INSPECTION REPORT EGGLESCLIFFE COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL Eaglescliffe LEA area: Stockton on Tees Unique reference number: 111727 Headteacher: Mrs A Darnell Reporting inspector: Ms M T Whitfield 4928 Dates of inspection: 27 – 29 November 2000 Inspection number: 223984 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 - 18 Gender of pupils: Mixed School address: Urlay Nook Road Eaglescliffe Stockton-on-Tees Postcode: TS16 0LA Telephone number: 01642 391810 Fax number: 01642 391812 Appropriate authority: The Governing Body Name of chair of governors: Mr G Davies Date of previous inspection: 8 January 1996 Egglescliffe Comprehensive School - 3 INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM Team members Ms M T Whitfield Registered Inspector Mr R W Hullcoop Team Inspector Mrs V Lamb Lay Inspector Mr M E Lewis Team Inspector Mr J McElwee Team Inspector Dr L B Simpson-Holley Team inspector The inspection contractor was: Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council Education Department P O Box 83 Council Offices Kirkleatham Street REDCAR TS19 1YA 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 Egglescliffe Comprehensive School - 4 REPORT CONTENTS Page PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6-10 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- 13 · The school is very well led · Most students achieve high standards of attainment · Good teaching encourages students to attend school and work hard · The wide range of curricular and extra-curricular opportunities provided for students · Students display excellent attitudes to school and behave generally very well WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED 14 · Further develop and expand the initiative to improve boys’ achievement · Include measurable targets in development planning WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER? 14 PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 15- 19 Egglescliffe Comprehensive School - 5 PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL Number of full-time students: 1385 pupils, larger than other schools of this type Students with English as an additional language: 1.5%, a little higher than in most schools Students entitled to free school meals: 4.8%, below the national average Students on the register of special educational needs: 12.2%, below the national average Average number of students per teacher: 16.8:1, broadly average Attainment of students on entry is above the national average. HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS Egglescliffe School is a very good school. It has improved significantly since the last inspection. The leadership provided by the head teacher is excellent. She is well supported by a very effective senior management team and able middle managers. Governors have a very good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and help to set the right priorities. Teaching is generally of a high quality and enables students to achieve very good results. The standards achieved by students in tests and examinations are well above the national average. The school provides very good value for money. Overall, the school’s significant strengths outweigh the very few weaknesses, which it has recognised and begun to tackle. WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL · The school is very well led, particularly by the headteacher, who provides a clear direction in the constant drive to improve standards. · Most students achieve very high standards of attainment at Key Stage 3, GCSE and in the sixth form. · Good teaching and very good relationships between teachers and students encourage students to attend school and work hard. · The wide range of curricular and extra-curricular opportunities provided for students ensures that they develop into well-rounded citizens. · Students display very positive attitudes to school and generally behave very well. WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED · The school could develop and expand the initiative to improve boys’ achievement. · Include measurable targets in all development planning. HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION The school was last inspected in January 1996. Since then standards have risen throughout the school and have continued to exceed the national average. The trend in results at Key Stage 3 in the core subjects is broadly in line with the national trend. The number of students achieving five or more GCSEs has risen, as has the number Egglescliffe Comprehensive School - 6 achieving five or more good GCSEs. A level results have now moved well above the national average. The GNVQ courses have encouraged a small number of students to follow a vocational course successfully. The school has set a challenging target for the number of students achieving five or more good GCSEs and is on course to achieve it. The quality of teaching has also improved and only one poor lesson was seen during this short inspection. The school has responded very well to the key issues identified in the last inspection report. The library facilities and the resources available in classrooms are now of a high quality and are effectively used by teachers and students. The cycle of self-evaluation and planning is rigorous and systematic but does not yet include measurable targets. This cycle, which is well led by the senior management team, will ensure that standards continue to rise. The school has achieved specialist performing arts status and has improved the accommodation for music, information communications technology and drama. These areas continue to be significant strengths of the school. The school has very good capacity to improve further. STANDARDS The table shows the standards achieved by 16 and 18 year olds based on average point scores in GCSE and A- level/AS-level examinations. compared with Key Performance in: all schools similar well above average A schools [1997] 1998 1999 1999 above average B Key Stage 3 tests A A A A average C GCSE examinations A A A A below average D A-levels/AS-levels C A B N/A Well below average E Results in the national tests for 14 year olds in mathematics and science have been consistently well above the national average for both boys and girls since 1996. Results in English since 1997 have also been consistently well above the national average. Compared with similar schools, the 1999 results were well above average in mathematics and science and in English were in line with similar schools. In the 1999 GCSE examinations, students’ results were well above the national average. Compared with similar schools the number of students achieving five GCSEs is very high as is the number achieving 5 good GCSEs. Based upon the last three years, results were well above the national average for both boys and girls. The rate of improvement is better than the national trend. The school is rightly proud of its results, which have improved significantly since the last inspection. All but one student achieved at least one GCSE in 1999 and in 2000 all students achieved at least one GCSE. The school has set challenging targets for 2001. In 2000 standards continue to be well above national averages. In comparison with similar schools the number of students achieving 5 or more GCSEs and 1 or more GCSE is well above average. The number achieving 5 or more good GCSEs is in line with similar schools. In the sixth form the standards of attainment in the GNVQ courses are well above the national average. Results in the A level courses in 1999 were above the national average and have been well above the national average since 1996. Egglescliffe Comprehensive School - 7 PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES Aspect Comment Attitudes to the school Students generally have excellent attitudes to school. They are reflective, enthusiastic learners. They work hard and learn how to take on responsibilities. Behaviour, in and out of Behaviour, with a small number of exceptions, is very good. The number of fixed classrooms term exclusions in the previous school year was very low. Personal development Relationships between students and teachers are a strength of the school. The and relationships students’ willingness to support each other is a particular characteristic of their relationships. Students are keen to become involved in the many and varied opportunities available to them. Attendance Students’ attendance is well above average and the incidence of unauthorised absence is well below average. Students are very enthusiastic about attending school. They behave well and are eager to achieve high standards. They have very good relationships with each other and are quick to congratulate the achievement of others. They enjoy very good relationships with their teachers and are treated with respect. TEACHING AND LEARNING Teaching of pupils: aged 11-14 years aged 14-16 years aged over 16 years Lessons seen overall Good Very Good Very Good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor.