Finham Park 2 Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that teaching is consistently strong by:
  • sharing the best teaching in the school more widely, including the use of questioning
  • making sure teachers plan work that is appropriately challenging for all pupils, especially the most able
  • providing teachers, especially those who are less experienced, with the strategies to tackle low-level disruptive behaviour in some classes
  • improving teaching in mathematics so that it matches the strengths seen in most other subjects.
• Improve leadership and management, especially the effectiveness of middle leaders, by ensuring that:
  • leaders check more closely that teachers adhere consistently to the school’s policies on written feedback, presentation and behaviour.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders and governors have realised their vision to create a new school with high aspirations for all pupils. They have fostered strong relationships with parents and pupils to create a community school that is very ambitious. The school is very popular and oversubscribed. Leaders have established an ethos based on the characteristics of ‘Pride, Respect and Responsibility’, and one where success is celebrated.
• Leaders at every level know their school well. They are able to identify its strengths and what needs improving, including in teaching. They have been effective in taking swift action where changes were required. They are highly responsive to issues raised through external support and challenge or from the trust partnership. Where improvement is needed, leaders are not slow in making necessary changes.
• Leaders have produced a very comprehensive curriculum, especially when considering how small the school still is. Pupils cover a broad range of subjects at key stage 3, including the option to study Mandarin, and they maintain several option choices at key stage 4. Leaders are keen for pupils to discover what talents they have, and all pupils take part in OOSHL time, which includes programmes like Japanese, robotics and ‘school of rock’. Leaders promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and British values very well through the curriculum. This includes through daily mentor time and ‘personal, health and social education’ lessons.
• All staff responding to the staff survey agreed that they are proud to be a member of staff. The very large majority of parents and carers who responded to the online questionnaire, Parent View, agreed that the school is well led and managed and all reported that they would recommend the school to another parent. Pupils spoken to were proud of their school.
• The close partnership that has been established in the Finham Park Multi-Academy Trust (FPMAT) is valued by leaders and the wider staff. Trust-wide practice for professional training is having a positive impact on the development of the school and has created strong links between subject staff across the schools. The trust has supported school leaders with a robust system to check the quality of provision at the school. Leaders follow up advice and guidance received promptly and effectively.
• Leaders have used the extensive data available across the FPMAT to plan and set challenging targets for pupils at the school. The pupils’ progress is tracked against the prior strong progress that the other school has made. Many senior and middle leaders are exam markers and they use this expertise to carry out accurate assessments. This work is moderated across the partnership to ensure that pupils are meeting the expected standards. This partnership with a local outstanding school has enabled the school to moderate its assessment judgements, given the lack of any externally verified examination results at key stage 4.
• Leaders have evaluated effectively the impact of additional pupil premium and Year 7 catch-up funding for literacy and numeracy. Leaders know the needs of individual pupils well and select appropriate interventions from a broad range that is available at the school. As such, the programme of support is tailored to the individual needs of each pupil. The result of this is that pupils supported by pupil premium and year 7 catch up funding are progressing at similar rates to their peers.
• Inexperienced middle leaders and newly qualified staff have access to a wide range of development opportunities and a variety of training. Those newly qualified staff spoken to were highly positive about the induction and training that they have received and that mentors had gone ‘above and beyond’ to support them. However, the very best teaching that exists in the school is not yet fully used or shared more widely to enable them to develop as quickly as they could.
• Careers guidance is developing as the pupils move through the school. Leaders are creating exciting links with local employers so that pupils can regularly visit and speak to people from local industries. For example, pupils have visited the local HS2 site and have spoken to people who work there. Leaders have also taken groups of pupils to universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, to help raise their aspirations for the future.
• Leaders are aware that they need to do more to ensure that all teachers follow school policies for written feedback, presentation and behaviour consistently, especially as the school continues to grow.

Governance of the school

• Governors at the school are committed and effective.
• Governors have a suitable breadth of skills and experience. Regular and well-organised meetings, which are supported by useful management information, enable them to check on the school and to challenge and support senior leaders.
• Many of the governors were involved in the initial plans and development of the school and they are very proud of the school that they have helped build. They are positive about the productive relationships that exist within the MAT.
• Governors are trained well and understand their statutory roles, including in relation to safeguarding.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• This aspect of the school’s work is well led, and staff have a clear understanding of their responsibilities and duties. Leaders know the area well and ensure that any local issues are part of the lessons and assemblies that pupils take part in.
• Leaders have established safeguarding procedures and policies that meet statutory requirements. The school’s single central record is compliant, records are stored securely and leaders ensure that all members of staff receive appropriate training.
• The majority of pupils said that they feel safe and well cared for. Pupils are taught to be safe and healthy and are well aware of issues surrounding radicalisation, extremism, mental health and online safety. Pupils said that if they have a concern, they know who to go to and trust that it will be dealt with effectively.
• All staff responding to the staff survey agreed that pupils are safe in school. Almost all parents who responded to the online questionnaire Parent View also agreed with this.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Leaders have ensured that pupils are taught by subject specialists, often using staff across the FPMAT and part-time teachers for some subjects such as music. Teachers have strong subject knowledge and often use this to plan interesting lessons for their pupils.
• Targets set for pupils’ progress are challenging but achievable. Some staff, especially in year 9 lessons, are starting to prepare pupils well for the examination skills that they will need. They model the work well and give pupils opportunities to practise these skills. Assessed work is moderated across the FPMAT to ensure that it is accurately marked.
• Most teachers think carefully about the activities that pupils should do. In the best lessons, work is tailored to the interests and needs of the individuals in the group. In some instances, this is done remarkably well. In food technology, for example, the use of head, commis and sous chefs is highly effective.
• As a result of support and training and the recruitment of some new staff, the overall quality of teaching continues to improve. There is some very high-quality teaching in all areas of the school. This could be used more to help support newer members of staff, especially in developing questioning that challenges pupils to think more deeply.
• Where teaching is most effective, it is carefully planned to provide challenge for pupils with different starting points. Teachers use lesson time productively to develop pupils’ skills and knowledge. For example, in a year 8 art lesson pupils of all abilities produced work of exceptional quality. However, some teaching is less effective as it is aimed at the middle ability. As a consequence, the most able pupils are not fully stretched and challenged, for example in some mathematics lessons.
• Most staff follow the school’s marking and assessment policy. Similarly, there are some inconsistencies in teachers’ expectations for pupils’ presentation of written work.
• In most cases, teachers manage behaviour well and lessons are free of low-level disruptive incidents. Sometimes teachers do not apply the school’s behaviour policy consistently. As a result, inappropriate behaviour, such as off-task chatter while the teacher is speaking, is allowed to persist and at times interrupts the learning of others.
• The school gives parents clear information about how their child is progressing and what they need to do to improve. Meetings with parents are very well attended and give them opportunities to discuss their children’s progress with staff in more depth.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Most pupils demonstrate the values that are at the heart of the school’s ethos, which are ‘pride, respect and responsibility’. Leaders promote all aspects of pupils’ welfare and effective systems are in place to ensure that pupils are cared for well. Pupils value the strong relationships that they have with staff at the school.
• Leaders are passionate about pupils’ development as ‘fully-rounded’ individuals. Pupils enjoy the OOSHL programme, which takes place at the end of the school day. They value the opportunities that it gives them and they understand that this is part of their wider learning. As a result, pupils are developing skills and interests that would not normally form part of their curriculum, for example learning Japanese.
• Pupils’ experiences are broadened and enhanced through the range of educational visits that the school organises, for example over one hundred pupils visited the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden to watch a performance.
• Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. They have high aspirations and want to do well. They are receiving effective advice and guidance to support their future career aspirations. Year 9 pupils were very positive about the advice that they were given about options and about the subjects that they are now studying.
• Pupils spoken to said that they feel very safe in school and that there are no ‘no-go areas’. They also reported that bullying hardly ever happens. Where isolated instances occur, they are dealt with effectively. Pupils reported that they had ‘every confidence’ in staff when reporting incidents. They knew that they would be listened to and that matters would be dealt with promptly and effectively.
• Some pupils do not take enough pride in the presentation of their written work.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils have a good understanding of rewards and sanctions issued through the consequence system. Those spoken to said that they value the reward system, including the badges that they can earn, and that they enjoy taking part in celebration events such as praise week.
• Pupils conduct themselves well during breaktimes and lunchtimes and are polite to staff on duty. They are friendly and courteous to visitors. Pupils are proud of their uniform and they are punctual to lessons.
• The rate of attendance is above the national average. The proportion of pupils who are persistently absent is below the national average. Attendance is not as high for some disadvantaged pupils or for some pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. Leaders work closely with the families of these pupils and other professionals to ensure that their attendance improves.
• Leaders keep detailed behaviour logs so that they can identify any trends or patterns. They have recently expanded their provision to include a mentor and councillor, which is helping to improve the behaviour of a small number of pupils.
• Almost all parents who responded to the online questionnaire, Parent View, agreed that behaviour is good in school. Pupils spoken to also agreed with this.
• In a small number of lessons, pupils’ attitudes to learning are not as good as they are in others. During the inspection, some incidents of low-level disruptive behaviour occurred. Pupils confirmed that this does happen occasionally, and they also said that some staff do not issue sanctions in accordance with the behaviour policy. .

Outcomes for pupils Good

• With no pupils in key stage 4 and no nationally verified assessment information in key stage 3, inspectors took account of the school’s most recent assessment information and work seen in pupils’ books. These indicate that the large majority of pupils currently in Years 7, 8 and 9 are making good progress in a range of subjects, including in English and mathematics, from their broadly average starting points at the end of key stage 2.
• Pupils have the opportunity to read widely. All classes have time in English lessons set aside for literacy, including spelling and reading, and these lessons frequently take place in the school library. Pupils spoken to confirmed that the school promotes reading well.
• The large majority of pupils are doing well in their learning, and there are no significant variations between boys and girls or disadvantaged pupils and others. Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities also make similar progress as their peers. Where small gaps do exist within a subject, leaders have plans and interventions in place to help those pupils catch up.
• Pupils in Year 9 are being well prepared for their examinations at the end of key stage 4 through the focus on exam skills and assessments in place. They have received effective advice and guidance in planning their next steps.
• Progress for the most able pupils suggests that they are not learning as quickly as they could. This is because there is some inconsistency in how well teaching meets their needs in mixed-attainment classes.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 141939 Coventry 10048345 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 Academy free school 11 to 16 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 359 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Catherine Colby-Johnson Russell Plester 024 7771 0720 www.finhampark2.co.uk contact@finhampark2.co.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• Finham Park 2 opened as a free school in September 2015. It currently has pupils in key stage 3 and key stage 4 in Year 9.
• The headteacher was in post before the school opened.
• The school is heavily oversubscribed.
• The school is smaller than the average-sized secondary school because as a recently opened school there are still only three year groups. Two further year groups will be added over the next two years.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is slightly above the national average. A small number of pupils have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan.
• No pupils attend alternative provision off site.
• The school has not been assessed against the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 11, as there are currently no pupils in Years 10 or 11.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching in 26 lessons, some of which were jointly observed with senior leaders.
• Inspectors looked at a range of pupils’ work from a range of subjects in key stages 3 and 4.
• Meetings took place with the headteacher, senior leaders, middle leaders and groups of pupils from across all years. The lead inspector met with members of the governing body and with the executive headteacher of Finham Park Multi-Academy Trust.
• Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktime, lunchtime, between lessons and after school.
• Inspectors took into account 42 parental responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View.
• Inspectors took into account the views of 20 members of staff who responded to the questionnaire.
• Inspectors looked at a variety of documentation, including the school’s own self-evaluation of its provision, and also considered information relating to achievement, teaching and learning, behaviour and attendance, safeguarding, and governance.

Inspection team

Lois Kelly, lead inspector Philip Hamilton Mark Henshaw Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector