Campion School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Campion School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy going to school at Campion.

They enjoy spending time with each other. They enjoy learning. The school community is respectful and welcoming to all.

Pupils make the most of their lessons and take pride in the work they produce. They want to achieve good outcomes – and they do. Students choose to stay on in the sixth form because they trust the quality of learning they have already experienced.

High expectations of behaviour are clear to all. Most pupils meet these expectations because they value the calm but sociable atmosphere at breaktimes. Lessons are rarely disrupt...ed by poor behaviour.

When pupils do not make the right choice, they know staff will respond in a consistent way and that consequences are used fairly.

Pupils appreciate the different ways in which they can contribute to the school community. Many are proud to be student ambassadors, welcoming visitors and helping at events like parents' evenings.

The school council meets regularly with leaders to discuss things that could be improved. Pupils are listened to, and leaders have acted on things such as installing more water coolers in response. Sixth formers value the way their input has shaped the enrichment programme on offer to them.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have thought carefully about the curriculum on offer to pupils. They have ensured that it offers breadth and richness from Years 7 to 13. It is rooted in an ambition of academic success for all, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Leaders have structured the curriculum so that Year 9 is a transition year. When pupils choose options at the end of Year 8, they know that they can change their mind during Year 9. To ensure that pupils do not miss out by studying a slightly smaller range of subjects in Year 9, leaders have planned a range of additional learning experiences.

These include robot building to develop design technology skills and learning about culturally important music and artists.

Subject leaders have mapped their curriculums in a well-ordered way so that learning builds over time. Teachers use their strong subject knowledge to make learning clear.

Many pupils are enthused by the way teachers do this and are keen to discuss their learning. Sixth formers are often inspired by the way teachers help them to learn and this drives their own determination to succeed. Teachers regularly check pupils' understanding and make sure any knowledge gaps are closed before moving on.

The work produced by pupils is of a high quality. Most are also successful in their final examinations.

Leaders promptly identify the needs of any pupils with SEND.

They ensure that appropriate support and interventions are put in place. They share 'spotlight' summaries with staff that explain how learning should be adapted for these pupils. Some teachers demonstrate effective practice in using the 'spotlights' to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.

However, this is not consistently the case. Some teachers are less effective at making the necessary adaptations to teaching for these pupils.

Leaders identify those who are the weakest readers and have put a greater emphasis on core skills for these pupils.

However, there is not enough focus on the specific gaps in reading skills that these pupils have. Therefore, some pupils do not make rapid enough progress in becoming secure, confident readers. These pupils also miss out on the full curriculum offer for longer than necessary.

Pupils' behaviour is good and they manage themselves well at social times. Leaders' work to reduce the number of times they have to use the most serious consequences is proving successful. They put preventative support in place to help some pupils avoid an escalation in poor behaviour.

The pastoral team knows its pupils well and provides effective support, which combines high expectations and a genuine care for each pupil.

Much of leaders' work around personal development is strong. Careers education is exceptional and pupils are prepared well for their next steps in life.

Pupils learn about topics such as democracy in engaging ways. For example, the election of school council representatives mirrored the process of a general election. However, as they get older, pupils spend less curriculum time learning about topics such as healthy relationships.

The discussions they have in form time can be inhibited by the mixed-age house groups. This means they do not always have a deep enough understanding of some key topics.

Trustees and leaders are considerate of staff workload, especially when introducing new ways of working.

Staff appreciate this.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders know their pupils and the risks they may face very well.

They ensure that staff receive regular training around all aspects of safeguarding. There is a clear process for staff to raise any concerns they may have about a pupil. Leaders respond swiftly to these concerns.

They work well with external agencies to ensure that pupils receive the support they need.

Leaders carry out all appropriate recruitment checks before adults work with pupils.

Pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe in real life and online.

This is through lessons, 'Lifeskills' days, assemblies and workshops with external organisations.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders are not precise enough in their identification of the needs of the weakest readers. This means that interventions are not always matched to the specific gaps in reading skills that these pupils have.

As a result, some pupils do not make rapid enough gains in reading skills and also miss important learning in other curriculum areas. Leaders should ensure that work to support pupils who are not yet secure readers enables them to make rapid progress with minimal disruption to their wider learning. ? At times, teachers do not adapt the way that they deliver learning to meet the individual needs of pupils with SEND as well as they could.

This means that some of these pupils do not have a consistent learning experience to enable them to be as successful as they could be. Leaders should ensure that the needs of pupils with SEND are consistently met so that they achieve well. ? As pupils get older, they have less curriculum time dedicated to health and relationships education.

This means they do not always have as much time as they would like for age-specific opportunities to revisit and discuss their learning about key topics. Leaders should ensure that pupils in all year groups have sufficient time to develop a strong understanding of these areas.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2014.

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