Ullswater Community College
Self Evaluation
2016/17
School Context / Revision date: June 2016 / Author: N PattinsonStudents
Any specific features of the student population on entry, particularly the range of ability, proportions with disabilities and SEN, proportion entitled to Pupil Premium. The extent of non-standard admissions. Keep this section simple, short and factual. / Ullswater Community College is an 11–18 comprehensive school with 1370 pupils (238 in the |Sixth Form) which serves the biggest catchment area in England (600 square miles) and shares that with Cumbria LA’s only selective Grammar School. According to its KS2 results, the academic profile of UCC students on entry is significantly below average as a result of the impact of the selective system operating in the area although this profile is improving as parents see the school as a more obvious first choice. Last year’s Year 11 had entry profiles that were 0.7 points below the expected level, the current Year 11 are –0.7, Year 10 are –1.3, Year 9 are –1.0 and the current Year 8 are –1.0 in comparison with the national average. The largest deficits in the proportions of each attainment band occur in the high-ability cohorts, which are significantly lower than expected as a result of the selective system in the town.
Ullswater Community College has a Strategic Facility for a small number of students with Severe and Profound Multiple Learning Difficulties. The number of students varies in each year group but there are currently 17 students across all key stages.
Currently only 2 students attend an off-site facility as alternative provision from mainstream schooling.
Staffing
Any specific features of the staffing of the school. For example, recruitment, turnover/stability, part-timers, non-specialists, experience, absence/extent of supply cover. Again, keep it short and factual. Comments to do with teaching belong in ‘Teaching’ below, not here. / The school employs 102 teachers of which 26 are part time staff. This is a growing trend for staff returning from maternity leave and those approaching retirement.
The school has made strenuous efforts over the last few years to ensure that all staff are subject experts and we have no employees teaching in core or foundation subjects who are not degree level subject specialists.
Curriculum and Timetable
Any particular organisational features of the school. For example, setting, time allocations and length of teaching sessions. You could also include a brief summary of your curriculum here, including extra-curricular and non-standard provision, but your evaluation of its impact belongs in ‘Leadership’ below. / It is a core principle of the school that we offer a curriculum which meets the needs, abilities and interests of our pupils. We believe that there should be something available for every pupil which speaks to them and their future ambitions directly.
Accordingly, we structure our curriculum provision around a pathways model which provides routes from Entry level, Level1, Level 2 up to A Level and Level 3 BTEC qualifications. It is also possible to do a Pre-Apprenticeship qualification in Motor Vehicle Engineering in our Sixth Form as well as re-sits in GCSE English & mathematics if necessary.
Other features
Any other features which affect your school but which are largely outside your control. / We are the only school in Cumbria to share its catchment area with a selective Grammar School. The impact of selection is to concentrate any social, domestic or educational difficulties within this school as against an equal distribution of two school’s worth of difficulty between the schools involved.
Having said this, in September 2017 253 Year 6 pupils out of a joint catchment number of 330 have asked for and been accepted for a place at UCC.
1 Overall Effectiveness / D. Overall 2+ : / F. Last revision date: 21st June 2016 / G. Author: N Pattinson
E. Summary
The main reasons for choosing this 1234 are…..
(if + or -, explain why)
Sub-criterion / A. Judgement from
other sections / 1234 / B. Brief summary of main strengths and areas for development2
Leadership and management / All other key judgements are good or outstanding. / 2+ / Leadership across the school has been responsible for rapid improvement in standards through active monitoring, evaluation and review. Behaviour in the school is very good and pupils subscribe to the ethos of the school wholeheartedly. Governors are well informed about the issues which face the school and they actively challenge and monitor developments. The school has a very good reputation in the area and is increasingly seen as the natural school of choice despite sharing the catchment area with Cumbria’s only selective Grammar School.
Parent View responses are hugely positive with 97% of parents reporting that they feel the school is well led and managed and 100% of parents reporting that they would recommend the school to another parent.
COCENTRA survey in February 2017 agrees with this information with 93% of apernts stating that the school is well led and managed.
Two Deputy Head Teachers have been promoted, in the last year to senior positions in local schools through the LA support for failing schools programme.
Quality of teaching, learning and assessment / Leaders and governors use performance management effectively to improve teaching. They use accurate monitoring to identify and spread good practice across the school.
Teachers value the continuing professional development provided by the school. It is having a positive impact on their teaching and pupils’ learning. Teaching is consistently strong across the school or where it is not, it is improving rapidly. / 2+ / The school is well staffed with degree level subject experts. Expectations are high for all groups of pupils and outcomes reflect this with results above the national average when the intake profile is significantly below national averages. Lesson observations, moderated by previous HMI visits and externally run Mock Ofsted inspections show that 85% of teaching is good or outstanding.
COCENTRA Feb 2017; 94% of parents stated that staff expect their child to work hard and do their best. Only 2% felt that their child was not well taught.
Personal development, behaviour and welfare / Pupils are confident and self-assured. They take pride in their work, their school and their appearance. Pupils are punctual and prepared for lessons. They bring the right equipment and are ready to learn.
Pupils conduct themselves well throughout the day, including at lunchtimes
The school is an orderly environment. Pupils respond quickly to instructions and requests from staff, allowing lessons to flow smoothly and without interruption. Low-level disruption is rare. / 2+ / Behaviour graded 2 in the last two inspections and continues to improve as pupils embrace the higher standard of teaching and outcomes. Personal development is of fundamental importance to the school’s ethos. Assemblies and Citizenship courses deal with a range of personal and developmental issues. Heads of Year are strong and pupil centred. 1:1 IAG discussions are a key feature of the school. Pupils engage with a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities.
The school has been a Carlisle Diocese exemplar school for its provision of a prayer space for students for the last three years.
Outcomes for pupils / The school’s actions have secured substantial improvement in progress for disadvantaged pupils. Progress is rising across the curriculum, including in English and mathematics.
Leaders and governors are ambitious for all pupils and promote improvement effectively. / 2+ / Results are above national averages in mathematics and English; Progress 8 measures in the coming summer will be above 0 because improved Science and ICT results will contribute positively to the overall outcome compared to 2016. English results have been outstanding for the last two years, mathematics results are at or around the national average. 5+A*-C E/m outcomes have remained well above the levels expected by the profile of ability on entry to the school. The school has been successful in securing good outcomes for students across the ability range including those in the Strategically resourced provision.
Disadvantaged pupils’ outcomes are still an issue for improvement however the trend is firmly upwards with reductions in the gap between disadvantaged pupils and the remainder of the cohort in headline figures and in mathematics and English showing a positive reduction over the last three years.
Outcomes for Upper Ability Boys in 2016 remain an area for improvement.
16-19 / The effectiveness of the 16 to 19 study programmes is not yet good.
Safeguarding is effective. / 3+ / In 2016 the average QCA points per entry was 212 with Applied courses contributing an average points’ score of 230. Retention is well above the national average. 100% of students’ progress on to a range of suitable Higher Education establishments including Oxford and Cambridge and for courses in Medicine and the sciences.
SMSC
and Physical Wellbeing / Deliberate and effective action is taken to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and their physical well-being / 2 / There is a whole school Moral, Spiritual Development framework which includes collective worship. Pupils show a real interest in Moral and spiritual issues. The programme of visits to locations involving other faiths is strong. UCC is a lead school for the development of Prayer Spaces in conjunction with the joint Christian Ministries.
The take up of sporting and other physically demanding activities is very strong. Dance, PE, DofE, Cheerleading provide a wide range of opportunities for pupils of all interests to be involved in physically demanding activities which appeal to a wide range of interests.
Our school lunch provision is provided in-house. No students in Years 7 to 11 leave the site at lunchtime; all take meals on-site. Our mid-day lunch staff take a keen interest and role in the pastoral care of our pupils.
Safeguarding / Safeguarding is effective. / 2 / Learners report that they feel safe.
All staff are trained on L1 Protect and Prevent strategies.
Extremist views are challenged whenever they occur.
The school provides positive opportunities to debate and challenge extremist views in regular curriculum time.
Note 1: Add a row if you have both; delete the row if you have neither.
Note 2: If you have done the other sections well, especially the summaries, you can just cross-reference to the individual sections here. But it is worth including the main points if you are using this page as a summary for staff, governors or inspectors.
E. Summary
The main reasons for choosing this 1234 are…..
(if + or -, explain why) / All other key judgements are good or outstanding.
C. Even Betters….
To reach the next grade or to continue to be outstanding we need to:
Sub-criterion / A. Key phrases
from the Criteria / 1234 / B. Main strengths and areas for development
Impact on outcomes; students’ progress / The school’s actions secure improvement in disadvantaged pupils’ progress, which is rising, including in English and mathematics.
Leaders and governors are ambitious for all pupils and promote improvement effectively. / 2 / · The Senior Management Team has driven the school forward from a NTI in 2009 to good levels of achievement, organisation and confidence.
· The achievements of pupils rose sharply from 2009 until 2012 with 5+A*-C from 54% to 96%, in 5+A*-CEM from 44% to 66% and from a Value Added of 978 to 1017. Changes to the school performance measures have made it more difficult for the school to reach these levels but performance remains strong nevertheless.
· The SMT are focused upon outcomes. Structured assessment procedures are embedded in the school and this means that there is robust data tracking conducted on interim data. The school has a proven ability to accurately predict outcomes and acts purposefully on any areas of weakness.
· The Governing Body hold the SMT and Middle Leaders to account through regular Standards’ Reviews and by requesting reports on areas of development.
· An intensive intervention strategy addresses individual pupil progress issues. Robust assessment schedules allow objective checks on achievement.
· Pupil premium students remain an issue but results in 2016 saw the gap drop from 29% to 16% 5+ACEM and A*-C in English from 21% to 14% and mathematics A*-C from 37% to 13%. Progress measures for Upper Ability students showed better progress for PP students compared to non-PP students in English and mathematics. Progress 8 calculations are negatively affected by incomplete coverage of options take-up as a result of Study Plus options taking up one option choice in the Open options basket; the outcomes in mathematics and English remain stronger on this measure however.
Impact on teaching and learning
PM and PD / Leaders and governors use performance management effectively to improve teaching.
They use accurate monitoring to identify and spread good practice across the school.
Teachers value the continuing professional development provided by the school. It is having a positive impact on their teaching and pupils’ learning. Teaching is consistently strong across
the school or where it is not, it is improving rapidly. / 2 / · A relentless focus on Teaching & Learning has resulted in steady improvement in overall T&L observation ratings. T&L group is driven by the Deputy Headteacher (School Performance) and is a vehicle through which standards are sustained and raised where necessary.
· Teaching & Learning monitoring shows a steady improvement with 85% of teaching now at good or outstanding levels. 26% of lessons are now judged to be outstanding.
· The school has a strong focus upon CPD and was awarded the CPD mark in 2012 in recognition of the programme on offer. A variety of strategies for CPD are used including regular twilight INSET sessions, coaching, links with other local schools, weekly TL briefing sessions, Outstanding Leadership training for HoDs and HoYs and secondments to SMT and a number of members of SMT undertaking Masters qualifications and NPQH to encourage the development of our most promising staff.
· To improve further we track the standards of all our teacher’s performance to ensure that CPD is personalised and meets the needs of the school.