Medina College Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the progress of all groups of pupils by insisting that all teachers: − focus on the attainment and progress of disadvantaged pupils, so that they catch up with other pupils nationally − consistently follow the school’s assessment policy, so that the needs of all pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are identified accurately and met carefully − set challenging tasks that engage and interest all pupils, so that low-level disruption in lessons is reduced.

• Improve the effectiveness of leadership by: − ensuring that subject leaders monitor the work of their teams closely and tackle weaknesses in teaching, learning and assessment promptly and effectively − reviewing and improving the overall provision for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities, so that they make at least good progress − ensuring that disadvantaged pupils come to school more regularly than in the past, so that their attendance becomes at least in line with the national average for all secondary school pupils.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• The recently appointed head of school, senior leaders and governors have a clear vision for improving the school. They demonstrate commendable ambition and drive, and their actions so far are beginning to have a positive impact on teaching, learning and assessment. Nevertheless, some important weaknesses remain.
• Leaders’ plans to improve the school have not secured consistently good progress for pupils. Leaders recognise that they still have work to do to raise aspirations and expectations to achieve the higher standards they strive for.
• Leaders have ensured that staff are more accountable for the impact of their work than in the past. There are better systems for monitoring teaching, learning and assessment. However, these systems need time to be fully implemented by staff.
• A new system for tracking pupils’ progress, based on regular assessments, is now in place across the school. This is sensibly designed to enable teachers to plan successfully, so that they meet the needs of their pupils and help them to make good progress. It is too soon to evaluate the full impact of the new tracking system.
• Subject leaders and heads of year have enthusiastically welcomed the training they have had to improve their leadership skills. One remarked, ‘This has been the best training for a long time.’ However, not all middle leaders insist that their teams follow school policies and uphold high expectations.
• There is similar variability in the way in which subject leaders interpret information about pupils’ achievement. Leaders can accurately identify strengths and weaknesses in pupils’ progress. Some do not use this information to plan what pupils need to do next.
• Since the change to a year-based pastoral system, leaders are becoming much more effective in tackling poor behaviour and attendance. Senior leaders have a good understanding of patterns in pupils’ behaviour and absence. They have introduced effective approaches to pre-empt any problems. For example, a few pupils, some of whom are disadvantaged, do not attend school regularly enough, and some are poorly behaved. The ‘Progress Room’, which is a supervised area for pupils who display poor behaviour, is helping to modify their conduct.
• Until recently, leaders’ work to improve the attendance and progress of disadvantaged pupils has not had sufficient impact. Actions to help disadvantaged pupils who were falling behind in Year 11 were often taken too late. Leaders have reviewed this work and have better plans in place now.
• The school’s provision for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is not good enough. Leaders have rightly recognised that some pupils’ needs are not met well enough and, as a result, they are not making sufficiently rapid progress.
• A new approach to performance management is helping to hold staff to account for the quality of their work. Leaders set staff-focused and challenging targets in order to raise standards, in addition to providing them with the support and training they need.
• Leaders and governors have reviewed the curriculum and have made sure that it is well designed and appropriate for all pupils. In addition, pupils benefit from many opportunities to go on school visits to enrich their experiences. Pupils appreciate the wide range of extra-curricular activities on offer, which have a positive impact on their personal development.
• A few parents are not yet confident that the school provides good enough opportunities for their children. However, most parents are supportive of the school. For example, one parent commented on the successful Year 6 to Year 7 transition programme: ‘My daughter started in September of this year and has settled extremely well. Transition was excellent.’
• The Island Innovation Trust provides clear and well-informed critical support in promoting the school’s improvement. Since the last inspection, the trust has helped to broker a range of specialist support and advice from Hampshire local authority. While school leaders and governors have valued this support, they recognise that further interventions will be needed to gain the best impact from it.

Governance of the school

• Governance is effective.

• The governing body is committed to improving the school. Recent changes in membership have strengthened governors’ capacity to challenge leaders effectively. Governors bring a range of relevant skills and experience, such as in finance and business.
• The recent appointments of a new chair of governors and of an experienced educational professional as vice chair of governors have brought a sharp focus on the areas the school needs to improve. They have a clear understanding of the challenges ahead.
• Along with the Island Innovation Trust, governors responded quickly to appoint a new executive headteacher when the last executive headteacher left the school suddenly. Governors are rightly confident in their appointment of the new head of school.
• Governors fulfil their statutory duties effectively. They undertake regular training relating to aspects of safeguarding, such as radicalisation, and oversee the school’s work to keep pupils safe.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

• There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school, and pupils said that they feel safe.
• Leaders have ensured that staff have a good knowledge of the risks that pupils may face, including those related to radicalisation or child sexual exploitation. Relevant staff have been trained in all aspects of safer recruitment. Checks on new staff and volunteers are rigorous. Staff work well with other agencies to ensure that vulnerable pupils get the support they need when they are at risk.
• Pupils have many opportunities to learn how to stay safe, both through the subjects that they study and through assemblies. Pupils told inspectors that they regularly learn about how to stay safe online.
• Pupils are confident that adults will help them and listen to their concerns when they arise.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Leaders are taking increasingly well-planned and robust action to improve the quality of teaching, which is beginning to have an impact. However, the overall quality of teaching, learning and assessment remains too variable, with particular weaknesses in science.

• The school’s new assessment system enables teachers to have accurate information about pupils’ abilities and needs. However, not all teachers are using the system to plan effectively. As a result, too few pupils are challenged to make strong rates of progress from their starting points. For the most able pupils, work is sometimes too easy and teachers do not move them on quickly enough.
• Similarly, some teachers and other adults do not provide appropriate tasks for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. In some cases, teachers do not have sufficiently detailed information to help them plan and support pupils’ learning effectively.
• In English, modern foreign languages, art and drama, for example, teachers have high expectations of pupils and students. Teachers challenge pupils to explain their ideas fully and to think hard. In these subjects, pupils know what they need to do to improve.
• In other subjects, expectations of what pupils can achieve are not as high. Not all teachers insist that pupils concentrate and focus on their work, particularly in science. As a result, pupils do not make as much progress as they should.
• The quality of teachers’ questioning to probe pupils’ responses and deepen their understanding is variable. Some teachers do not always correct pupils’ misconceptions and, as a result, some pupils repeat mistakes.
• Opportunities for pupils to develop their writing skills in subjects beyond English are not developed well. Pupils are not always able to tackle GCSE questions in other curriculum subjects to achieve the highest grades. Some teachers do not insist that pupils’ handwriting and the presentation and layout of their work are of a high enough standard.
• Leaders and teachers promote reading strongly throughout the school. Most pupils read confidently and enjoy books.
• Teachers set homework routinely in most subjects, which reinforces pupils’ learning.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.

• This is a listening school where adults give detailed attention to pupils’ needs as they arise. Pupils feel well supported by the school. They know whom to speak to if they have any concerns.
• Pupils benefit from regular advice and guidance during their personal development sessions and assemblies. Pupils demonstrate tolerance. They accept gender differences and are alert to wrongful discrimination. Pupils are taught about the risks of extreme views. The school’s work to promote fundamental British values contributes well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
• The school’s personal, social, health and cultural education programme is well planned and includes age-appropriate topics such as mental health. Pupils respect the rights of others and celebrate differences. These values are reflected in the positive way in which most pupils interact with each other in and out of lessons. The school is friendly and very inclusive.
• Pupils said that they know how to manage the risks from the misuse of mobile phones and from social networking sites because of regular discussions in form time. Pupils also expressed confidence that bullying would always be dealt with quickly and effectively.
• Careers information, advice and guidance are effectively delivered. Pupils gain a good understanding of the range of options available to them for the next stages in their education, employment or training.
• Many pupils are engaged well in school life. The wide range of sporting, music and drama opportunities is valued by pupils. A growing proportion of pupils participate in extra-curricular activities.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.

• While behaviour has improved recently, there is too much low-level disruption in lessons. Some pupils chatter when they should be working. A few pupils call out, and, when challenged, a small number argue with adults. Not all staff are using the new behaviour management system effectively.
• Most pupils behave sensibly and warmly to each other and adults during break and lunchtime. However, some pupils are unnecessarily loud and boisterous. Occasionally, these pupils ignore adults’ reminders about how they should behave.
• Overall attendance is below that recorded nationally for secondary schools. While there has been some improvement in recent years, persistent absence for pupils who are disadvantaged or who have SEN and/or disabilities is too high.
• The heads of year appreciate the work and support of the head of school with improving behaviour. ‘Her presence around the school has made a real difference’, one reported. A restorative justice system has been introduced to deal with confrontations between pupils. Pupils reported that this is working well.
• School leaders are taking a firm line with unacceptable behaviour and as a result, detention rates are currently high. However, the school is excluding pupils less frequently than before. Most pupils feel, overall, that behaviour in the school has improved.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Pupils’ achievement is too variable. Additionally, pupils often have gaps in their skills and knowledge, resulting from a legacy of previous underachievement. The most able boys in Years 10 and 11, in particular, have considerable ground to make up.
• Typically, pupils join Year 7 with below-average attainment. By the time they complete Year 11, pupils’ GCSE results are below national figures. Pupils are therefore not catching up quickly enough.
• Provisional results for the 2017 GCSE examinations are generally better than those in 2015 and 2016. However, these results remain below national figures in most subjects.
• There is too much variation in rates of progress across the school, especially in Years 9 and 10. Although school leaders can point to improvements in pupils’ current work, inspectors found some remaining weaknesses. The most able pupils do not achieve what they are capable of because expectations are not high enough in all subjects. Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities do not all make enough progress because some teachers do not understand the complexities of their different needs.
• Inspectors found that pupils make stronger progress in English, mathematics, drama, art, history and modern foreign languages. In these subjects, for example, the most able pupils are achieving more stretching and challenging written tasks.
• There are clear signs that disadvantaged pupils are beginning to make better progress in some subjects. The gap between their achievement and that of their peers is diminishing.

16 to 19 study programmes Good

• The sixth form is led and managed well. Leaders are ambitious for this provision and are determined to ensure that it prepares students successfully for the next stage in their education or employment.
• Students make good progress in most subjects in the sixth form and they achieve well. They make equally good progress in vocational and academic subjects. Leaders are taking effective action to improve outcomes further in the few subjects in which standards are not high enough. Disadvantaged students make good progress from their starting points.
• In most subject areas, teachers’ questioning helps students to explore difficult concepts and to think deeply about what they are learning.
• Students benefit from a varied and relevant enrichment programme. Information, careers advice and guidance are a key strength. Students receive regular guidance to help them to make decisions about their future employment, education or training.
• Sixth-form leaders monitor students’ progress effectively. Through this monitoring, leaders swiftly identify students who are at risk of falling behind. Extra help is put in place quickly, which ensures that students continue to make good progress.
• A few students join the sixth form without having secured GCSE results in English and mathematics at grade 4 or C, or above. These students continue to study English and/or mathematics and almost all are successful in improving their grades when they resit their examinations.
• Students enjoy being part of the sixth form. They value their friends and the support that teachers and other adults provide. Attendance has improved in the last two years. All students who spoke to inspectors said that they were glad that they had joined the sixth form. As in the rest of the school, safeguarding is effective in the sixth form. Students understand how to keep themselves safe and how to live healthy lifestyles.
• The considerable majority of students who join the sixth form in Year 12 complete their courses at the end of Year 13. A small number leave at the end of Year 12 because opportunities arise, such as apprenticeships or more appropriate courses at a local college. The proportion of students moving to employment or higher education when they finish Year 13 is slightly above that seen elsewhere.
• The 16 to 19 study programmes are well designed. Most students benefit from suitable work experience that is related to their interests and employment aspirations. However, there are some students who have not taken the opportunity to undertake appropriate work experience.

School details

Unique reference number 136010 Local authority Isle of Wight Inspection number 10032904 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Secondary comprehensive School category Foundation Age range of pupils 11 to 19 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1256 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Peter Whitlock Interim Executive Headteacher Mark Kingswood Telephone number 01983 526523 Website www.medina.iow.sch.uk Email address info@medina.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.

• Medina College federated with Carisbrooke College in 2011 under the Island Innovation Trust. Sixth-form students from both schools attend the Island Innovation 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 Island Innovation Trust has brokered support for Medina College with Hampshire Inspection and Advice Service over the last year.
• The previous headteacher of Carisbrooke College was appointed executive headteacher of the federated schools in June 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 June 2016.

• Medina College is larger than the average secondary school, and a very large majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds.
• Medina College serves a community with slightly above-average levels of deprivation. The proportions of pupils identified with SEN and/or disabilities is higher than in other schools.
• Currently, four pupils attend alternative provision at The Island Learning Centre.
• The school meets the Department for Education’s definition of a coasting school, based on key stage 4 academic performance results in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
• The school meets the current government floor standards for what pupils are expected to achieve by the end of key stage 4.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 60 sessions and attended form time in the morning and an assembly. Many of the sessions were jointly observed with senior leaders, with whom inspectors also toured the school and sixth-form campus. Inspectors also made brief visits to a number of classrooms, and looked at pupils’ books in lessons.
• Inspectors explored how effectively the school uses the pupil premium funding, Year 7 catch-up funding and funding for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.
• Together with the head of school and a senior leader, inspectors scrutinised a range of pupils’ written work across subjects from the current and previous school year.
• Inspectors observed pupils’ conduct and behaviour during breaktimes and lunchtimes around the college.
• Several meetings were held with the executive headteacher, head of school, deputy headteacher and other members of the senior and middle leadership teams. The lead inspector held discussions with three members of the local governing body, as well as with the chair of The Island Innovation Trust. In addition, two representatives of the Hampshire Inspection and Advice Service met with the lead inspector.
• Inspectors met formally with pupils in key stages 3 and 4 and with a group of students in key stage 5.
• Inspectors evaluated 122 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, 109 free-text comments and 84 responses to the staff survey. Forty responses were received to the pupil survey.
• In addition, inspectors examined assessments of pupils’ progress, records of attendance, behavioural incidents and governance. A range of policies, including safeguarding policies, was scrutinised, as were minutes of governors’ meetings. Inspectors looked closely at the school’s records of the monitoring of the quality of teaching across the school.

Inspection team

Hugh Betterton, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Alistair Brien Ofsted Inspector Carol Grant Ofsted Inspector Debbie Godfrey-Phaure Ofsted Inspector Harry Kutty Ofsted Inspector

Any complaints about the inspection or the report should be made following the procedures set out in the guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.