INSPECTION REPORT
Top Valley School
Top Valley, Nottingham
LEA area: Nottingham City
Unique reference number: 122839
Headteacher: Mr P Brown
Reporting inspector: Mr J Plumb 16930
Dates of inspection: 19 – 23 November 2001
Inspection number: 243404
Full inspection carried out under Section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 © Crown copyright 2002
This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.
Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Type of school: Comprehensive
School category: Community
Age range of students: 11 to 16 years
Gender of students: Mixed
School address: Top Valley Drive Top Valley Nottingham Postcode: NG5 9AZ
Telephone number: 0115 9539060
Fax number: 0115 9539065
Appropriate authority: The governing body
Name of chair of governors: Mr J Millington (acting)
Date of previous inspection: 19/05/1997
Top Valley School - 3 INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
Team members Subject Aspect responsibilities responsibilities 16930 Mr J Plumb Registered What sort of school is it? inspector The school’s results and students’ achievements? How well are students’ taught? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 9779 Ms S Smith Lay inspector Students’ attitudes, values and personal development? How well does the school care for its students? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 22423 Mr J Lovegreen Team inspector English How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to students? 27416 Mr T Howard Team inspector Mathematics 27050 Ms V Blackburn Team inspector Science 31680 Mr P Redican Team inspector Art and design 11190 Dr W Burke Team inspector Design and technology 17732 Mr D Martin Team inspector Geography 27407 Mr W Stoneham Team inspector History 8672 Mr M Roberts Team inspector Information and communication technology 15396 Mr R Bulman Team inspector Modern foreign languages Equal opportunities English as an additional language 19532 Ms E Team inspector Music Charlesworth 18888 Ms J Boultbee Team inspector Physical education 20719 Ms A Fraser Team inspector Religious education 12336 Mr M Overend Team inspector Special educational needs
The inspection contractor was:
Bench Marque Ltd National Westminster Bank Chambers Victoria Street Burnham-on-Sea Somerset
Top Valley School - 4 TA8 1AN
Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:
The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division The Office for Standards in Education Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE
Top Valley School - 5 REPORT CONTENTS
Page
PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7
Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Students’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school
PART B: COMMENTARY
HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 12
The school’s results and students’ achievements Students’ attitudes, values and personal development
HOW WELL ARE STUDENTS TAUGHT? 15
HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO STUDENTS? 18
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS STUDENTS? 22
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS? 24
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED? 26
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER? 30
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 31
PART D: THE STANDARDS AND QUALITY OF TEACHING IN AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES 36
Top Valley School - 6 PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
This is a larger than average 11-16 comprehensive school with 963 students on roll. There are 474 boys and 489 girls. The school has recently experienced very considerable turbulence due to a large influx of students as a result of the closure of a nearby secondary school. A new headteacher has been in post since September 2001. The school serves the Byron, Bestwood Park and Bulwell East wards in Nottingham, which are in the ten per cent most deprived nationally. A well above average proportion of students, 31 per cent, are eligible for free school meals. Twenty-five per cent of students are included on the school’s register of special educational needs (SEN), a proportion above the national average. There is a range of needs, including physical disabilities, emotional and behavioural difficulties, speech and language difficulties and autism. The proportion of students with statements of SEN is below the national average. An above average proportion of students (eleven per cent) come from ethnic minority backgrounds. Eleven students speak English as an additional language which is above average but of these only a few are at an early stage of English language acquisition. Attainment on entry is well below the national average.
HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS
Top Valley School is a satisfactory school with a number of good features. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The newly appointed headteacher has grasped the urgent need to improve the very low standards in English and mathematics in Years 7 to 9. He has recognised that communication with parents must become much better and he has made a fast start to improve relationships between the school and parents. Teaching and learning are good in Years 10 and 11 and the GCSE results in 2001 indicate very good value added. The school provides satisfactory value for money.
What the school does well · The value added to students’ education in Years 10 and 11 was well above the average compared with similar schools. · The quality of teaching is good in Years 10 and 11 where students make good gains in their learning. · Standards are very high in drama throughout the school and GCSE results in Spanish are above the national average. · The quality of provision for design and technology is very good. · The provision for personal, social and health education is good. · The Base (to support students with learning difficulties) and the L.inc (to support disaffected students at risk of exclusion) are strengths of the school. · The headteacher has a clear sense of direction for the school and is beginning to successfully build an effective management team.
What could be improved · Standards in English and mathematics in Key Stage 3 are not high enough. · Attendance is poor and lowers standards for a significant minority of students. · Communication between the school and parents / carers is not as effective as it could be. · Not all students in Years 10 and 11 receive their entitlement to religious education. · The range of vocational courses available in Years 10 and 11. · There is not yet a consistent whole school approach to the use of assessment data to inform planning, set targets for individual students and monitor their progress. · Students with SEN are not always given sufficient support when they are included in mainstream classes due to there not being enough learning support assistants. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.
Top Valley School - 7 HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION
There have been satisfactory improvements since the last inspection in May 1997. Under the leadership of the newly appointed headteacher the capacity for further improvement is good. There has been a significant improvement in the provision for information and communication technology (ICT) and in the quality of the school development plan. The quality of teaching in Years 10 and 11 is better and GCSE results have improved. However, standards are worse in English and mathematics in Years 7 to 9 and the key issue of lack of provision for religious education in Years 10 and 11 has not been addressed. Whole school assessment remains a weakness. Attendance is worse (this must be seen in the context of absorbing students with poor attendance patterns as the result of a school closure in Nottingham). The accommodation has improved very significantly. Provision for design and technology has improved very significantly and standards have risen in Spanish. The high standards identified at the time of the last inspection in drama are even higher. However, communication with a significant proportion of parents / carers has deteriorated significantly.
STANDARDS
The table shows the standards achieved at the end of Year 11 based on average point scores in GCSE examinations.
Compared with Key Similar Performance in: All schools schools well above average A above average B 1999 2000 2001 2001 average C below average D GCSE examinations D D C A well below average E
Attainment on entry is well below the national average. In 2001 results in the national tests for 14-year- olds were very low in English, mathematics and science compared with the national average and similar schools (determined by the number of students eligible for free school meals). These results were worse than in the years 1999 and 2000. Contributory factors influencing results include a large influx of students into Year 9 during the year 2000 - 2001 from a school which closed, unsatisfactory teaching in English in Years 7 to 9 and the difficulty in recruiting sufficient specialists to teach mathematics. GCSE results in 2001 grades A*-C were below the national average but above those of similar schools. GCSE results were below average compared with all schools in English and well below in mathematics but close to the national average in science. GCSE results in English and science at grades A*-C were well above average for similar schools but in mathematics they were below.
Standards of work seen are well below the national average in English, below average in mathematics and average in science. Standards are well above national expectations in drama throughout the school and above average in Spanish at GCSE. Standards are average in design and technology, French and physical education, below average in ICT and low in music. Standards in religious education are in line with those expected by Year 9 students following the locally agreed syllabus but below by Year 11 because not all students in Key Stage 4 follow a religious education course. Standards in literacy and numeracy are not high enough at the end of Year 9 but are satisfactory by the end of Year 11. Students’ achievements in relation to their earlier attainment are unsatisfactory in English by the end of Year 9 but good by Year 11. Achievement is good in science, satisfactory in mathematics overall and good in mathematics in Years 10 and 11. Achievement is also good in drama, design and technology and music. Students with SEN make satisfactory progress when taught in the Learning Support Unit but progress is unsatisfactory in some lessons because of insufficient support. Whilst gifted and talented students achieve highly in design and technology it is difficult to note any differences elsewhere. Students with English as an additional language (EAL) achieve above average standards. The school has set challenging targets to raise standards in 2002.
Top Valley School - 8 STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES Aspect Comment
Attitudes to the school Satisfactory. Most students work hard and want to do well. There is a small core of students who have negative attitudes to school.
Behaviour, in and out of Satisfactory. Many behave very well. However, there is a significant classrooms proportion of students who behave very badly, some of whom do not feel very confident about their learning.
Personal development and Relationships are satisfactory. Personal development is satisfactory. Race relationships relations are satisfactory.
Attendance Poor attendance lowers standards for a significant minority of students.
The rate of exclusions amongst ethnic minority students is high.
TEACHING AND LEARNING Teaching of students: Years 7 – 9 Years 10 – 11
Quality of teaching Satisfactory Good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.
Teaching is satisfactory in Years 7 to 9 and good in Years 10 and 11. Teaching is unsatisfactory in Years 7 to 9 in English but at least satisfactory in Years 10 and 11. In mathematics teaching is good but it has suffered recently because of the lack of sufficient specialists. Teaching in science is satisfactory overall. Teachers in all subjects have a good knowledge of the subjects they teach. However, in some subjects teachers lack confidence in the use of computers to support their teaching and this impedes student progress. The sharing of learning objectives is good practice but the use of assessment to set targets to raise standards is a weakness in English in Years 7 to 9. The quality of teaching is at least satisfactory in 96 per cent of lessons and at least good in 68 per cent. It is very good in 22 per cent of lessons, excellent in 7 per cent and unsatisfactory in only 4 per cent of lessons. But these figures mask the unsatisfactory judgement on teaching in English in Years 7 to 9 which is based on a wider evidence base than the observation of lessons. The teaching of students with SEN is good in the Learning Support Unit but is sometimes unsatisfactory when they are included in lessons because of insufficient support. The teaching of literacy and numeracy is satisfactory. Teaching meets the needs of all students but more vocational courses would be appropriate for disaffected students in Years 10 and 11.
OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL Aspect Comment
The quality and range of the Satisfactory overall. There are too few vocational alternatives in Years 10 curriculum and 11. Not all students in Years 10 and 11 receive religious education. Provision for personal, social and health education is good. ICT is better than at the time of the last inspection.
Provision for students with Provision in the Base for students with special educational needs and in special educational needs the L.inc for disaffected students is good. However, provision in some subjects is unsatisfactory because there are not enough learning support assistants and not all teachers make sufficient use of the targets on
Top Valley School - 9 students’ individual education plans.
Top Valley School - 10 Provision for students with Provision for students with EAL is good and they attain above average English as an additional standards. language
Provision for students’ Provision for students’ moral, social and cultural development is good. personal, including spiritual, Provision for students’ spiritual development is satisfactory. moral, social and cultural development
How well the school cares Procedures for monitoring attendance are satisfactory. Procedures for for its students monitoring behaviour are good. Arrangements for child protection are good. There is an appropriate system for dealing with racist incidents. Whole school assessment procedures are unsatisfactory.
Some aspects of partnership with parents are unsatisfactory. In some cases communication is very poor. The quality of reports is not of a sufficiently high standard and parents / carers are not informed sharply enough about what they need to do to help their children improve their work.
HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED Aspect Comment
Leadership and manage- Leadership and management are satisfactory. The headteacher has a ment by the headteacher clear vision and has recognised the areas which need improving. He is and other key staff well supported by a senior management team but some of their roles and responsibilities are not sufficiently clear. The school aims do not focus sufficiently on communication. Priorities in the school development plan are not sufficiently focused.
How well the governors fulfil It is difficult to recruit and retain governors. Governors are supportive but their responsibilities they are not sufficiently involved in whole school planning. They do not ensure that all students in Years 10 and 11 receive their entitlement to religious education and this is a statutory infringement.
The school’s evaluation of The headteacher has a clear picture of most of the school’s strengths its performance and weaknesses. Good systems exist for monitoring the quality of teaching but they are not consistently adhered to across all curriculum areas.
The strategic use of Financial planning is satisfactory. Teachers and learning resources are resources appropriately targeted. Good use is made of computer technology to support school administration. The application of best value principles is good.
Apart from mathematics there are sufficient teachers who are well qualified. There are not enough learning support assistants to support students with SEN. The accommodation has improved since the last inspection and allows the curriculum to be taught effectively. The Link is excellent. The toilets are poor and the accommodation for the administrative staff is too cramped. Resources for learning are satisfactory except in art and design and music.
Top Valley School - 11 PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved · Confidence and hope placed in the newly · Better communication between the school appointed headteacher and themselves · Most parents say that their children like · They are concerned about behaviour school; that they are expected to work hard · Concerns were expressed about homework and they make good progress with their · Improved standards in English and learning mathematics in Years 7 to 9 · Some parents expressed concern about smoking in the toilets · Concern was expressed about racism
Inspection findings indicate that the parents are right to place confidence in the headteacher. Their concerns about communication and about standards in English and mathematics in Years 7 to 9 are justified. Behaviour is satisfactory. A small number of disaffected students behave badly. The school is working hard to address this. ICT provision is getting better. Smoking occurs in a toilet used by girls. No evidence of racism emerged. Parents’ concerns about inconsistency in the setting of homework are justified.
Top Valley School - 12 PART B: COMMENTARY
HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?
The school’s results and students’ achievements
1. Attainment on entry to the school for the current Year 7 is well below the national average as evidenced by the National Curriculum test results in Year 6 in primary schools. The proportion of students with SEN is above the national average and given that this school enters more students for GCSE than the national average it is not surprising that GCSE results at A*-C pitch below the national average.
2. Attainment in the 2001 National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 9 was very low compared with the national average and also compared with similar schools as determined by the number of students eligible for free school meals. A number of factors combine to explain these poor results. There was a large influx of students into the 2000–2001 Year 9 cohort from a school which closed. Many of these students had poor attendance patterns and challenging behaviour. In addition the school has had difficulty recruiting and retaining qualified specialists in mathematics and this has had a negative impact on standards. In English teaching was unsatisfactory in Year 9 because students were not told clearly what they had to do to raise the level of their written work. The national test results in 2001 were down on the previous two years in mathematics and science when national test results were below the national average but in line with similar schools. In English national tests results have been consistently well below the national average and also below the average for similar schools over the past three years.
3. At the end of Year 11 in 2001, the proportion of students who attained five GCSE passes at A*-C (39 per cent) was below the national average (48 per cent) but above average for similar schools. GCSE results at A* - C in English were below the national average and in mathematics very low compared to the national average. In science A* - C passes were close to the national average. A*-C passes in English and science were well above those of similar schools but in mathematics they were below. So students in Year 11 in 2000–2001 made very good progress and achieved high standards overall. There is no significant difference between boys’ and girls’ attainment. The proportion of students with five A*-C passes at GCSE has been consistently below the national average over the past four years and this reflects the proportion of students with SEN. GCSE passes at five A*-C grades were very significantly better in 2001 than in 2000 but results vary from year to year, as do the number of students with learning difficulties. The proportion of students who attained five or more grades A*-G at GCSE in 2001 was above the national average as was the number who attained one A*-G. This reflects the good achievement of these students, although attainment in national terms is below average.
4. In the work seen, standards in English are well below the national average throughout the school. In Years 7 to 9 achievement is unsatisfactory because of weaknesses in the teaching whilst in Years 10 and 11 achievement is satisfactory because of the better teaching. In mathematics the standard of work seen is below that expected nationally in all years but gains in learning are satisfactory in Years 7 to 9 and good in Years 10 and 11 and so students in Key Stage 4 achieve good standards measured against their prior attainment. Standards in science are in line with the national expectations in the majority of lessons. Students in Years 7 to 9 achieve satisfactory standards in science whilst those in Years 10 and 11 achieve good standards when seen in the context of their prior attainment.
Top Valley School - 13 5. Achievement in drama is good with standards at GCSE above the national average. In art and design standards are well below the national average at the end of both key stages. In design and technology standards are average throughout the school. In geography and history standards are below the national average throughout the school. Attainment is below national expectation in ICT at the end of Year 9 and also at the end of Year 11. Standards in French and Spanish are average by the end of Year 9. By the end of Year 11 standards are average in French and above in Spanish. In music standards are low by Year 11. Standards by the end of Year 9 are below the national average but achievement is good. In physical education standards are below the national average at the end of Year 9 but average by the end of Year 11. In religious education standards are in line with the expectations of the agreed syllabus by the end of Year 9. However, standards are below by the end of Year 11 for all students because they do not follow a religious education programme.
6. Overall attainment measured against national comparative benchmarks is low. However, achievement measured against students’ prior attainment is good and sometimes very good in Years 10 and 11. Standards are not high enough in English and mathematics in Years 7 to 9 and this is unsatisfactory. Students with SEN achieve satisfactory standards when supported in the Base. Students with challenging behaviour begin to manage their behaviour well as a result of the quality of support they receive in the L.inc. However, in some subjects where students with SEN are included with their peers, their progress is unsatisfactory and their standards are not high enough because there are no learning support assistants (LSAs ) to support them and teachers do not always make sufficient use of their individual education plans (IEPs) to support them in their learning. Students with EAL achieve good standards and many of them attain GCSE results above the national average. The gifted and talented initiative is at an early stage of development but already gifted and talented students are beginning to attain above average standards in design and technology. Students in public care attain standards commensurate with their ability but their progress is not yet tracked with sufficient rigour.
7. Standards in literacy and numeracy across the curriculum are not high enough in Year 9 but students in Years 7 and 8 who have benefited from the National Numeracy and Literacy Strategies are doing better. Standards achieved in Years 10 and 11 in numeracy are satisfactory. Standards achieved in ICT across the curriculum are very varied but satisfactory overall. Some subjects, such as art and design and history, do not make sufficient use of computers and so in these subjects students do not make sufficient gains in their development of computer skills.
Students’ attitudes, values and personal development
8. The attitude of students to their learning is satisfactory overall. The large majority enjoy school, try hard and want to do well. They respond well to lessons that have been planned to provide them with challenge, particularly where these involve them in practical activities that result in a sense of personal achievement. They are well motivated by praise and by knowing that their efforts are valued. Some have short attention spans and find it difficult to remain focused on their work unless it is well planned with this in mind. There is a small but significant proportion of students throughout the school that have little respect for education and who do not want to learn. Some respond well to the strategies used to support their needs, including alternative vocational provision. Since the time of the last inspection the ability of students to work independently has improved and many are now able to focus well on work for considerable periods where planning ensures there is the right degree of
Top Valley School - 14 challenge. They participate well in extra-curricular activities, including the new homework club. Opportunities for them to show their ability to work independently through the work they do at home are limited by the paucity and quality of homework provided. A few students use the library well for private study and research during the lunch period. There is a level of discontent amongst students over wearing the school uniform and few wear it with pride.
9. Standards of behaviour are satisfactory overall. The large majority of students are well aware of expectations and respond well to the strategies used to manage their behaviour, both in lessons and around the school. In those lessons where these strategies are used less effectively students are quick to take advantage and this sometimes slows learning for all. Many students find it difficult to apply themselves for long periods and as a result behaviour sometimes deteriorates towards the end of lessons. Most respond well to firm and fair discipline, although a few feel that rules are not applied consistently. There is a small but significant minority of students who are immature and do not want to learn. This sometimes leads them to show unacceptable standards of behaviour and be rude to their teachers; recently implemented strategies are usually successful in ensuring this does not disrupt learning for others. After complaints from local residents students have responded well to arrangements made by the school for their supervision when visiting a local shopping precinct at lunchtime. The school premises are generally treated with respect, particularly in those areas where they are maintained to a high standard. Too many students drop litter with little consideration for the extra work made for caretaking staff and there is a great deal of graffiti in the lavatories. The rate of exclusion is high as a proportion of the number of students. During the last school year there were 104 fixed-term and one permanent exclusion involving 68 students, this is a higher proportion in relation to the number of students in the school than is usually seen. This is to be seen in the context of a very large number of students joining the school as a result of the closure of another Nottingham school during the last school year. A significant proportion of these students had already established patterns of very challenging behaviour and they were disaffected with school. Evidence indicates that a proportion of the Year 9 students who entered did not make any progress over a three-year period of secondary school education. Reasons for exclusions are sound; however, not all students respond suitably to this means of supporting changed patterns of behaviour. It is evident that a disproportionate number of Black students have been excluded and exclusions have not been rigorously monitored in respect of ethnicity.
10. Relationships throughout the school are satisfactory overall. There is a high proportion of teachers new to the school, however, most students have established good relationships with staff and feel there is someone with whom they can share concerns. Most are able to work effectively together in the classroom when required. Many show concern for each other and offer support and sympathy when needed. Students from minority ethnic groups usually get on well with their peers, although they often choose to remain together in group situations. Despite a well-planned anti-bullying programme starting in Year 7, there is some bullying. Staff are aware of this and deal with any incidents promptly and effectively; there is a growing confidence amongst students about sharing such problems with their teachers. The recently introduced gifted and talented initiative has resulted in some unacceptable attitudes being expressed by students on the gifted list towards those on the talented list. There are no Black boys on the gifted list. Many students start at the school with underdeveloped social skills. They increasingly develop the ability to socialise effectively and show care and concern for others and the world they live in as a response to residential visits, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, an environmental project and planned opportunities provided through the personal, social and health education (PSHE) programme.
Top Valley School - 15 11. Attendance is poor. The attendance rate for the last school year is well below the national average at 87.5 per cent with 2.1 per cent of absences having no suitable reason. Attendance was a key issue at the time of the last inspection. Measures taken by the school have resulted in a gradual increase in standards until the last school year when levels fell significantly. This coincided with the transfer of students from another school following its closure. Many of those transferring had become disillusioned with their education and had poor attendance levels when they started at the school. In most instances these have improved rapidly and there is no lasting impact on standards achieved. In addition to those transferred as a result of the closure, the school has received 37 students from other schools during the last year, many of whom have histories of non-attendance. This has made a significant contribution to the increased levels of absence over the last year. The main reasons for absence are the high proportion of disaffected students who refuse to attend school regularly, holidays taken during the school term and to some extent the number of exclusions. A significant proportion of students have a casual attitude to punctuality and too many are late for the start of the school day; amongst some, this attitude continues through the day resulting in some arriving late for lessons. Timetabling arrangements result in teachers having occasionally to change classrooms between lessons and some students feel resentful on those occasions when their teachers are delayed in arriving for lessons.
HOW WELL ARE STUDENTS TAUGHT?
12. The quality of teaching is satisfactory in Years 7 to 9 and good in Years 10 to 11 overall. A significant number of parents expressed concern about the quality of teaching and the use of homework in particular through the return of parent questionnaires. Apart from unsatisfactory teaching in English in Years 7 to 9 over time, which is a matter of real concern, only a very small proportion of teaching was found to be unsatisfactory. So parents are right to be concerned about teaching in English in Years 7 to 9 but otherwise there are positive features in the teaching in Years 7 to 9. Their concerns about homework are justified. Homework is not set consistently across the school and this impedes students’ learning. In some subjects the use of homework is very good whilst in others it is rarely set. Marking is also very variable; it is particularly inconsistent in science. In the classes where students’ work remains unmarked for several weeks and where they are not given sufficient guidance on what they need to do to improve their work, gains in learning are unsatisfactory.
13. Teaching has improved since the last inspection because no excellent teaching was seen then and there is now seven per cent which is excellent. During this inspection excellent teaching was seen in mathematics, modern foreign languages, drama, media studies, music and design and technology. No poor teaching was seen as at the time of the last inspection. However, unsatisfactory teaching was seen in science, art and design, media studies and physical education. Although no English lessons were judged unsatisfactory during the inspection, scrutiny of work, discussion with students and examination of planning indicate that over time teaching is unsatisfactory throughout Years 7 to 9. The quality of teaching in ICT is better than at the last inspection but there is still room for improvement.
14. The quality of teaching is at least satisfactory in 96 per cent of lessons. It is at least good in 68 per cent of lessons and at least very good in just under 30 per cent of lessons. Seven per cent of lessons seen were excellent and only four per cent were judged unsatisfactory. However, these positive figures mask the unsatisfactory judgement on teaching in Years 7 to 9 in English, based on a wider evidence base than just the observation of lessons. These figures also do not bring out the quite significant
Top Valley School - 16 differences in the quality of teaching between Years 7 to 9 and Years 10 to 11. In Years 10 and 11 much more at least good teaching was observed than in Years 7 to 9 and standards in English and mathematics are not high enough by the end of Year 9. However, the difficulty the school experiences in recruiting and retaining specialist mathematics teachers is a contributory factor to low standards.
15. A number of significant features contribute to the good, very good and excellent teaching. Teachers have a good knowledge of their subjects. In French and Spanish teachers are fluent in the languages they teach and this influences very positively students’ learning of these languages. In music the ‘musicianship’ of the teachers is exemplary, and so they are able to inspire students in their learning. In a Year 10 lesson the teacher played a Blues sequence alongside a girl, lifting it from an exercise to an exciting Rock number, which had the rest of the class spellbound. All students in this class made very good progress as a result. Although teachers are more confident in the use of computers to support their teaching than at the time of the last inspection, some subjects such as art and design do not make sufficient use of ICT and this impedes learning. Design and technology teachers make very effective use of computers to promote independent learning and ‘gifted and talented’ students make very good progress in their planning of projects as a result. In most subjects lessons are well planned and the learning outcomes are shared with students, for example in a Year 8 high attaining science group learning about DNA. This results in very good progress in these lessons. However, where teaching is unsatisfactory in English in Years 7 to 9, students are not clear about what they need to do to improve their writing. They are not told, for example, that to ‘lift it’ from a Level 4 to a Level 5 they must write in paragraphs and so the progress they make is unsatisfactory. In most subjects teachers manage students very well with good humour and there is much fun and excitement in learning, as in most design and technology lessons. The good behaviour in these lessons contributes to the good progress these students make. However, where teaching is unsatisfactory, for example in some physical education lessons, there are no effective strategies to manage challenging behaviour and so the pace and productivity of learning drops for the whole group. In some subjects there are not enough learning support assistants to support students with learning and behavioural difficulties and this is unsatisfactory and results in unsatisfactory progress. The quality of in-class support is good but there are not enough LSAs and this caused a problem for a new teacher in one lesson where a hardcore of students were rude and defiant, impeding the learning for the whole group.
16. Teachers’ methods and organisation are at least satisfactory and often good. The use of a card game contributed to very good learning in a Year 9 lesson on the Kanto earthquake. In history lessons the range of activities provides variety, captures the students’ imagination and fosters their interest and so they make good progress. The pace of teaching in most lessons is brisk. In a Year 8 design and technology lesson on the design brief for a game box, the cracking pace of the teaching kept all students very focused and resulted in very good progress. Very good pace and relationships are significant strengths in the teaching of physical education, for example in a Year 11 GCSE class, resulting in very good learning. Conversely the pedestrian pace in a Year 8 PSHE lesson taught by a non-specialist resulted in students becoming restless and this impeded their learning. Good use is made of resources to support students’ learning. This is a particular strength in the Base where students are very well supported in their development of reading and writing using good resources, including ICT resources, and so make satisfactory gains in their learning. Good and creative use is made of the accommodation to support teaching but it is of poor quality for teaching games. The lack of access for non-ambulant students inhibits this school in its earnest desire to be fully inclusive, as it cannot teach certain groups of disabled students.
Top Valley School - 17 However, grant funding has been secured to address this issue.
17. In most lessons teaching is challenging and expectations are high. In design and technology, students are challenged to think for themselves and develop independence of action. The gains made in research skills in these lessons are very good. Expectations are high in music and also in the work-related curriculum for disaffected students in Years 10 and 11. However, where otherwise satisfactory teaching in mathematics has shortcomings, expectations are not high enough and this impedes learning. Expectations in English in Years 7 to 9 are not high enough and this is linked to poor use of assessment to set challenging targets and so progress is unsatisfactory over time. The use of assessment to set demanding targets for individual students to raise their standards is a weakness across the school, but there are pockets of good practice in design and technology, modern foreign languages and music. In design and technology and music lessons time is taken at the end of every lesson to review learning and link it back to the objectives shared at the beginning of the lesson. Consequently students make good and very good progress in these subjects. In design and technology, review sessions at the end of lessons focus on personal development and relevant life skills. Effective use is made of questions in most subjects and because relationships between students and teachers are good in most lessons students are confident to ask their teachers questions when they do not understand and this contributes positively to their learning. This is not always so for students with SEN, for example in one lesson where there was no additional support, students could not read the text on their worksheet and so no learning took place.
18. The strategy for promoting literacy across subjects is good but has not yet had sufficient time to make a marked difference. It is too early to measure the impact of the National Numeracy Strategy across subjects, but early indicators suggest that it is making a satisfactory impact. The use of ICT across the subjects is variable and ranges from outstanding practice in design and technology to very rare use in art and design, with most subjects somewhere in between. There are still too many teachers who do not feel confident to use computers to support their teaching and this has a negative influence on student learning. The quality of teaching for students with SEN is good in the Base but it is variable for these students when they are included in subjects with their peers. Some teachers are not confident in using individual education plans and individual behaviour plans and this is unsatisfactory. Other teachers sometimes struggle with a high proportion of students with SEN without an additional pair of hands due to a shortage of LSAs and this impedes the learning for these students. The teaching of students with EAL is good overall and some EAL students attain some of the highest standards in the school. The school is making a good start to improve the quality of teaching for the ‘gifted and talented’ students but it is too early to measure the gains in progress for these students. Similarly the initiative of having a designated teacher for students in public care is at an early stage of development and gains in student progress from this initiative cannot yet be fully demonstrated.
19. The satisfactory and good teaching has a positive influence on the satisfactory and good progress for most students, many of whom enter the school with standards well below the national average. Students’ acquisition of skills, knowledge and understanding is satisfactory in Years 7 to 9 and good in Years 10 and 11. Due to the special educational needs of many students they have difficulty in recalling previous work learned and they have a particular difficulty in using the correct subject terms when answering questions. Teachers work very hard to support students in their learning of correct terms and many departments are posting key subject words around the room in order to support students with the development of their language. Students’ intellectual, physical and creative effort is satisfactory in Years 7 to 9 and good in Years
Top Valley School - 18 10 to 11. At least satisfactory and some good productivity and pace of working were seen in practical subjects, for example in design and technology, drama and some physical education lessons. Expressions on students’ faces show a real interest and enjoyment in practical subjects as they concentrate hard to finish their work. Students beamed with delight in sharing flapjacks and cakes that they made in food technology with inspectors. Good persistence in learning is evident, for example students with special educational needs had great difficulty with writing in the Base. However, with the patient encouragement from their teacher they eventually succeeded and were proud of their achievements. Students’ knowledge and understanding of their learning in most subjects is satisfactory but they often do not know at what level they are working and this is a weakness.
HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO STUDENTS?
20. The quality and range of learning opportunities offered to students are satisfactory, as they were at the time of the previous inspection. The curriculum does not meet statutory requirements in Years 10 to 11 because few students are able to take a religious education course. This was a key issue from the last report and the school has failed to address it. Plans are now in hand to redress the situation. There has been good progress in improving two other key issues. The curriculum for information and communication technology in Years 7 to 9 is now satisfactory. The school has increased the time of the teaching week so that it is now very close to that recommended nationally.
21. Students in Years 7 to 9 follow the full National Curriculum as well as drama (Years 8 and 9 only), religious education and social education. Time allocations are appropriate. ICT is now taught in Years 7 and 8 and there are aspects of it within some other subjects. From a situation where many classes are mixed ability in Year 7, Year 8 is reorganised according to ability in languages, mathematics and science. Year 9 students are also grouped by ability for their English lessons. In an attempt to provide curriculum balance, the school adopted a rigid 50 period fortnight timetable model which resulted in too many classes having more than one teacher for a subject in Years 7 to 9. This has affected the continuity of learning for some students in English, science, humanities and physical education. Despite this, the timetable runs very smoothly. Appropriate steps have been taken to ensure that split classes are minimised in future.
22. In Years 10 and 11 the school offers a broad curriculum, which does not, however, meet the needs of all students. A good range of GCSE courses is available, including three separate sciences, statistics, religious studies, drama and media studies. English literature is offered to a higher proportion of students than in most schools. A significant number are correctly and appropriately disapplied from a languages course in Year 11. In some subjects there are appropriate Certificate of Achievement courses for lower attaining students. The Work-Related Achievement Programme (WRAP) is an imaginative and effective provision offered to more students than is the case in many schools. However, a general weakness, acknowledged by the school, is the lack of sufficient accredited vocational courses as an alternative to traditional GCSE courses. For example no GNVQ courses are offered. The school is aware of this shortcoming and plans are well advanced for vocational courses to be more widely available for the start of the next academic year. The continuing lack of a religious studies course for all students in Years 10 and 11 is a breach of statutory requirements. The newly appointed headteacher plans to introduce a GCSE short course in religious studies.
Top Valley School - 19 23. Students with SEN access a full curriculum. In Years 7 to 9 separate withdrawal lessons in literacy and numeracy for students with SEN helps them to improve their skills in reading and writing. Occasionally attendance at these withdrawal groups adversely affects the progress that these students make in other subjects.
24. There has been effective integration of the National Literacy Strategy into the Year 7 curriculum. It is a feature of all English lessons and there is a programme of withdrawal to support students with literacy problems. A considerable amount of effort has gone into raising the profile of literacy across the school. Numeracy is effectively taught in mathematics and there is clear planning for its promotion as a key skill in other subjects.
25. There is a satisfactory range of extra-curricular activities, mainly after school, which are well supported. Most of these relate to sport, where fixtures, practices and clubs are available to all year groups; and music, where there are three different vocal and instrumental groups, as well as annual activities with Opera North. There is a weekly Year 11 study club to help with coursework, whilst the learning support base is open each Wednesday evening to give homework advice and help. A number of students are willing volunteers for the Eco environmental project.
26. There is good provision for students’ personal, social and health education. The programme is very well planned and managed, and encompasses all required aspects including sex education, drugs education and citizenship. A formal citizenship certificate is being trialled in Year 10. The programme is taught by a large team of teachers who meet regularly and there is a formal annual review of the programme’s effectiveness. Good use is made of outside agencies to support teaching in specialist areas. The course is well taught. It is progressive in nature with a focus on areas of skill, knowledge and understanding which are covered at times suited to the needs and maturity of the students. A feature of PSHE, and indeed of the school, is the Eco environmental project which has run for several years. It is founded on modules of work within PSHE from which students become aware of environmental issues and how they relate to their home and school environment. As well as audits of energy use in the home, litter hotspots around school, and wildlife in the area, students have been actively engaged in community activities. These include adopting the Hucknall Road walkway, helping improve the environment of the City hospital, and teaching primary school pupils about wildlife and how to sustain it in the grounds of their schools. There has been good support from the council who have provided experts to help identify plants and trees for audits. The extent of the project is celebrated in an excellent mural; its quality has been rewarded by the school becoming the first in the county to receive an Eco School award.
27. Good provision is made for careers education and guidance, which the school regards as part of its work-related learning provision. The general aim of the programme is to prepare students for life beyond school; either by providing information about further education, or by providing information about employment. These aims are met in a number of ways, including close co-operation with the school’s careers advisors, a well-organised work experience programme in Year 10 and work with the local business community. The latter features opportunities for Year 11 students to be guided through all stages of applying for a job vacancy, including an interview with a member of staff from a local firm. The work experience programme and the interview scheme are both examples of the good contributions made by the local community to students’ learning.
Top Valley School - 20 28. The school’s curriculum has been modified to provide more vocationally orientated options for small numbers of students in both Years 10 and 11. Some Year 10 students participate in the Employability Graduation Award (EGA). As part of this scheme students study some aspects of business management and attend a local further education college to pursue vocational skills courses. Some Year 11 students participate in a scheme known as the Work-Related Achievement Programme. This involves students studying key skills and participating in extended work experience placements. They can also obtain accreditation equal to one GCSE grade. Through a variety of initiatives, the work-related learning programme tries to raise the attainment of many students by using mentors. Some mentors are appointed through the Excellence in Cities initiatives; others are recruited through the school’s own contacts, including staff, such as caretakers, employed by the school. Learning mentors are used with selected students from Year 8 onwards.
29. The school has developed a good working partnership with other educational institutions. These are particularly effective for students in Years 10 and 11. Well- planned programmes with local colleges of further education support students who are disaffected with school by providing them with suitable vocational courses. Students have good opportunities to visit universities and find out about life as an under-graduate. There are effective links with a local university to support the school’s teacher training programme, including access to training via the Internet. In addition students from the university visit the school to support Year 11 in the development of study skills. The close partnership the school has with local further education colleges ensures students are informed well about opportunities available to them after the age of 16 years.
30. There are standard arrangements within the local education authority for the transfer of information from primary schools. The use made of this information is inconsistent between departments, although it is usually used well in core subjects. In addition each contributing primary school is visited and individual needs of pupils discussed. The special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) attends all annual reviews of progress for students with special education needs who are transferring to the school. There is also good liaison for other students who have individual education plans.
31. The school has a well-established partnership with the local community that supports learning well. In particular, sporting links are strong with the local education authority (LEA) sports co-ordinator based at the school for 2.5 days each week. This results in good links with outside clubs and facilities, for example the local bowling alley. Talented students benefit from links with a football club and soccer school. Local organisations support the school well by offering prizes for achievement. There are effective links through work-related learning and employers provide opportunities for students to experience applying for jobs, have practice interviews and contribute to attainment through mentoring students. There are some vocationally orientated courses for small numbers in Years 10 and 11, and there are plans for vocational opportunities to be further developed. Some Year 10 students participate in an Employability Graduation Award, which includes studying aspects of business management and also attendance at a college of further education. As part of work- related learning there are good opportunities for some students to take part in extended work experience. Local support services contribute well to PSHE lessons.
32. Provision for students’ moral, social and cultural development is good whilst the provision for their spiritual development is satisfactory. The school has mapped out across the curriculum where students are exposed to experiences which help them to develop their understanding of these important areas.
Top Valley School - 21 33. The school’s provision for spiritual development is satisfactory. There is a strong contribution from religious education in Key Stage 3 where there is good provision for students to explore important questions such as the nature of faith and how it influences behaviour, such as fasting and prayer. In English students use a variety of literature to reflect on spiritual issues. In geography Year 8 students were encouraged to consider the power of natural hazards and the human difficulty in coping with them in the context of their study of the Kobe earthquake of 1995. In one music lesson the teacher enabled students to experience the uplifting quality of music in creating a magical world where they could feel the mystery of underwater. There are, however, limited opportunities elsewhere in the curriculum to explore spiritual questions and for students to reflect on their learning.
34. Assemblies at the school are held regularly and help to develop a sense of community. The opportunity to celebrate individual student achievements, such as the Year 11 student who won the Nottingham school golf trophy, and of recognising the forms with the best attendance record are well taken. In a Year 7 assembly students were given the opportunity to reflect on the nature of friendship but in other assemblies observed there were no opportunities for reflection and they were not acts of collective worship.
35. The school’s provision for moral development is good. It is very good in religious education in Key Stage 3 and personal, social and health education where students consider ethical issues such as drugs and relationships. Provision is also good in a number of other subject areas, such as physical education where the virtues of fair play and sportsmanship are covered, in history where students consider the relationship between European settlers and the indigenous population in North America, and in English and drama where a range of issues are explored. Teachers throughout the school provide very good role models for students.
36. Provision for social development is also good. PSHE provides a very positive contribution to students’ social skills as part of its spiral curriculum as does the Duke of Edinburgh scheme. In a number of subjects, such as design and technology, drama, English, geography, PSHE and physical education, the students work effectively in pairs or bigger groups and in the latter the sporting team fixtures enable students to meet with other people beyond the school. Relationships in the school are mostly positive and students co-operate well with one another such as the examples of peer tuition in mathematics. Two students, elected by Year 11, have observer status on the school’s governing body and there are plans to revive the school council, whilst a number of students have taken the opportunity presented by the Eco school club to take an active interest in their own school environment.
37. The school’s provision for cultural development is also good. Good use is made in some subjects of local community activities such as the community artist visits. In English the students study literature from other cultures, in art and design students use African artefacts for observational work and in religious education there is a strong commitment to students’ developing understanding and respect for different faiths and cultures. In geography the students, in their work on Italy, consider stereotyping and in a number of subjects such as modern foreign languages and the humanities there are opportunities for students to visit France and Germany. Within the PSHE programme students focus on the multicultural nature of their own school whilst the school has a strong connection with Opera North.
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS STUDENTS?
38. The school makes good provision for the health, safety and welfare of its students.
Top Valley School - 22 Arrangements to introduce them to the school before they start in Year 7 ensure they are familiar with the school, its routines and key staff and this helps them to settle well. Despite the high proportion of staff that are new to the school, relationships are usually positive and most students feel confident there is someone with whom they can share concerns. There is a suitably trained person with designated responsibility for child protection. Procedures to be used in the event of there being a concern about a student are included in formal induction arrangements for all teaching staff. Arrangements to monitor students, provide reports and attend case conferences where needed are well planned. The personal, health and social education programme includes opportunities for students to discuss and consider personal safety issues. There is a strong tutor support system that ensures individual students are well known to staff. This results in effective monitoring of their individual development and ensures they are provided with specialist support where needed. The school liaises well with student support services where this is needed.
39. There is a health and safety policy that effectively outlines standards required. There are suitable arrangements to deal with first aid emergencies. Fire drills are held with sufficient frequency to ensure staff and students know what action to take in the event of an emergency. Teachers are aware of what is required to secure the safety of students in lessons. Where needed, co-ordinators have either assessed, or are in the process of assessing, risks in their subject areas. Arrangements for staff to report day- to-day safety concerns are effective in ensuring these are dealt with promptly. The governors conscientiously inspect the premises on a regular basis and hazards they identify are suitably prioritised and dealt with. These inspections are not, however, made against a formal assessment of risk as required. The school has qualified staff to carry out the required annual testing of all portable electrical appliances; the need to label these as having been completed is not always met. Recent increases in staffing during break and lunch times result in good levels of supervision.
40. The effectiveness of the school’s arrangements to promote high levels of attendance are satisfactory overall. Levels achieved by individual students are monitored well and where there is serious cause for concern, for example attendance of below 80 per cent, the school works effectively with the education welfare officer. There is a suitable range of strategies to support disaffected students and those, who for other reasons, refuse to attend school regularly. These include alternative provision on vocational courses and local colleges of further education; these arrangements usually work well resulting in improved levels being achieved for individual students. Form tutors monitor the attendance of students in their classes well and discuss serious concerns at regular meetings with their year managers. Strategies to improve the attendance of students whose attendance is above 80 per cent but below the benchmark of 92 per cent are less rigorous and rely principally on encouragement and awards. For these students expectations are not sufficiently high and parents are not made suitably aware of the impact of missed lessons on their children’s learning. The school does not regularly conduct truancy checks to ensure students who register subsequently attend their lessons. Some registers are not completed for all students in the afternoon resulting in an incomplete record of those present. The school has an attendance officer as well as an education welfare officer (EWO) working on site. This ensures good levels of support. Registers are kept manually and subsequently transferred to a spreadsheet; this facilitates monitoring the relative attendance levels of differing groups within the school, or contact with parents of all students whose attendance needs to improve. There are suitable arrangements to register students who are late at the start of the day, however, some avoid this procedure and go straight to their first lesson. The safety of students is given high priority and parents are contacted on the first day of unexplained absence.
Top Valley School - 23 41. The school has conducted a thorough review of behaviour patterns recently. This has resulted in very well thought out strategies to improve behaviour management overall and to support changes in behaviour patterns for the small but significant number of students who have little respect for education. Whilst these have had little time to become firmly established they are already having a pleasing impact on standards, for example in behaviour around the school, at lunch times and in lessons where strategies are applied effectively. The isolation room is used very well to reduce the impact of poor behaviour on the learning of others. It is well managed and, for the small number of students who need to use it, provides a calm air of industry where students settle down to work before returning to their class. Form tutors get to know their students well as they move with them through the years, although recent staff changes has broken this continuity for many students. Behaviour is regularly monitored and reviewed through tutor group meetings each two weeks. There are high expectations for tutor periods each day to be used to set the tone for a purposeful working day, to monitor students’ planners and to provide structured activities. These new arrangements are not yet sufficiently well established through suitable planning. The system of awards recognises all aspects of achievement and motivates many, particularly younger students. Careful monitoring of behaviour patterns alerts tutors at an early stage to the possibility of exclusion. The school works well to provide support and guidance before this becomes necessary; this is effective for some students. Where exclusion is used, reasons are sound and procedures followed comply with guidelines. Not all students respond with changed behaviour resulting in some repeat exclusions. In a very few cases the amount of time spent out of school is longer than strictly necessary to investigate what needs to be done to put the right support systems in place. There are good policies to cover all aspects of behaviour management, including bullying and racism. In addition, well-planned modules within the PSHE programme are designed effectively to develop a growing understanding in students of their responsibilities towards others. There is suitable management of, and records for, all aspects of behaviour management; these are not, however, currently overseen centrally to bring about effective monitoring of patterns in individuals or groups of students. The robust behaviour action plan has not been in place long enough to measure its impact. Early indicators suggest that it is already beginning to lead to improved behaviour throughout the school. The L.inc is benefiting disaffected students at risk of exclusion and these students are making good gains in their learning as a result.
42. The personal development of students is monitored well through their form tutors, year managers and during PSHE lessons. Students receive suitable guidance about the choices they make for GCSEs and there is good careers guidance in Years 9, 10 and 11. The sex education programme ensures that wider issues about relationships are considered and the school has a suitable programme to raise awareness in students about issues related to drugs. Students have recently been consulted about extra- curricular activities and this has resulted in, amongst others, the provision of a homework club. Other opportunities for students to make their views known, use initiative and take responsibility for school routines are limited. The quality of the school environment used by students during break and lunch times does not promote good social development.
43. The procedures for assessing students’ work are unsatisfactory. Although the school has an assessment policy, its scope is too general and little progress in the use of assessment data to guide planning and to monitor standards has been made since the last inspection. The previous inspection report criticised assessment procedures for not adequately informing curriculum planning, although praise was offered to the
Top Valley School - 24 science department, where assessment data was being used to inform revision programmes and to guide teaching strategies. A few departments, for example the design and technology department, uses assessment data well. Other departments all collect data and assess students’ work on a day-to-day basis. Indeed, the procedures for monitoring and supporting students’ academic progress within departments are satisfactory. What is unsatisfactory is the use of assessment data at a whole school level to monitor each student’s performance, to set targets and to review the effectiveness of the curriculum, especially in Years 10 and 11. Although much examination data is available, examination results are not analysed in sufficient detail to generate a rigorous appraisal of the performance of individual groups of students. The school is aware of these shortcomings and has recently started some detailed work with the local education authority to address these deficiencies. It will, however, take some time before the effectiveness of the new procedures starts to have an impact.
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
44. The number of parents returning questionnaires and attending the meeting before the inspection was disappointingly low. A significant proportion of those who did express their views was not satisfied with what the school provides and achieves overall. Despite this most parents say their children like school, that they are expected to work hard and they make good progress with their learning and inspectors agree with this view held by parents. A high proportion of those expressing views do not feel that behaviour is good, some believing that it has deteriorated recently. Inspection evidence confirms that the large majority of students behave well, but less so where behaviour management strategies are not used effectively. There is a small but significant core of students who are disaffected, do not want to learn and on occasions slow learning for others. Parents are also concerned that they are not well informed about their children’s progress. Inspectors agree that the quality of information provided in annual progress reports, together with opportunities for parents to discuss these, do not meet expected standards. The school is aware that some parents are unhappy about the quality of communication and, in some instances, how their complaints are dealt with and followed up. Because of this, the school is in the early stages of reviewing current practice and there are plans that parents, under the leadership of a newly appointed headteacher (in post since September 2001), should be involved in the process. The headteacher has decided to review the school’s aims and to involve all parents / carers in the process. He has already met with a local residents group and listened to their concerns face-to-face and this indicates his determination to build good communication and relationships with the local community. Some parents are concerned about homework arrangements and inspection evidence fully supports their view that it is not set in accordance with the homework timetable, with sufficient frequency and is not always well planned, for example when it comprises only of completing work unfinished in class. Parents of students with special education needs are suitably invited to attend and contribute to annual reviews of their children’s progress. The overall effectiveness of the school’s links with some parents is unsatisfactory.
45. Information provided for parents of children about to enrol ensures they are familiar with the school and key staff before starting in Year 7. There is a well-planned arrangement for parents of students in Year 7 to visit the school to discuss any difficulties with them settling in. The prospectus and governors’ annual report have improved since the time of the last inspection and provide a comprehensive range of information about provision, routines and school performance. Planners provide good information about relevant school policies and expectations of students; they are designed suitably to inform about homework set and to provide a means of two-way communication. They
Top Valley School - 25 are not, however, used well for this purpose. There is a useful newsletter published each half term that provides good information about news and events, together with diary dates. The school ensures parents are aware of key dates by sending reminders in the post. There are usually good arrangements to ensure that parents are fully involved where there are concerns about any aspect of their children’s life at school; in a few instances parents would have preferred to have been contacted earlier. There is a useful information evening about options for parents of Year 9 students making decisions about which subjects to take at GCSE level. For parents of children in Years 10 and 11 who are not doing as well as they could, the school offers support in how to help their children learn. A family literacy programme is held at the school that is open to all members of the community, including parents. Appropriate procedures are in place to involve parents / carers of students with statements of special educational needs in their reviews. The contents of individual education plans are shared with parents / carers.
46. As at the time of the last inspection annual progress reports do not provide sufficient information for parents. They do not give a clear evaluation of what students understand and can do in each subject, or an assessment of the progress they have made over the year. Targets set are usually attitudinal and do not relate to the text of the report; this makes it difficult for parents to know what they should do to support their children. For example, ‘persevere to overcome problems faced with work’, is not helpful when those problems are not identified. They do give suitable information about effort and an approximation of where students are in relation to what is expected for their age. The attitudes that students have to their work are usually reported well. Where levels of attendance cause significant concern, parents are informed. For other students, where attendance is below what is usually expected, parents are not made aware of the impact this has on their work. The school provides a reply form for parents where they are able to tick if they have concerns about the contents of the report. Where this is used for the purpose there are suitable procedures for the head of year to follow this up. Arrangements for parents to consult with staff are not timed to coincide with the publication of annual reports reducing opportunities to raise queries and discuss how they can help their children achieve targets set. The school has suitable arrangements to send home to parents the results of testing when their children are aged 14 years, separately from progress reports. Some parents say they have not received these. Some parents consider that they are blocked by administrative staff in getting through to teachers and the headteacher. The headteacher plans to review systems so as to eradicate this perception and to create a culture whereby parents feel welcomed by the school and confident to approach the school with their concerns.
47. The involvement of parents with the school has a satisfactory impact on students’ learning. A small group of enthusiastic parents work with staff to organise the Parent and Teacher Association. It successfully arranges several events each year that support the work of the school through the funds it raises. Most parents show suitable levels of interest in their children’s progress, although opportunities for them to do this through homework are limited. The number of parents attending consultations about their children’s progress has improved somewhat since the time of the last inspection. There is suitable attendance at other events involving their children. Not all parents support the school suitably by ensuring their children attend regularly.
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
48. The quality of leadership and management is satisfactory overall. However, there has been insufficient improvement in respect of some of the key issues identified at the time of the last inspection. The monitoring of teaching and learning by curriculum team
Top Valley School - 26 leaders remains inconsistent and the school has not addressed the lack of statutory provision for religious education in Years 10 and 11. In addition the unsatisfactory management of the school’s administrative staff and their poor working conditions has been allowed to drift for too long. This has a negative impact on the quality of communication with parents / carers and a significant proportion of them perceive that the school fails to listen to their concerns. Insufficient support was given to the effective and efficient deputy headteacher when she was left to devise her first ever school timetable. The result has been split coverage of classes by different teachers and the team of PSHE tutors being far too large.
49. However, a new headteacher was appointed in September 2001 (only in post for eight weeks at the time of the inspection) and he is already making a very positive impact. Parents and staff have already gained confidence in his leadership and management, and have expressed faith in him to improve the deficiencies that exist within the school. He is establishing himself as an effective and sensitive leader who provides a clear sense of direction for the school. A listening and consultative headteacher, he is sufficiently robust to manage change in the interest of the students. He has inherited a school that has recently undergone very considerable turbulence, having incorporated a large influx of students from a nearby secondary school that closed. All except for one member of the senior management team (SMT) have not been in post for long. There is a thirst for change and development but the management style of the headteacher is very sensitive and so he will listen to staff, parents and very importantly to students and then act. Beyond doubt the whole SMT share his vision to radically improve standards in Years 7 to 9 and to improve communication with parents and carers, and the local community. The effective management of the administrative staff and the creation of a reception area that is more friendly and welcoming to parents / carers has been identified as a priority.
50. The headteacher has inherited a SMT structure. Some of the roles and responsibilities of the SMT are not sufficiently clear and the headteacher recognises the importance of reviewing them. To implement the robust behaviour plan, which came out of an extensive review of behaviour in the school, changes to the structure are required. The team leader for guidance and support needs to fully understand and be involved in behaviour management, as her role is pivotal for the successful implementation of the behaviour action plan. The headteacher has also recognised the need to develop and skill middle managers so that they can take on some of the roles currently carried out by members of the SMT. There is a good plan to develop middle managers so that they have a better understanding of the use of data to more effectively set targets. In a short space of time the headteacher has demonstrated that he knows what is needed and recognises the importance of good consultation with all staff, parents and students before moving forward so that he can manage the school from an informed base.
51. The management of the special educational needs resource base (the Base) and the behaviour resource base for disaffected students (the L.inc) is very good. However, students with special educational needs when included in mainstream classes are not always given sufficient support and this sometimes has a negative influence on their learning. The management of students with EAL is satisfactory. However, the lack of monitoring of ethnic minority students in respect of exclusions is unsatisfactory. Also the lack of monitoring the proportion of Black boys in respect of initiatives such as the ‘gifted list’ is unsatisfactory.
52. The monitoring and evaluation of the school’s performance is satisfactory overall. The monitoring of the school development plan is satisfactory. Although there are formal systems for the monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning in all curriculum
Top Valley School - 27 areas, some curriculum team leaders carry out this role very effectively whilst others do not do it at all and this is unsatisfactory. The monitoring of student progress is good in some subjects but weak in others, for example in English in Years 7 to 9 and this inconsistency is unsatisfactory. The welfare and behaviour of students is effectively monitored by the heads of year.
53. The school development plan has a better vision for the long term than at the time of the last inspection and this is an improvement. However, it is still cluttered and is not sufficiently focused. Some of the success criteria read more like a list of jobs completed rather than being evaluative benchmarks in respect of outcomes for students. It has been a useful tool to manage change but has now served its purpose and the time is right to review priorities and develop a more sharply focused plan.
54. Although the school’s aims are satisfactory they do not give sufficient emphasis to communication or to promoting cultural diversity. The headteacher is keen to review the aims and to involve all staff, parents and students in the process. The inspection team supports him in this decision and the time could not be more apt. It is difficult to recruit and retain governors. The governing body is very supportive but currently lacks a chairperson. There is a person willing to stand and he is already an effective critical friend of the headteacher, asking him some demanding questions about standards in Years 7 to 9 during the week of the inspection. The governing body is very supportive but not sufficiently involved in whole school planning. Their involvement in setting the budget is much better. They meet their statutory responsibilities except for the provision of religious education for all students in Years 10 and 11 and in ensuring that all students receive a daily act of collective worship.
55. Financial planning is satisfactory. The involvement of governors in setting the budget is satisfactory. The finance officer manages the school’s budget efficiently. The class teacing contact at 70.9 is low but is to be seen in the context of absorbing a large number of students from another school and the school has been largely successful in this task. The headteacher and the finance officer monitor expenditure regularly. It is also monitored quarterly by the finance and general-purpose sub-committee of the governing body. Consequently financial control is secure. The management of general funds and designated grants is good and expenditure against them is very effectively recorded. All grant money is appropriately targeted but is not then sufficiently evaluated in terms of outcomes for students. However, designated grants are used properly for their specific purposes. The school makes effective use of the SIMS computerised management system, the latest version of which has just been installed. The school has a very thorough procedure to help in getting best value for any expenditure. Staff and resources are effectively and efficiently deployed. However, there are not enough learning support assistants and this shortfall impedes learning. There are strengths and weaknesses but given the value added for students in Years 10 and 11 the school provides satisfactory value for money.
56. The school has sufficient teaching staff with the exception of mathematics. They are all appropriately qualified for the subjects they teach. The teaching staff profile comprises a good range of experience as well as teachers who are new to the profession. This ensures an appropriate mix of continuity of provision and new ideas.
57. There is a good programme of induction for those starting their teaching career at the school. In addition appropriate support is provided for experienced teachers moving to the school. A co-ordinated programme of staff development supports the school development plan, including ongoing training to increase the staff’s skills in the use of information and communication technology. The performance management policy is
Top Valley School - 28 having a positive impact on departments and individuals as teachers learn to focus on data usage and recognise the relevance to their practice. Students undertaking initial teacher training at the school are well supported by the system.
58. There are insufficient learning support assistants for classroom support for students with special educational needs. Where they are present they are effective in furthering the progress made by such students.
59. The school has identified a need for a technician in expressive arts and for another receptionist for the front office. The needs of the administrative staff have not been sufficiently considered and their present working conditions are not helping their morale or working practices because their accommodation is too cramped, their systems for working hinder them in their work and they have not been well managed.
60. The accommodation is good and allows the curriculum to be taught effectively in all subjects. There are, however, several shortcomings in the quality of provision for students' social needs. The toilets are in a state of disrepair and not all year groups have an indoor social area for wet weather use. The ground floor is mostly accessible to students with disabilities but access to the upper floors and therefore to specialist facilities like science is not possible. The main office accommodation is cramped but it is situated in a spacious and welcoming reception area. The school is set in pleasant surroundings. Externally the buildings are drab and uninviting especially the facilities for physical education. Patio areas between the buildings have been planted with trees and shrubs. This has improved the environment and is a successful initiative of the students.
61. Teaching rooms are mostly of a good size and often pleasant and airy. They are suited by subject and include department offices. Shortage of storage space is an issue in a few subjects especially science. The English rooms are sited around the school library and this is good planning which supports learning well. The facilities for drama are very good. The accommodation in both the specific learning difficulties unit and the learning skills support area is very good with well-designed work and interview rooms, generous in size and very attractive.
62. There have been several significant developments since the previous inspection. These include the provision for more information technology and accompanying security, the first phase of the refurbishment of all the science laboratories, the extension and redecoration of the humanities area and the refurbishment of the design and technology facilities and provision of a robotics room.
63. The school’s facilities are enhanced by the large community library with its careers section and computer area. Good efficient procedures are in place for fire, health and safety. Rapid expansion in student numbers has recently resulted in pressure on the accommodation, for example in art and design, but overall the well-maintained facilities make a positive contribution to the learning of students.
64. Overall resources for learning are satisfactory and there has been much improvement since the last inspection in several areas. Many departments now have good resources for using ICT to aid learning. In design and technology, there has been considerable investment in computer-aided design and control technology using robotics. This area was mentioned as a weakness at the last inspection. Humanities and science now have a shared set of laptop computers for use by students. In addition, the science department has also purchased 15 data-loggers so that students can record information from experiments. However, in both departments, the use of the new
Top Valley School - 29 equipment will start following the New Opportunities Funding (NOF) training about to take place. The resources in religious education are now satisfactory and this is an improvement since the last inspection.
65. Many new sets of text books have been purchased throughout the school. The mathematics department now has sufficient copies of text books but not enough for students to have their own copy at home. Modern foreign languages have up-to-date books covering the National Curriculum and there are many books available for use by students in the Learning Support Unit. In the science department, there has been considerable investment since the last inspection in new text books for use in lessons by all ages of students.
66. The school continues to benefit from the proximity of the Community Library on the premises although this resource is not used to the full at present due to the lack of a librarian. Together with the limited library facilities available in school, this currently represents satisfactory library provision.
67. Two subjects where resources are inadequate are music and art and design. In music the resources have not improved sufficiently to match the development of the subject. Resourcing of materials in art and design is only just adequate given the number of classes and range of activities provided.
Top Valley School - 30 WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
68. The governors, headteacher and senior management team should give attention to the following points to improve further the quality of education provided and raise standards for all students.
i) Raise standards in Years 7 to 9, particularly in English, by: · using assessment data to set targets and monitor the progress made by all students; · using the National Curriculum descriptors when assessing students’ work so that they know exactly what it is that they have to do to improve their work and so raise their level (for example what exactly needs to be done to a piece of written work to raise it from a good Level 4 piece to a Level 5 piece). (paragraph nos: 2, 4, 7, 12, 15, 43, 50, 69, 70, 73, 74, 83, 87 and 88).
ii) Improve attendance by: · informing and working with parents to improve attendance where levels are below 92 per cent; · introducing regular truancy checks; · continuing with strategies to improve attendance of students with levels below 80 per cent. (paragraph nos: 11 and 40).
iii) Improve communication with parents / carers by: · improving the quality of annual progress reports and arrangements for parents to discuss them; · developing, in consultation with parents, a policy for communications with them that sets clear and measurable expectations; · ensuring that concerns expressed by parents are suitably followed through and that agreed action is taken to resolve the concerns. (paragraph nos: 44, 46, 48 and 54).
iv) Ensure that all students in Key Stage 4 receive their entitlement to religious education (paragraph nos: 20, 48 and 167).
v) Improve the curriculum in Years 10 and 11 by introducing more accredited vocational courses (paragraph no: 22).
vi) Improve the provision for students with special educational needs when included in subjects with their peers by: · increasing the number of learning support assistants to work alongside class teachers; · ensuring that all teachers use the targets on individual educational plans and individual behaviour plans when working with students with learning difficulties and associated behavioural difficulties. (paragraph nos: 17, 18, 23, 51 and 58).
Top Valley School - 31 PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection
Number of lessons observed 137
Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and students 68
Summary of teaching observed during the inspection
Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor Poor Very Poor y
Number 10 30 53 39 5 0 0
Percentage 7 22 39 28 4 0 0
The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching
Information about the school’s students
Students on the school’s roll Y7 – Y11
Number of students on the school’s roll 963
Number of full-time students known to be eligible for free school meals 296
Special educational needs Y7 – Y11
Number of students with statements of special educational needs 2
Number of students on the school’s special educational needs register 235
English as an additional language No of students
Number of students with English as an additional language 11
Pupil mobility in the last school year No of students
Students who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 55
Students who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 52
Attendance
Authorised absence Unauthorised absence
% %
Top Valley School - 32 School data 10.5 School data 2.1
National comparative data 8.1 National comparative data 1.1
Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.
Top Valley School - 33 Attainment at the end of Key Stage (Year 9)
Number of registered students in final year of Key Stage 3 for the latest Year Boys Girls Total reporting year 2001 (2000) 106 (75) 95 (76) 201 (151)
National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science
Boys 36 (25) 50 (45) 50 (41)
Numbers of students at NC level Girls 37 (40) 42 (36) 35 (35) 5 and above Total 73 (65) 92 (81) 85 (76)
School 36 (46) 46 (54) 41 (51) Percentage of students at NC level 5 or above National 64 (63) 66 (65) 66 (59)
School 7 (6) 18 (25) 15 (19) Percentage of students at NC level 6 or above National 31 (28) 43 (42) 34 (30)
Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science
Boys 53 (32) 67 (34) 44 (45)
Numbers of students at NC level Girls 67 (46) 57 (37) 33 (42) 5 and above Total 120 (78) 124 (55) 77(87)
School 61 (52) 62 (37) 40 (58) Percentage of students at NC level 5 or above National 65 (64) 68 (66) 64 (62)
School 18 (23) 20 (4) 11 (32) Percentage of students at NC level 6 or above National 30 (31) 42 (39) 33 (29)
Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.
Top Valley School - 34 Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 11)
Number of registered students in final year of Key Stage 4 for the latest Year Boys Girls Total reporting year 2001 (2000) 75 (72) 73 (77) 148 (149)
GCSE results 5 or more grades 5 or more grades 1 or more grades A* to C A*-G A*-G
Boys 29 (23) 70 (59) 74 (65)
Numbers of students achieving Girls 28 (28) 67 (71) 70 (74) the standard specified Total 57 (51) 137 (130) 144 (139)
Percentage of students School 39 (34) 93 (87) 97 (93) achieving the standard specified National 48 (47.4) 91 (90.6) 96 (95.6) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.
GCSE results GCSE point score
School 36.5 (33) Average point score per pupil National 39 (38.4)
Figures in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.
Vocational qualifications Number % success rate
School N/a N/a Number studying for approved vocational qualifications or units and the percentage of those students who achieved all those they studied National N/a N/a
Top Valley School - 35 Ethnic background of students Exclusions in the last school year
No of Fixed period Permanent students
Black – Caribbean heritage 29 Black – Caribbean heritage 6 0
Black – African heritage 3 Black – African heritage 0 0
Black – other 39 Black – other 15 1
Indian 7 Indian 0 0
Pakistani 5 Pakistani 0 0
Bangladeshi 1 Bangladeshi 0 0
Chinese 4 Chinese 0 0
White 859 White 79 0
Any other minority ethnic group 16 Other minority ethnic groups 4 0
This table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of students excluded.
Teachers and classes Financial information
Qualified teachers and classes: Y7 – Y11
Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 60.4 Financial year 2000/2001
Number of students per qualified teacher 15.9
Education support staff: Y7 – Y11 £
Total number of education support staff 18 Total income 2,462,940
Total aggregate hours worked per week 623 Total expenditure 2,387,896
Deployment of teachers: Y7 – Y11 Expenditure per pupil 2,506
Percentage of time teachers spend in 70.9 Balance brought forward from previous year 31,177 contact with classes Average teaching group size: Y7 – Y11 Balance carried forward to next year 106,221
Key Stage 3 21.3
Key Stage 4 22.5
FTE means full-time equivalent.
Recruitment of teachers
Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 16
Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 16
Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0
Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 0
Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0
Top Valley School - 36 FTE means full-time equivalent.
Top Valley School - 37 Results of the survey of parents and carers
Questionnaire return rate
Number of questionnaires sent out 963
Number of questionnaires returned 145
Percentage of responses in each category
Strongly Tend to Tend to Strongly Don’t agree agree disagree disagree know
My child likes school. 28 54 11 6 1
My child is making good progress in school. 32 55 7 1 4
Behaviour in the school is good. 16 43 21 11 9
My child gets the right amount of work to do at 23 43 21 10 3 home.
The teaching is good. 19 53 10 10 9
I am kept well informed about how my child is 14 41 21 19 6 getting on. I would feel comfortable about approaching the 35 44 10 7 4 school with questions or a problem. The school expects my child to work hard and 41 48 5 3 3 achieve his or her best.
The school works closely with parents. 10 43 26 12 9
The school is well led and managed. 15 46 11 8 21
The school is helping my child become mature and 20 50 11 8 11 responsible. The school provides an interesting range of 22 41 11 10 15 activities outside lessons.
Not all columns add up to 100 because some parents return questionnaires with some questions left unanswered.
Other issues raised by parents
Only 27 parents / carers attended the pre-inspection meeting. They expressed strong concerns about being blocked in their efforts to access teachers and the headteacher. The inspection team judged that there is evidence to support that communication between parents / carers and the school is not as good as it could be. They also expressed concerns about the impact of the influx into the school of a large number of students as the result of the closure of a nearby school. The inspection team judged that the school has managed this situation well.
Top Valley School - 38 PART D: THE STANDARDS AND QUALITY OF TEACHING IN AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES
ENGLISH
Overall, the quality of provision in English is satisfactory.
Strengths · The significant improvement in GCSE results in 2001, including those for the most able students. · The large proportion of students who are successfully entered for GCSE examinations in both English language and English literature. · The good way in which teachers plan and present lessons. · The regularity and usefulness of class and pair discussion.
Areas for improvement · Standards achieved by students in the national tests at the end of Year 9. · Teachers’ understanding of student ability in English, and making use of National Curriculum skill descriptors as a regular and relevant part of both lesson planning and assessing students’ work in Years 7 to 9. · Clearer guidance on how to cater for the individual learning needs of those students with special educational needs. · Using oral work to extend and deepen students’ thinking and understanding.
69. Results in the end of Key Stage 3 national tests in English taken in 2000 were well below the national average, and continued a trend of decline. They were well below those achieved in schools with a similar intake of students, and were inferior to those in mathematics and science. Girls did less well than boys. Only a small proportion of students gained the higher Level 6, and a quarter of all students were absent or failed to score. Teacher assessments continued to be generous. In 2001 there was a further decline in the number of students reaching the national average standard. This must be seen in the context of a large number of students who joined the school in Year 9 as a result of a school closure in Nottingham.
70. The standard of work of the present Year 9 students is well below national average. In relation to their attainment on entry, their achievement is unsatisfactory because the writing of too many remains a significant weakness, and higher attaining students have learnt to work hard but with insufficient focus on the style and purpose of their work. Students are good at analysing literature, especially poetry. Most are confident and willing in oral work, able to listen at length and respond to questions in clear and appropriately formal English. Some speak too quietly in whole class discussion, a feature also noted when they are asked to read aloud.
71. GCSE results in 2000 for both English language and English literature were well below national average. The majority of students took both examinations, the school entering a higher proportion for the literature examination than most schools. Whilst there were more grades A*-B in language, girls did less well in it. In 2001 results in both English language and English literature improved significantly. Whilst they remained below national average they represented very good achievement measured against students’ prior attainment in English. Compared with similar schools results were well above average. This shows very good value added for these students in English during Years
Top Valley School - 39 10 and 11. GCSE communication studies is a popular option. 2000 results were below national average, but students attained better grades in communication studies than they did in many other subjects. An increase in higher grades saw 2001 results come close to the national average.
72. Standards of work, judged from lessons and samples of students’ books and files, are well below national average in Year 11. The achievement of up to a quarter of students is affected by spasmodic attendance. Students show the ability to respond to a range of texts including non-literary material. Most have the ability to compare and contrast texts, and to justify opinion by reasoned argument or reference to the text. Lower attaining students often struggle to write in other than the most basic sentence structures, but do benefit from planning sheets being used to encourage the structure of their writing. Higher attaining students adapt their writing style with ease to the effect they are trying to create, and show command of a good range of vocabulary and sentence and paragraph structures. This represents very good achievement from their standard in Year 9. Overall, the achievement in Years 10 and 11 is good.
73. The progress of students with special educational needs, and the gifted and talented, is unsatisfactory in Years 7 to 9 but good in Years 10 and 11. This is because of a clearer view of examination requirements and better assessment systems in the latter, so that students are much more aware of how to improve their standards. In Years 7 to 9 teachers have inadequate information with which to plan more suitable activities to support special learning needs. Students with English as an additional language make satisfactory progress in Years 7 to 9, when the focus on language issues is beneficial to them. In Years 10 and 11 their progress is similar to that of other students: good.
74. English teaching in lessons observed was satisfactory, as was the quality of students’ learning overall. Teaching is better for the GCSE years than for younger students. Whilst teaching in Years 7 to 9 lessons observed during the inspection was satisfactory and sometimes good, the scrutiny of pupil books and files showed weaknesses which suggest that teaching over time in these years is unsatisfactory. There are too many inconsistencies in what teachers expect in extended writing, too much homework is unimaginative and undemanding, and marking is too variable in its frequency and usefulness. This is caused by too many classes being taught by two and three teachers, and by teachers not using assessment well. They do not make sufficient use of National Curriculum levels and their associated skills to guide how they teach, and how they assess the achievement of different ability groups. The result is inaccurate assessment, and too little focus in marking on precisely what a student needs to do to improve. Too few students in Years 8 and 9 have an accurate and detailed understanding of their standard of attainment.
75. Teachers plan lessons thoroughly and present them well, sharing objectives with students and clearly summarising learning at the end of lessons. This helps students to sustain their concentration. The range of methods which teachers use within a lesson and the frequent use of pair work enable most students to accept responsibility for their own work and behaviour. Pleasing numbers, even of younger students, are able and willing to work independently, using the teacher as guide and adviser as appropriate. This helped Year 7 students to examine poetry techniques in pairs following the teacher’s model whilst she led a group discussion for those who would benefit from further exploration and examples. Students do not fully appreciate the value of class discussion because teachers do not use it sufficiently to delve into unusual ideas, or probe issues. Some lose interest or listen superficially as a result. Good work on moral issues such as the work of Shelter and the National Canine Defence League was limited in its effectiveness because discussion was limited and views became teacher-
Top Valley School - 40 led. This was not the case in a particularly effective Year 10 communication studies lesson where there was extended and valuable discussion of the role and impact of the media, including sensitive insights into the presentation of the Afghanistan situation.
76. Students show good attitudes to English. Most show interest and are willing to work. They are more conscientious in class than they are with written homework. Relationships with teachers are respectful and good humoured, shown in the way in which most classes quickly settle to the task in hand. Relationships between students are good, such that they work sensibly and productively in pairs or groups. In many classes there is a small core of disaffected students, potentially more disruptive than destructive. They are generally managed well by teachers, and do not distract other students.
77. There is satisfactory management of the department, which is well organised. Morale is good and teachers are a hard working team. The head of department is committed to raising standards. This is tackled by diligent administration and creating a supportive environment. More rigorous analysis of data and more thorough monitoring of teaching would be beneficial. Classrooms are suited and provide good accommodation for teaching English. Better GCSE results from a relatively high student entry in both English language and literature testify to satisfactory improvement since the previous inspection. The key to future progress will be better- informed teaching and assessment during the early years, to raise attainment by the end of Year 9.
DRAMA
Provision in drama is excellent.
Strengths · Sustained high standards in GCSE results, which are well above the national average. · The quality of teaching is very good overall. Some teaching is outstanding. · High quality leadership. · The very good contribution which the subject makes to the personal development of students.
Areas for improvement · Voice projection could be improved for many students in the large theatre.
78. Drama is a strength of the school, consistently producing the best examination results and playing a major part in the personal development of all students. It is taught to every student in Years 8 and 9, and is a very popular GCSE option. GCSE results in 2000, when over a quarter of all students took the subject, were well above the national average, and continued a pattern of sustained high standards. Students’ performance in GCSE drama was the best in the school, half the candidates gaining grades A*-B, and one in six an A* pass. As has been the case for a number of years, all students entered for GCSE gained a pass grade. In 2001 the proportion of students gaining a grade A*-C was even higher than in the previous year.
79. Work seen in lessons confirms these high standards. Students make good progress in their limited Year 8 and 9 drama time because of the good quality of teaching which they respond to very well. They also appreciate the very good facilities in which they can learn drama, facilities which teachers make particularly good use of. Students quickly learn to value and benefit from mixed gender groups. They all contribute to group discussion and decision-making, and have a well-developed sense of group loyalty. By the end of Year 9 they are well versed in drama skills and disciplines, both
Top Valley School - 41 when performing their own work or evaluating that of others. Their ability is above average because they are physically controlled, very supportive of others beyond their friendship group, and adept at defining and integrating such concepts as monologue, still image and staging. This stems from the highly successful philosophy of inclusion which permeates the department and those who come into contact with it: that all people and their ideas deserve respect; and that all, when they feel comfortable, have a responsibility to take part fully. This enabled a Year 9 class to use co-operation and concentration very well. They were able to trust each other both emotionally and in practical work, and were comfortable with stillness and with silence to emphasise points in their presentations. Voice projection in the large theatre remains a weakness in the work of many students.
80. The strong and positive ethos encourages many to opt for GCSE drama. Whilst the absence and inconsistent attendance of too many students causes some problems, the majority become mature and committed workers. By the end of Year 11 they are capable of sustained independent work, applying their knowledge and understanding of drama to directing others. In one Year 11 class this allowed the teacher to both assess students, and to give them high quality advice. Despite working to a very good standard they were concerned to do better, and stimulated by the teacher: “Super. You’ve all done really well and you all know things you can improve, which is excellent: we haven’t peaked yet.” Many students show skill in linking scenes or themes during performance, and use choric speaking and thought tracking very effectively.
81. This very good level of learning stems from the very good quality of teaching overall. Some lessons observed in Years 10 and 11 were outstanding. Teachers have very good knowledge both of their subject, and of how to get the best from classes and individual students. Lessons are especially well planned, with clear and well communicated skills and focus. Students can see what they are doing and why, and appreciate the sensitivity shown to them. A Year 8 class learned to be ‘critical friends’ when the teacher taught them how to ‘hot seat’ nominated members of the group and how to suggest where improvements could be made. Where students experience difficulty, teachers find alternatives which are more accessible, but no less demanding. Students are thus willing to work hard and co-operatively, and to think about performance and its improvement. This is apparent in their attention to, and involvement in, the excellent review and recap sessions which are a feature at the end of each drama lesson.
82. Drama benefits from high quality leadership as exemplified in its results, the intelligent scheme of work and the warmth of the very positive teacher/student relationships. A very good assessment scheme involves students in detailed analysis of their achievement, with responsibility for recording it, and devising means of overcoming areas of weakness. Most become very committed to their work. They learn to integrate drama theory into performance and balance their own ideas and needs with those of the group they are in. As a result very good awareness of the need for self-discipline, and of drama disciplines stimulates the ‘zing’ of rehearsed and improvised performance. Allied to the examination of thoughts, prejudices and attitudes, and of the tension and conflict in relationships, this provides very good opportunities for students to grow and develop as sensitive individuals. The department shows good improvement from the previous inspection when very good standards were noted.
Top Valley School - 42 LITERACY ACROSS THE CURRICULUM
83. The school has good strategies, and a range of tactics, for improving students’ literacy skills, which are well below national average in Year 9 and below the national average in Year 11. There has been a literacy co-ordinator post for some time and this has resulted in good progress both in the literacy strategy and in its implementation in classrooms. Following an audit and training, all departments are committed to helping students improve their skills. A literacy team meets once a fortnight and each department has identified in its work schemes how it will use and support the current priorities: spelling, oral work, and writing non-fiction. The initiative is being led with intelligence and enthusiasm and is beginning to improve standards, albeit slowly.
84. The strength of literacy is the awareness of all staff that it is the key to improving students’ standards of attainment. Thus, there are good and relevant displays of ‘key words’ and regular reference to and explanation of them in most subjects. In Year 7 history, students are expected to identify and use terms like ‘cohort’ and ‘centurion’. In some subjects, design and technology amongst them, students keep their own spelling logs; in music, religious education and geography, subject specific spelling errors are not consistently corrected. In almost all lessons oral work is well used as a means of improving the precision of students’ thinking and vocabulary. Reading aloud is under- used, as noted in science and modern languages. Dialogue with opinion or reason within them are a successful feature of modern foreign language lessons; group critiques are effective in art. Good examples of guided writing, with frames to help lower attaining students, were seen in music, science and history lessons. In mathematics some higher attaining students fail to gain higher grades because they lack the written ability to analyse and discuss investigational results. A relative general weakness is the mediocre literacy example set by some teachers in their board work, their marking and the worksheets they use, all of which can be inconsistent in attention to presentation, punctuation, and accuracy.
85. Library facilities comprise a small fiction library for English use and access to the joint community library which is on the school site. Provision is satisfactory, as was the case during the previous inspection. Stock in the fiction library is limited and not attractively presented. The joint library is large and very well stocked, but is not regularly used by students. There is occasional use during lessons, but neither students nor teachers think of it as an integral part of their research or wider reading. During the week of the inspection the library was closed to students at lunch time. The school has recognised the considerable potential for development and is determined to improve liaison, so that library provision has a higher profile and plays a more central role.
Top Valley School - 43 MATHEMATICS
The quality of provision for mathematics is satisfactory.
Strengths · Teaching is good. · Improving GCSE results. · Very good value added to students’ attainment in Years 10 and 11.
Areas for Improvement · Improve number of specialist teachers of mathematics to support learning in Years 7 to 9. · Improve the attainment of students in Years 7 to 9, especially that of girls. · Increase challenge and rigour for all students, especially higher attaining students. · Provide a more stimulating working environment within classrooms.
86. In Year 7, students enter the school with attainment in mathematics which is well below national average. Many follow a special introductory course to bring their standard of attainment closer to the national average.
87. At the end of Year 9, in the 2001 National Curriculum Tests, the percentage of students attaining Level 5 or above, the level expected nationally, was also well below the national average and the percentage of students attaining Level 6 or above was well below the national average. Standards were below average when compared with students from similar schools. Results in mathematics were similar to those in science and above those in English. The attainment of girls was significantly below that of boys, a similar pattern to the 2000 results. These results and those of 2000 reversed the trend of improvement of previous years. This is due to the induction into Year 9, in 2000, of students with very low attainment and, more significantly, to the severe problems with staffing experienced from September 1999 to 2001. This adversely affected the gains made in learning by students in Years 7 to 9 and was a significant contributory factor in their poor achievement. At the end of Year 11, in 2001, results at GCSE level were well below the national average and below average for similar schools. However, measured against the prior attainment at the end of Year 9, results were above schools who started out with a similar profile at the beginning of Year 10, indicating value added during Years 10 and 11. Results continued the rising trend in attainment at GCSE level and represented very good value added to students’ standards and very good achievement by students in Years 10 and 11. Almost half of the higher attaining students, entered for foundation GCSE statistics, attained the maximum grade C.
88. Overall the standard of work seen in all years is below that expected nationally. However, learning is satisfactory in Years 7 to 9 and is good in Years 10 and 11. Year 7 students have benefited significantly from the introduction of the National Numeracy Strategy and demonstrate very high levels of mental arithmetic skills. High attaining students in this year showed excellent numeracy skills and speed of recall as they competed excitedly to be first to show their answers on their ‘wipe-boards’. They showed good understanding of calculating means. Enthusiasm was also observed in a class of lower attaining students, many with special educational needs, who tried to beat their own record time for completing a number game. By Year 9, higher attaining students work successfully at the higher levels of attainment, studying simultaneous equations, ratios and loci. In a lesson where students studied Pythagoras’ Theorem, they showed clear understanding of the concepts but were unsure of the algebraic presentation for the varieties of questions. Generally, the quality and use of algebra is
Top Valley School - 44 weak. Students present single-number answers or use presentations which are not mathematically sound. This was also observed in a Year 9 lesson in which lower attaining students were finding ‘missing angles’ in quadrilaterals. They had difficulty representing the relationship for the total of all angles. The ‘lower than expected’ attainment levels can be directly linked to the major staffing difficulties over the past two years. Students have very clear attainment tracking sheets which clearly indicate a fall in attainment during this period. To minimise the remaining effects of this problem the school has recruited new teachers and made provision to cover the shortfall in staffing from within the school. Generally students are stronger with ‘number work’ and ‘shape’. This was demonstrated by a Year 10 group of lower attaining students, studying angles. They demonstrated good graphic and measuring skills and were able to manage their weakness with numbers by appropriate use of calculators.
89. Students identified as having English as an additional language have received support sufficient to enable them to realise their full mathematical potential; one student is successful in a top set. Those with special education needs are well supported by skilled learning support assistants who help others in addition to target students; however there are not always enough learning support assistants to offer the support required. The processes for supporting gifted and talented students are not fully developed but extension materials are often provided, enabling them to extend their range of skills or depth of understanding of a topic.
90. Teaching is good. In lessons observed, teaching was at least satisfactory and often very good. Where teaching is most successful, teachers demonstrate an understanding of the needs of students. They focus on the concepts to be developed and are able to engage students’ enthusiasm for the subject. This was seen in an excellent lesson with Year 7 in which students engaged in statistical work counting ‘Smarties’. They were eager and co-operative in counting and reporting their findings to the teacher. Teachers use their good subject knowledge to provide well-staged learning points in their lessons. This was clearly seen in a Year 10 lesson where higher attaining students used graphic calculators to determine how changes in a function affect the shape of a graph. There is a good range of teaching styles used, which results in students’ interest being maintained for the whole lesson and offers many opportunities for co-operation as students work in pairs and groups. Good organisation, high expectations and respect for the individual form the basis for good student behaviour in lessons. Lessons are less successful when there is insufficient challenge in the work or when teachers’ exposition is unable to demand the full attention of the class. Students found it difficult to know how to begin their solutions when teachers failed to demonstrate a formal setting-out for solutions or when they relied too much on the students’ own approach to solving problems. Assessment of students’ work is good during lessons and is clear and supportive when assessing the formal topic tests. The recording of students' attainment is good and students’ files contain assessment levels over time, which give clear comparisons with their potential target grades. However reports to parents do not contain detail of what students can do in the subject or what they need to do to improve.
91. Management of the department is good. The head of department has managed a severe staffing situation over the past two years that resulted in the depletion of the mathematical expertise in the department and in poor continuity of teaching for students. During this time standards have continued to rise in GCSE examinations. Recent appointments and the reshaping of the school’s staffing have provided for more stable learning experiences for students. Adequate resources are provided to enable progress for all students. Since the last inspection there has been an improvement in the use of information and communication technology, which is now integrated into
Top Valley School - 45 elements of the schemes of work. The National Numeracy Strategy has been successfully introduced into the department. The assessment and recording system of the department now provides a clear tracking tool for teachers and students. New schemes of work are being developed in Years 7 to 9. In Years 10 and 11, GCSE statistics has been introduced for higher attaining and gifted students, and a new modular GCSE course is in place in Year 10. Improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory overall, despite the staffing difficulties.
92. To further improve the quality of provision for students the department needs to make efforts to expose students to more consistent contact with qualified mathematics teachers and to seek ways of improving the performance of girls, especially in Years 7 to 9. Teachers must provide more challenging work for higher attaining students and demand more accuracy and rigour in the presentation of mathematical solutions. Reports to parents should contain a clearer analysis of students’ mathematical performance
NUMERACY ACROSS THE CURRICULUM
93. Numeracy skills of students are sufficient to support their learning across the curriculum at the beginning of Key Stage 3 and in Key Stage 4. There is a dip at the end of Key Stage 3 because these students have not been exposed to the numeracy initiative and have not yet experienced the benefits of the good teaching in Key Stage 4. Numeracy skills are better in Years 7 and 8, where students have been exposed to the influence of the numeracy initiative than students in the higher years. However older students, with weaker mental number skills, have developed adequate coping strategies with the appropriate use of calculators. Science, design and technology, art and design and geography make significant contributions to these skills. For example, in science students record data from investigations and graph results of experiments, often using compound units. Geography, similarly, requires data collection and analysis during GCSE fieldwork. There is much statistical work done on climate and population in Years 7 to 9. There is good development of measuring and geometric skills during art and design and design and technology lessons. Other subject areas make use of students’ skills. For example, in modern foreign language lessons, students count, learn dates and time, calculate holiday costs and discuss social data in their target language.
SCIENCE
Overall, the quality of provision for science is satisfactory.
Strengths · Clear leadership from the recently appointed head of department. · Hardworking team of science specialists with the capacity to improve the department further. · Good relationships between staff and students. · Improving examination results.
Areas for improvement · Standard of written work by many students. · Consistency of marking. · The range and setting of homework tasks. · Application of many students.
Top Valley School - 46 94. There has been some improvement since the last inspection in standards attained by students particularly at GCSE. By the end of Year 9 the levels students attain in the national tests are below the national average and have only improved slightly since the last inspection. In 2001 students’ performance in science for those attaining the level expected nationally was well below the national average for all schools. It was also below for those attaining Level 6. In the previous year attainment was also below average. Up to and including 2001, boys have attained more of the higher Levels 6 or better than girls have every year. Comparing results to similar schools, in 2000 they were above average for both Level 5 and Level 6. These results were not maintained in 2001, when the results were well below similar schools for the proportion of students attaining Level 5 and below for those attaining Level 6.
95. Results at GCSE have been improving gradually since the last inspection and were much improved in 2001. Overall there has been an improvement of 25 per cent in the proportion of students attaining A*-C in GCSE science since 1997. Since 1998, students in Year 10 can choose to take either single or double award science. The first results produced were above national averages for the two courses. However, comparisons with national averages are not completely accurate, as the proportion of students entered by the school is very different from national figures. Taking the results of both single and double award science together, there has been a five per cent increase in the higher grades A*-C in the last two years and results are now broadly in line with national figures. A*-C grades in 2001 were broadly in line with the national average. Results for students in 2001 show that in comparison to similar schools they have improved in relation to their results two years earlier, many students improving well beyond their predicted grade. Compared with similar schools, results are well above average.
96. There is a variation in the standard of students’ work both in books seen and in lessons. In Years 7 and 8, in several lessons students were attaining above national expectation. These were all top sets. Year 7 students could describe the specialised structure of types of human cells and relate these to the jobs done by those cells. Year 8 students could relate the distribution of plant species to environmental conditions. However, where attainment was below that expected, Year 8 students could identify organisms in food chains such as producers, herbivores and carnivores, but had difficulty in making links between them to explain how a food chain works. However, by the end of Year 9 standards are broadly in line with the national average. This is because lessons learned from the analysis of the results in 2001 have informed planning and raised standards in the current Year 9 group.
97. In GCSE lessons, in one top Year 11 separate science group, students were attaining above national expectations in a physics lesson. They were able to explain the meaning of half-life of radioactive substances and plot a graph to show radioactive decay. However, a Year 11 group studying forces in single award science could name opposing forces when objects fell but very few could explain what terminal velocity or the factors affecting it meant. This attainment is slightly below that expected. Overall, attainment by Year 11 is broadly inline with the national average.
98. The department holds much data on students’ prior attainment and the predicted grades they are likely to attain. At present there is insufficient use of this data to track students’ progress and support them to reach their full potential. The use of this data will be crucial in moving the department towards improved tests and examination results particularly by the end of Year 9.
Top Valley School - 47 99. The majority enters the school with well below average results. From that starting point students make satisfactory progress overall. Progress is satisfactory by the end of Year 9 and many make good progress in Years 10 and 11.
100. Within lessons, there is a direct relationship between progress students make and teachers’ expectations. Good progress is made when teachers make clear links between different activities in the lesson and make realistic demands of students. For example, when a lower set in Year 10 were learning about the use of an electromagnet as a circuit breaker, the teacher built up the idea using several simple everyday examples and practical demonstrations. When progress is not so marked it is because students are unclear about links between different sections of the lesson or the resources are not matched fully to the activity. A lower Year 7 class learning about different cells learnt well at first because the teacher used several activities including a video to reinforce the work. However, progress was then slowed down because the worksheet used afterwards did not link well to the earlier work.
101. Students with special needs make satisfactory progress despite receiving little or no extra support within science lessons. There are occasions where science teachers are able to match work to the needs of individual students such as by using large print easily-read sheets or providing part-completed graphs. Progress for students with special needs is helped by these methods but the use of different methods is underdeveloped at present and has not improved greatly since being mentioned at the last inspection. Those students with EAL and also those who have been identified as gifted and talented make at least satisfactory progress.
102. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. The best teaching occurs in the GCSE classes where it is good. In half of the lessons teaching was good and occasionally very good. There was one unsatisfactory lesson. All teachers are science specialists and have good subject knowledge. Each lesson starts with its aims shared with students but often a rather rushed conclusion to the lesson prevents these aims being revisited to ensure that they have been covered. In the better lessons, teachers use a variety of methods to present the subject such as in a revision lesson in Year 10. Here the teacher used group work, a video and questions to help students with preparation for their forthcoming examination. Sometimes teachers keep students’ interest by involving them in the lesson by using them to demonstrate experiments or record results into a spreadsheet projected from a laptop computer. This involvement helps to maintain concentration and application of the majority of students. When students do not remain focused on their work it is because the tasks set them are not clear or the material is too difficult to follow, as is the case when teachers use some commercially produced sheets.
103. Relationships between staff and students are good, students generally behave satisfactorily and any incidences of poor behaviour are dealt with firmly and without confrontation. However, the standard of written work produced by many students is unsatisfactory, with much untidy and incomplete work. Some students in Years 10 and 11 keep their work in files, which are often poorly organised. The regularity and detail of teachers’ marking relates directly to students’ responses. The standard of marking is too variable between staff, often containing few comments and insufficient points on how to improve. Many books seen had not been marked for several weeks. Homework tasks are not sufficiently varied and often are completion tasks or worksheets. In order to raise attainment, the department should work on improving both the setting and marking of work, particularly homework.
Top Valley School - 48 104. The department is using some techniques to improve students’ literacy. This is done by key words displayed on laboratory walls, on the board and lists in students’ books at the start of a topic. However, in many lessons insufficient reference is made to these words. Whilst the majority of students can explain well answers to verbal questions, there is little formalised group work or reporting back and few occasions for reading out loud.
105. There has been satisfactory improvement made since the last inspection. There have been many new staff appointed including a new head of department. Her good and strong leadership of a hardworking team has helped to move the department forward particularly with improved examination results and there is the capacity to improve further. The laboratory accommodation is in the process of being refurbished but some areas are too small for groups doing practical work. There has also been considerable investment in information technology and textbooks, all of which provide stimulating material for students.
ART AND DESIGN
Overall, the quality of provision in art and design is satisfactory.
Strengths · There has been a steady improvement in GCSE results over the last three years. · Achievement in Years 10 and 11 is good. · Work in ceramics is well made.
Areas for improvement · Standards and achievement in Years 7, 8 and 9. · There is a lack of broader and bolder approaches to painting and drawing. · There is not enough use of information and communication technology.
106. Standards at the end of Year 9 are well below national expectations. Teacher assessments in 2001 were too high because they were not checked against teachers’ expectations nationally.
107. Standards at the end of Year 11 are well below average in GCSE results in 2001, with one third of students gaining grades at A*-C compared with a national average of two- thirds. Results over the last three years have shown a steady improvement from the very low results in 1999.
108. Achievement in Years 7, 8 and 9 is satisfactory. When students come to the school their work is well below expectations, and although they make satisfactory progress throughout Years 7, 8 and 9, standards are still below national expectations in Year 9 because of the low starting point. They use colour boldly, when using felt pen and coloured pencil, and some bright patterns based on geometric shapes are seen as a result. However, their drawing and painting skills are well below average, they find paint difficult to control and apply it crudely. In addition, there is very little use of information and communication technology to support and extend their work.
109. Achievement in Years 10 and 11 is good, when the work of students in Year 11 is compared to their work at the start of Year 10. Their painting skills improve at a good rate, and they learn to control their brushwork to achieve different effects, such as creating the impression of waves breaking on a shore. They learn to use clay to make effective ceramic pieces based on cameras and items of clothing. These are well
Top Valley School - 49 made and show a sound knowledge of slab-building techniques. Their drawing, however, is unadventurous and laboured, and too much is on too small a scale. In addition, there is a lack of bolder and broader approaches in their painting, which is tentative and unexciting.
110. Students with special educational needs make satisfactory progress, and when support is provided it is effective in maintaining concentration and application in lessons. Gifted and talented students make similar progress to other students, which is satisfactory in Years 7, 8 and 9, and good in Years 10 and 11. This is because, although they are identified and given work which is at the right level for them, the extra provision which is planned is not yet in place.
111. Teaching and learning are satisfactory in Years 7, 8 and 9. Attitudes are satisfactory and students show satisfactory levels of application to their work as a result. In the best lessons there are good demonstrations and teachers are very encouraging. For example, in a lesson on the colour wheel, the teacher gave a clear demonstration of how to mix paint and apply it with care. Students watched with interest and made good gains in their skills in handling paint. This produced good learning. However, at times teachers have difficulties in gaining the attention of the whole class, students do not listen and show very little interest in the work. This means that they make very little progress and unsatisfactory learning is the result. In addition, homework is not set regularly or often enough to make a significant contribution to raising standards in students’ work.
112. Teaching and learning in Years 10 and 11 are good. This is because more experienced staff teach more lessons in these years, and students’ attitudes are good because of the good teacher-student relationships. Other strengths of the teaching include the enthusiasm for the work shown by the teacher and the good variety of materials available in lessons. These factors produced good attitudes and good application in a lesson when students were working on individual ideas. They could choose to draw in pencil, coloured pencil or pastel, to paint on paper or card, to work with clay or make collages. This produced good levels of personal interest and good engagement with materials. As a result, learning was good.
113. Improvement since the previous inspection has been satisfactory. There has been a steady improvement in GCSE results over the last three years, and students’ attitudes in Years 10 and 11 are now good. Many of the strengths recognised in the previous inspection have been maintained, although achievement in Years 7, 8 and 9 has fallen to a satisfactory level.
114. Leadership and management are satisfactory. There is good support and advice for the newly qualified teacher, and an established practice of monitoring the quality of teaching and learning. The subject leader also provides a model of good teaching practice. However, monitoring is not as consistent as it could be, and this has resulted in uneven practice in some aspects of the work of the department, for example the setting of homework. The provision of resources is only just sufficient given the range of activities offered.
Top Valley School - 50 DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
Overall, the quality of provision in design and technology is very good.
Strengths · Leadership and management which are excellent. · Corporate approach to teaching and learning. · Progress of majority of students. · Provision and use of information and communication technology. · Provision for gifted and talented students. · Impact of literacy on learning. · Assessment systems in Years 7 to 9.
Areas for improvement · Raising standards for middle attaining students at GCSE level. · Development of staff confidence in assessment for Years 7 to 9. · Homework provision for all students. · Development of cultural/multicultural education within textiles. · The provision of industrial experience for teachers.
115. Standards of work seen during the inspection are average in Years 7 to 11. These standards are achieved because the teaching is always satisfactory and in three-fifths of lessons seen good or very good. One fifth of teaching is excellent. Teaching is satisfactory overall. Students’ achievement in relation to standards on entry to the school at the start of Year 7 are good by the end of Years 9 and 11. The majority of students have very good attitudes to the subject although behaviour and understanding of their actions on others varies with individuals from excellent to poor. Very good planning throughout the department ensures that most students, including those with special educational needs, make good progress from a low starting point. This is because of the excellent leadership and management of the subject and the systems and strategies that are in place to ensure inclusive provision for all students and corporate action by departmental staff.
116. Standards of work for Year 9 students, seen during the inspection, are average overall. The majority of students in this year group are achieving well and attitudes and behaviour are good. This is evident when looking at their past work and comparing it with present knowledge, understanding, skill development and presentation of work. Above average standards were observed in one class of higher attainers. Higher order learning skills were seen as these students used computers to design a game box. They used the available software well to apply their ideas to the manufacturing process as well as to investigate the properties of various materials. The teacher set them challenging tasks and the students responded enthusiastically, telling the inspector “this is fun”. The design briefs range from fabric wraps to food investigations. Learning is good where lower attainers and those with recognised behavioural problems are known well to the teacher and the teacher has the confidence to adopt flexible strategies to accommodate mood swings. This occurred in the designing and making of a game in a tray using card modelling to investigate and refine ideas before using wood. Where the teacher lacks experience and there is no behavioural support within the lesson students newly returned from exclusion can disrupt the learning and attainment of all students and slow progress as was evident in a textiles lesson.
117. Standards of work for Year 11 students, as seen during the inspection, are average overall. Emphasis on quality criteria linked carefully to examination procedures ensures
Top Valley School - 51 that the majority of students know how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve their performance at GCSE. One class surprised their teacher by working extra hard during the inspection proving that they could complete a scale drawing accurately and efficiently well within the time limit allowed. The teacher proved flexible to this unexpected turn of events and helped the students to make good use of the extra time to develop their models of packaging. Not all students are compliant or willing to work hard and it is to the credit of these teachers that attainment is as high as it is. Student absence does have an adverse effect on the performance of some students as also has past staff absence through illness. Higher attainers and those identified as gifted or talented are using computer software well to plan, design and alter their ideas. They are challenged by their teacher to think for themselves and develop independence of action. The folders of the higher attainers are well presented using word processing, data spreadsheets and graphic processes with evidence of good research, for example into the vitamin content in food. Marking is regular and helpful. The reinforcement and monitoring of the school’s behaviour policy ensures that all students are held accountable for their actions. Teachers are very good role models in reinforcing democratic principles thus ensuring that all students work in a safe learning environment.
118. During the period 1999-2001 standards at GCSE were in line with national averages for A*-G grades but well below for grades A*-C. In 2000 students in this subject performed below what they achieved in their other school subjects. In 2001, as a result of more focused use of assessment data and improved teaching, standards were much improved for the higher grades although still below the national average.
119. Students enter the school in Year 7 with a widely differing range of experiences of design and technology. They learn to plan, research, design and evaluate as for example when making scones. All Year 7 students enjoy practical work in food technology. In this year group peers quickly remind boys who fail to listen to instructions of the need for safe working practices. In all year groups literacy skills are well supported by the provision of key words and writing frames. Individual student logs of technical words are encouraged in each discrete design and technology area. Students with special educational needs are well supported by this provision and their progress is good. By Year 8 boys are often more adventurous than girls in experimenting with different flavours and ingredients when designing a soup. Good use of questionnaires help these students make sensible decisions in the light of what they have discovered about preferences in taste. The teacher extends students’ knowledge and understanding by bringing in vegetables, herbs and other ingredients from this and other countries. In resistant materials very good learning occurs as Year 8 students model and develop understanding of linkages and refine their skill development when using hand or machine tools. Here boys are more confident and work more speedily though not less accurately than girls do. In one lesson the teacher’s empathy with the students and ability to pitch the task accurately to challenge all attainment levels resulted in excellent attitudes and behaviour on the part of the students as well as good progress in skill development. No evidence was found, during the inspection, of students with English as an additional language performing differently from other students.
120. In one Year 10 lesson students came in from physical education late with a number ill- prepared to work during the last lesson of the day. The high expectations of their teacher, the quality and range of focused questions asked together with the appropriate hardware and software available ensured that the majority of this all-male group made good progress. Those who did not were confronted by their actions after the lesson. Whilst one boy recognised the silliness of his behaviour another boy refused to face the
Top Valley School - 52 situation. In an all-female textiles lesson based on the designing and making of bags, a small number of girls were not prepared to listen during the introduction and slowed the pace of the lesson for all students. Interestingly these students responded politely to the inspector’s interest in their work but chewed gum and behaved inappropriately when the teacher was talking. This small minority in many classes adversely affect their own and other students’ learning but within design and technology such incidents are rigorously followed up thus leading to a good learning environment for most students. The needs of the gifted and talented are well catered for in the lessons as well as in the extra-curricular activities planned after school time or during the summer holiday. The head of department recognises that the needs of the middle attainers need considering more carefully if standards are to be raised further for examination purposes.
121. The subject makes a good contribution to students’ cultural education particularly through the extensive use of ICT within the subject. Opportunities in textiles are missed, however, for making cultural and multicultural visits to local galleries. There is a need for better links with art. The provision for moral and social education is very good reflecting the ethos of this department. The very good facilities and the expertise of the subject leader ensure that the provision for ICT is very good. All teachers have received training in ICT and most are confident when using software with their classes. Very good use is made of assessment data to improve standards in Years 10 to 11. Trends in performance have been analysed by gender but not by ethnicity. A good start has been made with developing a model for assessment in Years 7 to 9, with provision for students’ self-assessment built into the process. This has yet to be implemented. Homework setting and the return of completed work have proved a problem and the department has plans to create homework booklets to improve this situation. Statutory requirements are met. The department is well supported by an efficient and flexible technician. Whilst one of the new staff has industrial training this is an area where other staff lack recent experience.
122. The department has made very good progress in addressing those issues raised by the previous inspection report. Teaching and learning in food technology has improved, literacy standards are better, ICT resources and usage are very good and there is a corporate sense of identity within the department and very good application of policies. This is due to the excellent leadership of the head of department, who is new to the post since the previous inspection, and the willingness of the staff to respond positively and work more closely together.
GEOGRAPHY
Overall the quality of the provision for geography is good.
Strengths · The good teaching throughout the school. · The strength/popularity of the subject as an option choice at GCSE. · The good leadership of the subject.
Areas for development · To make more effective use of information and communication technology in Key Stage 3. · To develop students’ skills in posing relevant geographical questions for their own enquiries.
Top Valley School - 53 123. Geography is a very popular option choice at GCSE. In 2001 results were below national averages but were much improved from the 2000 results. At the highest levels in 2001, 12.5 per cent of students achieved A*/A grades which was just below the national average whilst 42.5 per cent of students achieved A*-C grades. All 87 students following a GCSE course in Year 11 in 2001 were entered and the results would have been even better if some students had not failed to attend part of the final examinations. These 2001 results are due to the good teaching in geography such as the additional work on revision guidance and extra sessions for all and also specifically for the most able. Observation of lessons and scrutiny of students’ work in the current Years 10 and 11 confirms that the standards these students are reaching are just below national expectations. All students, including those with special educational needs, are making good gains in their learning over the two years of the course and the increase in the highest grades reflects the department’s efforts to stretch the ablest students. What has improved for them has been the quality of their written explanations. An area of strength within this picture at GCSE is the quality of students’ graphical and written communication skills. This shows up well, for example, in their work on rivers where they describe the different physical processes that lead to river erosion. They are also building up useful case studies on such areas as the factors affecting the location of different types of farming. The greatest weakness remains the failure of the middle and lower attaining students to fully explain and support their ideas. For example Year 11 students noted deforestation and the confluence of two major rivers as two causes of flooding in Bangladesh without going on to explain why deforestation leads to a shorter lag time or to give such detail as the river names.
124. The standards of work achieved by the students in Year 9 are below national expectations. Bearing in mind the lack of depth of the students’ geographical knowledge, particularly of place, at the start of Year 7 this represents satisfactory gains in their learning for all, including those students with special educational needs. Students are developing good skills in drawing information from geographical sources such as videos and photographs. They demonstrate an increasing familiarity with appropriate geographical vocabulary from hamlet and town when describing settlements in Year 7 through to tsunami and plate boundaries when describing natural hazards in Year 9. Students display an increasing ability to describe geographical patterns and processes. The relative weaknesses lie in their difficulties in explaining those patterns and processes and in posing relevant geographical questions for their own geographical enquiries.
125. The quality of teaching and learning in geography are good in both Key Stage 3 and in GCSE classes. Strong features of the most effective teaching are the very good relationships between teachers and students and the teachers’ classroom management. Students respond by behaving well and are keen to offer their own ideas and contributions. Lessons are very well planned. They all adhere to the structure of shared objectives, recap of previous learning, variety of teaching and learning tasks and review of what has been learned. In a Year 9 lesson the teacher first asked the students to do a card sorting activity on the Kanto earthquake of 1923 in order to help them to identify the causes, effects and human responses to this natural hazard. This left the students well prepared for the next task to identify the same things in some news footage of the Kobe earthquake of 1995. They were then able to write a newspaper description of this earthquake. Another strong feature is the very good match of task to student abilities within lessons, whether through using different activities for different groups of students or by challenging some students to work out things for themselves where all are working on the same activity. For example in a Year 11 lesson the task to describe and explain flooding in Bangladesh was pitched at three very different levels which supported lower attaining students in acquiring the basic
Top Valley School - 54 case study information whilst effectively challenging the higher attaining students to support their descriptions with in-depth information. In a Year 8 lesson where all the students were plotting temperature and rainfall to produce a climate graph for equatorial Brazil, whilst those students who needed help were given it others were challenged to work out their difficulties for themselves and this strengthened their understanding. The relative weakness within teaching is the missed opportunities for the explicit teaching of the characteristics of the text types students are being asked to produce such as newspapers or diaries.
126. The leadership of geography is good with a very appropriate focus on raising standards. There have been a number of good improvements since the last inspection, most notably the improved results at GCSE in 2001 and also in the use of assessment at Key Stage 3. Improvement has been good overall. This is starting to have an impact on raising standards. Improvements have been made to resources and following recent appointments there is now a good, committed team for geography. The existing schemes of work at Key Stage 3 give some effective guidance to all those teaching geography on a range of teaching and learning activities and include details on improving the match of work to the differing abilities of students as well as on aspects of literacy. The head of geography effectively monitors teaching and learning and this is helping to promote good standards. Good use is currently being made of information and communication technology at GCSE but insufficient use is made of this at Key Stage 3.
HISTORY
Overall, the quality of provision is satisfactory.
Strengths: · The subject knowledge and understanding of the staff is very good and contributes to the learning of all students. · The quality of teaching helps students to learn well and ensures that all students behave well in lessons.
Areas for improvement: · More rigorous use of assessment data is needed to improve standards by setting all students target grades and monitoring their performance against such targets. · A more consistent approach to the development of numeracy is needed. · A more consistent approach to the development of ICT is needed. · More opportunities should be taken to monitor the quality of teaching and for staff to share good practice.
127. The standards achieved in National Curriculum teacher assessments by students at the end of Year 9 in both 2000 and 2001 were below the national average. Standards in GCSE examinations for grades A*-C, in both 2000 and 2001, were similarly below average. In 2000 the results for girls were better than those achieved by boys; in 2001, boys achieved better results than girls. For grades A*-G, overall results in both 2000 and 2001 were in line with national averages. In 2000, girls gained better results than boys. Indeed, the results for boys were below average. In 2001, boys gained better results than girls, with all boys gaining at least a minimum pass grade.
128. For present students, standards in Years 7, 8 and 9 are below average, though the range of ability is wide, with some students regularly achieving standards in their work that is above average. Standards are also below average for present students in Years
Top Valley School - 55 10 and 11, although again, for a minority of students, standards of work are above average. Two distinct reasons constrain standards from rising significantly. Firstly, though many students are good orally, their general levels of literacy, especially in terms of reading and writing, are less strong. Many do not read fluently, nor do they write in sufficient depth. Consequently their standards of work suffer. Secondly, a significant number of students have poor attendance records. During the inspection, attendance at history lessons in Years 7, 8 and 9 was only 86 percent and in Years 10 and 11 it was even lower at 81 percent. Standards suffer if students are not attending lessons regularly.
129. Though standards are below average and attendance at lessons for a significant minority of students is a problem, most students achieve well and are developing their factual historical knowledge and understanding. The school’s records show that most students by the end of Year 11 gain better grades in history than those forecast when they commenced their GCSE courses in Year 10. In short, most history students are adding value. The progress of many students is helped by the emphasis that is placed on improving literacy skills. The use of writing frames, and the emphasis on extended writing, is helping students to communicate their knowledge and understanding more effectively. Students with special educational needs also benefit and make similar progress to all other students.
130. The quality of teaching is good. All lessons seen were at least satisfactory; the majority were good and, in some cases, the quality of teaching was very good. Such consistently good teaching leads to good quality learning. Many strengths of teaching can be identified. Teachers plan thoroughly and most lessons feature a range of activities that serve to provide variety, capture the students’ imagination and foster their interest in history. As a consequence, learning is good. Classes are also managed well. Students behave well in their lessons and have positive attitudes towards their work. This too enhances learning. The emphasis placed on developing literacy skills is having an impact. In a very good Year 9 lesson on living conditions in an industrial town in Victorian England, students used source material to identify key features of daily life. Their observation skills were good. Students worked well in small groups to highlight key points and they presented many factors well orally. However, their overall standards of work were below average as many did not write with confidence. Their written work contained factual evidence, but their answers lacked depth in terms of explaining why overcrowding resulted, or what some of the consequences of living in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions might be. Nevertheless, all students were successful in offering answers written in prose form. More emphasis should be placed on developing numeracy and ICT skills. Although some good numeracy work was seen in a Year 7 lesson on the Romans, this was a rare example. During the inspection there was no evidence of ICT being used. This is a weakness and a similar criticism was made in the previous inspection report. The history department now has access to very good ICT facilities. When staff have undergone suitable training, their confidence to use ICT to enliven lessons, through research via the Internet for example, should be increased.
131. An area that needs developing is assessment and marking. The department has its own assessment policy, which grades both effort and attainment. This is used well and is understood by students. For standards to improve, however, marking and assessment data should be used with more consistency. Students’ work is marked regularly, but the quality of marking is variable. A more consistent approach is needed, especially the use of comments to show students how they can improve their work. Helpful comments are not used with sufficient frequency. Assessment data needs to be used with more vigour. At present data is underused to set individual targets and to
Top Valley School - 56 monitor each pupil’s progress against such targets. Greater consistency in the standard of marking, and considerably improved use of data to guide target setting and monitoring, should both help to improve standards achieved.
132. The leadership and management of the history department are satisfactory. The quality of day-to-day planning is good and the head of department has good knowledge of the examination syllabus followed at GCSE. The use of examination and assessment data needs to be more rigorous and there should be more monitoring of teaching in the department. Progress since the last inspection has been satisfactory. However, ICT is still underused. Results achieved in history are similar to those at the time of the last inspection but evidence indicates that attainment in history on entry to the school is much lower than at the time of the last inspection and so the department is doing better than it was then.
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
Provision in information and communication technology (ICT) is satisfactory.
Strengths · Good teaching means that although students’ attainment is below expectations, their achievement is good and standards are improving. · There is an efficient computer network to provide adequate facilities for general as well as specific use. · Strong leadership has raised the profile of the subject and the growth of its use in the teaching of other subjects. · The technician gives very effective support to the work of the department.
Areas for improvement · Students need to have at least one lesson per week of ICT if their attainment is to reach national expectations. · The teaching of ICT should be restricted to those teachers who have the appropriate training and commitment to ICT. · The school needs an additional ICT room to support the further extension in the use of ICT to all subjects of the curriculum. · The department needs a more rigorously analytical system for assessing students’ work and their examination performance.
133. Attainment on entry is well below average. Because ICT is taught only one lesson per fortnight in Year 7, one lesson per week in Year 8 and not at all in Year 9, attainment is still below expectations throughout Years 7 and 8 and specifically at the end of Year 9. For a minority of students in Year 7 standards are in line with expectations. Students in Year 7 can log on to the school’s network and access the software, which is in general class use. They have modest keyboard skills with only a minority in some classes able to type using two hands. They have basic word processing skills and can enter text into a document and enhance it by changing the type and size of fonts and by using WordArt. They can improve a document’s presentation by adding colour and importing images mainly from a ClipArt library. Students in Year 8 simulate newspaper reporting by using columns and textboxes in Word. They manipulate the text boxes and import images well and, by an effective use of colour, create some attractive visual displays. Almost all are now able to type using two hands and most also compose text straight to screen in French as well as in English. This is an improvement on the last report but the current allocation of teaching time is insufficient and barely meets National Curriculum requirements. Achievement is, however, good and this is due in part to the
Top Valley School - 57 slightly improved lesson allocation but particularly to the quality of the teaching that students now receive from the small team of trained and committed teachers.
134. Attainment at the end of Year 11 is much improved since the last inspection but it is also below expectations. Although students entered for GCSE since 1999 have had very little prior exposure to good quality ICT teaching, standards have risen quickly because of good teaching in Years 10 and 11. As a result, in 2001 the proportion of students passing at grades A*-C was not too far below the potential national average. Most students type fairly quickly using two hands but a small minority type with only one hand and therefore they work more slowly. Without exception, they compose direct to screen rather than copy a prepared text and that is a higher order skill. Again, because of good teaching, students’ achievement is high and they are making good progress, although their overall lack of computer use is apparent. As part of their database studies using Microsoft Access, Year 11 students have built a stock list of second hand cars to simulate a used car business. They have learned to interrogate the complex database they have created by setting queries. Above average students can set compound queries but students of lower ability take some time to construct with confidence a query limited to only one criterion.
135. Students with special needs achieve well and make good progress because of the individual support from their teachers but their attainment is lower and this is in part due to the lack of additional support in lessons. Although it is too early to judge their progress, gifted and talented students have been nominated in the department. They have already attended a residential workshop weekend and to broaden their experience and understanding of ICT, they are working with an animated program for web design. It is planned to introduce them soon to programming in Visual Basic, hopefully in conjunction with students attending a neighbouring school. To develop higher programming skills, it is planned to involve the nearest university in future projects.
136. In the great majority of lessons students concentrate on their work and sustain that concentration for the full hour of the lesson. They co-operate well with each other and their teachers. They appreciate their teachers’ subject expertise and respond well to the relationships established by the teachers and find that they are doing well and want to do better. Relationships are strong and encourage co-operation particularly in Years 7 and 8 and this results in students acquiring new skills fairly quickly and to some extent explains how attainment for a minority of students in Year 7 is in line with expectations. They work productively, on a number of occasions independently, and, because they are encouraged to do so by their teachers, are unafraid to explore the facilities of individual software packages.
137. Behaviour generally is good as a response to teachers’ inclusive demeanour and positive attitudes. In Years 7 and 8 behaviour is particularly good. Because of this, learning and achievement are improving and standards are rising.
138. The quality of teaching is good and a third is very good. Teachers have a very sound grasp of ICT skills and the competence to teach it and this gives students a sense of security and from that grows confidence. This is an improvement on the last report. This is augmented by good relationships between teachers and students. Together these help establish good computer room discipline and engender an attitude of co- operation, clearly evident in the positive response to technical difficulties seen in a Year 8 lesson. Lesson objectives are planned to be inclusive of all students and the individual support given during practical activities is designed to help students with special educational needs or English as an additional language. Whilst that leads to good progress for those students, their attainment might be higher if there was a
Top Valley School - 58 greater involvement in the lessons from the special needs support staff. Lesson objectives are clearly explained and the resultant activities are challenging and conducted at a brisk pace. In the GCSE course many of those activities are work related and to some extent bring a vocational dimension to students’ learning.
139. ICT is managed very effectively. The planning of ICT teaching is thorough and effective and is sufficient at both key stages to meet National Curriculum requirements. The planning of the role of ICT in meeting the school’s aims and objectives has become even more effective by the introduction of the ICT Strategy Group and the permanent place of ICT on the agenda of curriculum leaders’ meetings. Development plans are thorough but need to be prioritised and more specifically costed. Assessment is good to a point but it needs to be more focused in its structure and thereby to be more effective in planning. Similarly examination results need to be analysed in greater detail to generate a more rigorous appraisal of the performance of individual groups. Accommodation and resources are just about sufficient but more will be needed if proposed developments are to be achieved. The work of the department is strongly supported by the quiet and seemingly unflappable technician without whom many of the past developments would not have taken place so readily and future developments would be problematic. Leadership is strong and has raised the status of ICT into a respected subject that supports and assists the teaching of others. The decisions made to invest in the equipment now available, to provide training to colleagues and to provide them with a lap-top to work on, has encouraged that respect and the growing place of ICT in the school’s curriculum. Improvement since the last inspection has been very good.
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY ACROSS THE CURRICULUM
140. The use of information and communication technology in the other subjects of the curriculum is satisfactory but needs to be developed more widely. Usage varies considerably; some subjects such as modern foreign languages and design and technology have adapted their teaching well to integrate ICT into their students’ learning. In others such as art, history and music, ICT has not become part of the teaching strategy, in some cases because teachers are still waiting to undertake the requisite training.
141. The special needs department uses specific software including ‘Successmaker’ to help in improving students’ literacy and numeracy skills. In science, an animated program is used in physics, for example, to describe the forces involved when an elephant jumps out of a plane to demonstrate terminal velocity very effectively, students use spreadsheets to input data and, using formulae, can quickly derive calculated results often in the form of graphics. In French, students compose a description of their class neighbour in the target language as an exercise in using the ‘il/elle’ form of verbs. This they do confidently straight to screen incorporating imported digital pictures to illustrate their description. In geography students use spreadsheets to interpret and present data and, as in art and religious education, use CD-ROMs and the Internet for research. In design and technology computers are used frequently for modelling, for control and to analyse data and display it graphically.
142. Only recently have there been sufficient computer resources to accommodate computer use by other subjects but there has been a full audit of teaching staff skills and many teachers are now competent to plan the use of computers in their teaching. They have been helped considerably by the decision to provide all teachers with a lap- top computer to support their own learning and to enable them to plan and prepare lessons.
Top Valley School - 59 MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES
Overall the provision in languages is good.
Strengths · Teaching is generally good with some very good and excellent teaching. · Attainment in Spanish is above the national average. · Students learn well and most show positive attitudes. · Computers are well used for research and presenting work. · Leadership and management within the subject area are excellent.
Areas for improvement · Lack of continuity due to staff turnover has adversely affected some classes. · The school offers only one European language to each pupil.
143. In 2001 GCSE results in French at A*-C were well below the national average although higher than in the previous year. Results at A*-G were equal to the national average. Girls gained higher grades than boys although the difference was less than that found nationally. Boys’ and girls’ grades were similar to those gained in other school subjects.
144. In 2001 results in Spanish at A*-C, as well as at A*-G were above the national average, and higher than in the previous year. Girls gained higher grades than boys and the difference was greater than that found nationally. Grades were higher than those gained by the same students in other school subjects.
145. Attainment in Years 7 to 9 is average, in French and Spanish. Boys attain similar standards to girls in both languages. Students of all abilities, including those with special educational needs, achieve well. They start in Year 7 with little or no knowledge of European languages and within a few weeks participate in lessons taught in French and Spanish. Students have very good listening skills. They understand familiar classroom instructions and what their partners say in short conversations about themselves and their daily lives. Listening continuously to fluent French and Spanish equips them well to extract details from tapes and computer software. From reading captions and short statements, students progress in Years 8 to 9 to understanding longer texts written in simple French and Spanish, but progressively containing more unfamiliar language. Writing is satisfactory overall in French and good in Spanish. In both languages, average and higher attainers effectively adapt their style to different purposes such as informal letters and dialogues about everyday situations. Lower attainers write more simply. Their work is less accurate and occasionally incomplete, but many produce good finished pieces such as posters and short descriptions for display in class. In Year 8, students in higher attaining sets, including those identified as gifted and talented, make good use of different tenses to describe past events or express their intentions for the future. By age 14 students can express their likes and dislikes and most explain their opinions and reasons in detail.
146. In Years 10 to 11 the large majority of students progress towards average GCSE grades in French and good grades in Spanish. Few students leave school without qualification. The most able linguists extend the range and expression of their speaking and writing in French or in Spanish. They describe in detail their reactions and feelings about holidays and work experience, and in French use Internet research as a model for tourist information. Lower attainers, including students with special educational
Top Valley School - 60 needs, achieve a working knowledge of the languages for travelling and living overseas. A few are bored by the repetition of language they have met earlier, and poor attenders have limited, fragmented skills and knowledge. All students appreciate and learn well from new approaches to familiar themes. Most students’ reading skills develop well so they understand longer authentic texts appealing to teenagers, often inferring meaning from the context of topics such as the environment or healthy living. They enjoy reading out loud and occasionally write translations into English, using dictionaries to help them. The quality of speaking is more variable in French than in Spanish but in both languages, dialogues are often spontaneous and natural. In formal grammar exercises, students contribute using full sentences, showing their good understanding of idiom and structures. Students of all abilities, including the minority from ethnic backgrounds, gain confidence from working in pairs and groups, although boys and girls usually work separately.
147. The quality of teaching and learning are good in both French and Spanish. Teachers are fluent in the languages they teach, offering students excellent models to copy. Most have very good knowledge of National Curriculum and GCSE requirements. Those teachers still developing their professional skills receive the support and guidance they need. Their expectations of students are usually high and most work is pitched at a challenging or accessible level as required. Occasionally, French lessons for older students, based on vocabulary or simple grammar, are not stimulating enough to sustain their interest. Teachers work very well in co-operation with learning support and language assistants. Able linguists and those with special educational needs benefit from the extra attention they receive. Lessons are well planned, with time thoughtfully allocated to varied tasks exercising students’ skills in a balanced way. Regular use of computers features in longer-term planning. Students of all ages and abilities use them for research or to present personal statements, adverts and graphs. Teachers relate well to their students and most lessons have a brisk purposeful atmosphere, humour and strong sense of common purpose. Students having English as an additional language experience no difficulty and learn French and Spanish well. Teachers use up- to-date textbooks, worksheets and audio-visual resources to provide students with a varied focus for their learning. Students enjoy watching or joining their classmates in chants, games and puzzles. Many boys and girls make confident, spontaneous contributions to their lessons, and most concentrate well when the tone is formal and the style methodical. Teachers assess their students’ attainment regularly and keep good records. They elicit whole class or individual answers, set short tests and mark written work with advice for improvement where needed. They make good use of homework to prepare and follow up lessons, and most students respond conscientiously.
148. The management of the department is excellent, inspiring hard work, co-operation and commitment from teachers and their assistants. The school’s managers take a strong interest and provide good support, enabling significant improvement in standards since the last inspection. A few frustrations persist, stemming from timetable and staffing difficulties. The curriculum is sound and enriched by study visits abroad. However, students have no choice of language and even the most able can only study one. Teachers spend time preparing materials, creating a supportive environment and helping students to improve or maximise their examination performance. The varied techniques and improvisation evident in the best lessons might well be adopted in others, through the evolving programme of observation, evaluation and professional discussion. Improvement since the last inspection has been good.
MUSIC
Top Valley School - 61 Overall, the quality of provision in music is good.
Strengths · Teachers are very good musicians. · Students make very good progress in Key Stage 3. · Music is a popular subject with many students. · Singing in choirs is good.
Areas for improvement · Classroom instruments are not good enough. · Accommodation has not grown at the same rate as students' demands.
149. Results at GCSE were average in 1999 but have taken a drop in the two years since. In 2001 they were low against the national level. There is a direct link here with the numbers taking music at GCSE, which are growing steadily. This growth coincided with new students joining the school in 2000. Having to share accommodation and instruments with other lessons meant that Year 11 students were not able to complete their coursework adequately. In addition the pressure on teachers’ time meant that students did not have enough individual attention at a crucial time for them. The situation has improved with the appointment of a second full-time teacher and a graduate trainee so that the teaching team is able to share the responsibility for individual support. The prior attainment of students in the present Years 10 and 11 is low; very few students of above average attainment choose to do music, although there are a few doing it as an extra subject after school. Coupled with the lack of continuity resulting from erratic attendance, standards in lessons seen are low. Many students have a very low level of musical skills and do not have additional instrumental lessons. Although they have good ideas for composing they are only able to pursue and develop these with considerable help from teachers. In addition the lack of computers in the department is a serious handicap for all students. There are some good examples of individual performances where students are working close to the expected level. In further examples students have detailed knowledge and understanding of a particular style of music - one boy is skilful at rapping, another able to mix sounds using sophisticated recording devices. However, the breadth of knowledge of a wider range of music holds them back, particularly in the listening part of the course.
150. At the end of Year 9 in 2001 according to teacher assessments 50 per cent of students reached the expected Level 5, a figure which is lower than the average in all secondary schools. However, this represents very good achievement because by Year 9 most students have made great strides forward in their music making from a very low level in Year 7. The ‘Sell it with music’ project inspires some catchy tunes from the girls and unusual effects from the boys. Most students can notate their ideas and indeed many choose this as their preferred medium for recording music. They use technical terms easily and further demonstrate their understanding through, for instance, using drone and ostinato to develop their composition. The excellent 'language for learning' box in their workbook further helps them to locate definitions readily. By the time they reach Year 8 most students have acquired keyboard skills which keep pace with their creative ideas. In one class almost all can cope with the change from major to minor in 'Frere Jacques'. Students identified as ‘talented’ appreciate the opportunity to show what they can do in music but there are no examples of their work which are particularly outstanding. The achievement of students with special educational needs is very good when needs are linked with learning but less so when their need is linked to behaviour and students are unable to concentrate without close supervision.
Top Valley School - 62 151. Behaviour in lessons is good and students generally follow the very good example set by their teachers in the relationships they form with one another. A very small number of students seek to undermine their teachers’ good intentions but clear boundaries are set and most students are happy to accept them and settle down to work. In Years 10 and 11 this impedes progress. The value which students place on music is demonstrated in the large number who opt for GCSE and who attend rehearsals after school. The choir and ‘Chanteuse’ are rehearsing for the Christmas concert and demonstrate a high level of commitment and standard of singing. Following the appointment of two men in September, boys are given good support and the choir can now attempt four-part singing. A woodwind band meets with the visiting teacher who writes parts for them according to their experience, giving all students a good experience of ensemble playing.
152. The quality of teaching and learning are very good in Key Stage 3 and good in Key Stage 4. There was no unsatisfactory teaching and one lesson at each key stage was judged excellent. Teachers’ very good musicianship is at the heart of what is done well. In one Year 10 lesson the teacher played alongside a girl playing a Blues sequence, lifting it from an exercise to an exciting Rock number, which attracted the attention of others in the class. Students acquire new skills and develop their knowledge at a rapid pace because teachers are very clear about what they expect and teach musical skills in a progressive way. Teachers link new concepts with musical demonstration, then give students carefully thought out activities. Recorded music is chosen deliberately to appeal to students’ taste and also to broaden their musical horizons. Students enjoy lessons and this is due to the fact that teachers have taken care to set the right atmosphere and build good relations. In a Year 7 lesson on ‘Underwater Music’ students reached a high level of creativity culminating in a magical reciting of ‘Full Fathom Five’ over ‘Aquarium’ by Saint-Saens. Humour plays an important part for teachers seeking ways to keep students involved in their learning, especially in the lower school. Time is taken to review learning at the end of lessons and to link back to the clearly stated objectives. This is not linked firmly enough to specific advice about what needs to be done next to improve and students do not record the achievement in workbooks. As a result students do not have a really clear picture of how well they are doing.
153. Leadership of music is very good. Over a number of years a vibrant department has been built up where students want to come and make music. As a result many more students than is usually found choose music at GCSE. The staffing of the department is now stable and the head of music ready and able to lead the team and to give support to less experienced colleagues. She has a clear vision for further development and this is supported by clearly marked out strategic planning both for staffing and accommodation. The instrumental programme is under review and the head of department intends to extend the provision for talented students through this means. Very little progress has been made in addressing the accommodation and resourcing of the department, especially in providing computers. Provision for ICT is just adequate but the department plans to make use of the City Learning Centre to develop its work particularly in sequencing and recording. By using the adjacent hall as an extra teaching space the department is coping with the growing demands but it is less than ideal. Improvement since the last inspection has been good.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Overall, the quality of provision in physical education is satisfactory.
Top Valley School - 63 Strengths · Improved staffing of the department ensures continuity and progression for the first time in over two years. · Very good teaching of Year 11 GCSE groups. · Good leadership of the subject and very good senior management support.
Areas for improvement · The large numbers of students who regularly do not participate in activities. · The small amount of unsatisfactory teaching which does not manage the behaviour of students effectively. · Schemes of work to include opportunities for assessment, literacy, numeracy, ICT and engaging students in independent and evaluative tasks.
154. The 2001 GCSE results were below the national average. Previous results have fluctuated year by year and more students entered the examination in 2001. In 1999 and 2000, GCSE results were in line with the national average. In both 2000 and 2001, students' results in physical education have matched their results in other subjects. Fewer girls than boys take the subject and their results are very similar. Students' achievement is satisfactory in relation to their below average attainment in physical education at the end of Year 9.
155. On entry to the school, students' attainment is below the national expectation because they have little experience of gymnastics, games and fitness activities. At the end of Year 9, boys and girls remain at a level below the expectation in the majority of activities. By the end of their first unit of work, Year 7 students have made sound progress in outdoor education. This is a new activity and they co-operate well in teams to solve simple group challenges. The majority of boys and girls in Year 8 have not mastered the basic skills of netball and their footwork is very inconsistent. Boys in Year 9, understand how to perform a headspring and a minority use this skill to vault over a box with support from their teacher. When playing football, most Year 9 girls lack control and accuracy when receiving and passing the ball but a small number of girls reach a high standard in this activity. Students build and extend their performance skills satisfactorily throughout the key stage but they do not develop their evaluative skills sufficiently. Many students are unfit and do not appreciate the importance of regular exercise. One reason for this is the many boys and girls in Years 8 and 9 who do not regularly participate in lessons. This number has decreased recently and Year 7 students have good participation rates.
156. The attainment of the majority of students in physical education lessons in Years 10 and 11 is in line with the standard expected nationally. A minority attain below this level because they take part very infrequently. In football, boys in Years 10 and 11 are very competent in their ball skills and have a good understanding of team strategies and tactics. Students do not develop their evaluative skills sufficiently and there is a lack of guidance in promoting this strand of the National Curriculum in the schemes of work. Students in Year 11 are attaining well in the practical and theoretical aspects of the GCSE course. They have a good knowledge of health, fitness and first aid procedures and use accurate technical terminology when warming up and stretching. Their notebooks are neatly presented and well organised but students do not always keep their handouts and illustrations with the relevant units of work. Notebooks are regularly and constructively marked and students are kept informed of how they can improve. Boys and girls in Year 10 attain standards that are below average in basketball. They lack control and motivation.
157. Individual students and teams achieve high standards in district and county
Top Valley School - 64 competitions in golf, basketball, football and athletics. The attainment of these boys and girls is above the national average and they benefit considerably from the extra opportunities provided by their teachers.
158. Overall, the quality of teaching observed during the inspection was satisfactory. In a minority of lessons teaching is good or very good with students benefiting in their learning from their teacher's subject expertise in an atmosphere where good relationships are established with students. In two lessons observed the quality of teaching was unsatisfactory. Unsatisfactory behaviour was not well managed in these lessons and this had a negative impact on the learning of the whole group. Learning is sound overall and students of all abilities make satisfactory progress. All lessons include a health and fitness section in the form of a warm-up and stretching section and the lesson objectives are shared with the students at the start of each lesson. The very good lessons give students the opportunities to acquire new skills, to select and apply these skills and to evaluate their own work and that of others. Opportunities are not frequently provided to enable students to take responsibility for their own learning, for example games lessons are very performance based and students are not set tasks which analyse performance. The use of additional sources of reference in the form of prompt sheets or work cards would promote this aspect of the National Curriculum more fully. It would also help to set students of different abilities tasks that are matched to their needs. A few classes have two teachers and this does not promote continuity in students' learning.
159. Those students who do not regularly participate in activities often distract other students and their teachers because they do not work on the tasks set. Boys are often restless and lack concentration. Students' listening skills are poor. The attitudes of students at Key Stage 3 are unsatisfactory overall. This hinders their learning and that of others and, together with the poor behaviour of those participating, was mainly responsible for the two unsatisfactory lessons observed during the inspection. In most Years 10 and 11 lessons students want to learn and this helps them to progress satisfactorily. Questioning is rigorous in Year 11 GCSE lessons and students are challenged both physically and intellectually.
160. The leadership and management of the subject are good. The head of department is new and is beginning to act on the department's development plan. He has supported the newest members of staff well and has monitored the teaching of all teachers in the department. The department has suffered from turbulent staffing over the previous two years and there have been four new appointments this calendar year. The stability and consistency of the team and the very good support from the line manager is beginning to impact on participation levels and students' attitudes to learning. Assessment procedures are developing to reflect the new National Curriculum levels and are displayed around the department. These levels are not activity specific or in pupil friendly language and students do not know how to improve their work. The schemes of work lack detail, for example in indicating the strands of the National Curriculum and teaching methods and highlighting opportunities to teach literacy, numeracy and ICT skills. There is a need to review the curriculum and broaden opportunities in an attempt to combat the lack of motivation and participation shown by a substantial minority of students. Extra-curricular provision is good. It promotes much social and moral awareness and offers equal opportunities for boys and girls. Reports do not accurately reflect the programmes of study in Years 7, 8 and 9. The accommodation is extensive but of poor quality. The area is drab externally and entrances are narrow and unwelcoming. Improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory.
Top Valley School - 65 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Overall, the provision for religious education is unsatisfactory due to the lack of provision for the subject for all students in Years 10 and 11.
Strengths · The good teaching in Years 7, 8 and 9 promotes the aims of the agreed syllabus. · At the end of Year 9, the standard of attainment meets the expectations of the agreed syllabus. · The contribution the subject makes to students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
Areas for improvement · There is no full school scheme of work for the agreed syllabus. · The assessment procedures are inconsistent and targets for improvement are not usually given. · There is no religious education available for all students in Years 10 and 11.
161. By the age of 14, overall standards are in line with the agreed syllabus. There has been an improvement in the standards in Years 7 and 8, and the standard observed in Year 9 maintains that found at the last inspection.
162. Standards of work seen during the inspection are in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus. These standards are because of the good quality of the teaching that involves a variety of teaching and learning strategies. Students make steady gains in their knowledge and understanding of how belief influences behaviour. No lesson observations of the examination group in Year 10 occurred due to the timetable, but the work scrutinised showed they were attaining much as expected. Therefore, attainment is satisfactory overall.
163. Achievement in Years 7, 8 and 9 is good. When they enter the school students’ ability to read and write is poor. Each year group contains students from a variety of faith backgrounds who respond to enthusiastic teaching and lessons that have a good pace. The encouraging atmosphere in lessons with appropriate use of praise makes students want to learn. The emphasis on oral and paired work helps engage all abilities and students make good gains in knowledge and understanding. In Year 9 students can make informed responses to people’s values and commitments in the light of their own learning, as they did in a lesson on Hinduism and non-violent protest. Achievement in Year 10 for students studying for GCSE is satisfactory. Students have studied marriage customs and can make comparisons between religions.
164. Students’ attitudes are good. They come to lessons eager to learn and enjoy religious education lessons. There are some students that present challenging behaviour but the classroom management techniques used by their teachers keep them on task. Teachers set a good example and act as excellent role models in the way they show respect to their students. Students answer questions willingly, confident that their views receive respect from everyone in the classroom.
165. Teaching and learning are good in all years. Teaching in all but one lesson seen was good, and that was satisfactory. The teachers have good subject knowledge. They all have good classroom and behaviour management skills. They prepare lessons well and make good use of the much improved resources. Good use is made of information and communication technology in some lessons. During the inspection, a Year 9 class used the Internet to research information on charities. Clear objectives are set for each
Top Valley School - 66 lesson. The outcomes teachers expect are explicit for students of all abilities. This enables students with special educational needs, English as an additional language and higher attainers to make gains in learning. The assessment of students’ work is inconsistent and targets for improvement are often missing. Sufficient quality homework is not always set.
166. The contribution to students’ spiritual development is good. Time is available for reflection and consideration of the ultimate purpose of life. In a Year 9 lesson, the class reflected that humans usually cause suffering. Teachers make full use of opportunities that arise in the course of a lesson to develop moral points. A Year 9 class considered the reasons for homelessness and realised people hold various viewpoints on issues. Paired and group work helps develop interpersonal skills and social development. The study of aspects of world religions helps cultural awareness. The contributions made by members of different faiths within the school during lessons enrich this knowledge and understanding as in a Year 7 lesson on Islam when a Muslim boy explained the importance of prayer.
167. Improvement since the last inspection in Years 7, 8 and 9 has been satisfactory. The work has widened to embrace the aims of the locally agreed syllabus. Higher attainers receive appropriate challenges. Resources are now satisfactory. A GCSE course has started. However, the school is still not meeting the statutory requirement to provide religious education to all students in Years 10 and 11, which is unsatisfactory.
168. The leadership of the department is unsatisfactory as it is without a co-ordinator; the postholder being on extended maternity leave. However, the department has collaborated very well during her absence but needs a full scheme of work to follow to enable it to continue to raise standards.
Top Valley School - 67