King Edward VI King’s Norton School for Boys

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Everyone is made to feel welcome at this school. Pupils greet staff and visitors with warmth. The boys get on well with each other at social times, sharing spaces and playing sports in a respectfully sociable way.

Their conduct reflects how the school's 'STRIVE' values are embedded across school life.

Staff have high expectations of pupils' behaviour, and these are almost always met. Pupils understand the consequences for making the wrong choice and say that behaviour is dealt with fairly.

They do what it takes to keep their rewards points.

Pupils understand the importance of working hard in lessons. Most stay focused on the task in hand.

Be...haviour rarely disrupts learning. Pupils enjoy working in pairs and groups. They talk confidently about their learning.

This culture contributes to the academic success pupils achieve by the time they leave the school.

Pupils enjoy the opportunities they have to experience outdoor education activities, including sailing and mountain biking. Most take part in residential trips and attend after-school clubs.

They appreciate the many ways that they can develop their leadership skills and know their voices are listened to by staff and leaders. For example, student council representatives gathered views that influenced the content of some personal development (PD) sessions.

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

Leaders have designed a well-thought-out curriculum that builds learning over time.

Pupils learn a broad range of subjects. Subject leaders ensure that their curriculum is more ambitious than the national curriculum. For example, Year 9 pupils study 'Oedipus Rex' in English to develop a deeper understanding of tragedy.

Some leaders have organised their subject curriculum in a way to ensure that this high ambition can be successfully accessed by all, including disadvantaged pupils. However, this is not always the case and is occasionally reflected in the varying quality of work produced by some. Most pupils, including many disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve strong outcomes by the end of key stage 4.

Leaders have prioritised the development of pupils' vocabulary. Pupils learn new words and have repeated opportunities to use them as their learning grows. Pupils are articulate when discussing their learning.

This supports the quality of their collaborative learning. For instance, Year 7 boys worked well in pairs on a shared piece of Aboriginal art.

There is a consistent approach to how teachers check pupils' understanding at the start, mid and end points of each unit.

Pupils use the whole-class feedback they receive to identify personal improvement targets. The checking of pupils' understanding 'in the moment' is not as consistent, although there are some areas of excellent practice.

Leaders have put in place a clear and effective process to identify any pupils with SEND.

Teachers use the recommended strategies to adapt learning, when appropriate, for these pupils. Leaders are further strengthening their work in this area. Through regular assessment, leaders have identified those pupils who are not yet secure readers.

They use appropriate interventions to help the weakest readers make rapid progress. The strategy for developing reading skills across the curriculum is still in its early stages, as is some of the work on helping all pupils to understand the benefits of reading for pleasure.

Pastoral and safeguarding leaders work closely to support all pupils.

Pupils behave well, and rates of exclusion are low when compared with national figures. Pupils' attendance is good. However, disadvantaged pupils experience more internal suspensions than their peers.

A significant number of these pupils are also persistently absent. This impacts less favourably on how well they do at school.

As mentioned by many parents and carers, pupils benefit from the holistic approach taken to academic and personal development.

The PD programme is comprehensive, and pupils learn well about topics such as equality and healthy relationships. Pupils grow in confidence and resilience through the outdoor education programme and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. The careers programme is excellent.

Pupils learn about the wide range of options open to them in the future. They are well supported in making the right choices and being ready for their next steps.

Leaders work closely with other local schools, as they want to support the education of all in their community.

Governors and leaders are considerate of staff workload when making decisions.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders make safeguarding a priority.

They complete appropriate recruitment checks on everyone they employ. Staff receive regular training and understand the procedures they should follow if they are worried about a pupil. Leaders follow up promptly on any concerns raised.

They work effectively with external agencies to ensure vulnerable pupils receive the support they need.

Pupils know and value the 'tell someone' approach to sharing any concerns they have. They learn to stay safe, in real life and online, through the comprehensive PD programme.

Governors ensure that this important area of leaders' work is checked regularly.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders have introduced a school-wide approach to improving assessment, but it is not yet consistently implemented. Some teachers do not check carefully enough that all pupils have understood their learning.

This means that some misconceptions can go unnoticed, and gaps in pupils' knowledge remain. Leaders should ensure that the best assessment practice is shared so that all staff are confident in picking up on, and addressing, pupils' misconceptions at the point at which they occur. ? Leaders' strategy to support disadvantaged pupils is not cohesive enough to be fully effective.

Some leaders do not have a clear understanding of what they should do to support these pupils most effectively or how to evaluate the impact of their work. This means that some measures, such as the use of internal suspension and persistent absence levels, do not improve quickly enough for these pupils. Leaders should make sure that they have a cohesive, comprehensive strategy and that all staff understand their role in accordance with it.

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