St Dunstan's School Ofsted Report

Full report

In accordance with section 13(4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures.

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching and learning by ensuring that:
  • teaching staff develop pupils’ confidence to use their mathematical knowledge to solve problems in subjects across the school
  • the younger pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are supported effectively to make the academic progress they should
  • the most able pupils, including the most able disadvantaged, are suitably challenged to reach the very highest standards, particularly in modern languages, science and some technology subjects.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders in school and from the multi-academy trust, governors and trustees are highly ambitious for the school, each pupil and the community. They have not shied away from making tough decisions to ensure that pupils benefit from a good quality of education.
• The headteacher is resolutely clear about the rights of each child in the community to benefit from the school’s work and the care it provides. The inclusive nature of the school has been recognised as best practice by the UK government’s ‘Educate and celebrate’ programme.
• Leaders’ self-assessment is accurate. The trust, governors and leaders are aware of the school’s strengths and areas that require further improvement. They have successfully tackled the areas for improvement that were identified at the previous inspection.
• Leaders have maintained a key stage 3 curriculum that is broad and balanced. The three secondary schools in the trust are working together to develop a coherent approach to knowledge acquisition in subject areas. This is supported through the development of new assessment systems. Where these are already in place, pupils and their teachers can clearly identify what pupils know, understand and can do.
• Leaders have changed the key stage 4 curriculum to ensure that it is now more appropriately balanced and meets the needs of pupils. Leaders have ensured that pupils at St Dunstan’s have the same opportunity as they would have in most other secondary schools. As a result, the proportion choosing to study a modern language and geography or history has increased. To provide breadth of opportunity, new vocational courses in information technology and music have been introduced. Some of these, for example ‘Rock School’, involve schools in the trust working together to allow pupils to gain a music qualification.
• Senior leaders have implemented a systematic approach to the evaluation of staff performance. This is allowing good practice to be shared and for staff who require support to receive it to improve their practice.
• Subject leaders are supported well to fulfil their roles. Opportunities to work with their counterparts across the trust and with other local schools are helping them to provide a high quality of education in their subject area. This is also increasing the reliability and accuracy of their assessment of pupils’ progress.
• Leaders’ expectations of staff and pupils are high. Leaders set suitably challenging targets for the majority of pupils. For some lower-ability pupils, these are not high enough. Some pupils and a few parents and carers commented that the targets and the progress the pupils make are not communicated clearly enough. Leaders are developing a fresh approach to improve this aspect of the school’s work.
• The trust has provided high-quality support for teaching staff to improve their practice. They have added leadership capacity and supported school leaders to improve the quality of education. Together, these have been principle factors in transforming the school.
• Most parents feel well informed and have confidence in the school. The vast majority would recommend the school. They find their child to be happy at school, be looked after well and make good progress. A few parents find the assessment information they receive confusing.
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of trips and visits, including theatre visits. School staff are keen to enter school teams for competitions, to build pupils’ self-confidence. A very high proportion of pupils participate in the vast number of sports and activities that pupils can join after school.
• Leaders use the pupil premium effectively to devise clear plans to help disadvantaged pupils overcome the very specific barriers that they face. Leaders have very clear ‘non-negotiables’ for teaching staff so that disadvantaged pupils are a high priority. After-school programmes and Saturday sessions provide additional support for pupils to catch up. Enrichment opportunities, such as visits by the University of Cambridge, help to raise the aspirations of some disadvantaged pupils.
• Leaders are conscious of teacher workload and have developed strategies to ensure that it is carefully managed. The staff have bought in to the vision of the school. Every member of staff who responded to Ofsted’s survey for staff is proud to work at St Dunstan’s. They feel well supported and receive a wide range of training, including in safeguarding, to help them improve.

Governance of the school

• Trustees and local governors know the school well. They have been instrumental in transforming the school. They have invested heavily in time, deployment of leaders and money to secure the improvements needed. Sufficient ‘checks and balances’ are in place to manage risks and monitor progress.
• Governors are highly committed, challenge rigorously and hold leaders fully to account. They have undertaken significant training and share best practice from across the trust and beyond. As a result, governors are very clear about the information they need and are suitably challenging about the impact of leaders actions, for example with respect to the impact that pupil premium has on raising attainment of disadvantaged pupils.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The culture of safeguarding at St Dunstan’s is strong. The procedures that are followed are rigorous, and record-keeping reflects the high-quality work that staff carry out in this important area of the school’s work.
• Leaders with specific responsibilities for safeguarding are clear about their roles and take effective actions to keep pupils safe. They review the safeguarding policy and internal systems to make sure that they are as effective and efficient as they can be.
• Staff receive regular training. As a result, they are aware of the risks, signs and symptoms of pupils who may be sexually exploited, involved in honour-based violence or those at risk of female genital mutilation. Staff are attuned to current issues in the locality and use their knowledge to teach pupils how to keep themselves safe, and they are swift to involve external agencies when necessary.
• School staff make effective use of the services available in the local area and have used ‘early help’ to support families at their time of need. For example, working with the local pupil and family support assistant and the local multi-agency team is resulting in early intervention to prevent pupils from disengaging with school or becoming engaged in dangerous behaviours outside school. Working with a network of partners is targeting the right support at an early opportunity.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers’ first priority is to help pupils think about their learning. As a result, pupils are very articulate in discussing their learning. Most are aware of their own strengths and areas they need to work on. They appreciate how teachers plan learning to meet their learning needs.
• Leaders have introduced a systematic approach to assessment across the school. Work shows that this approach is being consistently applied across subjects and is increasingly rigorous. Teachers use their accurate assessment of pupils’ progress effectively to plan learning and, where necessary, identify where pupils need further teaching or support. Misconceptions are quickly rectified. Consequently, low prior-attaining pupils are learning more quickly in most year groups.
• Teaching staff have an increasingly high expectation of the quality of pupils’ work. They now insist that pupils rectify any errors and improve their work. Staff are particularly diligent in ensuring that pupils spell accurately and use the correct punctuation. This is the result of a shared understanding of standards in English by all staff and is a common feature in books in all subjects.
• Teachers ensure that pupils use their first-hand experience of visits, for example to a local museum and Glastonbury Abbey, to reflect on spirituality as they compose their writing. Pupils draw on this experience and their rich vocabulary, and incorporate this into sophisticated writing. Therefore, as the year has progressed, pupils write at greater length, with more precision, use more complex sentence structures and incorporate exciting vocabulary.
• Teachers have secure subject knowledge and use interesting resources to stimulate pupils’ interest. Many teachers make good use of the training they receive earlier in the year to enthuse pupils about their learning and foster positive relationships with pupils. Pupils display positive attitudes towards their learning. They value the opportunities to develop socially as they are supported by classmates or they are able to provide support.
• Senior leaders use ‘student voice’ in the monitoring of teaching and learning in subject areas. Pupils’ views are taken into account and changes made to improve the quality of teaching in the subject.
• Teachers set homework, and pupils generally complete this on time. Leaders are aware that parents are not always clear about the expectations of their child’s homework and have a new system in place to improve this, which will go live in September.
• Teachers from across the trust work together to plan and run additional teaching sessions for disadvantaged pupils, mainly in key stage 4, to help them make further progress.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities receive support which is bringing about improvement, particularly in key stage 4. However, for younger pupils, the support is not as effective as it needs to be. As a result, some of the younger pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities do not make as strong progress as other pupils.
• In some subjects, teachers are not challenging the most able pupils to work routinely at the very highest grades. Consequently, the rate of progress is not as rapid as it could be. Working with other trust schools, staff are beginning to plan learning that deepens pupils’ understanding. It is, however, still early days.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Respect by all members of the school community lies at the heart of St Dunstan’s School. Carefully planned learning and activities ensure that pupils build empathy with people who are different from them. In physical education, they learn what it is like to have a physical disability and how sport can be inclusive. Pupils have a good awareness of different means of communication for those who are hearing impaired.
• Teachers ensure that pupils have a good understanding of different religions and cultures. For example, in food technology, pupils consider the dietary implications within Islam. Pupils are able to debate both sides of an argument, such as vegetarianism.
• Staff encourage pupils to show respect and care for one another. Pupils who spoke with inspectors are especially appreciative of the rewards they receive for ‘acts of kindness’.
• Pupils show pride in their school, through their commitment, clear presentation and improving quality of their work. Leaders are keen to improve this even further.
• Pupils report that they feel safe, and their parents agree. School staff are clear about their responsibilities to keep pupils safe and are swift to act to ensure that they discharge their duties fully.
• Careers advice and guidance are provided for pupils from Year 8 on. Pupils benefit from discussions with an impartial, external adviser and presentations by training and apprenticeship providers, local colleges and employers. As a result of visits to employers, pupils are increasingly aware of the range of employment opportunities that are available to them. Consequently, pupils make informed choices about the courses they will follow in key stage 4 and potential future careers. The proportion of pupils leaving the school who continue on to further education or training has risen sharply.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Staff follow the school’s behaviour policy closely. Over time, the number of pupils who need to be taken out of classes for poor behaviour has reduced significantly.
• Staff manage behaviour well. Expectations about respectful behaviour are very high. As these expectations have continued to rise, some pupils have struggled to meet them. As a result, there have been spikes in behaviour incidents and, in some cases, exclusion while pupils adjust.
• Pupils report that there is ‘zero tolerance’ to bullying. When bullying does occur, pupils report that staff are quick to intervene and resolve any differences that may exist. Pupils are rightly confident that when they report any concerns that they have, staff will act on them.
• Persistent absenteeism has fallen dramatically and is now slightly below the national average. This is the result of higher expectations by staff, stronger relationships with parents and the effective use of the trust’s education welfare officer, the local parent and families support worker and other agencies to stress the importance of regular attendance at school.
• Attendance is in line with the rate seen typically nationally. This is despite two significant outbreaks of illness during the year. Tutors take much of the responsibility to talk to pupils who have frequent periods of absence, which is bringing about better attendance and punctuality. Leaders are actively tackling the challenges of improving the attendance of disadvantaged pupils, which is rising, but more slowly than that of their classmates.
• Fixed-term exclusions have risen slightly this year and are higher than the levels typically seen in the school and those seen nationally. Leaders have made arrangements to transfer pupils between local schools to reduce the need to exclude. However, in some cases, the nature of the incidents leading to exclusion have been so severe that exclusion has been necessary. Repeat exclusions are low.
• A few boys, in some lessons, cause low-level disruption to lessons. Leaders are working with teachers to help teachers improve this aspect of their work.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• In all year groups and across most subjects, pupils are making good progress in their learning. Those who had fallen behind have caught up and the vast majority are now working at the standard expected for their age and ability.
• Leaders have set targets that are suitably aspirational. The vast majority of pupils are reaching their targets, and some pupils exceed them. As a result, the rate of progress pupils make has improved from recent years. Pupils are able to talk very eloquently about their learning. They are very clear about what they need to improve and are keen to do so.
• In 2017, every Year 11 pupil secured a place in further education, apprenticeships or employment with training. Current Year 11 pupils have also been successful in their applications to continue their studies at further education colleges or have secured employment with training.
• The majority of disadvantaged pupils are now achieving as well as their classmates and are improving rapidly to be in line with other pupils nationally. When reviewing pupils’ work, there are no discernible differences between disadvantaged pupils and their classmates. The most able disadvantaged pupils are making good progress, but not as strongly as other disadvantaged pupils.
• Pupils who have struggled in their academic studies in the past are making strong progress in most year groups, especially in key stage 4. Some younger pupils in key stage 3 who have SEN and/or disabilities are catching up, but not as quickly as other pupils.
• Leaders monitor closely the progress, behaviour and attendance of the very small number of pupils who attend alternative provision. This shows that these pupils are attending regularly, behaving well and making good progress on the courses they are following.
• Although pupils have good breadth of knowledge, they do not have as strong a depth of thinking. As leaders’ and teachers’ expectations rise further, pupils are increasingly writing more confidently and competently across subjects. In mathematics, pupils are mathematically competent, but many struggle to apply their knowledge and solve problems using their mathematical knowledge in a range of subjects.
• The most able pupils are making steady progress, and teachers ensure that there is a level of challenge. This is particularly the case in English and religious education. However, this group of pupils, including the few most able disadvantaged pupils, are capable of more across their subjects, especially in modern foreign languages, science and in some technology subjects.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 137202 Somerset 10048274 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 Academy sponsor-led 11 to 16 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 320 Appropriate authority Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Board of trustees Stuart Warrener Keith Howard 01458 832943 http://www.stdunstansschool.com secretary@stdunstansschool.com Date of previous inspection 19–20 April 2016

Information about this school

• The school is part of the Midsomer Norton Schools’ Trust. The multi-academy trust comprises nine primary and three secondary schools across the Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset local authority areas.
• An interim executive board was established in June 2016 and was replaced by a local governing body in January 2017. The current chair of the local governing body was appointed in March 2017. Several new governors have been appointed since then.
• The headteacher was appointed in August 2016.
• The school is much smaller than the average-sized secondary school.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is above average.
• The proportion of pupils who are supported through pupil premium funding is above average.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders and middle leaders. The lead inspector held a meeting with two governors, the chief executive and deputy chief executive of the trust.
• The lead inspector spoke with a trustee by telephone.
• Inspectors observed learning in Years 7, 8 and 9 across a range of subjects, some of which were conducted jointly with senior leaders. Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of pupils’ work from Years 7 to 10.
• Evidence collected during the special measures monitoring visits was taken into account.
• Inspectors looked at a range of documentation, including minutes of governors’ meetings, improvement plans, analyses of pupils’ progress, attendance and behaviour, safeguarding records and the school’s self-evaluation documents.
• Discussions were held with pupils throughout the inspection.
• Inspectors took account of 22 responses to Parent View and 21 responses to the staff questionnaire. Six pupils responded to Ofsted’s questionnaire and their views were considered.

Inspection team

Iain Freeland, lead inspector Sarah Baker Marie Hunter

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector