The Regis School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• To generate equally strong outcomes in all subjects (particularly science):
  • share, among all middle leaders, the wealth of leadership expertise which exists throughout the school
  • make sure that all pupils, in all subjects, know how well they are doing and are clear about what they need to do to produce even better work
  • insist that pupils always write and present their work neatly
  • intensify the push on high expectations so that more pupils, particularly the most able, achieve the top GCSE grades
  • persevere with the successful actions that support disadvantaged pupils’ progress.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• On appointment, the principal knew that his first two tasks would be to establish the high standards of teaching and learning he expects, and to improve behaviour so that teachers could teach and pupils could learn. These were accomplished within just two years and generated an extremely convincing impact on achievement. Many progress measures have improved in the last three years, particularly in 2017, and especially in English and mathematics.
• The changes are appreciated by all members of the school’s community. As one parent observed, ‘There has been a marked difference in this school since the principal arrived; he has driven improvements in standards and behaviour.’ Over three quarters of staff who responded to their questionnaire strongly agree that the school has improved since the last inspection, and many pupils said the same.
• The principal is skilful at inspiring his senior and middle leaders to reflect and take steps to move forward. He knows exactly where pockets of leadership and teaching must get better this year. He is taking firm steps to strengthen them, particularly in science, already on his radar last year. He arranged a United Learning review, has a governor supporting his plans, and all members of the senior leadership team are involved. Any other subject where pupils could do even better cannot escape being under the principal’s spotlight and the watchful eye of the UL, governors and senior leaders.
• Staff morale is very high with 99% of them feeling proud to work at the school. They appreciate that leaders consider their work–life balance and arrange useful and practical training for them. All members of staff value visiting and liaising with their counterparts in other United Learning schools. At the same time, United Learning staff directors, with a wealth of experience and expertise, blend practical support with challenge.
• Extra funds for disadvantaged pupils or those who have special education needs and/or disabilities are spent very carefully, with meticulous analysis and reflection on whether they could be allocated more effectively. Adjustments are made each year.
• Sometimes middle leaders try out ideas to help disadvantaged pupils which do not necessarily involve extra spending. This year the mathematics department has allocated these pupils to different level groups first, for an even balance. The head of department is teaching a group of disadvantaged pupils on their own. He is confident that these initiatives are helping these groups of pupils to make even better progress, and evidence suggests that his optimism is right.
• The choice of subjects in the main school is wide with a very good balance of work-related and academic subjects. Pupils, particularly the younger ones, participate enthusiastically in a wide range of clubs and activities before and after school. Many relate to sports, the performing arts or to science, technology, engineering and mathematics. A few are for specific groups, such as the most able or disadvantaged pupils.
• The Duke of Edinburgh award has just started and has attracted much interest. Year 11 pupils have access to many before- and after-school revision and support sessions. The ‘Harry Potter’ reading intervention club is particularly imaginative and fun. Two ‘memorable moments’ days, when pupils and students choose from an imaginative list of trips and visits, widen their horizons and open their eyes to the rest of the UK and beyond.
• However, no description of what the school offers pupils is complete without reference to what makes its heart beat: its recognition as a Unicef RRS (see page 10 for details). This underpins pupils’ outstanding spiritual, moral, social, cultural, health and personal development. It explains their breadth of knowledge about British values, their tolerance of diversity and their empathy for others experiencing difficult situations.
• It permeates how respectfully and happily staff and pupils interact, along with pupils’ reflection and thoughtfulness about a variety of issues, and their charity fundraising and contribution to community life. Just one of several examples seen during the inspection was an assembly on how education improves lives, health and earnings.
• A parent who has had children in the school for the last 10 years wrote: ‘I can honestly say communication has never been better than it is now. There is a large presence of staff outside the premises at the beginning and end of every day, including the principal – that speaks volumes to me.’ Attendance at parents’ evenings has risen sharply, reflecting the determined and successful effort of governors and senior leaders to work with parents and encourage them to be involved in their children’s education.

Governance of the school

• The United Learning board describes the central purpose of a local governing body as to provide support and challenge. The Regis School governors support the principal and his leadership team 100% but certainly challenge at the same time, with commitment and determination. They know exactly what is happening in the school, keep abreast of all developments, constantly check on what is being done about any weaknesses and involve themselves at school level in reviewing steps forward. They all bring valuable expertise and experience to their roles.
• Governors are pleased that more pupils will be entered for the English Baccalaureate

(EBacc) qualification this year, and for the full eight subjects contributing to GCSE headline measures about progress. Nevertheless, they will continue to fully support senior leaders in making pupils’ long-term future success the most important consideration when planning their key stage 4 subject choices.

• Governors keep a sharp eye on the allocation and effectiveness of additional funds for pupils catching up and those who are disadvantaged. They support the principal’s approach to performance management and appraisal whereby staff have targets linked to the school’s action plan.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Safeguarding and inclusion leaders, and support staff working directly with children, are highly competent. They are experienced and determined to give all pupils and students the skills and confidence they need to do well in their futures. Checks on staff appointments are thorough and scrutinised regularly by a governor. All staff are involved in a combination of well-organised, online and face-to-face training. Training records are meticulous so that no staff who are new to the school or are absent get missed.
• Staff are fully aware of the signs that might suggest all is not well with a child and know exactly who to contact if they have any concerns. Training covers all the legal requirements and beyond. Whether radicalisation and extremism, female genital mutilation or trafficking or social media and e-safety, staff have covered the full range of potential harms to a child’s well-being.
• The very regular and detailed meetings held between inclusion staff and house and year leaders mean that no child slips through the net. All staff are given information about any pupils they teach if their personal situations could hinder their progress.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• A group of Year 11 pupils observed that there had been a ‘massive improvement’ in teaching since the principal arrived. This is supported by 97% of parents who responded to the questionnaire feeling that their child is taught well. Only just over half the current teachers and staff were at the school during the previous inspection. Despite recruitment issues, the principal does not shy away from taking action if his high standards are not met.
• Using expert advice and insight into examination syllabuses, United Learning arranges the preparation and marking of tests which pupils in all its schools complete. Hence, with around 3,000 pupils in each of Years 7 to 11 having their progress, in a range of subjects, graded externally and reliably, assessment at this level is of a high quality. In between these formal tests, most teachers evaluate pupils’ understanding and progress accurately and provide written or verbal feedback which helps pupils to improve their work.
• During the inspection many features of very effective teaching were seen, by teachers:
  • conveying their enthusiasm for their (specialist) knowledge of their subjects and enjoyment of sharing their expertise with pupils
  • asking questions that check pupils’ understanding at the same time as making them think hard and possibly explain or elaborate on their answers
  • encouraging pupils to discuss work together to help each other when they are stuck
  • giving pupils time to investigate work so they deepen their knowledge and skills
  • checking that all pupils make equally good progress by knowing which of them are the most able or ones who struggle
  • insisting that pupils present their work neatly so they can refer to it easily later on
  • sticking to the school’s marking and feedback policy so that pupils know how well they are doing and how they could improve their work.
• When teaching lacks some of the characteristics noted above, pupils do learn but their understanding and knowledge are not deep or secure enough to provide the foundations for the next lesson. Different styles of teaching can generate similar, positive outcomes, but this is not the case in science or a small number of classes in other subjects.
• The school library is at the centre of the school building and the school’s life, reflecting leaders’ determination that all pupils read fluently and enjoy books. Many Year 7 pupils have low reading ages on entry but the school has an array of approaches to get them reading well as fast as possible. Strategies include using special educational needs staff’s expertise, computer programs or exciting incentives such as a Harry Potter club.
• About four out of five pupils in Year 7 catch up to match their reading age to their actual age within six months. For others, intensive support continues as long as needed. Year 7 pupils were seen being encouraged to use ‘ambitious vocabulary’ in English and then share their ‘great words’. Leaders acknowledge that a more consistent approach to presenting and using mathematical skills in other subjects is an area for development.
• Pastoral staff and others, including learning support assistants and technicians, contribute much to pupils’ learning and the quality of equipment they use.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. Very high percentages of staff and parents who responded to the questionnaires were confident that pupils are, and feel, safe at school.
• It is unlikely that Year 11 pupils’ observation, that bullying and e-safety have been covered ‘a hundred times’, is entirely accurate. However, it certainly reflects leaders’ determination to confront these two serious issues regularly and link them to RRS values. Pupils consider different faiths in terms of extremism and, by watching the news in tutor time every week, have a reasonable overview of what is happening in the wider world.
• Pupils discuss different family structures and lifestyles or transgender and homophobia issues with maturity and sensitivity. They describe how the RRS status has improved their voice in school matters and how their suggestions are listened to and sometimes introduced.
• The school accepts many pupils who have not settled in their previous school and need a fresh start. The school has a strong track record of being successful in helping these pupils to cope with school life and make good progress.
• The care and oversight of children looked after is discreet and sensitive. These pupils know who they can talk to should they have any concerns. All staff are trained on topics that could potentially cause concern, such as discussing Mother’s Day or different family situations.
• A parent summed up several of the school’s strengths, observing that ‘the school tries to make tutor time valuable for the students – growing them into individuals who think about others, who have ambition and drive to succeed’. There is no doubt that the way the school promotes RRS values encourages pupils to have empathy for those who are less fortunate than themselves.
• Tutor times were certainly varied and valuable during the inspection, including, for example, a Year 11 all-boys group learning about the relationship between sleep deprivation at their age and life expectancy, with a diversion to explore types of diabetes. One Years 7 to 10 group discussed clean air while another watched a video about Halloween. Meanwhile, house groups went into the school grounds to plant bulbs as part of raising funds for the charity ‘Purple4Polio’. RRS ambassadors guided the events. Pupils have many ways to take on leadership roles and responsibilities.
• Pupils like the vertical tutor-groups as ‘in younger years it helps you to settle more’. The school’s arrangements for primary school pupils’ arrival and later transition between the key stages are excellent. Pupils receive useful and practical careers advice and guidance. For the last three years, all Year 11 pupils have proceeded into either the sixth form or other further education, training, apprenticeships or employment.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. The standards of behaviour expected in lessons are crystal clear so that learning proceeds smoothly; pupils concentrate hard and learn well. This describes what inspectors saw in the vast majority of lessons they visited. Pupils observed how rarely their lessons are interrupted.
• Stimulating posters and displays especially promote the top 10 ‘rights’ that students selected as the most important ones. Pupils appreciate the mostly spacious and attractive school building and facilities, and, though the dining arrangements are under pressure, pupils manage to queue sensibly.
• Attendance since the start of the academic year has been just below the national average. It has improved slowly in recent years and many pupils do attend well. However, despite the school’s best efforts, the proportion of persistent absentees (especially among disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils) is still too high.
• House leaders, year leaders and tutors all do their best to encourage and improve regular attendance. The education welfare officer and other support staff are now targeting and monitoring weekly 85 pupils who have poor attendance. Behaviour as a whole will not be outstanding until leaders’ motivational work to strengthen pupils’ mind-sets and get parents to support their attendance finally pays off.
• The number of pupils being asked to leave lessons and attend ‘the study’ has dropped a great deal since this space was introduced. Repeat visits are very rare because, as a Year 11 pupil observed, ‘You never want to go there again!’
• At the same time, the incidents leading to fixed-term exclusions, which were already very low last year, have declined further. The ‘Right2Education room’ helps pupils to improve their attendance and/or behaviour, with some particularly strong improvement seen by some individual disadvantaged pupils in the last academic year.
• House and year leaders and the inclusion team keep a very careful eye on pupils receiving full- or part-time education off site. If a pupil is absent, the school is informed immediately. Staff visit the two education providers regularly. They check on these pupils’ progress and how well the curriculum is helping them to learn. The success of these alternative arrangements is seen in the fact that all Year 11 pupils achieved the qualifications they needed for their future plans.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Governors’ and senior leaders’ relentless determination to improve English and mathematics paid off in 2017. The proportion of pupils achieving both these subjects at the strong grade, 5+, was in line with the average in 2017; it has not been close to this in recent years.
• Other subjects, including all the humanities and textiles, improved pupils’ progress and grades. Underachieving groups in 2016, such as boys, or pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, also did much better in 2017 but continue to be high on the principal’s agenda. The most able pupils achieved a higher proportion of the top grades, with more in sight this year.
• Funds for disadvantaged pupils are spent effectively, for example paying for two teaching assistants to support these pupils in mathematics. Half the disadvantaged pupils achieved both English and mathematics in 2017, reflecting a large decrease in the difference with other pupils in the school.
• Narrowing the gap between disadvantaged pupils and non-disadvantaged pupils nationally is still on the senior leaders’ challenges list. In several subjects, particularly in Years 7 to 9, the gap is small as all pupils progress almost equally well.
• Subjects where progress did improve in 2017 but not enough included science, French and German. All three suffered unexpected staffing issues in the last year, such as having four supply teachers in science. Nevertheless, following on from the leaders’ intensive action at all levels which improved English and mathematics so much in a year, the science department is now receiving similar support.
• Inspectors had full confidence in the accuracy of UL’s centralised end-of-year marking and assessment of pupils’ progress in several subjects. Pupils now in Years 7 and 10 did well in their science tests at the end of 2016/17. Year 11 pupils therefore start their GCSE year on a stronger footing than previous cohorts.
• In the past, pupils studied both French and German in Years 7 and 8 and did not have enough time to do well in either of them. Years 7 and 8 pupils, the latter having studied only one language for over a year, are making good progress and staffing is stable.
• The increasing number of pupils with English as an additional language make rapid progress mastering the spoken language. Apart from this subject, their GCSE results reflect the above-average overall progress they made in 2017.
• In 2017, close to one in five Year 11 pupils did not study all the subjects followed by the rest of the year group. Their progress scores were therefore far lower than other pupils’. This explains why the school’s headline figures do not tell the full story of how much progress has improved in recent years.
• Several of these pupils were disadvantaged or vulnerable, or had special educational needs, or physical or mental-health problems. Leaders steered the pupils to subjects which matched their needs, abilities and interests well. Pupils achieved well enough in English and mathematics and their other studies to proceed to full-time vocational courses at Chichester College, to stay on into the sixth form, or take up apprenticeships.

16 to 19 study programmes Good

• All sixth-form pupils continue to do well, make good progress and enjoy sixth-form life. An increasing proportion of Year 11 pupils, half predicted for the next academic year, is choosing to stay on into the sixth form. Retention rates between Years 12 and 13 were above average in 2016 but dropped slightly below average in 2017.
• Achievement has gone up every year since the last inspection. In 2017, almost every academic and vocational subject achieved 100% pass rate. The A* to C percentages increased to 70% in academic subjects and close to 90% in vocational ones.
• Equally important was the fact that academic progress moved from just below average, and vocational progress rose even higher above average. Disadvantaged pupils following vocational courses did just as well as others, and better than others in academic subjects.
• Students retaking their GCSEs in either English and/or mathematics are taught well. An above-national percentage of students attain the qualification in English but the success rate is not as high in mathematics.
• The curriculum offer includes a good balance of academic and vocational subjects. A few students take an extended-project qualification in addition to three A levels. The enrichment programme is broad and encourages students to go beyond their daytime studies. A student studying science subjects, for example, might opt to join an enrichment art class.
• Leadership and management are efficient and effective, contributing to students’ success. The recently appointed leader knows the school well, supports students in their studies and encourages them to acquire leadership skills by being fully involved in school life. The last is underpinned by the RRS status. Students undertake research into charities that they and pupils may wish to support and link them to RRS statements.
• Year 12 students help younger pupils in their tutor groups with reading, in sports activities or simply by being around if a pupil needs someone to talk to. Students keenly described the work they are preparing for a ‘promoting diversity’ week later in the term. They often organise activities and events for the whole school.
• Students’ tutor sessions are possibly even more varied than those in the main school. Students’ ‘take over Tuesdays’ might lead to a musical activity to develop leadership skills or small groups attempting a design challenge using unusual items. Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education continues with topics such as ‘staying alive’ (delivered by a retired NHS course leader), mental health, researching drinking habits or developing a positive mind-set.
• As in the main school, high-quality careers advice starts early. All students have one-to-one sessions with a member of staff to reflect on what is best for their futures. Almost half of them, including some vocational-course students, proceeded to university in 2017. All other students moved into further education, apprenticeships or employment as all students have done for the last three years.

School details

Unique reference number 137782 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 10041460 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Secondary School category Academy sponsor-led Age range of pupils 11 to 19 Gender of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils in 16 to 19 study programmes Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1485 Of which, number on roll in 16 to 19 study programmes 184 Appropriate authority The board of trustees Chair Diane Willson Principal Mike Garlick Telephone number 01243 871 010 Website www.theregisschool.co.uk Email address enquiries@theregisschool.co.uk Date of previous inspection 20–21 November 2013

Information about this school

• The school has been part of the multi-academy trust, United Learning, since 2012. The board of trustees carries out all statutory duties but delegates day-to-day responsibility to local governing bodies. This school’s governing body has a chair and six other governors.
• The school has the Unicef level 2 (Gold) Rights Respecting award, one of only nine schools in the country at this level. The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund was set up in 1946. In 1950, its mandate was broadened to address the long-term needs of children and women in developing countries everywhere. Unicef became a permanent part of the United Nations system in 1953, when its name was shortened to the United Nations Children’s Fund but it retained its original acronym. It does not receive any funding from the United Nations.
• The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is a legally-binding international agreement setting out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of every child, regardless of their race, religion or abilities. It came into force in the UK in January 1992. The convention has 54 articles that cover all aspects of a child’s life.
• The school is larger than the average-sized secondary school with a sixth form. The number of pupils in Years 7 to 9 has increased since the previous inspection.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is average, although it fluctuates between 10% and 18% in different years. The school hosts a local-authority-funded specialist-resource base for up to eight pupils who have an education, health and care plan. Staff in the base (with nine pupils at present), and the special educational needs department, support pupils with needs related to speech and language, mental health and autism, and social and emotional issues.
• Pupils who have particular mental and/or physical-health needs work full-time or part-time in the ‘Gateway’ centre. Pupils who do not behave well in a lesson go to ‘the study’. For pupils needing a period of time to reflect on their behaviour and learning, a ‘Right2Education’ room has been established.
• A small number of pupils study off site when this is best for their learning and personal needs. At Chichester College, a few key stage 4 pupils study a ‘fresh start’ course or attend one day a week. Another small group of mostly key stage 4 pupils attends the West Sussex Alternative Provision College for behaviour-medical reasons.
• In addition to teaching support assistants and other support staff, the school employs full-time staff including an education welfare officer, a counsellor, a health manager and a specialist teacher and mentor for pupils who speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is average but varies considerably between years, for example, just under one in four pupils is eligible for additional funding in Year 7 with just over one in three pupils eligible in Year 9.
• Each year, around half of Year 7 pupils qualify for catch-up funding, which is for pupils who did not attain the expected standards in English and/or mathematics at the end of primary school.
• The number of children looked after is high compared to most secondary schools.
• The majority of pupils and students are White British with very small proportions from a wide range of different, often east European, ethnic minority backgrounds. About 15% of pupils speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of pupils who enter or leave the school during Years 7 to 11 is above that seen nationally.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website and complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• The school met the 2016 government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

Information about this inspection

• Most of the inspectors’ visits to lessons to observe teaching and learning were carried out with a member of the senior leadership team. Several of these lessons were visited for a short time, sometimes to assess the standards and quality of learning in different ability groups across one year. As well, inspectors were keen to sample as many of the wide range of courses and subjects on offer in the main school and the sixth form. Inspectors looked at pupils’ books in lessons.
• Inspectors spoke with pupils and students when possible during lessons and met them informally as they visited parts of the school during breaktimes. They held meetings with groups of pupils from several year groups and met many other pupils during visits to the special educational needs department, the resource base, ‘Gateway’ and other rooms used for specific one-to-one support.
• Discussions were held with staff and most senior and middle leaders. The lead inspector met the chair of governors and four other governors. She held a formal meeting with the United Learning regional director for secondary schools and spoke with her on other occasions during the inspection. The lead inspector also had a telephone conversation with the United Learning director of academies.
• Inspectors took into account 113 staff responses and 116 parents’ responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaires. They also looked at over 400 parents’ responses submitted during the last year as leaders encourage parents to do this following parents’ meetings. Of the 70 parents who contributed to the free-text option, about 30 of them wrote detailed comments.
• With only 58 responses to the pupils’ and students’ questionnaire, the proportion of responses out of the total school population, less than 4%, was too low to be representative but inspectors did take note of what emerged.

Inspection team

Clare Gillies, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Peter Fry Ofsted Inspector Christopher Doherty Ofsted Inspector Andrew Foster Ofsted Inspector Alan Powell Ofsted Inspector