Neston High School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Neston High School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, and students in the sixth form, are proud to be part of Neston High School.

They are appreciative of the high-quality facilities available to them in the new school building. Pupils are polite and respectful towards each other and adults. Pupils behave well.

They work hard in class. Pupils' conduct reflects teachers' high expectations.

Pupils told inspectors that they feel safe.

They know who to speak to if things go wrong. Pupils enjoy strong relationships with staff. If bullying does occur, teachers ensure that it is sorted out quickly.

Trustees and... leaders have high expectations of what pupils and students should achieve. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), have equal access to a suitably ambitious curriculum. Pupils progress well through the curriculum.

Pupils, and students in the sixth form, benefit from a strong personal development curriculum. They gain the knowledge and understanding that they need in order to live safe and happy lives. Staff provide many extra opportunities and school trips.

Many pupils take advantage of these opportunities to learn about the wider world. They enjoy taking part in competitions at regional and national level.

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

Leaders, including trustees, have ensured that all pupils, including those in the sixth form, have access to a high-quality curriculum.

Pupils at key stage 4 and students at key stage 5 can choose to study a wide range of academic, arts-based, technical and vocational subjects. The subjects meet pupils' diverse interests and needs. Pupils, and students in the sixth form, are well prepared for the next stage of their education, employment or training.

Subject leaders have designed the subject curriculums well. They have thought carefully about the order in which curriculum content should be taught so that pupils can build their knowledge over time. In most subjects, pupils can remember in detail all that they need to know for future success.

Typically, teachers deliver the curriculums well across the school. Teachers have good subject knowledge. In the sixth form, students learn well.

Teachers explain topics clearly to pupils and students of all ages using well-designed resources.

Most teachers use effective strategies to check that pupils and students have learned the intended curriculum. However, some teachers miss opportunities to check that all pupils have fully understood the essential knowledge defined in the subject curriculums.

This affects how well some pupils progress through the curriculum.

Pupils behave well around the large school site. Sixth-form students enjoy their own spacious study and dining areas.

This supports their social skills and contributes to their mature attitudes. Lessons across the school typically take place without disruption. Leaders study patterns of behaviour and act swiftly if they identify any problems.

Leaders have improved the attendance of all groups of pupils.

Leaders accurately identify the needs of pupils with SEND. Teachers and learning support assistants use the information that leaders provide to support pupils with SEND to learn well.

This helps pupils and students with SEND to progress through the same ambitious subject curriculums as their peers.

Leaders have effective systems in place to identify pupils whose reading knowledge is weak when they join the school. These systems enable leaders to pinpoint and remedy the specific problems that individual pupils face with their reading.

This helps most pupils to quickly become confident and fluent readers. Leaders recognise that for some pupils the habit of reading widely and often is not well established. They are taking effective steps to develop a stronger reading culture across the school.

Sixth-form students told inspectors that leaders had consulted with them to design a personal development curriculum that truly reflected what teenagers wanted and needed to learn. The curriculum provides pupils with opportunities to learn about and discuss a wide range of issues. These include relationships, sex and health education, fairness and tolerance, and more practical issues such as managing money.

Sixth-form students and younger pupils told inspectors that they receive age-appropriate careers education, information, advice and guidance. They have opportunities to receive independent careers advice. Recently, the school has introduced an 'aspirations' programme to encourage all pupils to aim high in their careers or further education choices.

Staff appreciate how leaders and trustees protect them from excessive workload. Trustees are well informed. They hold leaders to account and use their expertise to help leaders to further improve the quality of education.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong safeguarding culture across the school. Leaders ensure that all staff are kept up to date with pertinent safeguarding issues through regular training.

Staff know what to do if they have concerns about a pupil. They record all relevant information promptly. Leaders work well with external agencies to ensure that pupils and their families get the timely help that they need.

Pupils are knowledgeable about the potential dangers that they may encounter, either in the community or online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• On occasion, some teachers do not use assessment strategies well enough to check whether pupils have learned the essential knowledge in the curriculum. This means that some pupils' learning is uneven.

Leaders should ensure that all teachers understand how to use assessment strategies effectively to ascertain how well pupils have learned the curriculum. This is so that all pupils can build a rich body of knowledge across all subjects.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2013.