Hyde High School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, staff and residents of the local community are proud of this school.

Leaders want pupils to be well-rounded, decent young people who contribute positively to society. Many pupils respond well to these expectations. Staff care deeply for pupils.

Many relationships between pupils and staff are positive, supportive and respectful.

While many pupils behave well, some pupils' behaviour at social times, during lesson transitions and in some lessons is below the standard that leaders expect. This makes some pupils feel uncomfortable.

Added to this, the behaviour of some other pupils is disrespectful towards their peers. These pupils disrupt the calm... running of the school.

Many pupils who spoke with inspectors said that they feel safe and happy at school.

However, the conduct of a minority of pupils makes other pupils feel uneasy at times. When pupils report incidents of bullying, leaders deal with it effectively. That said, some pupils said that they have lost confidence in leaders' systems to tackle bullying and make it stop.

Leaders have prioritised the development of the school's curriculum. They have high expectations of what pupils can achieve, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). In the main, pupils benefit from a well-thought-out and ambitious curriculum, which staff deliver with confidence.

As a result, most pupils achieve well.

Pupils enjoy the increasing range of opportunities available to them to enhance their learning of the curriculum, such as interesting trips and visits.

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

Since the previous inspection, leaders and teachers have ensured that a well-organised curriculum is in place for all pupils.

Pupils in both key stages 3 and 4 study a wide range of subjects. An increasing number of pupils enjoy studying a modern foreign language at GCSE. Subject leaders and teachers have benefited from a strong offer of training to improve their curriculum expertise and subject-specific knowledge.

In each subject, leaders and teachers have identified the knowledge and vocabulary that they want pupils to learn. Leaders provide suitable guidance to support teachers to deliver the curriculum well. For example, leaders are clear about the methods that they want teachers to use to make sure that pupils learn key knowledge and skills.

In the main, pupils build their knowledge securely over time and achieve well.

Teachers have strong subject knowledge, which they use to present content clearly. Leaders have improved how teachers use assessment strategies to check whether pupils have remembered the knowledge that will be the most useful for subsequent learning.

Leaders have recognised that pupils' behaviour needs to improve. They have already taken some steps to address this by restructuring the leadership of behaviour across the school. However, it remains early days.

Some teachers and support staff do not follow the schools' behaviour policies consistently. Pupils' behaviour at breaktimes, lunchtimes and during lesson changes is not sufficiently calm or orderly. A minority of pupils behave poorly and this disrupts the learning of others.

Leaders have placed a high priority on developing a well-thought-out reading strategy. They are ambitious for all pupils to become confident readers and enjoy books. Skilled staff support those pupils who need extra support in reading to become fluent readers.

Pupils with SEND achieve well because leaders identify and share information about these pupils' needs effectively. Teachers use this information to skilfully adjust their delivery of the curriculum. Pupils with SEND study the full curriculum and, for the most part, keep up with their peers.

More pupils are benefiting from the increasing range of personal development opportunities available to them. Pupils, parents and carers value the activities, clubs and wider opportunities on offer, such as the debating club, rock band practice and a range of sports and arts activities. Student leaders have ample opportunity to lead on campaigns, such as anti-bullying, and to raise money for Rueben's Retreat, the school's chosen charity.

A well-designed careers programme means that pupils are sufficiently well prepared for the future. They are fully informed about the range of education and employment options available to them, including apprenticeships, further education and sixth-form opportunities.

The personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum has been developed to include important areas of learning.

However, leaders have not made sure that all teachers deliver this curriculum well. This means that some pupils do not learn about important content such as how to maintain positive, healthy relationships with their peers. Some of these lessons are also disrupted by poor behaviour and some pupils do not place enough value on these lessons.

Governors have an accurate understanding of the issues that leaders need to address to improve the school, such as some pupils' behaviour and attitudes. Those responsible for governance have provided additional resources to support these improvement priorities.

Staff feel valued by leaders and they said that leaders are cognisant of their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have ensured that staff have received relevant safeguarding training. This ensures that staff know how to report any concerns that they have about a pupil's welfare, no matter how minor or serious.

Leaders involve external agencies when required, ensuring that pupils receive the support that they need.

Some safeguarding records are not as well organised as they should be and lack sufficient detail. Some leaders' records do not outline the actions taken, or the arrangements made to keep pupils safe.

Leaders acted to address this during the inspection.

Pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe. For example, they learn about the dangers of alcohol and drug misuse and about the risks that they may face online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils behave disrespectfully towards their peers. This makes some other pupils feel uneasy during lesson changeovers and at social times. Leaders should ensure that pupils who behave disrespectfully are supported to learn the importance of tolerance and respect for those pupils who might be different to themselves.

• Some staff do not consistently apply the school's policies to manage pupils' behaviour during lessons and at social times. This means that some pupils do not behave as well as they should and this disrupts the learning of others. Leaders should ensure that staff understand how to apply the behaviour management policies and that they do so consistently well.

• Leaders do not ensure that the PSHE curriculum is delivered consistently well by teachers or valued by pupils. This means that some pupils miss out on important learning about how to treat each other with respect and develop positive relationships. Leaders should ensure that staff are supported to deliver the PSHE curriculum effectively.