Shoeburyness High School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

There are lots of adults who will listen to pupils' views at Shoeburyness High School.

Pupils value the pastoral members of staff who are on hand at times such as lunchtime. Pupils can access a range of support to resolve any worries or concerns. This includes access to counselling and support for mental health.

Typically, pupils feel happy and safe as a result.

Pupils are very clear about wanted and unwanted behaviours. The school has raised standards of behaviour significantly.

Most pupils behave well. However, a small number of older boys are not respectful enough. This makes a minority of pupils feel uncomfortable.

The school has raised ...expectations about what pupils should achieve. Pupils are remembering more and producing higher-quality work as a result. They study a broad and ambitious curriculum.

This includes in the sixth form, where students' needs are well catered for through a blend of academic and vocational options. However, in a small number of subjects, pupils do not experience a high-enough quality of teaching or have enough opportunities to explore important knowledge in depth.

Pupils benefit from a range of personal development opportunities.

These include 'charities week', where pupils raise money for charity, which promotes good moral understanding.

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

The school has revised the curriculum because it identified that it was not effective or ambitious enough. Pupils did not achieve as well as they should, which was reflected in the 2023 examination outcomes.

The trust and school put in place very clear plans to address this, including raising participation in subjects making up the English Baccalaureate. This work has ensured the curriculum now has both sufficient breadth and academic ambition.

The school has ensured that, across the curriculum, the important knowledge pupils should learn is clearly defined.

Pupils now revisit this knowledge, so that they can recall and apply it confidently. In most subjects, teachers check routinely what pupils know. They use these checks to provide the support pupils need to close any gaps in their knowledge.

Consequently, pupils now remember more and produce high-quality work. However, in a small number of subjects, this is not the case. This is because in these subjects teachers do not consistently follow the school's expectations for teaching.

They do not routinely provide opportunities that challenge pupils or enable them to learn in more depth.

The school has significantly improved the quality of provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders have ensured that staff make the adaptations that pupils need within lessons.

For example, those with higher levels of need benefit from very bespoke support through the 'achievement pathway.' This enables them to achieve well.

The school has ensured that highly effective support is in place for pupils who are at the earlier stages of reading.

This helps these pupils to quickly catch up and close gaps in their reading ability, which enables them to access the full curriculum.

Students in the sixth form have also benefited from the improvements to the curriculum and how it is taught. In previous years, staffing challenges resulted in students missing learning.

The school has now resolved these issues. Sixth-form teachers are knowledgeable and provide students with clear guidance that ensures they have secure understanding of what they study.

Many pupils behave well.

Students in the sixth form are tolerant and respectful and behave maturely. The school has put in place clear expectations that are understood by all. It provides suitable support to help pupils change their behaviour.

However, a small minority of older boys persist in not treating others, particularly girls, respectfully. The school has put in place a significant range of support to help change the attitudes of this group and to give girls the confidence to report issues.

Overall, pupils attend well.

However, a small group of pupils do not attend as well as they should. The school tracks each of these pupil's attendance carefully and works with families to overcome attendance barriers.

The school promotes pupils' personal development effectively.

The school has ensured that a comprehensive programme of personal, social, health and economic education is in place. Pupils have a range of high-quality opportunities to develop character and social skills that complement this, through activities such as the key stage 4 singing group.

Pupils study a comprehensive programme of careers education.

All pupils get high-quality careers guidance and opportunities for work experience. Sixth-form students get the information they need to make informed choices about next steps, such as whether to undertake an apprenticeship or go to university.

The trust and school work together to raise standards effectively.

Trustees know the school well. They challenge and support leaders effectively to improve the quality of provision. Staff value the professional development opportunities that leaders provide and the way that leaders are considerate of their workload and well-being with regard to assessment and meeting expectations.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• A small minority of older boys do not show enough tolerance and respect towards others. As a result, this makes a minority of pupils, especially some girls, feel uncomfortable because of the way these pupils behave towards them.

The school should continue with the range of support and strategies to help pupils change their attitudes and show tolerance and respect. The school also needs to ensure it works further with girls who experience this behaviour so that they always report it, so that it can be quickly addressed. ? The school has not ensured that teachers consistently provide opportunities to explore more detailed and complex knowledge.

As a result, some pupils, particularly higher-attaining pupils, do not always have sufficient opportunities to build their knowledge in depth. The school should ensure all staff provide opportunities for pupils to extend the depth and complexity of their knowledge. ? The school has not ensured that the entire curriculum is taught consistently well.

This is because a minority of teachers do not follow the whole-school approaches to teaching and assessment. As a result, in a small number of subjects, pupils do not retain important knowledge as well as they should. The school should ensure that all teachers follow and implement whole-school approaches to teaching and assessment effectively.