Heritage Park School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of leadership and management, including governance, by making sure that:
  • newly devised systems to check the attendance, well-being and progress of pupils who are educated in alternative provision, at home or on part-time timetables are embedded and the impact of this is evaluated effectively
  • systems to check, record and measure pupils’ progress over time are further developed so that they provide accurate and reliable information on which to evaluate pupils’ outcomes
  • the roles and responsibilities of new leaders are clearly established
  • plans to improve the effectiveness of governance are implemented promptly
  • leaders take steps to move pupils on part-time timetables back into full-time education as quickly as possible.
• Improve the quality of teaching and learning so that it is consistently good by making sure that:
  • work is well matched to pupils’ different needs and abilities and is consistently challenging, especially for the most able, so that pupils maintain their interest and motivation to learn
  • the school’s policy for assessment and feedback is adhered to by all staff
  • teachers’ questioning is improved so that pupils’ misconceptions are swiftly identified and corrected by all staff
  • all pupils receive the minimum recommended number of teaching hours to which they are entitled.
• Improve pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare by ensuring that:
  • all pupils understand and follow the school’s behaviour policy
  • pupils are encouraged to display positive attitudes towards their learning and are respectful to one another and to staff
  • the attendance of all pupils improves quickly and the proportion of pupils who are regularly absent reduces considerably, especially those on part-time timetables and those accessing alternative provision
  • in all key stages, pupils receive impartial careers advice and guidance so that they make informed choices about their future.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Over time, leaders have not maintained the good quality of education reported at the previous inspection. Leaders have not ensured that pupils, especially those accessing alternative provision or on part-time timetables, attend school regularly enough. A small minority are taught for only a few hours each week. Leaders have also not ensured that the quality of teaching that pupils do receive is consistently good or that pupils show good attitudes to their learning. As a result, pupils do not make good progress and outcomes require improvement.
• At the start of this inspection, inspectors found that the school’s arrangements to check on the attendance, welfare and progress of those pupils accessing alternative provision, on part-time timetables or who are taught at home were weak. Senior leaders have not been diligent enough in checking the impact of their actions in these areas. Leaders responded swiftly to inspectors’ findings by devising, and implementing, new procedures and systems to do so. While these are now adequate, leaders, along with governors, need to take further steps to ensure that systems are fully embedded and evaluated effectively.
• A new leadership structure has recently been introduced. However, as yet, for some, their roles and responsibilities are not clearly defined. There are mixed messages among leaders regarding the full extent of their duties.
• Until recently, when assessing pupils’ progress, leaders have reviewed pupils’ performance in each subject separately. They have not used this information to provide a clear and accurate evaluation of the overall quality of education that pupils are receiving. Leaders now have plans in place to revise their approach so that they have a consistent method of assessing and evaluating the extent of pupils’ progress across subjects.
• The curriculum is improving. It encompasses a wide range of subjects. A topic-based curriculum has recently been implemented. This is helping to support pupils’ academic and social progress more effectively. Opportunities to increase pupils’ awareness of how education links to future career goals have been improved.
• The school receives considerable additional funding. Almost all pupils have an education, health and care plan and a large majority are disadvantaged and entitled to pupil premium funding. For some pupils, this is having a positive impact on their progress and well-being. However, some pupils’ attendance is poor. This hampers leaders’ efforts to ensure that funding is used to good effect.
• Parents and carers indicate that they are happy with the school. They report that communication between them and staff at all levels is strong.

Governance of the school

• Over time, governors have challenged leaders about pupils’ progress and their outcomes. However, their challenge in the areas of pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare lacks rigour. Poor attendance, for example, persists.
• Governors have not had sufficient accurate information regarding those pupils on part-time timetables to be able to hold leaders to account effectively.
• The recently appointed chair of the governing body understands the history and challenges facing the school. He has established a clear plan to strengthen the effectiveness of the governing body.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The designated safeguarding leaders are knowledgeable about safeguarding practices. They are confident when working with a wide range of external agencies. They challenge others effectively to ensure the well-being of pupils.
• Leaders ensure that safeguarding concerns, particularly from alternative education providers, are recorded and, where necessary, shared appropriately. More work is taking place to ensure that systems are further embedded and thorough.
• Staff understand safeguarding procedures and the signs they would look for to keep children safe. Professional development and training with regards to safeguarding take various forms and are up to date.
• Pupils say that they feel safe at school. Parents who spoke with inspectors all agreed that their child is kept safe.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Teaching does not enable pupils to make good enough progress. Across the school, teaching is variable in quality. Some pupils on part-time timetables do not receive the minimum recommended number of hours of teaching each week. A few receive very little teaching. This hampers pupils’ progress and, for a few pupils, considerably so. Newly appointed leaders are clear about the actions they need to take to improve teaching, learning and assessment. They have revised systems and procedures. It is too early, however, to assess the impact of leaders’ changes on improving teaching and on pupils’ outcomes.
• Some teachers do not use information about what pupils already know and can do to plan lessons that help pupils learn well. This means that, often, tasks do not closely reflect pupils’ varying needs and abilities. At times, all pupils complete the same work, irrespective of what they already know and can do. This is particularly the case for the most able pupils. Pupils are not challenged sufficiently to deepen their learning. When this happens, pupils lose interest and motivation for learning, and some disruption occurs.
• The agreed approach to assessing pupils and providing them with feedback about how well they are doing is not clearly understood or followed by some teachers and pupils. Some teaching does not ensure that pupils have an accurate overview of their own learning. Pupils do not always understand the next steps they need to take in order to improve their work.
• The quality of questioning by staff is variable. Some teachers question pupils effectively, enthusing them to explain and justify their responses. Pupils’ misconceptions in these instances are swiftly identified and corrected. More work is needed, however, to ensure that this good practice is consistent across the school. On occasions, teachers accept brief or one-word answers too readily and they do not seek answers from a range of pupils.
• Teaching does not ensure that pupils show good attitudes to their learning. Pupils do not always respect each other’s views and opinions in the classroom. Sometimes, pupils talk over one other, and this slows the pace of learning.
• The teaching of reading is good. Approaches to teaching reading are firmly established and used consistently across the school. Pupils are able to infer what would happen next from a given text. In writing, in all key stages, pupils are provided with good opportunities to write at length and for different purposes. Pupils in key stage 4 demonstrate a good standard when writing formal and informal letters. However, for too many pupils, achievement in English, as in other curriculum subjects, is hampered considerably because they are absent from school too often.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.
• During the inspection, leaders introduced a new system to monitor and evaluate pupils’ well-being when attending alternative provision, accessing home tuition or on a part-time timetable. This revised system ensures pupils’ safety and well-being but it is not yet routine.
• Pupils show varying levels of respect to their peers and teachers. While some staff challenge the use of negative language, others do not. This inconsistency across the school presents a confusing picture of expectations for pupils.
• The curriculum to promote tolerance, respect and the rule of law is wide and varied. However, the impact of it is not reflected in some pupils’ attitudes towards others during the school day.
• Over time, leaders have not ensured that pupils receive the impartial careers advice and guidance that they need to make informed choices about their future. This work is currently being developed throughout key stages 3 and 4. However, it is weak in key stage 2.
• Pupils talk confidently about how to keep themselves safe, particularly when online. They are aware of healthy eating, drug and alcohol misuse and how to deal with anger. They are less confident talking about other cultures, respect and tolerance.
• The majority of pupils take pride in their work. This is evidenced in neat and tidy work in pupils’ books.
• Bullying is rare in key stage 2. Pupils understand how to interact and socialise with their peers. Lunchtimes are calm and pupils are well mannered. Well-structured routines for eating and cleaning up are firmly in place.
• Leaders have made changes to systems for the reporting of bullying. This is providing leaders with a more accurate breakdown of specific behavioural incidents. This has resulted in an initial rise in the number of incidents reported, particularly in key stage 3.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• Pupils’ attitudes to learning in lessons are not consistently good. This has an impact on the quality of the learning that takes place and the progress made by all groups of pupils. Pupils say that behaviour differs depending on the class they are in.
• Overall, attendance is below average. Individual pupils’ rates of attendance vary considerably. Leaders are taking appropriate action to improve attendance for those pupils that are taught in school. Work to improve attendance of those pupils on part-time timetables is currently not having the desired effect. Leaders are aware that this is an area that needs to improve quickly.
• The level of fixed-term exclusions is low. Pupils are given time and space within school to calm down and reintegrate back into learning. Some parents say that the school allows pupils to go home following an incident. Leaders agree this is something to investigate further and resolve.
• The school’s behaviour policy promotes an inclusive approach. Pupils adhere to four targets: to follow instructions; to complete work; and two personalised targets set by the pupil and teacher. Although this resulted in a small reduction in the number of behavioural incidents in the last academic year, some pupils are not clear on the sanctions for any negative behaviours.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Pupils on part-time timetables do not make good progress. Some receive far too little teaching time to make the progress they should. Over time, the school has not checked the progress of these pupils carefully enough. Although a new system is now in place to monitor pupils’ progress consistently across all subject areas, it is too soon to see the impact of this on pupils’ outcomes. Pupils are not moved back into full-time education quickly enough.
• Pupils who attend alternative provision often make good progress in specific vocational areas. However, leaders are unclear about how well pupils are progressing in the core subjects of English and mathematics. Pupils’ progress over time in these important subjects is not measured.
• Pupils’ books show that the progress of pupils who attend school regularly is improving. Some make good progress, taking pride in their work and showing a willingness to learn. For some, learning builds well on what they already know and can do. However, too many pupils do not attend school regularly. This hampers their progress.
• The school’s agreed approach to the teaching of reading is well embedded and followed consistently by staff. As a result, reading is now a strength of the school. Across all key stages, pupils make good progress in this area of their learning.
• The progress of disadvantaged pupils and pupils educated at home is variable. Although some make good progress in reading, in mathematics progress is not consistently good.
• At the end of 2018, most Year 11 pupils moved on to further education, employment or training. This is a considerable improvement on the previous year. Leaders do not currently continue to follow the progress of pupils once they have left the school. This is an area for improvement.

School details

Unique reference number 126705 Local authority Sheffield Inspection number 10059194 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school All-through School category Foundation special Age range of pupils 6 to 16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 125 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Michael Sanderson Executive Headteacher Tony Middleton Telephone number 01142 796 850 Website www.trustschoolstrust.org Email address AMiddleton@heritagepark.sheffield.sch Date of previous inspection 10–11 March 2015

Information about this school

• Heritage Park School was inspected in 2015 and judged to be good.
• The school is federated as part of the Trust Schools Trust.
• The school makes provision for pupils who have a social, emotional or mental health need. Pupils are placed at the school at varying times throughout the school year, based on their requirements.
• Almost all pupils have an education, health and care plan. Currently, one pupil is at Heritage Park for assessment of need and awaiting a school place to be allocated.
• Most pupils are White British and are boys.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is considerably higher than the national average.
• The school uses 20 alternative education providers.
• The school operates over two sites. A satellite site known as ‘STEP’ is run and managed by school staff.
• Just over 20% of pupils are on part-time timetables, receive tuition at home or attend alternative provision.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning across a wide range of lessons and learning activities at the school.
• Pupils’ written work was evaluated in lessons and during meetings.
• Inspectors observed pupils’ conduct while pupils were arriving and leaving school, as well as at breakfast club, break and lunchtime.
• Inspectors spoke to pupils both informally and formally, to four parents and to members of the staff team.
• Inspectors met with the executive headteacher, principal, assistant headteachers and middle leaders.
• An inspector held telephone conversations with the current and previous chairs of the governing body.
• Inspectors visited three alternative providers and STEP.
• A meeting was held with a school improvement officer from the local authority.
• A wide range of documentation was scrutinised, including the school self-evaluation report and the school development plan. Inspectors also reviewed minutes of meetings of the governing board, records of the monitoring of teaching, learning and assessment, and information relating to pupils’ attendance and achievement. Safeguarding documentation, the single central record and records relating to behaviour were also examined.

Inspection team

Tricia Stevens, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Suzette Garland-Grimes Ofsted Inspector David Penny Ofsted Inspector