Inspection Report
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INSPECTION REPORT ST AMBROSE BARLOW CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL Netherton, Bootle LEA area: Sefton Unique reference number: 104963 Headteacher: Mr A Traynor Lead inspector: Dr Kenneth C Thomas Dates of inspection: 26 – 28 April 2004 Inspection number: 258736 Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 © Crown copyright 2004 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. St Ambrose Barlow Catholic High School - 2 INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL Type of school: Comprehensive School category: Voluntary Aided Age range of pupils: 11 to 16 years Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll; 449 School address: Copy Lane Netherton Bootle Merseyside Postcode: L30 7PQ Telephone number: 0151 5267044 Fax number: 0151 5272153 Appropriate authority: The governing body Name of chair of governors: Mrs V Leatherbarrow Date of previous inspection: 11 May 1998 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School is a comprehensive school for boys and girls aged between 11 to 16 years. With 449 pupils on roll the school is smaller than most other secondary schools. The school provides for pupils across the ability range, though attainment on entry is well below average, overall. The numbers of boys and girls in the school are roughly equal, but there are significantly more girls than boys in Year 10. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs is above average, as is the proportion of pupils with statements of special needs. Pupils with the highest levels of need mostly have specific learning difficulties (dyslexia), moderate learning difficulties or social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. There are a few pupils with autism or speech and communication difficulties. Less than one per cent of the pupils is from minority ethnic backgrounds. There are no pupils with English as an additional language. The school serves an area of severe economic disadvantage and the proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is over twice the national average. It has received three Schools Achievement Awards for improvements in examination results and holds the Sportsmark Award. St Ambrose Barlow Catholic High School - 3 INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities 3390 Kenneth Thomas Lead inspector 14214 Gillian Smith Lay inspector 10905 Alan Brewerton Team inspector Science 11838 Derek Cronin Team inspector Modern foreign languages 19414 Janet Flisher Team inspector English as an additional language English 10209 Vincent Gormally Team inspector Art and design 15051 Lynne Kauffman Team inspector Design and technology 11548 David Lee Team inspector Mathematics 8052 Kenneth McKenzie Team inspector Information and communication technology 19152 Richard Merryfield Team inspector History 23308 John Morrell Team inspector Citizenship Music 11300 Barry Smith Team inspector Special educational needs Geography 31192 John Stewart Team inspector Physical education The inspection contractor was: Cambridge Education Associates Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be made initially to the inspection contractor. The procedures are set out in the leaflet ‘Complaining about Ofsted Inspections’, which is available from Ofsted Publications Centre (telephone 07002 637833) or Ofsted’s website (www.ofsted.gov.uk). St Ambrose Barlow Catholic High School - 4 REPORT CONTENTS Page PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6 PART B: COMMENTARY ON THE INSPECTION FINDINGS STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8 Standards achieved in subjects Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 12 Teaching and learning The curriculum Care, guidance and support Partnership with parents, other schools and the community LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT 17 PART C: THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN SUBJECTS 20 SUBJECTS IN KEY STAGES 3 AND 4 PART D: SUMMARY OF MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS 35 St Ambrose Barlow Catholic High School - 5 PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT OVERALL EVALUATION This is a very effective school and one that provides a very good quality of education for all pupils. Pupils achieve very well and although standards are well below average on entry and at the end of Year 9, GCSE examination results are average at the end of Year 11. The success of the school is based on much good teaching and the excellent leadership of the headteacher, together with very good support from senior managers and outstanding teamwork involving all school staff. The school provides good value for money. The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are: · The headteacher’s clarity of purpose and thoughtful leadership ensures that there is a continuous drive to raise standards. · Good and often very good teaching contribute to very good achievement; however, there is a need to provide more opportunities for pupils to engage in independent learning activities. · Pupils’ weak literacy skills impede performance in tests and examinations. · Very good support and guidance promote good attitudes and very good behaviour. These contribute significantly to the exceptionally positive and friendly ethos of the school. · The school’s procedures for identifying its strengths and weaknesses in order to plan for improvement are very good. · Procedures for identifying and making provision for pupils with special educational needs are very good. The school has made very good improvement since the last inspection. There is now more good and very good teaching, and standards are rising. In recognition of this the school has gained three achievement awards. All of the key issues identified in the last report have been tackled systematically. There are no longer any weaknesses in school management and all statutory requirements are now met. The introduction of rigorous monitoring procedures has led to a significant improvement in pupils’ attendance. Action has also been taken to improve pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills, and to provide more opportunities for pupils to engage in independent learning activities. However, these are ongoing issues that continue to feature in school improvement planning. STANDARDS ACHIEVED all schools similar schools Performance compared with: 2001 2002 2003 2003 Year 11 GCSE/GNVQ examinations E D C A Key: A - well above average; B – above average; C – average; D – below average; E – well below average. For Year 11, similar schools are those whose pupils attained similarly at the end of Year 9. Achievement is very good, overall. It is better in Years 10 and 11, where it is very good, than in Years 7 to 9, where it is good. Pupils make very good progress during their time in the school from well below average standards on entry. There is no significant difference in achievement by gender or by ethnicity. Although the standard of work in Years 7 to 9 is below average, overall, it is above that indicated by the well below average national test results in English and the below average test results in mathematics and science. Standards improve in Years 10 and 11, and taken together, the 2003 GCSE results were average. This also applied to the A* to G results in English, mathematics and science, and most other subjects, although significantly fewer pupils obtain grades in the A* to C range than pupils nationally. Nevertheless, the school exceeded the challenging target set for the proportion of pupils obtaining the higher GCSE grades. GCSE results in ICT were outstanding and significantly above the national average. The achievement of pupils with special educational needs and of gifted and talented pupils is comparable with that of their peers. St Ambrose Barlow Catholic High School - 6 Pupils’ attitudes are good and their behaviour is very good. The total number of fixed period and permanent exclusions is average for a school of this size. Pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is very good. Attendance has improved and is now approaching the national average. Punctuality is good. QUALITY OF EDUCATION The quality of education provided by the school is very good. Teaching and learning are good with much that is very good. The quality of the curriculum and provision to enrich pupils’ learning outside lessons are very good. Pupils are provided with very good support and guidance. Parents show satisfactory commitment and involvement in their children’s education. Very good links with other schools and the community enhance provision. Other than weaknesses in the accommodation for music, there are no major shortcomings in provision. LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT Leadership and management of the school are very good. The leadership of the headteacher is excellent and that of other key staff very good. The management of the school is very good. The school makes very good use of evaluation information to identify strengths and tackle weaknesses. Governance of the school is very good. PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL Parents are very pleased with the school. They express no major concerns and are particularly pleased with the support their children receive and the progress they are making. Pupils are equally positive, although the questionnaire responses indicated a certain amount of disquiet about bullying and behaviour. Inspectors agree with the parents’ and pupils’ positive views and found no evidence to support pupils’ concerns. Indeed, during discussions pupils expressed surprise at the findings of the questionnaire. IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED The most important things the school should do to improve are: · Continue and intensify the drive to raise standards of literacy. · Provide more opportunities for pupils to engage in independent learning activities.