Inspection under Section 10 of the Schools Inspections Act 1996 Milford Haven School Steynton Road Milford Haven Pembrokeshire SA73 AE School Number: 668 4063 Date of Inspection: 18 – 21 April 2005 By Mr Brian Medhurst W/253/3508 Date: 22 June 2005 Under Estyn contract number: T/25/04 © Crown Copyright 2005 This Report may be re-used free of charge in any format or medium provided that it is re-used accurately and not used in a misleading context. The material must be acknowledged as Crown copyright and the title of the Report specified. Copies of this report are available from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide copies of the report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the cost of reproduction may be made to others requesting a copy of the report. Milford Haven School was inspected as part of a national programme of school inspection. The purpose is to identify good features and shortcomings in schools in order that they may improve the quality of education offered and raise the standards achieved by their pupils. The inspection of all schools within a six-year cycle is also designed to give parents more information about their child’s school. A copy of the summary is sent to every family with a child at the school. The full report can be obtained from the school. The inspection of Milford Haven School took place between 18th and 21st April 2005. An independent team of inspectors, led by Mr Brian Medhurst undertook the inspection. Estyn, a statutory body independent of, but funded by, the National Assembly for Wales, commissioned the inspection. The team was required to report on the standards achieved by pupils, the quality of education provided by the school, the quality of leadership and management and the contribution made by the school to its pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The five-point scale used to represent all inspection judgements in this report is as follows: Grade 1 good with outstanding features Grade 2 good features and no important shortcomings Grade 3 good features outweigh shortcomings Grade 4 some good features, but shortcomings in important areas Grade 5 many important shortcomings Year groups and key stages Schools use a common system of numbering year groups from the start of compulsory schooling to 18 years age. This system emphasises the importance of continuity and eases communication among schools, governing bodies, parents and LEAs. The term ‘Reception’ (R) refers to the year group of pupils in a primary school who attain the age of 5 during the academic year. Year 1 refers to the year group of pupils who attain the age of 6 during the academic year and so on. Year 13 is the year group of students who attain the age of 18 during the academic year. Primary phase: Year R Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Y5 Y6 Ages 4-5 5-6 6-7 7-8 8-9 9-10 10-11 Secondary phase: Year Y7 Y8 Y9 Y10 Y11 Y12 Y13 Ages 11-12 12-13 13-14 14-15 15-16 16-17 17-18 The national curriculum covers four key stages as follows: Key stage 1 Year 1 and Year 2 Key stage 2 Year 3 to Year 6 Key stage 3 Year 7 to Year 9 Key stage 4 Year 10 and Year 11 Contents Page Context 1 Summary 2 Recommendations 11 Standards 13 Key question 1: How well do learners achieve? 13 The quality of education and training 21 Key question 2: How effective are teaching, training and assessment? 21 Key question 3: How well do the learning experiences meet the needs 26 and interests of learners and the wider community? Key question 4: How well are learners cared for, guided and supported? 30 Leadership and management 34 Key question 5: How effective are leadership and strategic management? 34 Key question 6: How well do leaders and managers evaluate and improve 37 quality and standards? Key question 7: How effective are leaders and managers in using resources? 40 Standards achieved in subjects and areas of learning 43 English 43 Welsh 44 Geography 46 Religious education 48 Religious studies 49 Music 50 Physical education 52 School’s response to the inspection 43 Appendices 55 A Basic information about the school 55 B School data and indicators 56 C National Curriculum assessments results 57 D Evidence base of the inspection 59 E Composition and responsibilities of the inspection team 60 Report by Mr Brian Medhurst Milford Haven School – April 2005 Context The nature of the provider 1. Milford Haven School is an English medium 11 – 18 mixed comprehensive school, maintained by Pembrokeshire unitary authority (UA). It has 1281 pupils on roll, of whom 197 are in the sixth form. The school was inspected previously in April 1999, when there were 1271 pupils on roll. Since the previous inspection, membership of the school’s leadership team (SLT) has reduced by one (an assistant headteacher) and two new appointments have been made – one deputy and one assistant headteacher. 2. Milford Haven School is the only secondary school serving an area that includes the urban populations of Milford Haven and Hakin, together with the rural communities of the Dale peninsula. Almost every child in this area attends the school, providing it with a stable intake embracing the whole range of ability, although somewhat weighted towards the middle and lower end. Only a very few pupils join or leave the school during the year. 3. After the closing down of two oil refineries, the level of economic deprivation in the area rose, with unemployment levels for men reaching 20%. Correspondingly, the school’s free school meal entitlement reached 27% of the pupil population. Hakin and part of Milford Haven are high enough on the index for social deprivation to attract post-16 funding from Education and Learning Wales (ELWa). The vast majority of the community are positive in outlook and support their children well. Current free school meal entitlement, for pupils in compulsory full-time education (KS3 and KS4), places the school within the range 21% to 30%. 4. There are 397 pupils registered as having special educational needs (SEN). Of these, 30 have specific statements of SEN, 112 require school action (SA) and 265 require school action plus (SA+). The overall figure represents around 40% of the pupils in KS3 and KS4. This is an extremely large proportion, well above the national average. 5. The attainment of pupils on entry has steadily risen over the past seven years, rising year on year from 44% obtaining level 4+ at KS2 in 1998 to 72% in 2003, although dropping back to 64% in 2004. 6. No pupils speak Welsh as a first language or to an equivalent standard. Under one percent of pupils speak a language other than English at home, but these pupils are fluent English speakers. Two pupils receive support teaching for English as an additional language. The school’s priorities and targets 7. The school’s key purpose is to provide the best possible education for children of all abilities within a happy, child-centred, pleasant working environment. 1 Report by Mr Brian Medhurst Milford Haven School – April 2005 8. It expects all governors, teachers, support staff and pupils to have high expectations, to encourage and expect success, and to seek to develop the full potential of everyone associated closely with the school. 9. The school aims to provide a relevant, broad and balanced curriculum, underpinned by a level of pastoral monitoring and support that enables all pupils to have equal access to the curriculum and to maximise their achievement. 10. It is committed to a belief that the quality of both teaching and learning is crucial to the success of individual pupils, and must be rooted in an atmosphere of raising expectations and constantly striving for improvement. 11. The school’s targets, along with strategies for achieving them, are stated clearly within the school’s development plan (SDP). Numerical targets include: • KS3: success in the national tests in English, mathematics and science at level 5 or higher to reach 70% in all subjects; • KS3: the proportion of pupils achieving level 5 or higher in all three subjects (the core subject indicator – CSI) to reach at least 55% (already reached 60% in 2004); • KS4: the proportion of pupils achieving 5 or more GCSE grades A* to C to reach at least 50% and the proportion of pupils achieving 5 or more GCSE grades A* to G to reach at least 90%; • KS4: proportion of pupils achieving at least grade C in English, mathematics and science (the CSI) to reach at least 40% • Sixth form: to improve the A level grades A to C pass rate to at least 70% and the AS grades A to E pass rate to at least 90%. Summary Tables of grades awarded Key question Inspection grade 1 How well do learners achieve? 2 2 How effective are teaching, training and assessment? 2 3 How well do the learning experiences meet the needs 2 and interests of learners and the wider community? 4. How well are learners cared for, guided and supported? 1 5 How effective are leadership and strategic 1 management? 6 How well do leaders and managers evaluate and 1 improve quality and standards? 7 How efficient are leaders and managers in using 1 resources? 2 Report by Mr Brian Medhurst Milford Haven School – April 2005 Standards 12. The team inspected the standards that pupils and students achieve in six areas of the curriculum.