St Matthew’s RC High School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Many pupils are not happy at this school. They told inspectors that they do not feel safe due to the behaviour and attitudes of other pupils.

Inspectors found that sometimes staff do not feel that they have the support from senior leaders to keep themselves, or pupils, safe from harm.

Leaders do not have high enough expectations of pupils' behaviour. Some pupils said that leaders do not take their concerns seriously.

Pupils are regularly exposed to fights and aggressive behaviour. Swearing and the use of derogatory language by pupils are commonplace.

Pupils' behaviour in lessons and at social times is poor.

There are frequent disruptions to ...lessons. Pupils' unruly behaviour at social times prevents other pupils who are in lessons from learning.

Bullying is rife.

Many pupils engage in racist, homophobic and misogynistic name-calling. During the inspection, inspectors observed a significant number of pupils who displayed no respect or tolerance for the differences between themselves and other people.

The personal development provision for pupils is new.

Leaders have been slow to introduce effective provision that addresses the discriminatory behaviour that pervades this school. Pupils are not prepared for life in modern Britain.

Leaders do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can and should achieve.

Across the school, in many subjects, pupils' achievement is poor. The curriculum is ineffective.

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

Pupils at this school do not achieve well and they are not safe.

Leaders have done too little to tackle the wide-reaching weaknesses at the school. Many pupils engage in disorderly behaviour. Other pupils do not understand boundaries and they engage in harmful sexual behaviour.

Supply teachers and newer staff find it challenging to manage pupils' disruptive behaviour. Some staff said that they are not always supported by senior leaders to manage pupils' outbursts. Leaders' safeguarding and behaviour records are unacceptably poor.

Some pupils' rates of attendance are poor, particularly disadvantaged pupils. Two-thirds of disadvantaged pupils are regularly absent from school. Leaders have been unsuccessful in addressing this serious issue.

Added to this, a large number of pupils are considerably late to school. Inspectors witnessed many of those pupils waiting in the late queue engaging in unacceptable behaviour.

Internal truancy rates are high.

Many pupils choose to be late to lessons or to wander the building when they should be in class. Often staff do not challenge pupils who are out of lessons. When staff do offer challenge, some pupils are rude and defiant in response.

Leaders have updated their curriculum to ensure that all national curriculum subjects in key stage 3 are taught. However, in several subject areas, leaders have not designed the curriculum to cover sufficient subject content. This considerably limits how well pupils learn.

Pupils experience lessons that are jumbled and disconnected. Teachers are unclear about what they should be teaching pupils. This haphazard approach to delivering the curriculum means that pupils are missing the essential foundations that they need to learn well.

Leaders and teachers fail to identify the gaps in pupils' learning. Leaders' systems to assess pupils' learning are ineffective. Pupils who misbehave are routinely placed in separate rooms where they do not follow the same work as their peers.

Periods in isolation cause a number of pupils to develop even wider gaps in their knowledge, skills and understanding.

By the end of Year 11, pupils do not gain the standard of qualifications that they should. Pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged, do not have the knowledge that they need to move on to appropriately ambitious post-16 courses.

Many pupils cannot read well enough to access the curriculum. Leaders have not created an effective programme of support to improve pupils' reading skills. A considerable number of pupils have missing phonics knowledge.

However, leaders have not put suitable provision in place for those pupils who need the most support. Pupils' lack of ability to access the curriculum encourages them to truant from school, to avoid lessons or to misbehave.

Leaders have begun to put processes in place to identify and assess pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Currently, however, leaders are ineffective in supporting pupils with SEND to access learning. A lack of appropriate support means that these pupils struggle to access the curriculum. As a result, some pupils with SEND misbehave out of frustration and an inability to access learning in lessons.

Their experience of education is poor.

Leaders are at the early stages of creating a personal development curriculum. However, many pupils do not currently take this aspect of their learning seriously.

Pupils who spoke to inspectors openly shared their views that they do not value the personal development programme. Consequently, many pupils truant personal development lessons. Those that do attend do not learn the intended content in sufficient depth.

Leaders, governors and trustees have not demonstrated the capacity to improve the quality of education for pupils. Leaders, including governors, were aware of the concerns that pupils had for their safety. However, they have not acted to resolve them.

Pupils are being failed by leaders at this school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

Leaders' approach to safeguarding is lax.

They do not have appropriate systems in place to safeguard pupils. Governors have not met their statutory duties to safeguard pupils or staff. Leaders are overwhelmed by their caseloads and safeguarding concerns.

This means that they do not have the capacity to resolve issues or follow them up properly.

Pupils and staff are not safe in this school. Regular antisocial and dangerous behaviour puts pupils at considerable risk.

Leaders do not protect pupils from harm. Many pupils do not follow instructions from staff, which creates a chaotic learning environment.

Teachers report their safeguarding concerns effectively; however, they are not acted on promptly or appropriately by leaders.

Concerns that should be passed to other authorities are not always referred onto the appropriate bodies. Those concerns that leaders do share are not always followed through to conclusion. This puts pupils' safety and well-being at risk.

It prevents pupils and their families from getting the help and support that they need.

Concerns raised by pupils who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community and those who are potentially vulnerable are not always taken seriously. This increases the welfare risks that they face.

Very senior leaders are unaware of which pupils in the school require safeguarding.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders, governors and trustees do not safeguard pupils and staff. Many pupils do not report safeguarding and welfare issues to leaders because they said that they will not act.

As a result, pupils and staff are put at risk of considerable harm. Leaders and governors must act immediately to safeguard and protect pupils and staff from harm. They must build a culture of safeguarding where it is safe to raise concerns.

• Leaders have not tackled the aggressive and dangerous behaviour that is exhibited by pupils towards their peers and towards some staff. Some pupils have homophobic, racist and/or misogynistic attitudes towards others. These pupils express their discriminatory views openly.

This means that many pupils do not feel safe in school. Leaders must ensure that they tackle all aspects of pupils' poor behaviour. They must support staff and ensure that behaviour policies are applied consistently well.

The personal development curriculum is ineffective. It is not embedded, nor is it valued by many pupils. An ineffective approach to pupils' wider personal development means that they do not understand how to treat each other or staff with respect.

As a result, many pupils are discriminatory and are not prepared for life in modern Britain. Leaders must ensure that the personal development programme is fit for purpose and that it prepares pupils to be citizens in modern Britain. ? Some pupils' rates of attendance are poor.

Many pupils are late for school. Others truant from lessons. This is often because they cannot access their learning.

As a result, pupils develop wide gaps in their knowledge, skills and understanding. Leaders must improve pupils' rates of attendance and punctuality. They must ensure that pupils can access learning so that they find value in coming to school and attending lessons.

• The curriculum is ineffective, including for pupils with SEND. Pupils experience a disconnected series of lessons which lack structure. Pupils with SEND do not receive appropriate support.

Consequently, pupils underachieve considerably. Leaders must design a curriculum that staff know how to teach. They must implement a curriculum that is coherent and that allows pupils, including those with SEND, to develop a deep and rich body of subject knowledge.

• Leaders' systems to assess pupils' learning are ineffective. Consequently, leaders do not know where pupils have gaps in their learning or where pupils have developed misconceptions. Leaders must introduce a coherent system to check how well pupils are learning new knowledge.

Pupils have wide gaps in their reading knowledge. As a result, many pupils cannot access the secondary school curriculum. Leaders do not provide effective support to help these pupils to catch up with their reading.

Leader must introduce a programme of support to help pupils to read confidently and fluently. This includes a phonics programme, when required.

Having considered the evidence, we strongly recommend that leaders and those responsible for governance do not seek to appoint early career teachers.