Walney School

The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at the following:

• standards in English and mathematics
• the provision for and progress of students with special educational needs and/or disabilities and the most able
• how well teaching and learning have improved since the previous inspection
• how well leaders and managers at all levels are working together to improve provision and raise standards.

Walney is a smaller than average secondary school. It serves a close-knit community on the island of Walney and almost all students are from White British backgrounds. The proportion of students eligible for free school meals is broadly average. The proportion of students who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is higher than average, so too is the proportion of students with a statement of special educational needs.

Inspection judgements

Overall effectiveness: how good is the school?	4

The school's capacity for sustained improvement	3

Main findings

In accordance with section 13 (3) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than in all the circumstances it could reasonably be expected to perform. The school is therefore given a notice to improve. Significant improvement is required in relation to the standards reached by students in English and mathematics; the progress made by students who have special educational needs and/or disabilities; the leadership of English; and the provision for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Students' attainment is low and their achievement is inadequate overall because a significant minority of students, many of whom have special educational needs and/or disabilities, do not make the progress of which they are capable. This underachievement is reflected in the school's recent performance in GCSE examinations which was significantly below average, especially in English and mathematics, despite a trend of improvement in the last three years. In some subjects, for example design and technology, history and geography, students achieve well. The wide variations in achievement between subjects are the result of inconsistencies in the quality of teaching and learning. While teaching is judged to be inadequate because a significant group of students do not make enough progress, in some departments the teaching is consistently good and occasionally outstanding. The quality of learning for some students is reduced because some teachers do not effectively assess what students need to learn next, and therefore students are not challenged appropriately.

The school has significant strengths in the quality of care, guidance and support that it provides. Support for the most vulnerable students is excellent. Students feel safe and know where to turn for help because 'staff are there for you'. Good care, guidance and support help students to develop strong personal qualities. They behave well, enjoy their education, and are supportive of each other, both in class and around the school. Students follow a healthy lifestyle and welcome opportunities to improve the school and support the local and wider community. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good.

The satisfactory curriculum offers increasing opportunities for students in Key Stage 4 to be successful learners who have a clear pathway for the future. Students are benefiting from more vocational and work-related opportunities. However, there is a lack of carefully planned provision for students with special education needs and/or disabilities to access their learning independently, especially in English. In addition, the curriculum is not always well adapted to meet the learning needs of the most able students. As a result, some students are not always effectively challenged.

Leadership and management are satisfactory and improving. There are examples of good leadership among both senior and middle leaders, and examples of good departmental practice which the school is using to support weaker departments. However, leaders in the English and special needs departments do not monitor the work of the department effectively enough, so that weaknesses are not identified quickly or action taken to bring about rapid improvement. Where senior managers have taken action with other weaker departments, such as mathematics, there have been significant improvements in leadership, teaching and in students' progress. Governors provide satisfactory support for the school's development, though they have not held it sufficiently to account for standards in the past. The school has made improvements to attendance, reduced exclusions since the last inspection and developed good systems for supporting students in these areas.

The school has demonstrated a satisfactory capacity for sustained improvement. The good practice seen in some subjects is now being spread effectively to weaker areas. Standards have improved. The senior leadership team has developed good systems for tracking students' progress and for monitoring and developing the quality of teaching. These evaluations have given senior leaders a more accurate picture of strengths and weaknesses than formerly, so that self-assessment is satisfactory.

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Raise standards in English and mathematics by:

• improving teachers' use of assessment to challenge all students
• ensuring that teaching and learning for all students with special educational needs and/or disabilities enables them to make at least satisfactory progress.

• Improve the leadership of special educational needs provision and leadership of the English department so that:

• the most effective practices in the school are adopted to bring about rapid improvement
• there is regular and accurate monitoring of the work of all teachers and support staff in each department
• prompt and effective action is taken where weaknesses are identified.

Students behave well in lessons and, where teaching fires their enthusiasm, their behaviour is excellent. They feel safe in school because relationships are good in most classrooms and they are encouraged to support and assist each other with their learning. Good contributions are made to their own and the wider community through the school council and by organising shows and celebrations for the local community. Students enjoy the challenges presented by fundraising activities and show a well developed sense of citizenship. They adopt healthy lifestyles, eat sensibly and enjoy plenty of regular exercise. Students' attendance has shown a significant improvement in the last year and is now average. Although they develop good personal skills that prepare them well for the future, the extensive underachievement of a significant minority of students means that, overall, students are inadequately prepared for their future economic well-being.

How effective is the provision?

The quality of teaching is too variable, resulting in wide differences in the progress that students make in different subjects. Inspectors saw some telling examples of how well students of low ability learned in one subject, compared with inadequate learning in another. Where teaching is good or better, students are well prepared for tasks that interest and motivate them. In such lessons expectations are high and students rise well to the challenge of tight timescales to keep the pace of their learning brisk. Although increasing, there is not yet enough teaching of this quality, especially in English and particularly for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Where teaching is satisfactory or inadequate, teachers' expectations are too low, explanations are too lengthy and students lose interest and motivation. In lessons for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities, especially in English, not enough time is given to planning appropriate starting points for tasks, so that students become too dependent upon adults for support. While there is good assessment practice in some subjects, overall teachers' use of assessment to plan the next steps and right level of challenge for all groups of students to learn at a good rate is inadequate.

The curriculum has improved since the last inspection because good partnerships with local schools and colleges have developed. There are now more pathways and forms of accreditation for students in Key Stage 4 and more vocational courses available, which has helped improve their attendance and enthusiasm for school.

Staff know students well and show good levels of care for them. One-to-one care by support staff for the most vulnerable students is excellent. Parents and carers are positive about the care their children receive. The school works well with other agencies to meet the wide range of students' differing needs. Transition arrangements for Year 7 students are well planned and much appreciated by the students, who report that they felt well prepared for their new school and had settled in well because of this. Year 11 students feel generally well informed about the choices available to them when they leave school. The number of students who leave school and do not continue into education, employment or training has reduced in the last year. The number of fixed-term exclusions has declined and there are no permanent exclusions.

How effective are leadership and management?

Senior leaders have developed good systems for tracking progress. Students at risk of underachievement are identified quickly in most subjects. Staff are increasingly held to account for underperformance. Decisive action by the headteacher has resulted in staff changes which have strengthened some departments since the previous inspection. While there is still work to be done with middle leaders to improve their performance, there is good practice on which the school is now beginning to build successfully so that weaker areas are increasingly well supported. As a consequence, there are encouraging signs of recent improvement, for example in mathematics. The school's own data indicate that these improvements will be sustained in 2010.

School leaders and governors are committed to improving opportunities for students. The school makes a good contribution to community cohesion. Recent evaluation of this aspect of its work has highlighted that there are strengths in its engagement with the local community and that further work is needed on developing links with the international community. While governors are supportive of the school and contribute well to some aspects of strategic development, they have not been rigorous enough in their monitoring of the performance of different groups of students, and have not held the school sufficiently to account for the underachievement of students with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Governors ensure that safeguarding requirements are well met and that students' well-being is a priority. The needs of the most vulnerable are particularly well met. However, value for money is inadequate because of the underachievement of significant groups of students.

Views of parents and carers

Parents and carers are supportive of the school and are happy with the care and support their children receive. Parents and carers of students who are physically or medically disabled are full of praise for the way staff look after their children and ensure that they play a full part in the life of the school. A few parents and carers raised concerns about communication from the school about their children's progress and how well their children are settling into Year 7. Inspectors agree that the school could improve its communication with parents and carers, including seeking their views on how the school might improve further.