The Netherhall School Queen Edith's Way, Cambridge, CB1 8NN

School report

Inspection dates 3–4 June 2014

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 Overall effectiveness This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because  Overall standards fluctuate from year to year.  The checking of work is not regular enough The 2013 GCSE examination results were and consequently the quality of it is too above average, but this year school variable. assessment information shows that some  Leaders are not monitoring the quality of results will be lower than this given their teaching or checking information about student starting points. progress well enough.  The progress of disabled students and those  Governors are not clear about which leaders to who have special educational needs and hold to account when asking searching those in receipt of the pupil premium is questions. slower than other students in mathematics  The sixth form requires improvement. Not all and English. students achieve what they are capable of  The quality of teaching and learning does not because checks on their progress and enable all students to make rapid and attendance do not routinely ensure that they sustained progress. are on track to reach the necessary standards.  Students taking core and additional science make slower progress than those who take separate science subjects.

The school has the following strengths  Students for whom English is not their first  Behaviour and the management of safety are language make good progress and are well good. Students are polite and are proud of supported by the school. their school. This is reflected in the promotion  Relationships between students and teachers of spiritual, moral, social and cultural are productive. education.  Levels of attendance are rising, exclusion rates are falling and punctuality is good. Inspection report: The Netherhall School, 3–4 June 2014 2 of 10

Information about this inspection

 The inspection team visited 44 lessons or part of lessons to observe behaviour and teaching and learning.  The inspection team were not able to observe teaching in Years 11, 12 and 13.  Ten observations were carried out jointly with members of the senior leadership team. Inspectors also observed members of the senior team give feedback to the teachers after the lesson.  The inspection team took into account 98 responses to the on-line parent questionnaire.  The inspection team met with representatives of the local authority, the school improvement partner, senior and middle leaders and different groups of students including those in the sixth form.  The inspection team listened to a selected group of Year 7 pupils read.  The inspection team analysed and scrutinised the school’s self evaluation documentation which included evidence from governor minutes, monitoring of teaching, learning walks and progress information.  Policies and procedures for the safeguarding of students were examined by inspectors.

Inspection team

Pete Sewell, Lead inspector Seconded Inspector

John Mitcheson Her Majesty’s Inspector

Patricia Walters Additional Inspector

Angela Podmore Additional Inspector

Geoffrey Marston Additional Inspector

Pete Sewell is appointed as an Additional Inspector, under the powers relating to additional inspectors, in paragraph 11 of Part 2 of Schedule 12 to the Education and Inspections Act 2006’ Inspection report: The Netherhall School, 3–4 June 2014 3 of 10

Full report

Information about this school

 This is a larger than average-sized secondary school.  There is a higher than average proportion of students from a range of minority groups. The largest groups represented are from other white heritages and Indian heritage.  A higher than average proportion of students do not have English as a first language.  A smaller-than-average proportion of the students are eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding in this school for students who are looked after by the local authority or known to be eligible for free school meals. However, the number of students in this group is rising year on year.  The proportions of disabled students and those who have special educational needs supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs are below average. The proportion supported through school action is below average. However, the number of students in these groups is rising year on year.  A few students attend alternative provision at The County School, Cambridgeshire.  The school meets the current government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for students’ achievement in English and mathematics.  An external review of governance was completed in February 2014 which is why another one has not been recommended.  The school has not entered students early for examinations this year.

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and learning by: having high expectations of all students both in the quality and presentation of their work building on the good behaviour seen in lessons to further challenge students with their learning applying a consistent approach to marking, assessment and feedback across the school so that students are clear about what they need to do to deepen their understanding and make faster progress.

 Close the gap for students in receipt of pupil premium spending and for disabled students and those who have special educational needs by: ensuring all staff are fully aware of who these students so they plan lessons that direct them towards appropriate and challenging work using school information to effectively monitor the progress of these students then respond quickly if progress is not being made evaluating the impact of different support strategies and whether they represent good value for money.

 Improve the leadership and management of the school by: clarifying responsibility for school information so that governors are clear about who to hold to account when they ask searching questions monitoring the improvements introduced to make teaching consistently good and evaluate the impact of teaching on pupil progress embedding the procedures for ensuring that students in the sixth form follow suitable courses and the checks on their progress and welfare commissioning an external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved. Inspection report: The Netherhall School, 3–4 June 2014 4 of 10

Inspection judgements

The achievement of students requires improvement

 Although the overall proportion of students exceeding expected progress in English and mathematics is above national averages this is not the case for many students with low starting points across a range of subjects.

 Attainment fluctuates from year to year. The attainment of students at GCSE rose sharply in 2013 and the proportion gaining five passes at grades A* - C including mathematics and English was above average. This was an increase from 2012 when examination results were in line with national figures. Results are predicted by the school to fall to just above national averages in 2014. School information shows that students are making steady progress in some subjects but not all.

 The gap between students in receipt of the pupil premium funding and the rest of the students, in English and mathematics, is not closing fast enough. The school does not use average point scores to measure progress but school information shows that there is a 10% gap between expected progress of these students and the progress of the rest of the cohort in Years 7 and 9 in English and a similar gap in mathematics. Attainment at GCSE in 2013 shows a gap of 28% in English which has closed from 52% in 2012 but a gap of 34% in mathematics which has only closed by 4% from the previous year. The impact of additional staffing through the pupil premium funding in both subjects is too recent to demonstrate any clear impact.

 The progress of disabled students and those with special educational needs is not checked well enough. School leaders admitted that these students are not making good progress but were unable to provide information to illustrate this.

 Most students know their individual subject targets but too few are able to explain what they need to do to achieve them.

 In the sixth form, overall attainment has been below national average for the past two years but broadly in line with predictions based on the students’ starting points. The proportion of students remaining in school to complete GCE advanced level courses is lower than seen nationally. This is improving due to the better leadership of the sixth form. Minimum entry requirements and improved guidance and advice ensure that students pursue suitable courses. Currently, students feel that increased monitoring of their progress and the mentoring provided for them by staff is ensuring that they are well prepared for examinations this year.

 The most able students do well and make good progress.

 A small number of students undertake a foundation learning course at Cambridge Regional College. These students are making good progress.

 Attainment for students from other white heritages and Indian heritage are broadly in line with the national average for their group.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching is inconsistent. Sometimes students make good progress but too often pupils are not given hard enough work and as a result do not make good progress.

 Overall, teachers’ marking has limited impact. Some comments in students’ books do not make clear what they need to do to improve it further; not all books are marked regularly. Although some teachers do offer regular and precise feedback, students rarely respond to it.

 Teachers do not adapt their teaching enough to respond to the needs of disabled students and those who have special educational needs. There is little evidence that these students are making as much progress as the others.

 Teachers’ expectations of their students and what they can achieve in each lesson are not high enough. The quality of students’ work varies between subjects and teachers. Students’ good attitudes to learning are not sufficiently exploited by teachers to help them learn more quickly.

 In the sixth form teaching requires improvement. Achievement differs widely across subjects. Where teaching is effective teachers regularly assess the quality of students’ note-making, and ask them to respond to their comments. This good practice is not systematic across all subjects.

 Where teaching assistants were seen working with targeted students they worked effectively. Where the teaching assistant is unsure of their role, they are less effective.

 The literacy skills that students develop within English lessons are not reinforced effectively by teachers within other subjects. This limits the progress of many less-able students.

 Lessons targeted at students for whom English is not a first language are effective in preparing them for mainstream GCSE classes. This was observed where students were being prepared for an English lesson on the play Macbeth and the students made good progress.

The behaviour and safety of students are good

 The behaviour of students is good. Most parents that responded to the on-line questionnaire and took part in school surveys indicate that the school manages behaviour well.

 Students feel that teachers have high expectations from them in terms of uniform, punctuality and attendance. They wear their school colours with pride and being a member of the school council is important to them. In most lessons, students demonstrate good attitudes to learning; they arrive on time, and are well-organised and ready to learn.

 Low level disruption is rare, but where it occurs it is dealt with effectively by the school and a range of behaviour management strategies were seen being used appropriately.

 Students have a good understanding of the different forms of bullying and feel that the school deals with any incidents quickly and effectively. The school uses a restorative approach to resolving conflict between students which is effective.

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 The school’s work to keep students safe and secure is good. This is particularly effective for students whose circumstances make them vulnerable, and those for whom English is not their first language.

 Students attending alternative provision are kept safe and attendance rates are good. The number of exclusions is falling.

 In the sixth form, behaviour is good. They are kept safe. The systems for monitoring their attendance need checking regularly to ensure they are working.

 The school has a diverse ethnic population. All students feel valued and supported. It tackles discrimination and promotes equal opportunity effectively.

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The monitoring of teaching over time by the senior leaders has been too optimistic. Senior leaders worked alongside the inspection team in the joint evaluation of teaching and learning; when considering evidence in this way, the views they expressed matched the judgements given by the inspectors.

 Progress information provided by the school during the inspection was variable in quality. The school was unable to produce useful information on the progress of disabled students and those who have special educational needs. There are too many staff responsible for coordinating and leading the monitoring of student achievement so that accountability is unclear.

 The school has been working closely with the local authority and a school improvement partner who both felt that the necessary improvements required to get the school to ‘good’ had been secured. This support has not been effective enough in raising standards and monitoring progress.

 The Principal and senior team work very hard; seven out of ten parents and carers who responded to the Parent View questionnaire were positive about the quality of leadership. Systems for monitoring the quality of teaching and achievement are well established but do not consistently take into account the quality of the work in student’s books and the actual progress made.

 The introduction of a new information tracking system in September 2013 has been welcomed by staff. It has not yet had time to fully embed.

 Improved leadership of the sixth form is ensuring that students are recruited onto the right courses and more of them continue their studies into Year 13. Students talked optimistically to inspectors about the positive climate for learning in the sixth form, the new opportunities for enrichment and for volunteering to support others within and outside of the school. By contrast only a few students gain experience of the work-place.

 Middle leaders now feel confident about using new school information to hold teachers to account for student progress but it is too early to measure the impact of this new system. They

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feel well supported by their link on the senior team through a series of ‘keeping in touch’ meetings recently introduced.

 The range of subjects available to students and how they are organised is appropriate. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural opportunities provided for students in lessons, extra-curricular activities and educational visits are good. The school successfully supports a large number of students through the Duke of Edinburgh scheme.

 The governance of the school: The governance of the school requires improvement. Despite a recent review of governance in February 2014 it is clear that the governors do not hold individuals in the senior team to account sufficiently for the progress of all students and the quality and effectiveness of teaching over time. Governors are able and committed to the success of the school. They have a good understanding of the school information provided by the senior team on attainment, progress and attendance. However they do not provide effective challenge on achievement or teaching and learning as they are reliant on the information provided by the senior team, which is overly positive and masks variations in the quality of teaching over time and variations in progress between groups of students. A personnel committee keeps a careful check on the performance management of teachers. The necessary systems are in place towards ensuring that all teachers are rewarded at the appropriate level for their performance. However this is not leading to the improvements required as judgements are not made with reference to the impact of teaching on students’ progress and achievement. Governors have not monitored the gap in achievement of pupils in receipt of the pupil premium and other students closely enough. Governors have ensured that the school meets its statutory responsibilities concerning safeguarding.

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What inspection judgements mean

School Grade Judgement Description Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its students’ needs. This ensures that students are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its students’ needs. Students are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it improvement is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is failing to give its students an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 110873 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 442077

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

Type of school Secondary School category Foundation Age range of pupils 11–18 Gender of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1200 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 256 Appropriate authority The local authority Chair Albena Madej Principal Caroline McKenney Date of previous school inspection 8 November 2012 Telephone number 01223 242931 Fax number 01223 410473 Email address [email protected]

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