South Wiltshire UTC 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?

• Improve the quality of leadership and management by:
  • ensuring that senior leaders have the capacity necessary to carry out their roles successfully
  • developing middle leaders so that they are able to improve the quality of teaching and hold teachers to account for the progress pupils make
  • recruiting staff with appropriate skills and expertise, particularly in engineering, to raise achievement
  • ensuring that the curriculum is sufficiently broad and balanced to meet the needs of pupils in all year groups, particularly in respect of physical education (PE) provision
  • ensuring that the challenge and support provided by governors is fully evaluated for effectiveness and has demonstrable impact
  • accessing appropriate external support that assists leaders in improving the quality of leadership and teaching, and raising achievement
  • improving communication between different members of the school community, including parents, pupils and staff
  • engaging parents more effectively in the work of the school
  • ensuring that day-to-day managerial processes are more efficient and better organised
  • improving leadership of the sixth form to ensure that the requirements of 16–19 study programmes are met.
• Improve the quality of teaching and raise achievement for pupils of different abilities across both key stages, including those who are disadvantaged, by ensuring that teachers:
  • have high expectations of what pupils can achieve
  • set challenging and interesting work that meets pupils’ different needs and engages them in their learning
  • use progress information more effectively to help pupils achieve their targets
  • consistently apply the school’s feedback policy to help pupils improve their work.
• Improve pupils’ personal development, welfare and behaviour by ensuring that:
  • pupils develop more positive attitudes to learning beyond compliant, passive behaviour
  • attendance improves for different groups of pupils
  • pupils are provided with suitable careers advice that enables them to make informed decisions about their next steps after leaving school. 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 the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

• The school is now in its third year of operation but continues to face a number of significant challenges. Limited leadership capacity, financial concerns, staff absence and recruitment difficulties, particularly in engineering, are having a negative impact on pupils’ experience of school. For too many pupils, the experience they have been promised, in terms of curriculum and quality of teaching, is not being delivered.
• Despite their commitment to improvement, the school’s senior leaders have too little time and too many responsibilities to lead the school effectively. For example, senior leaders are required to do too much teaching in order to cover staff absence. This leaves them with too little time for their other responsibilities.
• The absence of effective middle leadership and the subsequent pressure this places on senior leaders means that teaching is not well led. There is too little oversight of its quality. The principal rightly recognises that this is a key area for development. He is fully aware that leadership capacity is weakened because the right staff are not in place to fulfil this role. Consequently, there continues to be too much variation and inconsistency in the quality of teaching and teachers’ planning.
• Leaders have tightened up the process to manage teachers’ performance so that they are now being held to account better. However, professional development opportunities for staff are limited and/or not having the desired impact. Fewer than half of the staff who responded to the staff survey issued during the inspection stated that professional development was assisting their improvement.
• The curriculum is not well balanced for too many pupils regardless of key stage. The organisation of the curriculum means that some pupils are unable to study their subjects of choice or miss out on enrichment opportunities. Staffing and recruitment issues have weakened curriculum provision. Pupils do not receive adequate physical education opportunities or tuition. Nevertheless, current Year 10 pupils are receiving a more balanced and appropriate curriculum. This is because of the principal’s drive to build more sustainable improvement from the bottom upwards.
• The principal has made improvements since he took up post just over a year ago. He has helped to improve mathematics and English teaching and the curriculum offer for Year 10 pupils. He has also successfully focused on improving behaviour and champions the unique character of a university technical college (UTC) effectively. Furthermore, he has introduced systems to hold staff to greater account for the progress of pupils, although these are relatively new and not fully established.
• The limited external support the school has received since opening has not enabled leaders to overcome key weaknesses quickly enough. Consequently, many pupils still do not receive the quality of teaching and academic support they need to achieve their potential.
• Additional funding for disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN is not enabling them to make better progress. There is too little evaluation of the impact of specific strategies. Although leaders have now put in place some better strategic plans for the allocation of this funding, these are too recent to have an impact.
• Pupils who spoke with the lead inspector reported that there are few extra-curricular activities on offer to them outside of scheduled lesson times. They would like more activities and clubs to be on offer after school.
• Leaders have not sufficiently secured the engagement of parents. The majority of parents who responded to the online survey, Parent View, are not satisfied with various aspects of the school’s work. Nearly three quarters of respondents disagree that the school is well led and managed, and would not recommend the school. Some parents, pupils and staff do not think that communication within school, and between school and home, is good enough.
• Staff are forging constructive links with employers and providing pupils with more opportunities to understand the world of work. For example, pupils have been involved in projects led jointly by staff and employers. They have also benefited from mock interviews, team-building workshops and aspirational career talks involving the school’s employer partners.

Governance of the school

• The work of governors has not enabled leaders to tackle decisively key weaknesses in leadership and teaching. Consequently, staffing, recruitment and leadership capacity are still major issues affecting the quality of pupils’ experience and contributing to their underachievement.
• Governors have only recently increased the level of challenge presented to school leaders. The chair of governors acknowledges that the governing board used to be too much of a ‘supporters’ club’. As a result of self-reflection, governors realised that they needed to hold leaders to greater account. They now ensure, for example, that performance information is presented to them in a form they can understand and interrogate. However, this approach has not yet resulted in positive impact on pupils’ achievements.
• Governors are committed wholeheartedly to the mission of the UTC. At its core is the aim to provide pupils with a richer experience of science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects (STEM) than they would otherwise get. They are well qualified to champion the school’s distinctiveness because of their backgrounds in business, industry and higher education. Governors ensure that, as local employers, they are involved in the work of the school and support school STEM events. The success and value of this work, however, varies between year groups. Governors accept that the school’s aim to provide a richer vocational STEM experience is not ‘lived’ in practice as well as it should be for some pupils.
• Governors are keen to learn, and they take an objective, honest view of their strengths and areas for development. This stands them in good stead for being able to move forward swiftly and sustainably.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Members of the designated safeguarding team take their responsibilities seriously. They have conducted and followed up on audits to identify strengths and areas for improvement. Consequently, different aspects of safeguarding are fit for purpose and leaders are confident and familiar with all aspects of provision.
• Leaders understand the needs of vulnerable pupils well and seek out appropriate support for them. Leaders have implemented clear, easy-to-follow procedures for staff who have concerns about a child. They know that no concern is too small. Pupils also feel comfortable enough, because of the support they receive, to self-refer. Referrals are safely stored and contain chronologically organised information that shows what action has been taken to resolve cases. Leaders take advantage of positive relationships with external agencies to ensure that pupils receive the support they need.
• Pupils who spoke with inspectors reported that they feel safe in school. They agreed that there are members of staff they would feel comfortable talking to should they have concerns.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

• Teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve. Work is insufficiently challenging in many subjects, regardless of pupils’ abilities. As a result, they do not make the progress of which they are capable.
• The work set for pupils is not tailored to meet their different needs. Too often, pupils of different ability complete the same task without additional resources to either help them or push them on. This means that many of the most able pupils, of whom there is a sizeable number, finish tasks early and become bored.
• Pupils do not engage fully with learning because too much teaching fails to stimulate or interest them. Their behaviour is passively compliant; pupils do as instructed but they are not keen to find out more or to participate in learning.
• The school’s policy for teachers to provide feedback to pupils to help them improve their work is inconsistently applied. In some subjects, such as English and psychology, teachers are diligent, but in others less so. Where staff have been absent for periods of time, pupils are unable to benefit from teachers’ guidance. Not only is the policy inconsistently applied but the impact of the policy is also too variable across subjects and teachers. This is because some pupils do not act on the advice they are given.
• The accuracy of assessment information provided by teachers is questionable. This is because there is little leadership oversight of assessment across the school to secure consistency and rigour. As a result, there is too little moderation and professional development within and beyond the institution, to guarantee accuracy. The lack of clarity and accuracy is compounded by teachers adapting to a new assessment system introduced at the beginning of the academic year.
• The relationships between most staff and pupils are positive. Consequently, pupils regard classroom environments as safe spaces where they can comfortably share their views.
• The work in pupils’ books shows that teaching in some subjects, such as English, mathematics and psychology, is improving. Pupils are more readily engaging with the tasks they are set and showing greater readiness to improve their work.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.
• Personal development and welfare are not good because pupils are not adequately well prepared for the next stages of their educational career. They are not provided with sufficient advice to enable them to make informed choices about their next steps. Also, pupils’ attitudes to all aspects of their learning are not yet consistently positive.
• The senior leader responsible for student services has worked in a purposeful, dedicated way to build up the range of pastoral support available to pupils. As she said to the lead inspector, ‘The student is at the centre of everything.’ Together with other members of her team, she has raised the profile of services among pupils. They know what support is available to them and how it can be accessed. For example, pupils know that they can access the services of the school counsellor to assist with social and emotional issues.
• Pupils are increasingly exhibiting greater confidence and self-assurance. Pupils in Year 10 who spoke with the lead inspector, shared their views of the school in an articulate and mature manner. They were calm, measured and reflective, speaking positively about their school experience. Some of these pupils are fine ambassadors for their school.
• Staff respond in an open, timely and proactive way to local events and issues that may have a bearing on pupils’ welfare. For example, staff recently raised awareness of a local drugs issue through assemblies and outside speakers. Pupils agree that these messages are prominent and that they heed them.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• The attendance of different groups of pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, is too low. Student services staff are working hard and applying different strategies to reduce absence but these are not having the desired impact. Poor attendance of post-16 students is partly reflected in their dissatisfaction with their school experience.
• Behaviour in the school has improved under the leadership of the current principal. He has raised expectations of behaviour, although the behaviour policy is not always followed consistently by staff. The majority of staff who responded to the survey issued during the inspection disagree that behaviour is always managed consistently by staff. Pupils who spoke with inspectors also supported this view. Nevertheless, the school environment is calm and orderly, and low-level disruption has reduced.
• Exclusions have fallen significantly in this academic year, as a result of improving behaviour. The student services leader monitors behaviour closely and analyses records for patterns and trends. This enables her and the wider team to be more responsive in tackling the most pressing issues.
• Pupils who spoke with inspectors were polite. In large part, pupils treat each other and staff with respect. They move around the school in a calm, orderly and mature fashion.

Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

• In 2017, pupils’ attainment and progress at key stage 4 were below the floor standards. Progress overall, and for different groups of pupils, across most subjects was well below average. Pupils’ attainment, although stronger than their progress, was also below average.
• Pupils enter the school at the beginning of Year 10. Consequently, staff at the school have only two years to work with pupils before they take their GCSE examinations. This potentially has a bearing on the school’s ability to influence the progress made by pupils. Nevertheless, in 2017, pupils underachieved. This is because teaching was not good enough and failed to prepare pupils adequately. Pupils, many of whom were higher-ability pupils, did not make the progress they were capable of.
• The progress of students who left the sixth form in 2017 was lower than average at A level. This is also the case for students of different abilities and those who were disadvantaged. The progress of students in subjects including computing, physics, economics, psychology and further mathematics was well below average.
• Information provided by the school and the work in pupils’ books indicates that pupils overall, especially those in Year 10, are beginning to make stronger progress. This is most evident in English and mathematics. Improvements to date have been incremental and gradual. Although the school’s assessment information suggests that progress will become more rapid, it is not reliable enough to trust fully.
• Pupils who are disadvantaged are not making comparable progress with their peers. This is because staff are not meeting their needs sufficiently in lessons. Additional funding is not being spent in ways that make a positive difference to pupils’ academic achievement. Although pupils’ pastoral needs are well supported by the student services team, strategies afforded by additional funding are not evaluated for their impact. Governors do not have a firm enough grip on how this money is spent and the difference it makes.
• The SEN coordinator, who is also the senior leader responsible for student services, safeguarding and pupil premium, understands the needs of the pupils well. However, insufficient resourcing and lack of opportunities for staff training mean that pupils’ academic needs are not being met. Additional funding meant for the support of pupils who have education, health and care plans is not ring-fenced. Consequently, these pupils do not benefit from the funding that they are statutorily entitled to. Therefore, pupils are not making the progress they should be.

16-19 study programmes Inadequate

• Students do not make sufficient progress relative to their starting points. Too much teaching lacks the necessary challenge, which prevents students achieving the grades they are capable of. Too often, the most able students complete learning tasks and activities quickly, and then learning is left to falter while they wait for their peers to catch up. Conversely, teachers do not ensure that less-able students remain on task because there is insufficient supervision. As a result, less-able students lose interest and make slow progress.
• Too few students benefit from the opportunity to put into practice the skills and knowledge they have gained in their lessons within the work environment. This is particularly relevant because of the unique mission and purpose of the UTC. Too few students have placements with employers, through which they can gain an experience of work that relates closely to their career aspirations. Consequently, they are not prepared well enough for their next steps in learning and employment.
• Students do not develop good work-related skills. They have insufficient opportunity in lessons to undertake practical tasks and activities that would extend and consolidate their understanding of theoretical concepts.
• Attendance in lessons is low. Staff have not ensured that students understand the value employers place on good time management and high attendance. Students who do attend are punctual, and most arrive prepared and willing to take an active part in their learning.
• Careers advice and guidance are insufficient to enable many students to plan their next steps into further or higher education and employment.
• Students develop confidence and improved self-esteem. They develop a broad range of personal and social skills. Students are polite to teachers and their peers. Most students behave well in lessons. Teachers help vulnerable students with mental health issues to develop effective strategies to overcome their anxiety. As a result, they develop the confidence to re-engage with their learning.
• Students are safe, and feel safe, at school. They know who to talk to should they have any concerns and are confident that staff will take appropriate action. In a small minority of practical lessons, teachers do not reinforce safe working practices in the use and wearing of personal protective equipment.
• While students have good access to an appropriate range of STEM-related enrichment activities, a number of students are unable to fully participate. This is because of timetable ‘clashes’, which mean they have a restricted choice of activities.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 141964 Wiltshire 10042655 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 University technical college 14 to 19 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 215 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Principal Joanne Peel Joe Mulligan Telephone number 01722 444 000 Website Email address www.salisburyutc.org.uk enquiries@wiltshire-utc.co.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school opened in September 2015.
• The principal took up post in January 2017.
• The school’s capacity is 600 pupils. There are currently 215 on roll.
• The proportion of girls in the school is well below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is lower than average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities who receive support is much higher than average. The proportion of pupils who have SEN with a statement or an education, health and care plan, is just below the national average.
• The school does not meet the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 11.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed pupils’ learning in a range of subjects and across year groups. Some observations were jointly conducted with school staff.
• Meetings were held with the principal and other senior leaders, groups of pupils, and representatives of the governing body. The lead inspector also spoke with an adviser for the Department for Education.
• Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of documentation, including information on pupils’ outcomes, the school’s self-evaluation and development plans. Records relating to the monitoring of teaching, behaviour, attendance, exclusion and the safeguarding of pupils were also scrutinised.
• Inspectors took account of 50 responses to the Parent View survey and 15 responses to the staff survey.
• Inspectors scrutinised pupils’ work and observed their conduct at break and lunchtimes.

Inspection team

Steve Smith, lead inspector Jules Steele Steve Taylor

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