All Saints Church of England Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Urgently improve leadership and management at all levels, including the sixth form, by:
  • strengthening the governing body so that leaders are held fully to account for improvements in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment
  • ensuring that leaders and governors accurately evaluate all aspects of the school’s work and use this evaluation to develop and implement effective planning for improvement
  • developing the skills of senior and middle leaders in improving the quality and impact of teaching to raise standards, particularly for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils
  • making sure that attendance initiatives are embedded and rates of pupil absence fall.
• Rapidly improve the quality of teaching so that outcomes for pupils significantly improve across the curriculum, including in the sixth form, by:
  • raising teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve so that the standards of work and pupils’ rates of progress over time are at least good
  • providing pupils with appropriately challenging work, especially for the most able pupils
  • making sure pupils complete and present their work to a high standard
  • improving pupils’ literacy skills, particularly use of accurate spelling
  • consistently promoting pupils’ good behaviour and positive attitudes to learning
  • ensuring that assessments of pupils’ work are accurate and consistent
  • significantly improving outcomes for those studying level 2 courses in English and/or mathematics in the sixth form. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved. An external review of the school’s use of pupil premium funding should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved. It is strongly recommended that newly qualified teachers should not be appointed.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

• Since the previous inspection, leaders and governors have failed to make the improvements necessary to provide pupils with a good level of education. Consequently, pupils’ outcomes have not improved and are now inadequate. Overall, teaching is too weak to improve outcomes quickly. Pupils’ attendance is too low.
• While the headteacher has a clear vision and ambition for the school, this has yet to be effectively embraced by all staff. The intended culture of consistent, sustained, and improved outcomes for all pupils is not secure.
• Although leaders and governors regularly check the performance of pupils and staff, they have an inaccurate picture of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Where there are improvements to be made, their actions have not been swift or effective enough to tackle these shortcomings.
• Middle leaders do not have the skills needed to fulfil their responsibilities. While all are ambitious for pupils, they have not put robust plans in place to improve the quality of teaching and raise standards.
• There is no coherent, effective strategy for the use of pupil premium funding to accelerate the progress disadvantaged pupils make. These pupils are making inadequate progress.
• Funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, and for children that are looked after, is targeted more appropriately by staff. Some of these pupils are making better progress as a result of this support.
• Staff value opportunities for regular professional training to develop better-quality practice. While teachers are keen to learn from other colleagues in local networks, the impact of these partnerships to improve pupils’ learning is too variable.
• Staff understand the need to improve outcomes for pupils and the part performance management plays in this. However, a significant proportion of staff have little confidence in leaders’ and managers’ ability to consistently apply strategies to improve teaching and standards.
• There are equal opportunities for all pupils to access different subjects, with bespoke guidance about the most suitable choices for individuals. However, although the breadth and balance of the curriculum provides an appropriate range of opportunities for pupils to learn about new topics and concepts, the weak overall quality of teaching means that too many pupils do not achieve the standards of which they are capable.
• Leaders use catch-up funding appropriately for Year 7 pupils who have not yet reached the expected standards in English and mathematics. The majority of pupils are making gains in progress as a result of concentrated efforts by specialist staff to improve their literacy and numeracy skills.
• The curriculum offers a variety of activities, including weekly assemblies and tutorial sessions on the importance of respect and tolerance. This helps to promote Christian and fundamental British values as part of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

Governance of the school

• Governance is ineffective. Governors, particularly in the past, have not held school leaders to account, so any signs of improvement since the previous inspection are still at an early stage.
• Governors are supportive of the aspirations of the headteacher and most school leaders but they are not yet working closely enough together to realise their shared ambition and bring about the major improvements that are needed.
• Governors regularly monitor specific areas of school life, with school leaders, but do not have a confident, accurate strategic overview to bring about the rapid improvement required and plan for future success.
• The governing body is aware of the importance of safeguarding and ensures arrangements meet statutory requirements. Governors have ensured that recruitment practices follow the latest guidance.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Pupils see this regard for pupil welfare as a strength of the school’s culture, confident that the environment is safe and secure.
• A team of key staff ensure that any safeguarding concerns about pupils are dealt with effectively and have high priority. Partnerships with local services are used effectively when coordinating multi-agency approaches when needed.
• All staff and governors have received essential safeguarding training, including a raised awareness of the issues of child abuse, neglect, e-safety and extremist views.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

• The quality of teaching is currently far too variable to improve learning outcomes for pupils in the main school and in the sixth form. Too many pupils make inadequate progress because a culture of low expectations and insufficient challenge to stimulate pupils’ thinking limit what they can achieve. While this is not the case for all teachers, the weak overall quality of teaching acts as a significant barrier to pupils’ learning.
• Too often, teachers do not make effective use of the information about pupils’ previous achievement to set sufficiently high expectations and to check that pupils’ learning is secure before moving to the next stage.
• The management of classroom behaviour by staff is too inconsistent and as a result incidents of low-level disruption occur too often. Such incidents are frustrating for, and hinder the learning of, other pupils. Where staff make explicit high expectations for behaviour, pupils are appreciative of the opportunity to achieve.
• Teachers regularly assess pupils, but the information arising from this is not used well enough by staff in their planning to develop pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills.
• Feedback from teachers to guide pupils in their learning is weak and so too many pupils do not know what they need to do to improve. Leaders do not ensure that the school policies are consistently implemented and so the impact on pupils’ learning is limited. This is the case both within departments as well as across the subjects taught.
• Teaching in mathematics and English is still too variable in all years to ensure that pupils make enough progress from their previous starting points. Weak teaching persists in humanities and product design, resulting in poor standards being achieved. Teaching and learning are stronger in science, art and languages.
• Homework is usually set and most pupils and parents accept its relevance. The impact of home learning in raising pupils’ achievement is, however, far too inconsistent.
• Despite strong awareness among staff of the need to encourage and expect high standards of literacy, too often such guidance from school leaders is not followed. Consequently, too many pupils struggle with grammar, punctuation and spelling. For example, where teachers fail to correct spellings regularly, of both specialist, technical terms and words in common usage, pupils continue to make the same mistakes.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.
• Staff promote equality of opportunity and diversity of beliefs and cultures. However, pupils’ understanding of differing cultures and faiths is not well developed.
• A significant number of pupils spoken to by inspectors are less positive about the school’s actions to improve their education. Attitudes to learning are too often characterised by a lack of ambition to do well or to demonstrate more resilient approaches to complete work to a high standard.
• Pupils say they feel safe at school. They are confident that staff will deal with any bullying in school. Pupils are aware of wider risks associated with extremism, keeping safe and avoiding exploitation.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported by a strong team of specialist staff. Parents recognise the efforts staff make to encourage the well-being of these pupils and are generally very appreciative, commenting on the benefits they can see in the growing confidence of their children.
• Careers advice is provided by school staff, external advisers and employers. In partnership with local businesses, a programme of work experience has been developed for a small group of pupils to raise their aspirations and improve their employability skills. This is preparing this particular group of pupils well for their future employment or further education. However, for many pupils, their limited levels of attainment and low aspirations limit their future career choices.
• Some pupils take pride in their school and their own achievements. Their work is well presented around the school site and they appreciate the culture of celebrating the success of others, both in their own school and their pen pal contacts with pupils in other countries.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is inadequate. Attendance is consistently low for most groups of pupils and shows little sign of improvement since the previous inspection.
• The attendance of disadvantaged pupils and sixth-form students on level 2 (GCSE equivalent) English and/or mathematics courses is particularly low. A significant number of pupils continue to be regularly absent. The school’s actions to improve this have had limited effect.
• The behaviour of pupils is too variable. Low-level disruption is a feature in some classes. At breaktimes and lunchtimes, some pupils do not behave well and staff are slow to challenge this.
• Pupils understand the need for appropriate behaviour in the classroom and around the school site. Pupils appreciate that off-task behaviour in lessons hinders effective learning, but boys, in particular, do not consistently present positive attitudes to their own learning and that of others.
• In the past, the number of permanent exclusions at the school has been high. School leaders and governors recognise this but the number has not reduced sufficiently. Recently, fixed-term exclusions have begun to drop as a result of an effective partnership with an alternative education provider as well as leaders developing facilities within the school where specialist staff can support learners who present the most challenging behaviour.
• The school site is generally well presented and welcoming to visitors.

Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

• The attainment of pupils when they join the school is typically below the national average, particularly in Year 10 and 11. Due to poor teaching, pupils’ low attendance and variable attitudes to learning, pupils make inadequate progress from their starting points. By the end of key stage 4, outcomes are well below the national average.
• In 2016, published school data shows that the school was in the bottom 10% of schools nationally for the progress that pupils make.
• The progress made by disadvantaged pupils is not improving quickly enough, particularly for boys. Consequently, the difference between the progress of disadvantaged pupils and other pupils is not diminishing quickly enough. In 2016, disadvantaged pupils significantly underachieved by the end of Year 11. Their progress remained well below other pupils nationally in English and mathematics.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make too little progress from their starting points. In 2016, the progress of these pupils was also in the bottom 10% of schools nationally. For some pupils currently in school, progress is now improving as their learning needs are catered for more appropriately by staff. Even so, their progress remains fragile.
• The progress of the most able pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, is inadequate overall in almost all subjects and year groups. These pupils make slow progress because their work lacks the challenge needed to enable them to reach their potential.
• Pupils’ progress is hampered by poor attendance. Too many pupils are regularly absent from school and do not catch up on the work they have missed. Attendance in most year groups is not improving quickly.
• Pupils’ low aspirations, weak outcomes at the end of key stage 4 and the poor attitudes some pupils show towards their work, all inhibit pupils’ career choices and life chances.

16 to 19 study programmes Inadequate

• Leadership in the sixth form is inadequate. The quality of teaching is too variable and students underachieve as a result. Low expectations from staff allow students to drift and as a consequence their work lacks detail and depth of understanding. Teaching and assessment practices provide insufficient academic challenge for students.
• Retention rates from Year 12 to Year 13 are low because too many students are not enabled or prepared academically to achieve well enough in Year 12 to continue with their studies.
• Students who are resitting GCSE courses in English and mathematics do not give sufficient importance to improving their grades in these subjects. Consequently, achievement in level 2 resit courses is weak. Very few students are on target to gain at least a C grade, or equivalent at GCSE, in either subject. Too few students are prepared adequately for their next steps.
• Attendance in the sixth form is not good enough. Although leaders have put systems in place to improve pupils’ attendance, these are having little impact with those who are regularly absent. In such cases, students’ learning is, therefore, hindered.
• Learning in some level 3 vocational courses (qualifications equivalent to A levels) has been a strength over time. Achievement in 2016 in level 3 courses was broadly in line with the national average. This reflects good progress for these students from their starting points when they join the sixth form.
• There are appropriate activities to promote the personal development and welfare of students. These include programmes to prepare students for life in modern Britain, as well as appropriate careers guidance, work experience and opportunities to learn more about higher or further education, employment and apprenticeships.
• The sixth form currently is in partnership with three other local schools, forming Partnership for Learning and Education (PLE). This enables the school to offer a broader curriculum to post-16 students. Leaders ensure that the requirements for 16 to 19 study programmes are met.
• Some teaching in the sixth form is effective. In subjects such as business studies, history, the sciences and sport, stronger teaching and assessment practices provide sufficient challenge for students. However, in many other subjects students do not make the progress of which they are capable as a result of the poor teaching they receive.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 136142 Plymouth 10024934 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Secondary School category Age range of pupils 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 Appropriate authority Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Academy sponsor-led 11 to 19 Mixed Mixed 878 135 The trust board Robert Harrison Gary Futcher 01752 705 131 http://www.asap.org.uk enquiries@asap.org.uk Date of previous inspection 12–13 February 2015

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• The sixth form is in a partnership of local schools, known as Partnership for Learning and Education (PLE).
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is significantly above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above the national average.
• The school did not meet the government’s current floor standards in 2015, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.
• The headteacher in post at the last inspection in February 2015 left the school in December 2015. The new headteacher took up post in January 2016.
• The school works in partnership with Alternative Complementary Education (ACE), a provider of alternative education in Plymouth.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited classrooms over three days, and observed some teaching jointly with senior leaders.
• A wide sample of pupils’ work from all year groups and a range of subjects was scrutinised.
• Inspectors talked with pupils in all three key stages in formal meetings, as well as with pupils informally across the school site.
• Meetings were held with senior and middle leaders and governors, including the governor with the oversight for safeguarding.
• Inspectors evaluated safeguarding arrangements, including relevant documentation, the central record of staff recruitment checks and staff safeguarding training.
• Inspectors reviewed a wide range of information provided by the school, including self-evaluation documentation, strategic plans and records of checks on the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress. Inspectors also considered information on the school website, behaviour and attendance records, and a range of school policies.
• Inspectors took into account 45 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, including 25 free-text comments and 49 responses to the online survey by school staff.

Inspection team

Chris Hummerstone, lead inspector David Herbert Svetlana Bajic Raymond Christopher Doel Andrew Lovett Kathy Maddocks Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector