INSPECTION REPORT VALENTINES HIGH SCHOOL Ilford LEA Area
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INSPECTION REPORT VALENTINES HIGH SCHOOL Ilford LEA area: London Borough of Redbridge Unique reference number: 102857 Headteacher: Dr D Moynihan Reporting inspector: Mrs G Kayembe 2901 Dates of inspection: 10th – 14th March 2003 Inspection number: 249565 Full inspection carried out under Section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 © Crown copyright 2003 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 19 years Gender of students: Mixed School address: Cranbrook Road Gants Hill Ilford Essex Postcode: IG2 6HX Telephone number: 0208 5543608 Fax number: 0208 5182621 Appropriate authority: The governing body Name of chair of governors: Mr M Graham Date of previous inspection: March 1997 Valentines High School - 3 INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities 2901 G Kayembe Registered inspector What sort of school is it? 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? 9708 S Daintrey 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? 32288 I Khan Team inspector Mathematics 27411 H Butensky Team inspector English 19043 D Lewis Team inspector Science 18032 I Randall Team inspector Information and communication technology 10288 J Richards Team inspector Art and design 12331 V Grigg Team inspector Design and technology Educational inclusion, including race equality 30743 N Cowell Team inspector Geography 22849 R Catlow Team inspector History Citizenship 32208 D Aitken Team inspector Modern foreign languages 8360 F Peacock Team inspector Music Special educational needs 18888 J Boultbee Team inspector Physical education How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to students? 12179 L Moscrop Team inspector Religious education English as an additional language 30648 B Skelton Team inspector English (sixth form) Drama Valentines High School - 4 20527 B King Team inspector Mathematics (sixth form) Valentines High School - 5 Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities 23402 B Singh Team inspector Biology Chemistry 10666 P Wheeler Team inspector Sociology 15277 C Vidler Team inspector Business education 2652 R Lomas Team inspector Classical studies Psychology 7636 A Sinha Team inspector Urdu Ivrit (Modern Hebrew) 31138 T Westrip Team inspector Physics 17314 E Marchant Team inspector Physical education (sixth form) The inspection contractor was: Bench Marque Ltd National Westminster Bank Chambers Victoria Street Burnham-on-Sea Somerset 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 Valentines High School - 6 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 ANNEX: THE SIXTH FORM PART B: COMMENTARY HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 15 The school’s results and students’ achievements Students’ attitudes, values and personal development HOW WELL ARE STUDENTS TAUGHT? 21 HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO STUDENTS? 24 HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS STUDENTS? 29 HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS? 32 HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED? 34 WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER? 37 PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 40 PART D: THE STANDARDS AND QUALITY OF TEACHING IN AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES IN KEY STAGES 3 AND 4 46 PART E: THE STANDARDS AND QUALITY OF TEACHING IN AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES IN THE SIXTH FORM 73 Valentines High School - 7 PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL The school is of above average size with a roll of 1229 boys and girls aged 11 to 19. The majority come from the local authority area of Redbridge but a minority live further afield in neighbouring local London boroughs. The school is oversubscribed. Overall, the school has a rich multi-ethnic mix, though the predominant ethnic groups are Indian, white-British and Pakistani. The proportion of students with English as an additional language is very high and, though most of these students are fluent English speakers, there are still a relatively high proportion who are at earlier stages of learning English. The intake is challenging in a number of respects; the overall socio-economic circumstances of students are below average, and this is reflected in the above average proportion eligible for a free school meal. The attainment on entry is also below average, though the numbers of students with special educational needs and those with statements of special educational needs are broadly average. There is a high, and growing, proportion of refugees, mainly from Somalia. The school has Beacon and Technology College status. HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS This is a very good school which provides a very effective education for its students. The ethos of the school promotes a strong learning culture and one in which students are valued for who they are and what they contribute to the school’s collective identity. Harmonious relationships are a most marked feature of the school. Very good teaching promotes very good learning and results in students achieving very well. The overall leadership and management of the school are very good and the headteacher provides outstanding leadership. The school uses its financial resources very well and provides very good value for money. What the school does well · The quality of teaching in the main school is very good overall and promotes students’ learning very well. · Standards of attainment are well above average by the end of Year 11 and reflect the very good progress made by students between Years 7 and 11. · There is a very positive ethos which embraces inclusion of all regardless of race, religion or social background. As a result, the school is a very harmonious community where all extend respect for others. · Links with parents are very effective and parents hold the school in high regard. · The school makes excellent use of its Beacon and Technology College status to extend out into the local community and other schools. Much of this work directly benefits students and staff at the school. · There is excellent provision of enrichment and extra-curricular activities. · Leadership and management of the school are very good overall. Significant emphasis is placed on students’ education. The headteacher’s outstanding leadership promotes a single-minded and unerring drive to achieve the highest standards. · The provision for students’ personal development is very good and, as a result, behaviour and attitudes are also very good. Students at the school feel that they are part of this community. What could be improved · There is insufficient provision for religious education in Years 10 to 11. · Accommodation is unsatisfactory. · In a number of subjects in Years 7 to 9, assessment is underdeveloped or marking is not always as rigorous as it needs to be. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION Valentines High School - 8 There has been very good improvement since the last inspection in March 1997. Most of the key issues have been very well tackled, though compliance with national and local requirements for religious education in Years 10 to 11 and for the requirement of a daily act of collective worship have yet to be fully addressed. Standards of work have improved well, very well in the last three years, and the quality of teaching is now much better than it was. Aspects of the school which were strong at the time of the last inspection have been maintained and many aspects have improved further. This is reflected in the very positive responses of parents to the questionnaire. Given the high quality of leadership and management and the support provided by governors, there is very good capacity for the school to improve further. STANDARDS The table shows the standards achieved by students at the end of Year 11 and sixth-form students at the end of Year 13 based on average point scores in GCSE and A-level/AS-level examinations. compared with Key similar Performance in: all schools schools very high A* well above average A 2000 2001 2002 2002 above average B average C GCSE examinations B B A A* below average D well below average E A-levels/AS-levels C E n/a Standards of work are well above average by the end of Year 11 and achievement is very good. Students’ performance in GCSE examinations is very high when compared to similar schools and well above the average of schools nationally. Girls outperformed boys by a wider margin than is the case nationally, though the school is taking action to narrow the gap between them.