Haven High Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Although the pupils at Haven High say, 'Things are getting better recently', they do not benefit from an acceptable quality of education.

Teaching that does not routinely take into account pupils' needs, fill their knowledge gaps and help them to develop a secure understanding has led to pupils achieving poorly. There is little sign that achievement is improving.

Many pupils experience a fragmented education.

Attendance is low and suspensions are high. Pupils miss too much learning due to being absent, disengaged or suspended. When pupils do attend lessons, there is not a clear or coherent strategy to help them catch up on missed learning.

The school... has begun to tackle poor behaviour. Pupils say that the school is calmer recently. However, some pupils and staff think rewards and sanctions are not applied fairly across the school.

Most pupils say that there are trusted adults they know they can speak to if they have a problem. However, some pupils' behaviour makes other pupils feel uneasy and worried. Not all pupils are confident that staff tackle this consistently, so they do not always report concerns.

Parents and carers have lost faith in the school. They do not feel the school has communicated well enough about the number of significant changes that impact their children daily.

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

Significant variability in how well the curriculum is taught has led to pupils underachieving.

Not all teachers are sufficiently skilled in teaching the curriculum. They do not consistently adapt how they teach to help pupils learn, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers do not routinely address gaps in pupils' knowledge.

Teachers do not ensure that pupils' work is of a high enough quality. Work undertaken to redesign the curriculum in some subjects has not led to an improvement in how these curriculums are taught.

The school has identified, but not addressed effectively, the barriers to academic success for disadvantaged pupils.

These pupils underachieve.

Strategies to support pupils who struggle to read have been implemented too slowly. This work is only having a positive impact on the reading ability of pupils in Year 7.

This work has not yet started for older pupils. Those older pupils who require it do not get the necessary support to become fluent readers.

Not all pupils consistently commit to their learning.

Teachers do not routinely support these pupils to help them to engage positively with their learning.

The school promotes pupils' wider development. Pupils learn about careers and future next steps.

Year 10 pupils can undertake work experience. Pupils learn how to stay safe, including online. They have some understanding about protected characteristics.

Pupils learn about respect and tolerance. However, some do not apply this well to how they treat others. Pupils do not learn how to be independent and resilient to support them to engage routinely with learning.

Attendance has been historically low and shows little sign of sustained improvement. Absence is further compounded by the high number of suspensions. Too many pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, are regularly absent.

They do not receive sufficient support to help them to catch up on missed learning.

Insufficient work has been undertaken to address the weaknesses in the school's provision. The school has not secured the necessary improvements, including to the teaching of the curriculum, achievement, the support for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, and attendance.

The school has acted too slowly on advice from external support. Very recent work that the school has undertaken to begin to address the provision's weaknesses is at an early stage. This work is yet to bring about the necessary, sustained improvement.

Trust leaders and trustees do not have an accurate understanding of the quality of all aspects of the provision. This limits their ability to provide the school with effective challenge and support to address the provision's weaknesses successfully. Trust leaders and trustees have not brought about the necessary improvement.

This includes in relation to attendance and curriculum, both of which were identified as weaknesses at the previous inspection. Trust leaders and trustees do not demonstrate the capacity to bring about the required improvement.

Trustees have not ensured that the school consistently implements agreed policies, particularly in relation to the use of alternative provision.

Staff are much happier at this school than in previous years. However, a significant minority of staff are still concerned about pupils' behaviour.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• There is variation across the different subjects in how well the curriculum is taught. Teachers do not consistently use the most effective strategies to help pupils, including those with SEND, to learn and achieve well. In some subjects, the curriculum is not sufficiently ambitious or well planned to promote effective learning.

Many pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, underachieve as a result. The school must ensure that there is clarity about what should be taught and when in all subjects, and that all teachers know how best to teach their subjects so that all pupils can learn and achieve well. ? Older pupils who struggle to read do not receive support to help them to read confidently.

This can limit how well they access the curriculum and achieve. The school must ensure that all pupils who need it receive support to help them to read fluently. ? The school's strategy to support disadvantaged pupils is not securing these pupils better outcomes.

Disadvantaged pupils underachieve. The school must ensure that its support for these pupils helps them to access their learning and achieve well. ? Too many pupils are absent too often.

There is no consistent support to help these pupils catch up on missed learning. This leads to them falling further behind. The school should ensure that frequently absent pupils receive the right support to attend regularly and to catch up on missed learning, so that they can engage in lessons and achieve well.

• Too many pupils do not commit to learning well enough in lessons. This further limits pupils' ability to learn well. The school should ensure that pupils receive the necessary support and guidance, from their teachers and through the personal development offer, to develop the necessary resilience, independence and focus to be able to engage consistently with their learning.

• While the school is now addressing behaviour, some pupils feel that the rewards and sanctions are inconsistently applied. Some pupils report that the behaviour of other pupils leaves them feeling uneasy and worried. Some staff are concerned at some pupils' behaviour.

The school should ensure that the behaviour policy is applied consistently, so that all pupils behave well, feel safe and thrive at the school. ? There is an inaccurate understanding of how well the school is performing. The necessary improvements have not been brought about.

As a result, too many pupils continue to underachieve. The school must ensure that there is an accurate understanding of the quality of provision and an appropriate focus on rapidly securing the necessary improvements. ? Having considered the evidence, we strongly recommend that the school does not seek to appoint early careers teachers.