Budehaven Community School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement by:
  • ensuring that teachers fully use the information they have about pupils to support the most able to excel
  • using effective training to develop the quality of teaching in languages.
• Improve pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare by:
  • encouraging all pupils to maintain high standards of presentation in their work and in their uniform
  • continuing to seek effective strategies to help those pupils who do not attend school regularly.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The new headteacher is ambitious for pupils at this school, she has raised the aspirations of the school community and this is leading to rapid improvement. Since her appointment in September 2016, she has introduced reforms to many aspects of school life and provided a new vision for the future.
• A new deputy headteacher and four other senior leaders have been appointed, bringing energy and enthusiasm to the senior team. They support the headteacher’s vision effectively, with a sharp focus on improving the quality of teaching, tracking pupils’ progress accurately and reshaping the curriculum. Senior leaders and governors have a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and so make incisive plans for further improvement.
• The leadership of teaching is clear and effective. Senior leaders have sought proven ideas from other successful schools and have astutely applied them in the context of this school.
• Senior leaders have introduced a new system for managing the performance of teachers. This has resulted in increased expectations at all levels in the school. Teachers have risen to the challenge that this has brought and the quality of their work has improved.
• Teachers collaborate well and the great majority are eager to share and apply new ideas. Coaching and mentoring are used successfully throughout the school, alongside other opportunities for continuing professional learning.
• Middle leaders are a motivated and able group who have responded well to training and have ensured that new procedures are followed in their areas of responsibility. However, some inconsistencies still exist in the level of challenge that teachers provide for the most able pupils.
• In the past, the curriculum did not serve the needs of pupils well. Much-needed reform has taken place and pupils currently in the school are now studying for qualifications more appropriate to their abilities. For example, the introduction of triple science as an option subject is giving pupils the opportunity to develop their scientific understanding to a greater depth. The key stage 3 curriculum has been developed to ensure that pupils have a mastery of the required knowledge and understanding before they move on. Consequently, they have a better grounding in literacy skills, such as extended writing, which they will need for later study.
• A programme of personal, social and health education provides a good range of opportunities for pupils to think carefully about life in modern Britain. As a result, pupils have a good understanding of democratic processes and a respect for different cultures and religions. Well-structured careers education ensures that pupils are now guided more effectively when making course choices for key stage 4.
• The curriculum promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development effectively. This is done, for example, through a strong link with a partner school in Ethiopia and through rich displays of art around the buildings. Pupils enjoy a wide variety of extra-curricular activities, including many sports clubs.
• The school appointed a new special educational needs coordinator in September 2016. She has been successful in ensuring that extra funding to support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is used more effectively and this is helping these pupils to make better progress. The ARBour, a unit which supports a number of the pupils who have complex special educational needs and/or disabilities, has undergone some turbulence in staffing recently; however, the school has acted swiftly to secure the expertise necessary to run this unit.
• The appointment of a lead practitioner to focus on the progress of disadvantaged pupils has resulted in good evaluation of the success of interventions for these pupils. Consequently, extra funding for this group is well spent and their achievement is rising rapidly. Funding to help Year 7 pupils catch up with their basic skills is also used well.
• The school has a good relationship with the local authority. However, the new headteacher has taken on a large financial deficit and the constraints placed upon her are limiting her ability to increase the rate of improvement at the school. The school has secured further support through the Dartmoor Teaching School Alliance but this work is at a very early stage.
• Parents are satisfied with the standard of education provided by the school. The great majority of those who responded to the Parent View survey would recommend this school to other parents.

Governance of the school

• The governing body has changed substantially since the previous inspection, including a new chair, vice-chair and several new governors. They have received effective support through the National Governors Association.
• Governors receive accurate information about the performance of the school and they use this to hold senior leaders to account for the progress of groups of pupils. They ensure that the performance management process for staff is rigorous and fair.
• Governors oversee the use of pupil premium and Year 7 catch-up funding effectively. Governors maintain a good level of communication with school leaders. This facilitates robust challenge and effective support. Some governors are new to their roles and so are still building relationships with the school.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders and governors have created a culture in which safeguarding is seen as highly important.
• Staff are aware of the signs of abuse and maintain a good level of vigilance. Any concerns are reported through a secure online system. Frequent and regular meetings are held to monitor referrals through this system and the subsequent actions that are taken.
• The school has good links with other agencies, such as the police and the local authority, and so interventions are timely and effective when necessary.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching at the school has improved and is now good because senior leaders have set clear expectations for teachers about the quality of their work. Teachers have responded enthusiastically to the challenge and have collaborated to develop their practice quickly.
• Since the previous inspection, teachers have worked hard to implement a new process for giving feedback to pupils about their work. Pupils now receive consistently high-quality feedback. This encourages pupils to reflect on their work and causes them to make better progress.
• Teachers have raised their expectations of what pupils can achieve. Therefore, teachers do not accept work which is unfinished and they check carefully that pupils have mastered the knowledge and understanding required before moving on.
• Teachers use a new assessment system to identify quickly any pupils who fall behind. Teachers have a good understanding of many strategies to support particular groups of pupils, including pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Hence they are able to select teaching approaches which help individual pupils to succeed.
• Pupils are regularly given homework tasks to reinforce learning at school. This helps their learning in school to proceed quickly and little time is wasted.
• Teachers in different subjects challenge pupils to attempt extended pieces of writing and to be tenacious about redrafting their work. As a result, pupils’ literacy skills are growing quickly. Efforts to promote pupils’ numeracy skills have begun but are not well developed yet.
• Questioning is used well by the majority of teachers to check pupils’ understanding and encourage them to explore ideas further. In some cases, however, teachers do not ask the most able pupils to think more deeply about the topic and this limits their progress.
• Although teaching has improved across the school, notably in English, mathematics, humanities and the creative arts, there are still some inconsistencies left in languages.
• The great majority of parents who replied to the Parent View survey think that their child is well taught and well looked after at the school.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils’ aspirations are being raised by the introduction of the ‘Budehaven Way’ initiative, which promotes resilience and the value of education.
• Pupils are well prepared for their next steps when they leave school because teachers provide a cohesive programme of careers education and guidance. Destination information confirms that almost all pupils secure a place in education, employment or training.
• Pupils are given strong messages about different types of bullying, including cyber bullying. Pupils say bullying is rare but they know whom to approach if it does happen. They believe that the school deals with it quickly and effectively.
• Pupils have an extensive understanding of online safety because of the good teaching they receive through personal, social and health education lessons and assemblies. One pupil commented, ‘It is good that we have regular updates because things change.’
• The Haven promotes pupils’ physical and mental health well. It offers pupils a good level of care from a range of professionals.
• Pupils have a good understanding of their responsibilities as citizens because links with the local community are used well. For example, during the inspection an event was organised by sixth-form students where 370 young children from local nurseries came into school for storytelling activities.
• The great majority of pupils are keen to do well at school. They communicate confidently with their teachers and display mature attitudes. This helps them to learn well. However, a few pupils are not as well motivated. They do not finish work to the best of their ability or wear their uniform smartly.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. They respect each other and their teachers. Consequently, relationships between pupils and teachers are good and this contributes strongly to pupils’ progress.
• There is very little disruption in lessons because the renewed emphasis on good behaviour has raised the standard of conduct expected of pupils.
• Pupils behave sensibly around the school at lunch and breaktimes. Pupils show respect for the school environment. There is very little litter on site and the many high-quality art installations around the buildings remain in good condition.
• Most pupils value their education and enjoy coming to school. The rate of attendance is above average. However, a small minority of pupils are persistently absent. Efforts to help these pupils with their personal circumstances have had some success but senior leaders recognise that more needs to be done.
• The majority of parents, pupils and staff who responded to surveys during the inspection believe that the school makes sure that its pupils are well behaved.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Outcomes for pupils are improving rapidly across a range of subjects and are now good.
• Pupils’ progress in English and mathematics is improving rapidly. In 2016, the proportion of pupils who attained GCSE grade C or better in both of these subjects increased substantially and is now well above the national average.
• Pupils currently in the school are now making good progress because the quality of teaching has improved considerably. The school’s information and work in pupils’ books indicates that pupils are progressing well in all year groups.
• In 2016, the proportion of pupils who achieved the English Baccalaureate was below average. However, senior leaders have introduced a more aspirational curriculum, and more pupils are now studying this combination of subjects and are therefore well prepared to achieve highly this year.
• Pupils perform particularly well in GCSE geography. Achievement in French has not been as strong. Clear plans are in place to make sure that this shortfall does not exist in the future.
• Disadvantaged pupils’ progress was in line with that of other pupils nationally in English and mathematics in 2016. The school has taken decisive action to improve the progress of disadvantaged pupils in other subjects, for example employing a ‘lead practitioner: disadvantaged’ to model effective strategies. As a result, the progress of disadvantaged pupils, including those who are most-able, has improved strongly across the school.
• The progress of the most able pupils is good overall but senior leaders recognise that improving the achievement of this group is an important focus for the next stage of the school’s development. This was confirmed during the inspection, when it was found that in some cases the most able pupils were not being challenged enough.
• Pupils who enter the school with low levels of attainment in English and mathematics are well supported by good-quality teaching and this allows them to catch up.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities did not, in the past, achieve as well as they could. The appointment of a new special educational needs coordinator and new arrangements within the special needs department are ensuring that pupils’ individual needs are being met and so their progress is improving.
• Pupils write fluently in key stage 3 because teachers deliberately focus on literacy skills. This is ensuring that pupils have the key skills necessary to tackle more demanding tasks as they move into key stage 4.
• Pupils are increasingly well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment because they are taking more appropriate qualifications and being taught more effectively. Combined with good-quality careers advice, this is giving pupils the confidence and self-assurance to hold their heads high in any setting.

16 to 19 study programmes Good

• The leadership of the sixth form is effective. An ambitious development programme began in 2014 and has resulted in sustained year-on-year improvement. The sixth form now provides a good education for students following academic courses and the small number following vocational courses.
• In 2016, students’ progress on A-level courses was well above average overall, with particular strengths in mathematics, English, product design and sociology. Students studying BTEC programmes in sports studies and health studies also made good progress.
• The quality of teaching in the sixth form is good. Across a range of subjects, students engage in mature debate and discussion to tackle challenging issues. The high quality of students’ written work reflects their keen interest and enthusiasm for their studies.
• Students are very appreciative of the level of personalised support they receive from subject teachers. They are successfully supported to speak with confidence, to listen to others’ views and to be curious about life beyond the school.
• Students provide good role models for the rest of the school community. Many students volunteer to help pupils in the main school, complete the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award or take part in sports leadership programmes.
• The comprehensive careers advice and guidance programme includes work experience for all students in Year 12. Students are encouraged to take placements across the country, for example in the Houses of Parliament, and this raises their aspirations.
• The great majority of students go on to higher education when they leave. A quarter of students gain places at prestigious universities, and each year a small number of students secure Oxbridge places. No students leave without a place in education, employment or training to go on to.
• Students who join the sixth form without having secured a C grade in GCSE English or mathematics are given excellent teaching. As a consequence, the great majority secure these qualifications before the end of Year 12. The success rate is well above the national average.
• Safeguarding is effective in the sixth form because teachers are vigilant and effective systems are followed consistently.
• Overall, the school meets the requirements of the 16 to 19 study programmes. Students are given good opportunities for personal development and they are well prepared for life after school because they receive regular individual advice from their tutors.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 112045 Cornwall 10024918 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 Gender of pupils in 16 to 19 study programmes Community 11 to 18 Mixed Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1,051 Of which, number on roll in 16 to 19 study programmes 170 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Darren Humphries Tracey Reynolds 01288 353271 www.budehaven.cornwall.sch.uk enquiries@budehaven.cornwall.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 15–16 January 2015

Information about this school

• Since the previous inspection, a new headteacher has been appointed, along with a new deputy headteacher and four new senior leaders. A new chair of the governing body was appointed in July 2016, with a new vice-chair and other new governors.
• The school’s sports facilities are used by the local community. They are operated by Budehaven Community Leisure, an organisation managed by the school. Sports development at over 20 local primary schools is supported using these facilities and the expertise of staff.
• The school runs a local authority commissioned resource base known as ‘the ARBour’ for a small number of pupils with complex and severe learning difficulties.
• An integrated healthcare facility known as ‘the Haven’ is based on site.
• The school is larger than the average-sized secondary school.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs/or disabilities is above average.
• The proportion of pupils who are supported through pupil premium funding is average.
• Almost all pupils are White British. There are very few from minority ethnic groups and very few speak English as an additional language.
• The school is being supported by a national leader of education through the Dartmoor Teaching School Alliance. Further support is being accessed through the National Governors Association.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 11.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior and middle leaders, governors, groups of pupils in key stage 3 and key stage 4 and sixth-form students.
• Inspectors observed learning across a range of subjects and scrutinised samples of pupils’ written work. Many of these activities were carried out jointly with senior leaders.
• The lead inspector had a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.
• Inspectors looked at a range of documentation, including the school’s review of its own performance, development plans, analysis of pupils’ progress, attendance and behaviour logs and safeguarding documents.
• Inspectors took account of 123 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire Parent View and 583 responses to the pupil questionnaire. In addition, inspectors took account of 73 responses to the staff questionnaire.

Inspection team

Paul Williams, lead inspector Deirdre Fitzpatrick Deborah Wring Andrew Brown

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector