School report

Litherland High School Sterrix Lane, , Liverpool, , L21 0DB

Inspection dates 11–12 February 2014

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 Overall effectiveness This inspection: Inadequate 4 Achievement of pupils Inadequate 4 Quality of teaching Inadequate 4 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Inadequate 4

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires special measures.  Students’ achievement has significantly  Some students have been inappropriately declined. They make inadequate progress identified as having behavioural special needs, from their prior attainment at Key Stage 2, which lowers expectations for their academic particularly in English and mathematics. achievement.  The proportion of students achieving five or  Students’ absence and exclusion rates are more GCSEs at grade C and above, including above average. The use of fixed-term exclusion English and mathematics, is well below has increased markedly over the last three average. years.  Teaching does not build on students’ English  Students who are eligible for support through and mathematical knowledge and skills pupil premium funding also make inadequate effectively from lesson to lesson. progress. They do not achieve as well as  Students’ writing, communication and others in the school or as well as this group mathematical skills are not sufficiently nationally. Leaders have not reviewed the developed across all subjects. impact of additional funding with enough  Marking is too variable. Often, it does not rigour. help students to improve their work or to  Leaders and governors have an overly positive develop the specific skills they need to view of the quality of teaching over time. They succeed in each subject. have not focused sufficiently on the impact teaching has on learning and the academic achievement of different groups of students.

The school has the following strengths  The school provides a bright learning  Teachers enforce and most students uphold environment. Positive relationships ensure the behaviour policy, ensuring that most that students feel and are safe. lessons and the school day proceed in an  Students’ spiritual and cultural development is orderly way. promoted well. They benefit greatly from the  There is some good and outstanding teaching school’s international links and participation in and some good practice in departmental sporting, artistic and cultural events. leadership. Inspection report: Litherland High School, 11–12 February 2014 2 of 11

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 35 part-lessons and sampled students’ work during visits to classrooms. They carried out a more detailed scrutiny of students’ work in English and mathematics in all year groups. Two lessons were jointly observed.  Inspectors met with senior leaders, subject leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Governing Body and a representative from the local authority.  They met with students randomly selected from student lists and the school council and spoke with students in lessons.  A range of documentation was examined, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement planning, performance management and safeguarding procedures, attendance, behaviour and bullying records.  Inspectors took account of 22 responses to Parent View, which is the Ofsted on-line questionnaire, and the school’s most recent parent survey. They took account of staff questionnaires returned from leaders, teaching and support staff.

Inspection team

Jean Olsson Law, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

Aelwyn Pugh Her Majesty’s Inspector

Clive Hurren Additional Inspector

Derek Barnes Additional Inspector

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Full report

In accordance with section 44 of the Education Act 2005 (as amended), Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

Information about this school

 Litherland High School is an average-sized .  The proportion of students eligible for support through the pupil premium funding is well above average. The pupil premium is additional government funding provided to the school for students known to be eligible for free school meals, children who are looked after by the local authority and children of families in the armed forces.  The proportion of students who are disabled or who have special educational needs and are supported through school action is well above average. The proportion of students supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also well above average.  Almost all students are of White British heritage and speak English as their first language.  The school uses local authority alternative provision, IMPACT, for a small number of students from Years 10 and 11. The school also has its own alternative provision within school and with other providers.  The school has the International School Award.  The school has recently established a Trust Board, which currently operates alongside the governing body.  The school does not meet the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress.

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that students in all year groups make at least expected progress, especially in English and mathematics by: assessing students’ learning and progress accurately and ensure lessons build on the knowledge, skills and understanding students bring with them from primary school making sure students receive feedback and marking that supports them to improve their work and achieve higher levels or grades examining where there are gaps in students’ literacy and mathematical skills and developing and reinforcing these skills in every subject making sure teaching takes account of the differing ability of students in the class and provides the right amount of challenge for the most able students ensuring that students who are identified as having special educational needs, including those identified as having behavioural difficulties, receive the right amount of support and challenge in lessons using the good practice in teaching in the school to support improvement where it is needed.

 Improve attendance and reduce the level of exclusion by helping all groups of students feel more engaged with their learning and to achieve well.

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 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management, including governance, by: checking the progress of different groups of students more rigorously and setting high expectations for the academic achievement of all students ensuring that, when teaching is monitored, sufficient attention is given to the progress students make ensuring that action plans include measurable outcomes for students using the existing good practice in subject leadership in the school to support improvement in other subjects undertaking an external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and governance may be improved.

Ofsted has made recommendations for action on governance to the authority responsible for the school.

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Inspection judgements

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Students’ attainment in Key Stage 2 assessments prior to joining the school is broadly average overall. From this starting point, they make inadequate progress and their attainment at GCSE is well below that of students who had similar starting points.  The proportion of students attaining five or more GCSEs at grade C and above, including English and mathematics, has declined. It has been well below the national average for three years and in 2013 was below the minimum standard expected by the government.  The school’s data show that a higher proportion of students in the current Year 11 are on track to achieve five GCSEs, including English and mathematics. Most students have already been entered for English and mathematics GCSE in Year 10. This is predicted to halt the downward trend, but more than half the students have not yet achieved expected grades, given their prior attainment.  The practice of early entry for examinations has been stopped recently as it is not working to the advantage of all students.  The gap in attainment and progress between students who are eligible for free school meals and those who are not has widened in English. It closed in mathematics in 2013 but this is because performance in mathematics fell generally. In 2013, eligible students were around one and a half grades behind others in the school in English and one grade behind in mathematics. Both groups achieved well below similar groups nationally.  The progress of students currently at the school is extremely variable between subjects. They make good progress in modern foreign languages, single sciences and art and design, and expected progress in information and communication technology and music. Progress in English, mathematics and other subjects is inadequate.  Poorly developed basic mathematical knowledge, including of multiplication facts and number bonds, slows progress in mathematics. Poorly developed writing and communication skills slow progress in many subjects.  Disabled students and those with special educational needs make academic progress similar to that of others in the school, doing well in some subjects and poorly in others. Expectations of what they can achieve are lowered because the focus is too often on managing their behaviour, rather than providing them with stimulating teaching and building on their subject knowledge and skills.  The most-able students make inadequate progress when compared with similar groups nationally, in English and mathematics. They make better progress in modern foreign languages.  Year 7 catch-up funding is used to provide additional literacy and numeracy lessons and support. These vary in their quality and effectiveness. Reading, writing, communication and mathematical skills are not reinforced and developed well enough across all subjects.  Leaders and governors do their best to ensure that good relationships are fostered and discrimination is tackled. This can be seen in students’ behaviour towards each other in school, but also results in high exclusion rates.  Equal opportunities are not promoted well enough. The gap between students eligible for support through pupil premium funding and others in the school is wide. The majority of students do not do as well as expected from their individual starting points.  The achievement of students who access alternative provision is monitored by school leaders and this shows that they make expected progress. The majority are supported into or training when they leave school.

The quality of teaching is inadequate

 The quality of teaching is too variable within and between subjects. Too much teaching requires

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improvement and teaching does not have the impact on achievement that it should do. There is some good practice in teaching, planning and marking, but it is not sufficiently embedded across the school.  Too much teaching does not build on students’ existing subject knowledge and skills. Assessment is not used well enough to make sure that students have the right level of challenge in their work. In Year 7, for example, students spend too much time going over knowledge and skills they have already acquired in primary school and their progress stalls.  A high proportion of students is identified as having a behavioural, emotional or social difficulty. Teachers are not always sure what this means or how it relates to their academic capability. In some cases, it lowers expectations of what students can achieve academically.  Students with learning and literacy difficulties are provided with additional support in Key Stage 3. The teaching of these groups is not consistently good enough to help students to catch-up and there is not enough discussion between staff to make sure that approaches used in these groups are reinforced in other lessons. Students in Years 10 and 11 receive intensive tutoring, which they find helpful.  Leaders have recently developed ‘raising achievement’ plans, which identify the promotion of mathematical, reading, writing and communication skills as priorities in all subjects. Such skills are promoted well in some subjects, such as science and modern foreign languages, but not in all subjects.  In teaching observed during the inspection, the pace of learning for the most able students was too slow because the activities they were given were too easy. Although planning identified different activities for the most able students, this was often vague and not reflected in practice.  The work in students’ books is of variable quality. There are too many examples of unfinished work. In the mathematics and English books seen, students’ progress is too slow across both Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. Work lacks challenge for the most able students.  Marking is similarly variable. At its best, it helps students to improve their work and develop the specific skills they need for the subject. Too often, the advice given is too general, so students’ work shows little improvement.  There is some good and outstanding teaching and strong relationships between teachers and students. These provide the foundation on which to build better practice across the school.  Where students make most progress, they benefit from very clear guidance about how to achieve the highest levels in their work. Teaching is most effective where teachers set high expectations for all students and give activities that challenge all ability groups. Teachers’ skilful questioning helps to deepen students’ understanding and clear explanation of key points means that all students make good progress. Such good practice was seen in lessons in English, science, French and dance.  Students receive good information, advice and guidance with regard to the next steps in their education. As a result, the vast majority go on into further education, employment or training.

The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The behaviour of students requires improvement.  Behaviour in lessons varies, depending on how engaged students are. The majority of lessons observed during the inspection were calm; students wanted to work and were respectful. When students were highly interested in the tasks they were set, they were motivated and persevered with challenging work. In a small minority of lessons, students engaged in off-task chat, used their mobile telephones and failed to complete work.  Not all students respect their environment. There is considerable littering of corridors during break and lunchtimes, despite the provision of litter bins. This means that cleaning staff spend considerable time cleaning up after them following break-times.  During the inspection, students were closely supervised and orderly as they moved around between lessons and during breaks. Students who spoke with inspectors were complimentary about staff and polite to visitors. They value the school’s attached police officer who they say

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helps to keep the school safe.  Permanent exclusions are slightly above the national average, but reduced in 2013. Fixed-term exclusions are higher than average and increased in 2013. This reflects the school’s policy for dealing with unacceptable behaviour. The school has a clear policy for managing and monitoring internal exclusions, but this has limited impact for some students who are repeatedly excluded from lessons.  Attendance is below average, but shows improvement over the last three years as a result of targeted support to families.  Staff questionnaires show that most staff are positive about the behaviour of students, although a minority feels that behaviour is not managed well.  The school’s work to keep students safe and secure is good.  A small minority of students said they had experienced or witnessed bullying in school. Teachers and leaders take a rigorous approach to recording and following up incidents and the vast majority of students said that they think teachers tackle bullying appropriately.  Students have received formal education and guidance on how to keep safe when using the Internet and social media. They say they have not encountered racist bullying at any time. They have occasionally heard the word ‘gay’ used in a derogatory way although they feel that it is not used in a homophobic sense.  All students who spoke with inspectors said they feel safe and all parents who responded to ‘Parent View’ feel that their children are safe in school.  Students have received good education and advice about the risks associated with drug and alcohol misuse, and how to keep safe from knife and gun crime. Positive work has been done with local bus companies to increase students’ safety on transport and at bus stops.  The school has rigorous procedures to monitor the attendance and safety of students taught in alternative provision and taking part in work-based learning.

The leadership and management are inadequate

 Leaders and governors have not succeeded in maintaining a culture of high expectations for students’ academic achievement. Since the last inspection, students’ progress and attainment in examinations have declined significantly.  Self-evaluation is not sufficiently challenging about the achievement of different groups of students, their attendance and the extent of exclusion compared to those measures in similar schools and groups. As a result, leaders and governors have an overly positive view of the success of the school and this limits their capacity to secure further improvement.  A ‘Raising Attainment Group’ has been established, which is a step in the right direction, but impact is limited to date.  Leaders’ policy to re-assesses students on entry to Year 7 often lowers expectations of what students can achieve. These assessments are not used effectively to help students build on their prior attainment and develop essential skills.  Procedures to manage the performance of staff set targets for students’ progress and teaching, but students’ progress is not given enough attention when teaching is checked. Teachers receive additional support and professional development if their performance is below expectations. There are appropriate links to salary progression.  Subject leadership is of variable quality, with some good and some ineffective practice. In too many cases, the monitoring of students’ progress is weak and planning for improvement is ineffective. Where it is best, middle leaders provide clear plans to raise attainment and provide a model of good teaching, effective assessment and marking.  Students are able to study a broad range of subjects and benefit from many enrichment activities. There are some innovative approaches including, for example, the teaching of Chinese at Key Stage 3. However, the promotion of key literacy and mathematical skills is not developed well enough to meet the needs of students from the start.

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 Leaders set high expectations for students’ spiritual and cultural development and this is a strength of the school. Students benefit from a wide range of cultural experiences, including trips abroad and links with local ethnic communities. All students, including those with special educational needs, do phenomenally well in their learning of modern foreign languages. Students engage well with the local community as volunteers. Their social skills are promoted well in some subjects and students mostly have a sound understanding of right and wrong.  There are effective arrangements with primary schools to ensure that students feel confident in their move to secondary school. Many students take advantage of the Easter and summer schools, including those in modern foreign languages.  Local authority officers have recently increased the support and challenge to the school due to their concerns about underperformance. School leaders have also sought support from independent consultants and an outstanding .  It is clear that staff are keen to do their best for students and there is some good practice in teaching, marking and assessment on which they can build, given the right direction.  The school should not seek to appoint newly qualified teachers.  The governance of the school: Governors have an overly positive view of the quality of teaching and the academic progress students make in the school and this limits their capacity to challenge leaders and secure further improvement. They have not taken sufficient account of data which show that students’ achievement is declining and they do not do as well as students with similar starting points nationally. Governors know how additional funding for Year 7 catch-up and pupil premium is spent, but they have not checked the impact of initiatives on the achievement of eligible students, nor on the achievement of those with literacy difficulties or with special educational needs. Governors have not taken enough account of students’ progress when managing the performance of school leaders. Safeguarding and child protection arrangements meet all requirements. The school has a clear system to ensure that visitors to the school are suitably supervised.

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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 pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils 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 pupils’ needs. Pupils 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 pupils 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 104951 Local authority Sefton Inspection number 440710

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

Type of school Secondary School category Community Age range of pupils 11–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 839 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs P Parkinson Headteacher Mr J Donnelly Date of previous school inspection 5 May 2011 Telephone number 0151 2886750 Fax number 0151 2886751 Email address [email protected]

Any complaints about the inspection or the report should be made following the procedures set out in the guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email [email protected].

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in . You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email [email protected]. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’. Piccadilly Gate Store St Manchester M1 2WD

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