Portland School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school of two halves.

Leaders and staff on the secondary site have lost sight of the school's core purpose to support pupils' social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs.

Consequently, pupils do not get the support they need. Too many secondary pupils are not engaged in their learning and do not achieve well.

Secondary pupils say they want to be in school, but they want it to be better.

On the secondary site, leaders and staff do not manage behaviour consistently well. There are incidents when pupils' behaviour is out of control. Pupils feel unsafe when other pupils display challenging behaviour.

Pupils are also concerned abou...t bullying. They say staff do not deal with it effectively.

On the primary site, there is a calmer atmosphere.

Staff manage pupils' behaviour well and provide bespoke support for pupils' SEMH needs. As a result, pupils focus on their work and make steady progress.

School leaders, some of whom are new to their roles, have started to make improvements.

However, these plans are very new and are yet to have an impact. Although senior leaders have the ability, capacity in leadership is limited and there is a huge amount of work to do.

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

Leaders have created curriculum plans that map out the knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn across the school in some subjects.

This helps staff to know what to teach and when to teach it. However, some staff do not have the required subject knowledge to plan and deliver curriculum plans effectively. In other subjects, leaders have not thought about the order of learning.

In these instances, well-ordered curriculum plans are not in place and pupils' learning is disjointed. Some subject leaders do not have the required subject knowledge and leadership skills to develop their subjects effectively.

Staff make regular checks on pupils' phonic ability on the primary site.

Staff follow a plan to support the order of phonics teaching. Pupils say they enjoy reading. However, not all staff teach phonics well.

Pupils' reading books are not always matched to their phonic ability. As a result, pupils struggle with their reading and fall further behind. Some secondary pupils are at the early stages of reading.

However, there is not an early reading curriculum in place to fill gaps in pupils' phonic knowledge. Hence, these pupils continue to struggle with their reading.

Staff do not manage behaviour consistently well on the secondary site.

There is not a commonly understood behaviour policy. Rules are not clear, neither are rewards and sanctions. Secondary pupils say they want to 'know where they stand' in relation to behaviour.

Positive relationships between staff and pupils are evident. However, there is not a whole-school approach to supporting pupils' personal development. This is especially evident on the secondary site.

The relationships and sex education (RSE) policy and curriculum are not fit for purpose. Pupils are not well prepared for entering into healthy relationships, which puts them at potential risk. Careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) does not meet pupils' needs.

Pupils are unclear and uncertain about what they will do when they leave school. Pupils have a limited understanding of healthy lifestyles, including mental health and well-being. In contrast, on the primary site, pupils learn to develop resilience and coping strategies and learn how to manage their feelings.

Pupil voice and leadership opportunities are limited.

The majority of staff are proud to work at the school. They are optimistic about the recent leadership changes and the improvements that they hope these will bring.

However, some staff say that workload is not manageable. Currently, there are several staff vacancies and high levels of staff absence. This puts pressure on the remaining staff and stretches them to the limit.

School leaders, supported by the proposed interim executive board and the local authority, have started to make changes to improve the quality of education and care that pupils receive. For example, on the secondary site, a revised model of teaching has been introduced for Years 8 and 9. Leaders hope that pupils will develop closer relationships with a smaller number of staff, which will in turn support their behaviour and learning.

However, this approach is very new, and is yet to have an impact.

Leaders and those responsible for governance may not appoint early careers teachers.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

Some pupils attend school on a rota system. This limits the school's ability to check on pupils' safety. It also has a negative impact on their education.

On the secondary site, pupils gave examples of when they do not feel safe. This is often linked to the extreme behaviour of other pupils.

Leaders have organised regular safeguarding training for all staff.

As a result, staff know what to do if they have a concern about a pupil's welfare. Systems are in place so that any safeguarding concerns can be recorded and acted upon immediately.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• On the secondary site, leaders and staff are not meeting pupils' SEMH needs.

Consequently, pupils lose interest in their learning and become disengaged, and some display challenging behaviour. Leaders need to provide staff with the training and support they need, so that they are able to meet pupils' SEMH needs. ? Leaders are in the early stages of developing their curriculum areas in some subjects.

Some subject leaders do not have the required subject knowledge and leadership skills to do this effectively. As a result, well-ordered curriculum plans are not in place. Senior leaders need to provide subject leaders with appropriate support so they can develop well-sequenced curriculum plans in their subject.

• Staff do not have secure subject knowledge in some curriculum areas. They do not deliver the curriculum effectively. Leaders need to provide staff with the training and support they need so they can teach the curriculum effectively in all subjects.

• Some staff do not teach phonics consistently well for pupils at the early stages of reading. Pupils' reading books are not well matched to their phonic ability. As a result, pupils fall behind with their reading.

Leaders need to provide all staff with the relevant training so they can deliver the phonics curriculum effectively and match reading books to pupils' phonic ability. ? There is not a clear and consistent approach to behaviour management on the secondary site. Staff do not address incidents of negative behaviour and bullying effectively.

Consequently, incidents of bullying reoccur and behaviour incidents escalate and get out of control. Leaders need to implement a clear behaviour policy that staff and pupils understand and follow. ? Although the new leadership team is bringing about changes, currently there is insufficient capacity in the leadership team.

Leaders cannot implement improvement plans effectively. Senior leaders need to arrange support and training for leaders at all levels, so that leadership tasks can be shared to secure future improvements. ? Some pupils attend school on a rota system.

This limits the ability of leaders to check on pupils' safety and has a negative impact on pupils' education. As a matter of urgency, leaders need to fill staff vacancies to increase levels of staffing in the school. ? Pupils, especially those who attend the secondary site, are following a narrow curriculum.

The RSE curriculum does not support pupils' understanding of healthy relationships. CEIAG does not prepare pupils for the next stage of their education or employment and training. Leaders need to broaden the curriculum beyond the academic aspect to support pupils' personal development.