Handsworth Grange Community Sports College

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and show positive attitudes to their education. The overwhelming majority of pupils are confident, articulate and polite. Staff have high expectations of pupils and support them to be successful.

However, some pupils' behaviour at social times is not good enough. Some pupils are made to feel uncomfortable by a small minority of pupils, often groups of older boys, whose behaviour can be unruly or upsetting. Pupils feel safe and say that most staff challenge this behaviour.

However, pupils do not often report these behaviours to staff. Most pupils simply ignore the immature behaviour of this minority and go about their day in a mature and p...ositive way.

Pupils generally have good relationships with most staff.

They say that staff, particularly pastoral staff, are supportive and caring. However, many pupils are very upset about recent changes to school policies and the way that these have been implemented. There is more work to do to convince every pupil that the school has their best interests at heart.

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

In most subjects, leaders have carefully designed the curriculum to help pupils to develop rich and secure knowledge and skills. In mathematics and English, for example, there are clear plans for what pupils need to know and be able to do at each stage of their learning. Teachers break this learning down into small steps and explain new learning clearly.

They check that all pupils have learned this securely, and address any gaps and misconceptions which pupils have. In design and technology lessons, for example, pupils are able to design and produce successful final products because of their secure knowledge and skills from previous topics. In a few subjects, leaders are less clear about how pupils' knowledge and skills will build over time, and less ambitious about what pupils can achieve overall.

Leaders ensure that there is effective support for pupils who might fall behind or struggle more with their learning. Leaders at all levels of the school and multi-academy trust (MAT) have placed a high priority on supporting pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers make effective adaptations to their teaching to ensure that pupils with SEND can access the same curriculum as their peers.

If pupils have gaps in their wider knowledge and skills then teachers use opportunities in lessons to address these, for example by building pupils' independence over time in technology. These pupils also receive more personalised support to prepare them for their next steps in education or employment. Pupils who are not yet fluent readers are supported extremely well.

They receive effective teaching from knowledgeable staff, and this has a real impact on their learning.

A small minority of pupils make others' experience of school less positive than it should be through poor behaviour at social times. They sometimes throw food at other pupils.

They often make unkind or thoughtless comments, for example about other pupils' appearance. They sometimes use derogatory language, and do not yet understand the impact that this could have on their peers. Leaders have begun to address these issues, but there is more to do to challenge this culture among some pupils.

Leaders' plans and actions to support the personal development of pupils are not as effective as they could be. In some areas, plans are not ambitious or clear enough about what pupils need to know and understand. Pupils have not been taught enough about different religions, world-views, cultures and traditions, and so their understanding of these is very limited.

This can leave some pupils with significant misconceptions about others' beliefs or cultures. Leaders have recognised this gap but their plans are not ambitious enough for what pupils will learn by the time they leave the school. There are also gaps in pupils' knowledge of political and legal institutions in Britain and elsewhere which need addressing through a coherent and ambitious curriculum.

There is a broad and well-designed enrichment programme for pupils. Pupils are positive about the range of wider opportunities for them in school. Pupils receive clear and effective guidance about their next steps and future careers, and about how to manage money.

There are regular opportunities for debate and discussion in lessons and tutor times, and pupils show maturity when discussing sensitive topics.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has created significant challenges for school leaders. Leaders have been open about these challenges and quick to seek further support to improve the school.

The MAT and school leaders have worked closely together to address these challenges and, in most areas, they have clear and effective plans in place to ensure that their ambitions are realised in every area of the school. However, some of the policies which leaders have implemented have not been as effective as they could have been. New policies around uniform, mobile phones and toilets have been introduced with the right intentions and many pupils and parents recognise this.

However, the way these policies have been communicated and implemented have left many pupils and parents disgruntled.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders identify pupils who might be at risk of harm.

All staff in the school are vigilant and take their responsibility to keep children safe seriously. If pupils are at risk, then leaders generally act quickly to get them the support they need. Inspectors identified some past delays in the support for pupils at a lower level of risk, but these have been addressed by leaders.

Pupils get the support they need, when they need it.

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe. They are knowledgeable about risks they might face online or outside of school.

Pupils value the way they have been taught about these issues, which they say has been age-appropriate and genuinely useful.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The behaviour of a minority of pupils at social times has a negative impact on others. Pupils hear derogatory language or receive unkind comments.

Unruly behaviour, such as throwing food, makes pupils feel uncomfortable. Leaders must ensure that all staff consistently address this behaviour and that all pupils understand that this is not acceptable. This will include working with the minority of poorly behaved pupils to develop their understanding of right and wrong, but also ensuring that all pupils recognise the importance of reporting this behaviour to staff.

• There are gaps in leaders' plans to support the personal development of pupils. This means that many pupils lack important knowledge and understanding which they will need. This is particularly the case in terms of pupils' knowledge of citizenship and of different cultures, traditions and beliefs.

Leaders should ensure that they address these gaps quickly for older pupils, and that for younger pupils, a coherent, ambitious and well-taught curriculum gives them the knowledge and understanding they need in these areas. ? Leaders have implemented new policies without fully considering the impact of these. They have failed to communicate clearly with pupils and parents about changes to policies.

Weaknesses in how these have been implemented have not been addressed. This has resulted in some pupils and parents developing negative attitudes towards the school and its leadership. Leaders should ensure that the implementation of new policies is consistent with their aims and vision.

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