupils’ books are poorly presented and/or contain unfinished work. Eliminating the last of these inconsistencies will help leaders to challenge even higher proportions of pupils to master the knowledge and skills required for the top grades of the new GCSE courses.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• There is a very caring and nurturing ethos in the school. Staff know the pupils well and have developed some innovative practices, including: art therapy, ‘Mr Digby’ the therapy dog, and the creation of quiet zones at break and lunchtimes to support and reassure any pupils experiencing stress or anxiety. Pupils gain a sense of community, security and pride in their time at Hounsdown School. This equips them with great confidence and maturity.
• Pupils feel safe and they are safe. Leaders and governors are clear that pupils’ welfare has top priority, and good systems are in place to offer guidance and support, involving external agencies where appropriate. Parents report that their children are well looked after and happy at the school.
• Pupils show a well-developed understanding and tolerance for others who are different from them. Pupils were keen to explain that they find racism and homophobia unacceptable. Tolerance and diversity are promoted well at the school.
• Pupils are keen to excel, ambitious for their own futures, and value the school’s support to help them achieve their goals. There are excellent programmes to promote high aspirations. For example, former pupils come back to mentor younger ones, promoting pupil leadership opportunities and even offering the chance for some to participate in World Challenge expeditions to Morocco or Borneo.
• Pupils report that bullying only takes place rarely and when it occurs it is promptly dealt with by teachers. The school’s own records confirm this. Through the well-planned curriculum, teachers ensure that pupils understand risk, how to behave responsibly, and how to keep themselves safe, including from cyber bullying and extremism.
• The small number of pupils who attend alternative provision at either Totton College or Greenwood School are very well cared for. Very good relationships between the school and these other providers ensure that all welfare needs are met. In addition, regular reviews and updates are provided on the progress that these pupils are making on their courses.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils are polite, keen to learn and friendly towards each other, staff and visitors. Uniforms are worn with pride, and pupils from all year groups are keen to discuss their positive experiences at school.
• Exemplary behaviour is evident in most lessons. Pupils show respect for each other and staff. They are punctual, and come to lessons well equipped and eager to learn. The vast majority of pupils are keen, attentive and thoughtful in class. It is not uncommon for pupils to thank their teachers as they leave the classroom.
• Attendance has improved and is currently above national average figures. In the past, disadvantaged pupils have contributed disproportionately to absence levels but this was due to some exceptional circumstances. Leaders have implemented systems and taken all reasonable actions to address this disparity effectively. Consequently, attendance for this group has increased and persistent absence has decreased.
• Although a small minority of parents expressed some concerns through Parent View, the vast majority of parents and pupils agree that behaviour is managed well. Incidents of poor behaviour are rare. Where they do occur, highly effective approaches and activities ensure that issues are quickly resolved. And so, the numbers of exclusions have fallen considerably in recent years.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• Published results for Year 11 in 2015 and 2016 show that pupils achieved above national average outcomes in a wide range of subjects. For example, in 2016 overall progress, as well as that in English, science and humanities, was significantly above average, and progress in mathematics was in the top 10% nationally.
• Leaders’ actions to improve planning and assessment have ensured that pupils are well prepared for the new style of GCSE examinations this year in English and mathematics. Teachers accurately monitor pupils’ learning and ensure that a comprehensive range of support and guidance is offered for any who lag behind their high targets. Progress of current pupils in English, mathematics, science, and across the curriculum, is outstanding.
• The progress of disadvantaged pupils was broadly in line with national averages compared to all pupils in both 2015 and 2016. However, the progress of disadvantaged pupils is significantly improving in the school. Leaders rightly identified that the progress of a small number of disadvantaged pupils was variable in 2016, and were able to explain in detail the causes of this. Leaders maintain a very clear focus on the progress and welfare of this group of pupils. Accurate assessments inform a wide range of teaching interventions and support for disadvantaged pupils. Consequently, disadvantaged pupils currently in the school make particularly strong progress. Any small differences in the progress that they are making compared to other pupils are diminishing rapidly.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well, including receiving bespoke support from well-deployed teaching assistants. By the end of key stage 4, these pupils make the same progress from their starting points as their peers.
• Leaders and teachers have high expectations for pupils. Although in 2016 the most able pupils achieved in line with national averages, this has improved for current pupils, and they make very strong progress in key stages 3 and 4. Heads of subjects ensure that demanding, intellectually challenging teaching inspires the most able pupils, and that they progress well to achieve the highest grades at GCSE and aspire to study further.
• Pupils who arrive from primary school needing help to catch up in English, mathematics, or both are given the right support to help them improve.
• There is a strong culture of reading at Hounsdown. In lessons across the curriculum pupils read aloud with confidence from challenging texts. The successful accelerated-reader programme run by the school is popular with the pupils. Teachers promote what they are reading via displays and the library is thriving at lunchtime.
• The school ensures that pupils are well prepared for their next steps in education or employment. As well as careers information and guidance, the school arranges a wealth of trips, visits and speakers and promotes high aspirations. Pupils report that they feel well informed about their choices after GCSEs.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 137229 Hampshire 10024713 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 Number of pupils on the school roll Appropriate authority Chair Executive headteacher Associate headteacher Academy converter 11 to 16 Mixed 1,235 Academy trust Adrienne Double Julie Turvey David Veal Telephone number 02380 862981 Website Email address www.hounsdown.hants.sch.uk admin@hounsdown.hants.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 11–12 December 2012

Information about this school

• Hounsdown School is a larger-than-average secondary school which converted to become an academy in 2011.
• The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged and eligible for the pupil premium funding is well below the national average. Some pupils are eligible for the Year 7 catch-up premium.
• The majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below the national average. The proportion with a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is well below the national average.
• A small number of pupils in key stage 4 attend alternative provision for one day a week at Totton College to study vocational courses. In addition, a small number of pupils attend alternative provision at Greenwood School.
• The school meets the requirements of the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

Information about this inspection

• This inspection began as a short inspection led by an Ofsted Inspector with one team inspector. This then converted into a full inspection led by one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors, accompanied by a full team of inspectors.
• Meetings were held with the executive headteacher, associate headteacher, representatives of the governing body, leaders, teachers and support staff. A telephone meeting was held with the school’s improvement adviser.
• During the first day of inspection the whole school was operating a ‘collapsed timetable’ citizenship day and so normal lessons could not be visited. During the second and third days of the inspection, inspectors visited 24 lessons and a further 24 part lessons to gather evidence to contribute towards their evaluation of the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. During some of these observations, inspectors were accompanied by senior leaders.
• Inspectors observed tutor periods, an assembly, visited the library and observed pupils’ conduct around the school at break and lunchtimes.
• Inspectors spoke to pupils both informally and formally and also heard a small group of pupils read.
• Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of school documentation including: that relating to policies; records of governors’ meetings; self-evaluation and planning; pupils’ achievement; behaviour and attendance information; and a wide range of pupils’ work.
• Inspectors reviewed the checks made on staff about their suitability to work with children.
• The inspection team considered the views expressed in 179 responses to Parent View, 89 staff questionnaires and 97 pupil questionnaires.

Inspection team

Matthew Newberry, lead inspector Sian Thornton Anne Cullum Gerard Strong Mary Hoather Sue Bullen Christopher Doherty Karen Roche, lead inspector Anne Cullum

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