Carisbrooke College Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by:
  • accurately identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the school
  • implementing rigorous processes at all levels for checking that actions to improve the school are bringing about the intended results
  • continuing to implement plans to accelerate the progress of disadvantaged pupils
  • strengthening the effectiveness of governors so that they call leaders precisely to account for the effect of their actions.
• Improve teaching, learning and assessment across all subjects, and especially in science, by:
  • ensuring that teachers consistently use assessment and other information effectively to plan for pupils’ different needs, particularly for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and the most able pupils
  • increasing pace during lessons and ensuring that there is no wasted time
  • ensuring that teachers’ questioning is effective in developing pupils’ understanding and securing their knowledge
  • ensuring that teachers’ feedback effectively helps pupils make improvements to their work
  • providing opportunities for pupils to read more widely.
• Insist on the highest standards of behaviour by:
  • ensuring that staff have high expectations of acceptable behaviour
  • supporting all staff to use the behaviour policy consistently so that consequences for poor behaviour are followed through
  • ensuring that staff do not tolerate low-level disruption or inattentiveness during lessons.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Since the last inspection, school leaders have not made sure that the school has improved quickly enough. While plans for improvement have been carried out, leaders have not monitored the success of their actions sufficiently well. As a result, improvement has been too slow.
• Leaders do not precisely know the school’s strengths and weaknesses. As a consequence, they have an inaccurate view of the success of the school and further action to improve is not taken effectively.
• Leaders do not monitor teaching and learning precisely enough. When monitoring, leaders emphasise a check of compliance to school policies, rather than whether teaching has deepened pupils’ learning and progress well enough. The quality of teaching is too variable and pupils’ rates of progress are too inconsistent across the school.
• Leaders do not communicate their expectations about pupils’ behaviour clearly enough. Leaders have implemented a behaviour policy but do not make sure that all staff consistently follow it. Consequently, leaders and staff do not consistently manage behaviour. Pupils’ behaviour is not yet good overall.
• Leaders do not do enough to promote a passion for reading. Pupils do not have easy access to a wide range of reading material.
• Leaders offer a curriculum with a broad range of subjects. Leaders allow pupils to choose subjects for study at key stage 4. Leaders have not successfully encouraged the most able pupils to study a broad curriculum in Year 11. While the language curriculum at key stage 3 is particularly rich, with the successful introduction of Chinese, in Year 11 pupils do not study languages at all.
• Leaders have provided well for spiritual, moral, social and cultural education through assemblies and cultural literacy lessons. Pupils understand the importance of understanding others’ views and being tolerant. While pupils have the opportunity to prepare well for life in modern Britain, their engagement during cultural literacy sessions is variable due to low-level disruption.
• Leaders introduced a wide range of voluntary lunchtime extra-curricular clubs in the summer term. Teachers make sure that experiences are rich and valuable for the pupils that attend. Inspection evidence suggests that currently a minority of pupils attend clubs regularly. Leaders recognise that there is more to do to make sure that pupils, especially those that are disadvantaged, benefit from extra-curricular activities.
• The headteacher has successfully harnessed the capacity of middle leaders, to implement new initiatives in teaching, learning and assessment. Leaders are enthusiastically developing successful teaching strategies, through research projects. These are beginning to have positive impact on the quality of teaching. Continuous professional development and performance management is improving the quality of teaching. Staff are keen to hone their skills further and report that their training needs are supported well.
• Leaders have begun to use the additional funds for supporting disadvantaged pupils well. They provide additional support and monitor disadvantaged pupils’ progress closely. As a result, the progress of disadvantaged pupils is improving, although does not yet match other pupils’ progress.
• The local authority knows the school well and has intensified support recently, with some success. However, this support has not had enough time to have a significant effect across all aspects of the school that require improvement.
• The interim executive headteacher, in post since September, has begun to provide helpful guidance to leaders and governors, especially in developing a new school improvement plan.
• Leaders have extended the curriculum effectively for a very small number of pupils who attend alternative learning provision. Leaders monitor pupils’ progress at such provision well.
• Leaders have provided well at Island Innovation Sixth Form Campus for the few sixth-form students in Year 14 still registered at the school. Communication between the college and school is regular and effective.
• Leaders ensure that the specialist provision for pupils with autistic spectrum conditions provides a good level of education. Pupils have access to a wide range of support, including therapies, so that their needs are met well.

Governance of the school

• Governance has been recently strengthened. Governors are highly skilled and knowledgeable. They participate in regular training, especially for those new to the role, to improve their skills.
• Governors are beginning to provide challenge to school leaders and to evaluate the success of leaders’ actions. For example, governors have begun to check leaders’ impact on plans to improve the progress of disadvantaged pupils.
• Governors have not monitored closely enough school leaders’ success in implementing the funds to help Year 7 pupils catch up on their literacy and numeracy skills.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• All staff at the school receive regular training to keep them up to date with recent advice on how to keep pupils safe.
• Leaders communicate well with parents, carers and other agencies should there be concerns about a pupil. They keep comprehensive records so that they can reflect on and check evidence of support.
• Pupils say that they feel safe in the school and would be able to approach an adult should they have any concerns. The majority of parents and staff agree that pupils are safe in the school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is improving but still varies within subjects and across the school. Teaching is consistently stronger in key stage 4 in English, mathematics and history than in other subjects and years. Teaching, learning and assessment are not yet consistently strong enough to be good overall.
• Teachers do not consistently plan for the needs of all pupils in their classes. The most able pupils are not always provided with challenging work. Pupils who are least able or who have special educational needs and/or disabilities in mainstream classes do not always receive effective support so they can make good progress. Middle-ability pupils make most progress.
• Teachers do not consistently follow the school’s assessment policy. Consequently, their feedback to help pupils improve their work is variable in its effectiveness. If feedback is given, pupils do not always act on advice on how to improve. Leaders recognise that a lack of consistent feedback about learning across subjects contributes to variation in outcomes.
• Leaders have recently focused on improving the teaching of disadvantaged pupils. Teachers are beginning to understand disadvantaged pupils’ needs better. As a consequence, teachers provide them with extra effective support. Leaders’ specific tracking shows that disadvantaged pupils are now making faster rates of progress than previously.
• Teachers’ questions, during whole-class teaching, do not consistently develop and check pupils’ understanding. As a consequence, teachers do not find out exactly what pupils understand in order to adjust plans accordingly. Teachers’ questioning does not routinely deepen pupils’ knowledge and skills.
• Teaching does not ensure that time is used productively by pupils during lessons. The pace of lessons slows down towards the end of sessions.
• Teaching in science has resulted in pupils not making enough progress. Difficulty in recruitment resulted in a number of classes having temporary teachers in the past. While the school is now fully staffed, there is much to be done to rapidly improve teaching in science. Consequently, pupils’ progress in science remains well below expected standards and is only improving slowly, including for disadvantaged pupils.
• The majority of parents who responded to the online questionnaire say that their child is taught well.
• Pupils who attend the specialist unit to support pupils with autistic spectrum conditions are taught well.
• Pupils enjoy using the online resources available for work at home. These help to prepare them for future learning. Parents agree that their child is provided with appropriate homework.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.
• Pupils’ attitude towards learning is not consistently positive. Staff have not ensured that all pupils take pride in their work, their school and their appearance. Pupils’ books contain graffiti and litter is left behind at breaks and lunchtimes around the site. Pupils are slow to move to their next lesson.
• Pupils say that overall they feel safe and well cared for and receive effective pastoral support. While most pupils know how to keep themselves safe should bullying occur, a minority of pupils, parents and staff say that bullying is not dealt with consistently well by school staff.
• School leaders provide effective and impartial careers advice. Pupils, including those that are disadvantaged, have the opportunity to explore their next steps after school. Some older pupils say that they would like even more advice and support.
• A few pupils attend alternative learning providers, including the Island Centre for part or all of their education. Leaders monitor pupils’ attendance effectively at alternative provision. School staff make sure that pupils attend regularly and are looked after well.
• A small number of sixth-form students, registered at the school, attend the Island Innovation Sixth Form Campus. They attend regularly and say that their needs are met.
• Pupils who attend the specialist provision are looked after well.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement
• Pupils’ behaviour is not consistently good at break and lunchtime. A minority of pupils are boisterous and do not self-regulate their behaviour during unstructured time.
• Staff do not make clear to pupils their expectations of acceptable standards of behaviour so that pupils behave consistently well. Pupils’ learning in lessons is hampered by low-level disruption, especially towards the end of sessions. As a consequence, lessons do not consistently run smoothly, or without interruption.
• Leaders have not managed to reduce rates of exclusion for serious misbehaviour quickly enough. Despite successful strategies to support individual pupils’ behaviour, too many pupils lose days of learning because of exclusions.
• Despite many and varied strategies, the attendance of pupils remains consistently below the national average for secondary schools. Focused efforts on pupils who are persistently absent show small signs of success, but still too many pupils do not come to school regularly enough.
• Most pupils are polite, respectful and understanding of the value of good manners and behaviour. Staff have positive relationships with pupils.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Overall, pupils join the school with key stage 2 outcomes below that typically expected.
• GCSE examination performance in English and mathematics has risen yearly to around the national average since the last inspection, progress in a minority of other subjects has not sufficiently improved for outcomes to be good overall.
• Inspection evidence, supported by the schools’ own assessment information, shows that pupils in key stage 3 are making stronger progress, compared to that at key stage 4. Strong teaching in English and mathematics in Year 11 is ensuring that current rates of progress for these pupils are accelerating.
• Leaders have not ensured in the recent past that most able pupils achieve the highest grades of which they are capable. Teachers are not challenging the most able pupils sufficiently well. Consequently, most-able pupils across the school are not making enough progress across a range of subjects and could achieve more.
• Pupils’ literacy skills are beginning to develop. Pupils’ writing in English shows good progress. Pupils’ writing is less well developed across the curriculum, with not enough opportunity for them to write at length and for a variety of purposes. Consequently, pupils are not practising their extended writing skills frequently enough.
• Leaders have supported disadvantaged pupils in Year 7 to catch up with their literacy and numeracy skills successfully. However, pupils do not have easy access to varied reading material. Consequently, while reading levels are being developed for small groups of pupils, advanced reading skills are not being consistently developed across year groups.
• Pupils who are disadvantaged are now making better progress than in the previous inspection, but there is still a lag between their rates of progress and those of other pupils nationally. Leaders’ strategies are beginning to have more impact on the rate of progress of disadvantaged pupils across the school.
• In 2016, Year 11 pupils that are disadvantaged showed weak progress in science according to published information. While there are some promising signs of improvement, inspection evidence shows that progress in science remains slow for most pupils currently in the school.
• The strongest progress is seen among Year 7 pupils. The rapid progress of Year 7 pupils in Chinese is as a result of good teaching.
• Pupils who attend the on-site resource centre for pupils with autistic spectrum disorder make good progress, especially in their social and emotional skills. Their needs are met well in the centre and they thrive in this supportive environment.
• Most students continue their education at the sixth form campus, federated with the school. Effective careers information and guidance prepares them well for their next stage of education and training.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 136012 Isle of Wight 10032893 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 19 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 580 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Peter Whitlock Interim Executive Headteacher Mark Kingswood Telephone number 01983 524651 Website Email address www.carisbrooke.iow.sch.uk info@carisbrooke.iow.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 10–11 March 2015

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• Carisbrooke College federated with Medina College in 2015 under the Island Innovation Trust. Sixth-form pupils from both schools attend the Island Innovation Trust’s Sixth Form Campus and are now registered at Medina College. An executive headteacher and governing body oversee Carisbrooke College, Medina College and the Sixth Form Campus.
• The school is registered with the department for education for pupils aged 11 to 19. Currently the school has no students in Years 12 or 13 as they are registered at Medina College. There are a small number of students in Year 14 who are still registered with Carisbrooke College. Leaders say that they will alter the registration information to a school for pupils aged 11 to 16, when the legacy students in Year 14 have left.
• The previous headteacher of Carisbrooke College was appointed executive headteacher of the federated schools in September 2016. On his departure in August 2017, an interim executive headteacher was appointed in September 2017. A new permanent executive headteacher is due to start in January 2018. The deputy headteacher became the head of school in September 2016.
• Most pupils are from White British backgrounds.
• Carisbrooke College serves a community with average levels of deprivation.
• The school roll has decreased since the last inspection to 580 pupils and is a smaller than average secondary school.
• The school has an average number of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. It also accommodates a specialist resource centre (The Einstein Centre) for 13 pupils with autistic spectrum disorder, which is supported by the local authority.
• A small minority of pupils attend alternative providers such as The Island Learning Centre, Island Equus, Woodlearn and Mersley Gardens.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards.

Information about this inspection

• Meetings were held with the interim executive headteacher, senior leaders and middle leaders. The inspector also considered 43 responses from staff to the questionnaire.
• The lead inspector met with the chair of governors and three other governors.
• Telephone calls were made with alternative learning providers.
• A telephone call and a meeting were held with representatives from the local authority.
• The inspector considered 49 responses to the online questionnaire and a number of letters. Inspectors spoke with a number of parents at the school gate.
• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in around 30 lessons. The headteacher or senior staff accompanied the inspectors during most observations.
• Inspectors carried out a scrutiny of pupils’ work across the year groups and subjects. Meetings were held with two groups of pupils, and inspectors spoke with a number of pupils during the inspection.
• The lead inspector visited The Einstein Centre and spoke with pupils and staff and observed learning.
• The lead inspector visited the sixth-form provision and spoke with a small number of students in Year 14 and the headteacher.
• Inspectors looked at a number of documents, including: the school’s self-evaluation; the school improvement plan; analysis of the school’s performance information; information relating to the behaviour and attendance of pupils; safeguarding and child protection records; and minutes from trustees’ meetings.

Inspection team

Susan Child, lead inspector Richard Carlyle Harry Kutty Mark Bagust Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector