Middleton Technology School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school Senior leaders work with determination to make sure that the school provides pupils with a good quality of education. They know the strengths and weaker aspects of the school.

They provide a clear and positive model for other staff and pupils. Leaders are well organised. The arrangements for governance include both trustees and the governing body.

These groups work together well and provide helpful challenge to leaders. Leaders and other staff are keen to learn from each other and from effective practice in other schools. Teachers feel that the training they receive helps them to improve.

Pupils are safe in school. Safeguarding i...s effective. Staff know pupils and their needs.

Pupil are well looked after. The funding provided for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), disadvantaged pupils and younger pupils who need to catch up is used well. These groups of pupils are successful in their learning.

In the recent past, the progress made by pupils over their school careers has been broadly average. Boys and pupils with higher starting points have tended to make somewhat weaker progress than others. Leaders' plans are starting to improve the weaker progress of some groups of pupils.

Leaders have improved the curriculum and assessment systems. These changes have helped pupils to make stronger progress. They provide a foundation for further improvement in the future.

While pupils' progress across the school has now increased, more time is needed before these changes will have the greatest impact on pupils' learning. The school provides extensive opportunities for extra-curricular activities. These help pupils' wider development.

Pupils behave well. They attend school regularly. Teaching is effective.

Teachers know their subjects well. They use skilled questioning to share their knowledge with pupils. There are positive relationships between teachers and pupils.

Pupils get along well together. Difficulties such as bullying, racism and homophobia are rare and dealt with by staff if they do arise. The school helps pupils to develop their oral and writing skills.

However, pupils are not challenged enough about poor spelling, punctuation and grammar. The school's careers programme works well. For example, very nearly all pupils leave the school to take up college education or an apprenticeship.

Information about this school

This school is larger than average in size. The number of pupils is increasing. At the same time, the proportion of pupils with higher prior attainment is also increasing.

The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above the national average. While the proportion of pupils with SEND is lower than found in most schools, the proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan is broadly average. A small number of pupils in Year 11 attend off-site, alternative provision at Redwood Education and Enterprise Centre.

In 2016, the school converted to become an academy and joined the Great Academies Education Trust (GAET). The academy's predecessor school was most recently inspected in 2006. It was judged to be outstanding.

The headteacher was appointed in 2016. At the same time, and since then, a number of new senior and middle leaders have been appointed, including new deputy headteachers and subject leaders of English, mathematics and science. The school is a teaching school.