Sittingbourne Community College Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Share best practice in how to stretch and challenge all pupils so that this aspect of teachers’ practice is as consistently effective as other aspects.
• Extend work on literacy so that it better supports pupils in developing their writing by:
  • making sure that pupils use an appropriate level of formality in their writing as well as accurate spelling, grammar and punctuation
  • developing pupils’ understanding of the features of the different types of writing required in the courses and qualifications they undertake.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Expertly harnessing the skills of leaders from the school’s senior team and from the trust, the executive headteacher has introduced many successful new approaches that have improved the school. He has injected renewed energy and ambition into the school at all levels. As a result, pupils behave well, work hard and make strong progress.
• Senior leaders now make a powerful contribution to the school. Their discerning and accurate checks have penetrated every aspect of the school’s work. Priorities are firmly rooted in leaders’ overarching determination to remove any barriers to pupils’ success. Leaders are crystal clear about their roles and how best to carry out their responsibilities. As a result, all aspects of the school have developed and continue to do so.
• Following a swiftly executed and precise curriculum review, leaders astutely instigated a number of short-term, beneficial changes to the curriculum. These changes are now paying dividends and assisting pupils in fulfilling their potential. For instance, Year 11 pupils embed their skills in mathematics and English properly because their lessons are scheduled at a time when they can be extended if required.
• Leaders also wisely identified that deeper changes to the curriculum were required to ensure that all pupils pursue their interests, succeed in their next steps and gain a solid grounding across a wider range of skills. Leaders have created a well-considered design for the curriculum going forward, which is closely founded on these intentions and has been positively received in the first round of consultations with stakeholders.
• Expertise from other schools within the trust has been astutely drafted in by the executive headteacher. It has contributed to the rapidity with which the school has improved. A notable example is the new, enhanced approach to setting targets and tracking pupils’ progress. Leaders consequently now have a bird’s-eye view of how well different groups of pupils are progressing, especially disadvantaged pupils. The system also facilitates precise and meaningful comparisons between subjects and different teaching groups. Leaders at all levels are using it adeptly to hold their staff to account.
• Leaders pursue improvements in teaching and learning with vigour. They work in tandem with expert teachers, systematically developing the practice of those in need of support. They ensure that teachers access the professional development they need to improve their skills and confidence. In line with raised expectations in other aspects of the school, leaders provide appropriate challenge to those teachers whose practice does not improve following extensive support.
• Leaders oversee pupils’ behaviour well and painstakingly ensure that agreed approaches are implemented fully. Leaders’ expectations are high and, in order to maintain them, leaders tenaciously follow up any behaviour breaches. Pupils said that this makes a tremendous difference to the atmosphere in school, which is calm and purposeful, despite extensive building work. Some parents are not fully aware of new approaches to behaviour and other aspects of the school. There are strong plans in place to rectify this.
• The team of leaders who collectively ensure that all pupils who have additional needs receive the support they require work very well together. In particular, the combined expertise of the two resource base leaders is successfully harnessed by the senior leader responsible for inclusion. Pupils from the two resource bases are catered for very well and make strong progress. Funding for pupils who have additional needs in the mainstream school is very precisely used for a raft of successful reading interventions. It is also used in part to fund ‘the pod’, which is effective a provision for younger pupils who struggle with all aspects of school life.
• A rich seam of strong practice development within the school is the way that tolerance, along with pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural is wholeheartedly promoted. In ethics, pupils learn about the origins of fundamental British values and other ideals that our society cherishes. There are numerous, well-planned opportunities for pupils to put these values into practice and share their views, including by participating in debates and mock elections.
• Additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is very carefully used to ensure that new approaches to teaching are particularly beneficial to them. It is also used to ensure that this group of pupils experiences high-quality teaching and effective additional support. For example, the funding affords extra time for expert teachers to work in classes alongside disadvantaged pupils in a range of subjects. Pupils view the quality and extent of additional help as a strength of the school, and said that teachers ‘go the extra mile’ for them. The carefully considered use of funding is having an increasingly positive impact on this group’s outcomes and progress.
• The school’s cross-curricular work to develop pupils’ literacy, especially boosting the reading skills of weaker readers and their understanding of subject vocabulary, is effective. Pupils’ writing skills are less well developed and in some cases this is a barrier to progress.

Governance of the school

• The academy trust has taken effective action to strengthen governance by reconstituting the governing body as a leaner, sharper committee (the ‘challenge committee’).
• Educational experts drafted on to the committee are having a positive impact because they assist leaders in developing new approaches.
• Committee members have an acute understanding of the school’s context and they have high expectations of how well pupils should achieve. They focus relentlessly on checking that any barriers to success are removed and that additional funding makes a difference to targeted pupils’ experiences.
• The chair brings his experience to bear when carrying out his safeguarding responsibilities. He is highly attuned to the school’s safeguarding priorities, including work to clarify expectations of staff conduct.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• In order to improve safeguarding, the executive headteacher commissioned an extensive safeguarding survey and has promptly acted on the majority of its recommendations.
• The culture within the school supports pupils in staying safe. Those aspects identified as presenting most risk to pupils, such as online safety and sexual exploitation, are relentlessly tackled by all leaders, especially the designated safeguarding leaders. All staff are highly vigilant to any changes in pupils’ behaviour that may be indicative of deeper issues. The school is keenly responsive to safeguarding needs that arise, and highly attuned to the needs of pupils that are looked after and other pupils who may be vulnerable.
• Following concerns raised about pupils’ levels of anxiety and stress, professional support is now available for them in school.
• The leader dedicated to preventing radicalisation makes very good use of his expertise in working with pupils and external agencies. The anti-discrimination strategies he has implemented make a positive contribution to keeping pupils safe, as do pupil anti-discrimination ambassadors.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Practice in teaching is generally effective and some is very strong. Where practice is underdeveloped, it is improving. Sometimes, even where other aspects of teachers’ practice are strong, approaches designed to stretch most-able pupils do not have the anticipated impact.
• Of note is the high degree of consistency across the school in the way in which pupils are questioned. Another area of consistently strong practice is the way that teachers use information about any gaps that pupils have, to design questions and activities that help fill the gaps. In particular, targeted pupils who need to catch up are presented with additional challenge through follow-on questions that require them to think hard and hypothesise.
• Teachers have high expectations of their pupils and expect all pupils to give of their best. Highly effective collaboration with specialist teaching assistants means that pupils from the two resource bases are catered for well. Quality assurance checks are carried out to ensure that the support provided to pupils dovetails with their learning in class, is closely tailored to individual needs and supports independence.
• Pupils’ learning is generally strong in mathematics. Pupils learn well from their misconceptions, which are expertly tackled by teachers. They are supported in making progress by the additional challenges that teachers provide for them, which require them to apply their learning at a higher level, often by tackling GCSE-style questions.
• In English, in most classes pupils are presented with challenging texts to explore and demonstrate confidence in explaining themes and motivation. Carefully planned activities enable pupils to gain confidence in analysing the effects of writers’ language in their written responses. In Year 11 classes, pupils are developing the stamina, analytical skills and resilience they need to cope with unseen 19th century texts in examinations. As a consequence of effective approaches, which are consistently applied across the department, 2018 GCSE English language and literature results are set to improve.
• Teaching in science is improving, especially in key stage 3. Pupils are developing their abilities to analyse scientific data and interpret phenomena. Discussions in which pupils explore possible scientific explanations for their observations are helping them to firm up their knowledge of key concepts. Leaders have strong plans in place to build further on recent improvements in science. Learning in history and other humanities subjects is also improving rapidly following the arrival of a new head of humanities who joined the school earlier in 2017.
• Vocational learning is effective and, as a consequence, pupils are able to demonstrate their acumen in a range of vocational and practical skills. Pupils make good use of the one-to-one advice and feedback that teachers give them while they undertake practical activities.
• Across subjects, pupils’ learning is supported by the emphasis placed on developing their verbal explanations and confidence in using key subject terminology. Literacy support for pupils’ writing is not as well developed. Some pupils do not express their good ideas with enough clarity. Sometimes pupils do not use formal English, and too many pupils misspell words that sound the same but have a very different meaning.
• Pupils told inspectors that they sometimes struggle to access challenging work, and one pupil described this as feeling that she had been ‘cast adrift’. In some classes, not enough consideration is given to which tasks and resources will best facilitate pupils in being able to apply their knowledge, skills and understanding at a deeper level.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Some aspects, such as the emphasis placed on pupils’ well-being and the school’s anti-discrimination work, are impressive. The work is not outstanding because in some lessons, where teaching is less strong, pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are not positive enough.
• Around the school, and in class, pupils are generally keen to learn. They try hard and present their work neatly. Pupils want to succeed, regularly asking questions to check that they are on the right track. They are well assisted in their goals by the strong encouragement they receive from their teachers and their community leaders, who know them as individuals.
• At breaktimes, pupils socialise well, chatting in a friendly manner with the highly visible staff who supervise them. Pupils told inspectors that they feel safe around the site. They appreciate the additional care they receive, including access during the school day to specially trained mental health professionals
• Staff vigilantly clamp down on pupils’ use of discriminatory language. They are well supported in this by a group consisting of pupils who have experienced discrimination. Group members champion the school’s anti-discrimination work. They also successfully promote individual differences within their pupil communities with confidence and sensitivity.
• Leaders’ relentless focus on reducing absence has had some success in improving overall attendance through rewards and, in some more serious cases, legal sanctions. Last year’s attendance overall was slightly better than the previous year’s. This academic year, attendance figures are affected by the extremely low attendance of a small group of pupils, the vast majority of whom are disadvantaged.
• Due to the school’s efforts, and close work with families, over one quarter of pupils in the school achieved 100% attendance last academic year. Pupils targeted for support, because their attendance is just below average, are also now attending more regularly.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Leaders are honest and insightful about some of the challenges they face in improving behaviour. They cite the very poor behaviour of some pupils who join the school in Year 7. However, leaders’ foresight and forward planning means that they successfully assist pupils in adhering to the expectations of their new secondary school.
• Close and well-monitored links with the local provider of alternative provision ensure that pupils from the school behave positively while off site and attend regularly.
• Senior leaders’ regular checks on the standards of behaviour in class and around school are exacting. They sensibly focus on ascertaining the impact of additional support and new approaches. The accurate picture of pupils’ behaviour that leaders gain from their checks assists them in tackling any poor behaviour, which they do vigorously. For example, leaders have precisely identified a ‘hot spot’ when behaviour is poor after lunchtime. Leaders’ responses to this are carefully coordinated and support teachers well in ensuring that the afternoon session starts in a focused manner.
• Staff and leaders work in close and effective collaboration to tackle any small instances of non-compliance with behaviour rules. This approach has raised the number of behavioural incidents that are logged. However, there is a high degree of consensus among pupils, teachers and leaders that it has also led to substantial improvements in behaviour and a reduction in fixed-term exclusions.
• Actions taken to reduce incidents of bullying have been effective. Over the last academic year, there has been a reduction in bullying incidents, including discriminatory bullying. Pupils spoken to at break and lunchtime said that bullying incidents have reduced.
• The majority of parents made positive comments about the school. One commented, ‘I am very pleased with the school, especially the way some teachers are looking after the welfare of pupils.’ However, some parents shared concerns with inspectors that bullying is not dealt with well enough. The executive headteacher is liaising more closely with parents who raise concerns, through individual meetings and fortnightly parent drop-in sessions he has set up.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Effective teaching and closer monitoring mean that current pupils mostly make strong progress from their below-average starting points. In pockets where pupils’ progress is less strong, it is improving rapidly. This is because of the emphasis that leaders in the school as well as the trust’s chief executive place on improving pupils’ progress.
• Disadvantaged pupils make similarly strong progress to that of other pupils in the school, and where it is marginally less strong it is improving. In some subject areas and years, disadvantaged pupils make better progress than other pupils, for example in Year 8 in English.
• There are numerous examples of the strides in learning that disadvantaged pupils make because of targeted teaching approaches and effective support. Of note is the impact of ‘lead learners’, highly skilled teachers who support disadvantaged pupils across all their subjects, including by working closely with them in lessons.
• The school’s own information, based on assessments that are checked by subject leaders, shows that most pupils currently make strong progress towards challenging targets. In some subject areas, where progress is slower, such as in French, the school has recruited new leaders and teachers.
• Across most year groups, pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities make strong progress. The progress made by pupils in the hearing-impaired resource base and speech and language unit is noteworthy. Improvements in teaching and the quality of support that pupils receive in class mean that pupils from the main school who have additional needs now make the same strong progress as other pupils.
• Year 11 pupils’ work shows that progress in English and mathematics is accelerating .The quality of their responses to practice questions indicates that the grades that Year 11 pupils have been predicted to achieve in 2018 are largely accurate.
• Early published information for 2017 shows that pupils’ progress was below average. The overall progress score was affected by a small number of pupils whose progress was much lower than average because they had significant personal challenges. The progress of the rest of the pupils in the last academic year was broadly in line with national averages from the previous year, despite harder examinations in English and mathematics.
• In a number of subjects, most-able pupils are now making the rapid progress of which they are capable. However, sometimes their progress is not as strong as it might be because the challenge teachers provide for them does not have the impact on learning that teachers anticipate.

16 to 19 study programmes Good

• The sixth form is led effectively and meets the needs of students well. It is run jointly with another secondary school in the trust so that students can benefit from accessing a wider range of level 1, 2 and 3 qualifications. Students are well supported by the strong and competent team of sixth-form leaders, tutors and teachers. As a consequence, retention rates are good.
• In keeping with other areas of the school, the sixth form is improving. Leaders are developing new approaches to ensure that students fulfil their potential, including strengthening the induction programme and progress monitoring.
• Leaders from both sites collaborate closely so that study programmes and accredited courses enable students to progress to the next stage of their lives. Of note is how well teachers know the requirements of courses and how effectively they use their knowledge to prepare students for examinations. External reports from qualification accreditors are positive about how well vocational courses are delivered and assessed, including those at the skills centre.
• There has been an upward trend in the progress students make on the courses they take as part of their study programmes. Generally speaking, progress is strong. It is well above average in vocational qualifications. Courses in performance skills, such as drama and dance, are particularly effective. Students’ progress is improving in academic qualifications so that it is at least in line with the national average. Disadvantaged pupils make the same strong progress as other students.
• Study programmes provide students with additional support in literacy. For example, it is a strong element in key skills lessons. Teachers also assist students well in coping with the literacy demands of their courses. They rightly focus on this when feeding back to students about their strengths and areas for development.
• Impartial careers guidance is provided externally and is carefully targeted. Leaders meticulously analyse feedback from students and tutors to ensure that careers support is bespoke and where necessary additional assistance is provided. Students also benefit from an array of activities, which enable them to find out about careers and higher education providers. As a consequence, the majority of students leave to enrol on further training or study, and some access work-based training such as apprenticeships.
• Students benefit from the skills centre, which is a shared resource for delivering the practical elements required in vocational courses. One student described it as ‘life changing’, another as an ‘excellent opportunity’. The centre provides well-planned opportunities for students to acquire practical skills, including expertise in using different types of equipment, some of which is specialised. Students also experience a workplace environment, learning valuable skills which assist them in gaining employment, such as how to work well in a team.
• Leaders carefully track students’ progress to ensure that they meet their challenging targets. Any students who are struggling are supported in acquiring subject-specific knowledge, skills and understanding, by their subject teachers. Students speak very positively about their experiences in the sixth form. They appreciate the additional academic support they are given and feel safe.
• Students acquire competence and confidence by paying close attention when teachers explore practical techniques. They also participate well when teachers orchestrate carefully planned discussions. For example in drama, pupils gain expertise in how to express feelings using a range of dramatic techniques. Their expertise is cultivated by the confident and enthusiastic way in which the teacher imparts her strong subject knowledge during class discussions.
• Sixth-form leaders have detailed plans for the further development of the sixth form. These include students playing a greater part in the school as a whole, and having more opportunities to act as role models for younger pupils. Leaders have picked up that Year 12 attendance has dropped. Improving attendance is sensibly a current focus for leaders, as is further enhancing students’ progress in academic courses so their attainment is higher.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 137687 Kent 10037837 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Secondary comprehensive (non-selective) School category Academy sponsor-led Age range of pupils 11 to 19 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 1130 258 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Acting headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Robert Back Seamus Murphy 01795 472449 www.sittingbournecommunitycollege.org.uk office@sittingbourne.kent.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 17─ 18 December 2013

Information about this school

• The school has been part of the Swale Academies Trust since 2012 and is larger than most secondary schools.
• The executive headteacher who joined the Swale Academies Trust just after Easter in 2017 is currently acting headteacher of Sittingbourne Community College.
• A number of senior leaders in the school have substantive roles in other schools in the trust or have trust-wide leadership roles. The inclusion leader is an associate senior leader working across the trust. The deputy headteacher responsible for pupils’ progress has a substantive role as assistant headteacher in the outstanding secondary school within the trust, Westlands School.
• The school has two local authority-funded resource bases. The hearing-impaired resource base supports 25 pupils, and the speech and language unit supports 11 pupils. In addition, the school has developed its own provision, known as ‘the pod’, for pupils in Years 7 and 8 who need additional support.
• The pupil body is split into three pupil communities. Year 7 through to Year 11 are divided into two communities called Chaucer and Darwin. Sixth-form students belong to the Austen community.
• The school is currently undergoing extensive building work.
• The school makes use of the local alternative provision, Swale Inclusion Service, for seven pupils.
• Students in the sixth form are supported in their vocational learning by the skills centre, which is a trust-wide resource centre for vocational learning.
• The school meets requirements for the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is well above national average.
• The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the Year 7 catch-up funding is above average.
• The proportion of pupils who receive funding because they have SEN and/or disabilities is above average, and the proportion who have education, health and care plans is above average.
• The majority of pupils are White British, and fewer pupils than nationally have a first language other than English.
• The school meets the government’s 2016 floor targets. These are minimum national expectations for progress and attainment.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors made visits to observe learning in approximately 55 lessons. On most, but not all, occasions they were accompanied by senior leaders. Samples of pupils’ work were scrutinised by inspectors.
• Inspectors met with the executive headteacher and held separate meetings with senior leaders in relation to a range of areas, including curriculum, attendance, behaviour, leadership of teaching and progress tracking. Inspectors also met resource base leaders and the senior leader responsible for inclusion on two occasions. They visited the hearing-impaired resource base and the speech and language unit.
• Inspectors met with sixth-form leaders, middle leaders, a group of staff, newly qualified/trainee teachers, two groups of pupils, from key stages 3 and 4 respectively, and one group of sixth-form students. They also heard a group of pupils read and met a learning leader along with a selection of the pupils they support. Separate meetings were held with the leader responsible for careers guidance and with designated safeguarding leaders on two occasions.
• Inspectors held meetings separately with the chair of the ‘challenge committee’, accompanied by another member of the committee, and the chief executive officer of the trust. They also met with parents informally on day one of the inspection.
• Telephone calls were made to some parents on day two, the local authority’s improvement officer who supports the school’s partner primary schools and the local authority’s designated officer.
• Inspectors reviewed the 106 responses made by pupils to the online survey. They also took into account 69 responses to the online parent survey, Parent View, and 45 comments made by parents using the free-text facility in Parent View. Inspectors also reviewed a comment from a parent who contacted them.
• Documentation and policies, which included the school’s own evaluation, development plans and staff questionnaire responses, were reviewed. Inspectors scrutinised the school’s safeguarding records, including safety checks made when teachers are appointed, pupils’ records and a selection of teachers’ files.

Inspection team

Sarah Hubbard, lead inspector Catherine Old Colin Lankester Jennifer Bray Gerard Strong

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