Engineering UTC Northern Lincolnshire

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

At Engineering UTC North Lincolnshire, pupils' education is closely aligned with the world of work.

Pupils' learning focuses on the key sectors in the local labour market. Pupils benefit from a curriculum enriched with opportunities to engage with employers and higher education settings which specialise in these fields.

Pupils enjoy the mature business environment of the school.

The relationship between adults and pupils mirrors that of employer and employee. Pupils respond well to this. Pupils behave well in lessons.

They know the importance of using the engineering machinery safely. Pupils have a strong understanding of health and safety in the sch...ool and workplace. Bullying is very rare within the school.

Pupils are confident to raise any concerns they do have with adults. They know they will be listened to.

Pupils access a diverse range of extra-curricular activities that reflect their interests.

Leaders have provided some of these activities following suggestions from pupils. Pupils develop their leadership skills in roles such as 'loyal leaders' on the student council. Pupils have led initiatives to reduce energy use in the school and have won a national competition with their design for an energy efficient phone charger.

Pupils improve their presentation skills and their self-esteem through these opportunities.

Pupils leave the school well prepared for the next steps in their education, employment or training. Many progress to university courses or apprenticeships within their specialist area of engineering.

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

Leaders have designed a curriculum that is tailored to the diverse needs of pupils. In some subjects, the curriculum has been recently redesigned or newly implemented. Leaders have made use of commercially available materials as the basis for the curriculum in many of these subjects.

They have enhanced this with links to careers and other aspects of the personal development curriculum. Many pupils have secured additional qualifications, such as in first aid, alongside their main studies.

Pupils join the school with varied knowledge and skills from their previous secondary school.

Subject leaders take time to understand what pupils know when they first join the school. They ensure that new learning builds effectively on what pupils already know. In lessons, teachers explain new knowledge clearly.

Teachers use agreed routines for lessons consistently. However, in some lessons, teachers do not check what pupils know before allowing pupils to progress on to independent work. For some pupils, this results in misconceptions not being addressed as quickly as they could be, which slows future learning.

The school has an increasingly established reading programme. Pupils who need help with reading are identified quickly. Well-trained staff provide effective support for these pupils.

This support enables pupils to catch up with their peers. Pupils in key stages 3 and 4 read regularly. They are exposed to a diverse range of texts, which supports their understanding of cultural issues such as race.

There are currently fewer opportunities for pupils in key stage 5 to read more widely.

Leaders understand how to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders provide teachers with detailed information about how to help these pupils.

Teachers use this information to adapt their teaching and provide pupils with effective support.

Pupils' attendance is improving, including for pupils in the sixth form. Leaders analyse attendance data and use this to inform their actions.

They support pupils and their families well to enable more regular attendance. Despite this, pupils attend school less regularly than their peers nationally. This is particularly true for disadvantaged pupils, who are more likely to be persistently absent.

These pupils miss important learning and other opportunities provided through the curriculum.

Pupils have a clear understanding of local risks, such as those associated with open water swimming and county lines. They learn about these risks and gain additional, important knowledge, such as how to remain physically and mentally healthy, in their personal, social and health education lessons.

Pupils' understanding of some other learning from these lessons, particularly of other faiths and beliefs, is less detailed. Leaders have identified this and taken steps to address it.

Pupils benefit from regular careers lessons.

This is reinforced with meetings with independent careers advisers. Pupils with SEND and those at greater risk of not remaining in education, employment or training receive additional sessions to support their transition. Consequently, pupils progress to high-quality next steps in their education, employment and training.

These are well matched to the specialist areas of their studies.

Trustees make appropriate checks on the work of leaders. Leaders provide trustees with detailed and accurate information about the progress of the school.

Trustees make effective use of the external quality assurance they commission from the local authority. They act on the recommendations provided. Leaders at all levels are aligned in their vision for what technical education offers pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe, both in school and the local community. For example, they have a good understanding of the risks associated with drugs and alcohol.

Their understanding of these risks deepens as they progress through the school.

Safeguarding leaders are knowledgeable about the risks that pupils face. They work closely with pastoral leaders to support pupils.

Leaders make effective use of regular meetings to review open safeguarding cases. Leaders provide staff with regular training and updates. Staff know how to report a concern about a pupil's welfare.

When required, leaders make appropriate referrals to external agencies. Leaders make appropriate pre-employment checks on adults who work with pupils.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some lessons, teachers do not systematically check what pupils know before pupils progress to independent work.

This can result in misconceptions going uncorrected and pupils' progress through the curriculum slowing. Leaders should ensure that staff routinely check what pupils know and adapt their teaching based on the information they have gathered. ? Too many disadvantaged pupils are regularly absent.

These pupils miss important learning and enrichment opportunities. This slows their progress through the curriculum. Leaders should continue to develop their attendance systems to remove barriers to regular attendance for disadvantaged pupils.