Netherhall Learning Campus High School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Netherhall Learning Campus High School is an improving place to learn. Pupils feel safe. Most pupils are happy to be in school but some do not attend as often as they should.

Pupils enjoy their lessons and want to do well. There are also lots of opportunities outside of the classroom for pupils too. The school has high expectations of all pupils.

Most pupils respond well to these expectations.

Pupils behave very well in their lessons. The school has worked hard to improve lessons so the order in which they are taught makes sense to pupils.

Leaders are doing their best to make sure pupils get the best possible experiences. There is support for pupils ...to help them to reach their learning goals. For some pupils, more support is needed.

Some pupils lack confidence when they are asked to explain their learning and remember important knowledge.

Around the school, pupils generally know how to behave, but in places where staff supervision is light, a minority of pupils sometimes forget what is expected of them. Pupils say that bullying is rare and that when it does occur, the school deals with it.

The school provides lots of activities, which pupils enjoy. Many pupils, including those who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), take advantage of these opportunities.

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

Since the last inspection, there have been changes in leadership at all levels.

The curriculum offer has been reviewed and changed. This helps pupils to remember important knowledge. However, in some subjects, the number of lessons per week make it difficult to cover the content to the necessary depth.

Teachers check pupils' understanding regularly. This helps pupils to recall important knowledge. Even so, in some subjects, some pupils struggle to recall learning which is not so recent.

The small sixth form offers a unique curriculum to students which is arts-based. The school is working towards attracting more students and encouraging them to attend regularly. The school tracks the progress of sixth-form students so they can be supported if they fall behind in their studies.

Frameworks for learning in subjects are helping some pupils with SEND to access the full curriculum. In science and geography, for example, these frameworks help pupils to organise and complete their work. The school has more work to do so these pupils can work more independently.

Pupils with SEND do not always reach their intended learning goals to achieve as well as they could.

The school makes sure those who have fallen behind with their reading are identified early. Barriers to reading are identified for each individual pupil.

Interventions are helping pupils improve their reading. This approach is working, as now, fewer pupils than in the past miss other lessons to catch up with their reading.Most pupils attend this school regularly.

However, some pupils miss out too much on learning because of regular absences. Although the school reacts to this, improvements in attendance rates are slow over time.

Pupils' behaviour is good.

Pupils are encouraged to report any inappropriate behaviour or comments from others. Pupils say this kind of behaviour is rare. The school takes effective action if such incidents occur.

Behaviour around the school, and in lessons, is calm and orderly. Pupils know there are clear routines to follow and they adhere to them.

Pupils' wider development is a strength of the school.

There are lots of extra and high-quality curricular activities during breaktimes, lunchtimes and after school. Many pupils take advantage of these. Along with a high-quality personal development curriculum, these opportunities ensure pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is an important part of pupils' experiences.

The school has put in place a clear programme of careers advice and guidance for pupils.

School leaders are considerate of the workload and well-being of staff. Staff speak positively of the support senior and middle leaders offer them.

They receive necessary training and professional development. Governors now hold school leaders to account more effectively. They have a better understanding of the strengths and areas for development in the school.

There is more work to do by the school to make sure that leaders know the school as well as they can. Leaders' actions are sometimes reactive rather than proactive. This is because quality assurance activities do not inform the school's self-evaluation as accurately as they should.

This has limited the speed of change. Consequently, the school's overall effectiveness is not yet good.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school's evaluation of what needs to improve further does not have sufficient detail. Consequently, priorities for improvement are not acted upon quickly enough. The school should make sure that it has sufficient information to identify the priorities and the actions needed to make necessary improvements.

• In some subjects, curriculum changes are not fully embedded. Because of this, some pupils are still catching up on the gaps in their learning. The school should continue to review curriculum plans and sequences so that there are no gaps in curriculum content or learning for pupils.

• Some pupils with SEND do not benefit from support which is specific to their learning needs. Therefore, some pupils with SEND do not achieve as they should.The support for pupils with SEND should be further developed so they all get the support they need to reach their learning potential.

• The school is not as proactive as it could be when considering pupils who are at risk of falling below expected attendance levels. Consequently, improvements in attendance have been slow to materialise. Leaders should make better use of attendance data to identify and intervene for those pupils whose attendance is low or declining.