Parkside Community School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school Leaders have a good understanding of the school's strengths and have taken swift and effective action to address areas in need of improvement. They are implementing clear plans to sustain and drive further improvements.

Leaders have high aspirations for pupils' success. Staff share this ambition and all strive to provide the best for pupils. The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is generally good and continues to improve in most areas.

Teachers ensure that activities are interesting and typically matched well to pupils' abilities. Teachers use questioning well to draw out pupils' understanding. Their reasoning skills are well d...eveloped.

This leads to pupils making good progress across the school. Leaders and governors ensure that additional funding, such as that to support disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, is used effectively. Pastoral support is strong and pupils are supported to succeed in all aspects of school life.

Staff know pupils as individuals and relationships between pupils and staff are positive. Many pupils enter the school with literacy and numeracy levels below those typical for their age. Effective provision is in place to support them to catch up.

There is good provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils' individual needs are met well and they make very good progress. Staff have high expectations of pupils' behaviour and achievement.

Pupils are keen to meet these expectations and work hard. Pupils behave well in lessons and around school. They are respectful of others and are polite and courteous.

Governance is strong. Governors are knowledgeable and understand the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They are appropriately challenging and hold leaders to account.

There are some inconsistencies in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. Where practice is less strong, activities are not sufficiently matched to pupils' abilities and teachers do not check pupils' understanding. On these occasions, pupils make less progress than elsewhere in the school.

Overall attendance has improved but the attendance of disadvantaged pupils remains below the national average. Pupils have a limited understanding and appreciation of cultures and faiths beyond their own experiences. They are therefore not fully prepared for some aspects of life in modern Britain.

Information about this school

Parkside Community School is smaller than the average-sized secondary school. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is considerably higher than average. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is higher than average.

The majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is considerably smaller than average. There have been several changes in staffing since the last inspection, including five new appointments to senior or middle leadership posts.

A small number of pupils attend off-site provision at Chesterfield Community Care Farm, Groundworks, United Cast Bar, Spire Infants School and Junior Jigsaw. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set out its minimum expectations for attainment and the progress of pupils at the end of Year 11. The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.