Hewens College

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending Hewens College and are kept safe. They are proud to be part of a diverse school and demonstrate mutual respect and tolerance towards each other.

Incidents of bullying are rare. When they occur, leaders address pupils' concerns. While many pupils behave well, learning is disrupted in some lessons.

This is because expectations of behaviour vary and the systems that exist for managing behaviour are not consistently applied.

Pupils enjoy representing their school through sporting and debating events. Opportunities are provided for pupils to take on leadership responsibilities through acting as buddy readers or sport leaders at the neighbour...ing primary school.

There is a growing range of extra-curricular activities that provide pupils with opportunities to develop their talents and interests. These include sports, philosophy, creative writing and archaeology.

There are weaknesses in the way the curriculum is designed and implemented.

Pupils are not consistently supported to secure the important knowledge and skills that they need to learn and remember more. This means they are not as well prepared for the next stage of education, employment or training as they could be.

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

The curriculum has aspects that are not sufficiently broad or ambitious.

Important aspects of some subjects have not been considered in key stage 3. This does not prepare pupils well enough where they want to study these subjects in key stage 4. For example, until this academic year, pupils in key stage 4 have not had the option of studying triple science.

Similarly, several pupils have not had the opportunity to undertake a GCSE in English Literature. Leaders have now broadened the curriculum and examination offer to pupils.

In some subjects, leaders have identified the important concepts that pupils need to learn.

These are well sequenced so that pupils deepen their understanding over time. For example, in English, older pupils can compare presentations of Shakespeare's Hermia, Juliet and Jessica. This is because they have studied different plays with contrasting characters earlier.

Similarly, in science, pupils understand the process of meiosis because they have already learned about cells and chromosomes.

However, there are several other subjects where leaders have not sufficiently identified what pupils need to learn and remember. As a result, pupils spend time practising examination questions rather than developing a rich body of knowledge through mastering the building blocks of each subject.

Some aspects of the planned curriculum are not well sequenced. Teachers do not routinely focus on ensuring that pupils embed important concepts. As a result, pupils' understanding of what they have learned is variable.

These weaknesses in curriculum design also mean that teachers cannot check consistently what pupils have understood. Errors and misconceptions are often missed and persist in pupils' learning. This makes it more difficult for pupils to learn new and more-complex ideas.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are swiftly identified. Leaders work closely with external agencies to ensure that appropriate advice, guidance and support are available to teachers working with these pupils. Although these strategies are implemented by staff, the weaknesses in curriculum design mean pupils with SEND are not consistently helped to learn and remember the most important knowledge in different subjects.

Pupils at the earliest stages of learning to read are identified. In some subjects, teachers provide additional help so that these pupils can access the planned curriculum. However, this support is not consistent.

As a result, these pupils are not developing the knowledge that they need swiftly enough to become accurate and fluent readers.

Leaders have recently put in place strategies to help staff to better manage pupils' behaviour. While many pupils behave well, in some lessons low-level disruption is tolerated and pupils' attitudes to learning are not as positive.

This is because staff have differing expectations of behaviour and are not implementing the new strategies consistently. Leaders have ensured there are effective systems in place for checking that pupils attend school regularly and on time.

The curriculum for personal, social and health education (PSHE) helps pupils to learn important ideas.

For example, they learn about the functions of democracy, how to maintain good physical and mental health, and the importance of challenging prejudice. However, the PSHE curriculum is not sufficiently sequenced to allow pupils to revisit these ideas. This means that pupils' depth of understanding is limited.

Leaders are developing a programme of events to support and guide pupils with career choices.

Leaders, and those responsible for governance, understand the school's strengths and priorities for improvement. The recently appointed principal and senior leadership team have put new systems and structures in place to tackle the school's weaknesses.

Staff, including those at the start of their careers, enjoy working at the school. Teachers value the professional development they receive. Staff have mixed views, however, about the support they receive to manage their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All staff have received up-to-date safeguarding training. As a result, staff typically understand their responsibilities in reporting any concerns they may have.

Leaders work effectively with external agencies, including the local authority, to ensure that pupils and their families receive the support they need.The curriculum has been designed to help pupils understand how to stay safe. For example, pupils have worked with local police officers to understand how to stay safe in the local community.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Pupils do not learn a broad and ambitious curriculum in key stage 3. They do not develop a sufficiently rich body of knowledge across different subjects. Leaders must ensure the curriculum offered at key stage 3 is sufficiently ambitious to prepare pupils for their next stage of learning.

• In several subjects, leaders have not identified the key knowledge they expect pupils to learn and remember. This means pupils have gaps and misconceptions in their understanding. Leaders should ensure important concepts pupils need to learn are identified and well sequenced.

This will better support pupils, including those with SEND, to learn, practise and embed ideas before applying their knowledge to more-complex concepts. ? Weaker readers do not routinely receive the help they need to read with accuracy. Leaders must ensure these pupils receive appropriate support to develop as fluent readers.

This will help them to access the curriculum with greater confidence. ? In some classes disruption is tolerated, and learning is interrupted. Leaders should ensure that newly introduced behaviour systems are consistently applied.

• Older pupils have not had consistent access to careers advice and work experience. This means some pupils have not received the help needed to support their choices for the next stage of education, employment or training. Leaders should ensure that all pupils, including those with SEND, receive the advice and guidance that they need to make informed choices about their future.

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