Holderness Academy and Sixth Form College

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders' high ambition for those who attend the school is not currently matched by what pupils experience. New leaders have brought about some necessary changes.

They realise that there is more to do to provide the quality of education that they want all pupils to receive.

Bullying is rare. The vast majority of pupils are confident to raise their concerns with an adult.

The actions of adults ensure that pupils are kept safe. In lessons, pupils focus on their learning. At social times, they are polite and respectful.

Incidents of poor behaviour are infrequent. Staff address these appropriately.

Some pupils take on leadership roles, such as jo...ining the school council.

Others have been on an educational visit, for example to a theatre. A small number of pupils access work experience placements. Leaders recognise that these opportunities are not sufficiently well used.

Leaders are extending the extra-curricular offer.

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

The chief executive officer of the trust, since her arrival in September 2021, has developed the capacity of leaders through new appointments. The new headteacher, supported by trust and senior leaders, quickly assessed the school's strengths and weaknesses.

The headteacher understands there is much more to do to improve the school. Historically, leaders have not checked on the impact of the school's improvement actions sufficiently well. As a result, the school has not improved as quickly as leaders, including trustees, want.

Subject leaders have developed a curriculum that meets the requirements of the national curriculum. Teachers make sure that new learning builds on what pupils have already learned. In some subjects, the most important knowledge leaders want pupils to remember is not identified clearly.

Teachers do not revisit this knowledge regularly enough. As a result, some pupils struggle to recall their prior learning. This slows their progress.

Pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils, do not achieve as well in external examinations as they should.

Leaders recently reviewed the curriculum offer for students in the sixth form. Students can now choose from a wider range of courses, such as criminology or travel and tourism.

Students access a range of additional courses, such as financial studies, during their non-qualification curriculum time. Leaders recognise these opportunities can be developed further. They have plans in place to enhance this area.

Sixth-form students progress on to appropriate education, employment or training.

A small number of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive their education in the school's additionally resourced provision. Leaders understand these pupils' needs well.

Staff who work with them are well trained.Staff effectively support these pupils to access lessons in the main school. Pupils with SEND who do not attend the additionally resourced provision, experience a more variable quality of education.

Some parents and carers do not receive as much information about the support for pupils with SEND as they would like. Staff are provided with 'pupil passports'. Teachers use the information in these passports to adapt their teaching.

Some passports do not provide the important information that teachers need. Consequently, in some lessons, the needs of pupils with SEND are not met effectively.

Suspensions are rare and used as a last resort.

Pupils are supported to improve their behaviour when they return to school. The vast majority of pupils attend school regularly and are punctual. A significant minority of parents are concerned about how complaints, including those about behaviour, are addressed by leaders.

Leaders prioritise reading. This is especially evident in key stage 3. Pupils in Years 7 and 8 are given two books per year to keep as part of leaders' agenda to promote reading.

Pupils in the early stages of learning to read are identified quickly. They receive additional support. This includes phonics lessons, where appropriate.

A small number of pupils access paired reading sessions with university students. This supports them to read more fluently and confidently.

The aspirational vision leaders have for pupils' personal development is not currently realised.

During personal, social and health education lessons (PSHE), pupils learn about important concepts such as healthy relationships and how to look after their own mental health. The curriculum covers all of the required statutory content. Some pupils do not have a secure understanding of some of this content, for example, about other faiths or the protected characteristics.

Pupils in all year groups receive information about careers and their next steps in education, employment or training. Key stage 3 pupils are not as well supported as their older peers. Although pupils receive information about further education providers, it does not include all of the settings that pupils can progress to.

Leaders do not inform pupils about the local university technical college.

Governors and trustees have an accurate understanding of the issues the school needs to address. They have provided additional resources to support these improvement priorities.

Governors and trustees need to provide greater scrutiny of the work of leaders going forward. This includes more thorough checking on the impact of pupil premium funding.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders with responsibility for safeguarding know vulnerable pupils well. Records of safeguarding concerns are thorough. Pastoral leaders meet regularly to review open safeguarding cases.

Leaders maintain oversight of cases with multi-agency involvement. They have developed effective relationships with external agencies, such as mental health and counselling services. They use these to keep pupils safe.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe in the community. During PSHE lessons, they learn about contextual risks such as those associated with drugs and alcohol. Students in the sixth form learn about these in a way that reflects their life outside school.

Staff report concerns about a pupil's welfare in a timely way.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The most important knowledge is not precisely identified within curriculum plans in some subjects, including PSHE. This knowledge is not prioritised and revisited regularly enough.

Pupils struggle to retain it in their long-term memory. Leaders should ensure that curriculum plans specify the important knowledge that pupils should learn. ? Teachers are not provided with detailed information about how to meet the needs of pupils with SEND as a matter of course.

Pupils with SEND, particularly those who do not access the additionally resourced provision, do not have their needs met consistently. Leaders should implement the planned changes to pupil passports. Leaders should check that the content of the passports is addressed effectively by teachers.

• Some members of the wider-school community do not feel their concerns are listened to well. They are not as supportive of the actions of the school as they could be. Leaders should refine the school's communication methods to ensure that more stakeholders support the pupils, the staff and the school as a whole.