INSPECTION REPORT NOADSWOOD SCHOOL North Road, Dibden Purlieu, Southampton SO45 4ZF LEA Area: Hampshire Unique Reference Number
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INSPECTION REPORT NOADSWOOD SCHOOL North Road, Dibden Purlieu, Southampton SO45 4ZF LEA area: Hampshire Unique reference number: 116415 Headteacher: Mr John Samuels Reporting inspector: Mr Alan Rawlings 2557 Dates of inspection: 8 – 10 February 2000 Inspection number: 184832 Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 © Crown copyright 2000 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 pupils: 11 - 16 Gender of pupils: Mixed School address: North Road Dibden Purlieu Southampton Hampshire Postcode: SO45 4ZF Telephone number: 01703 840025 Fax number: 01703 843532 Appropriate authority: Governing Body Name of chair of governors: Mr Alan Orme Date of previous inspection: May 1995 Noadswood School - 3 INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM Team members Alan Rawlings Reporting inspector Lorina Pilgrim Lay inspector Linda Farrow Team inspector Neil Thompson Team inspector David Hardcastle Team inspector The inspection contractor was: Hampshire County Council Education Department – OFSTED Office Clarendon House Romsey Road Winchester SO22 5PW 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 Registrar Inspection Quality Division The Office for Standards in Education Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Noadswood School - 4 REPORT CONTENTS Page PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6 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 Pupils’ 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 WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL 11 Pupils of all capabilities make good progress and achieve their full potential. The overall results at GCSE place the school in the highest 5% nationally. The impressive ethos has a highly motivating effect on pupils. The intelligent and dynamic leadership of the headteacher is a significant factor in the school’s success. There is an exceptionally good attitude to learning from pupils because of the good teaching and the excellent support they receive. The school goes out of its way to both consult with and involve parents in the education of their children. The school makes very good use of data and the results of its own evaluations to pinpoint what it should do to sustain a high quality of education. WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED 16 Some of the teaching does not have the pace or challenge, supported by good quality feedback, to move pupils’ learning forward quickly enough; this is especially true of science. WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER? 17 PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 18 Noadswood School - 5 PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL Noadswood is a large school compared to other mixed 11-16 comprehensive schools. There are currently 1026 pupils on roll, which is more than when the school was last inspected. This is because an increasing number of families from outside the catchment area are now choosing the school. As a result, the school is now over-subscribed. Most pupils have advantaged backgrounds, although some do not. There are 195 pupils with special educational needs (SEN), which is about average; twelve of these pupils have a statement of SEN, which is below average. The school has also been adapted for pupils with physical disabilities and there are currently two pupils on roll. Numbers of pupils from ethnic groups are very low. The attainment of pupils when they join the school has been slightly above average but the Key Stage 2 test results of the Year 7 pupils who started in September 1999 were well above average. HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS This is a very good and highly effective school. A strong sense of professionalism from the staff, inspired by the dynamic leadership of the headteacher, creates an excellent atmosphere for learning. Standards are high compared with similar schools and continue to improve. Good teaching and an intelligent approach to securing improvement ensure that the school provides good value for money. What the school does well · Pupils of all capabilities make good progress and achieve their full potential. The overall results at General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) place the school in the highest 5% nationally. · The impressive ethos has a highly motivating effect on pupils. · The intelligent and dynamic leadership of the headteacher is a significant factor in the school’s success. · Pupils have an exceptionally good attitude to learning because of the good teaching and the excellent support they receive. · The school goes out of its way to both consult with and involve parents in the education of their children. · The school makes very good use of data and the results of its own evaluations to pinpoint what it should do to sustain a high quality of education. What could be improved · Some of the teaching does not have the pace or challenge, supported by good quality feedback, to move pupils’ learning forward quickly enough; this is especially true of science. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. Noadswood School - 6 HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION The school was last inspected in May 1995. Since then, results at GCSE have continued to improve. Attendance levels have also risen and remain above average. Teaching is more consistent and now good overall. The school has responded appropriately to the issues identified from the last inspection. Forward planning is good and the school has a better long-term view of its priorities. Teachers are now more conscious of ensuring that work is well matched to the needs of pupils but a minority of lessons still do not significantly deepen pupils’ understanding of the work. Recent improvements to computer facilities have been made but the growth of information technology (IT) across the curriculum is still not fully developed. Although the school does not yet hold a daily act of collective worship, when it does take place, it is of a good quality. STANDARDS The table shows the standards achieved by 14-year-olds based on National Curriculum tests and by16-year-olds based on GCSE examination results. Key Compared with Performance in: all schools Similar well above average A schools above average B 1997 1998 1999 1999 average C below average D well below average End of Key Stage 3 tests B A A B E GCSE examinations A A A A* Key Stage 3 test results have improved in line with the national trend and in 1998 were well above those of similar schools. Although they remain above average, the overall results in 1999 were adversely affected by English test data which, despite upgrading following a major remark by the examination board, are lower than the school expected. When Key Stage 2 results of these pupils are taken into account, it is judged that they have, in fact, made good progress between Years 7 and 9 in each of English, mathematics and science. Results at GCSE have improved since 1995 in line with the national trend and remain very high, thereby placing the school in the top 5% of schools nationally. Some pupils take GCSE examinations early in a modern foreign language, mathematics, music, drama and art; this contributes to the high points score that is achieved. However, the percentage of pupils gaining 5+ A*-G grades (99% in 1999), is also very high and within the top 5%. This means that pupils of all capabilities do particularly well at the school. A feature of the results is the generally consistent standard across subjects, although pupils did less well in science and English literature than in their other subjects. Standards of work seen in lessons and examples of coursework for these particular subjects are better than the examination results would suggest, especially in English. The school consistently meets its targets and the challenging figure of 64% for 5+A*-C grades in 2000 may be exceeded. Noadswood School - 7 PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES Aspect Comment Attitudes to the school Pupils have a very strong sense of purpose and display a positive work ethic. They are keen to do well and try hard to live up to the school’s expectations of them. Behaviour, in and out Exemplary. of classrooms Personal development Very mature and responsible. Pupils value their own success and relationships and that of others. Attendance An improvement since the last inspection and remains above average. In none of the lessons seen was the attitude or behaviour of the pupils ever less than satisfactory. In nearly three lessons out of five it was very good or excellent; this is quite remarkable. A particular strength of the school is the way that the pupils develop a commitment to their learning, which is reflected in, for example, the consistently good attendance levels across all five years and their attitude to work generally. Exclusions are rare and below average overall. This is a school with a strong sense of mutual respect.