Ryburn Valley High School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.

Achievement is good. The rate of progress for all groups of students has increased in the last year and is now good. Rigorous monitoring of lessons, combined with detailed tracking of students' learning, has led to an improvement in the quality of teaching, which is now good.

The headteacher and senior staff have driven improvements successfully through focusing relentlessly on raising the quality of teaching. The governing body monitors the school's progress rigorously and challenges senior leaders robustly. There was a substantial rise in GCSE results in 2012 and further increases are expected this year.

Sixth form provision i...s good. Overall, results improved in 2012 across the broad range of qualifications offered. Students, including those with a statement of special educational needs, make good progress.

Students' good behaviour, very positive attitudes to learning and above average attendance all contribute well to their good progress. The school offers a very wide range of courses at Key Stage 4, particularly reflecting its specialism in the media arts. This promotes students' achievement well because they are able to pursue their individual interests.

The many and varied extra-curricular activities, overseas visits and opportunities to volunteer combine to ensure that provision for students' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent. It is not yet an outstanding school because : The standards students reach are broadly average by the end of Year 11. A suitably demanding level of challenge for more-able students is not sustained throughout all lessons.

Attainment in the sixth form is slightly lower than average. The proportion of students reaching the highest grades at A level is below average.

Information about this school

Ryburn Valley High School is much larger than most secondary schools.

It serves an area where some secondary schools are selective. Most students are White British. A small proportion is from minority ethnic backgrounds, the largest group of these being of Pakistani heritage.

The percentage of students who speak English as an additional language is much lower than average and none are at early stages of learning the language. The proportion of students for whom the school receives the pupil premium, additional government funding allocated for students known to be eligible for free school meals, those in the care of the local authority and those who have a parent in the armed forces, is below average. The school received additional funding to boost the performance of some Year 7 students.

The proportion of disabled students and those with special educational needs supported by school action is well above average. The proportion supported with school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs is just above average. The sixth form offers tailored programmes for students who have a statement of special educational needs.

Alternative, off-site provision is made for one student at The Compass Centre. The school has a construction academy on-site which operates in partnership with Calderdale College. The school meets the government's floor standard, the minimum attainment and progress expected of students at the end of Year 11.

The school is the first school to receive the Investors in Volunteers award. When the school was inspected in February 2012 it was found to require significant improvement. A monitoring inspection in October 2012 judged that the school was making good progress in addressing the areas in need of improvement.