The Cornelius Vermuyden School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school has many issues to deal with. Pupils are not learning as well as they should because the curriculum and its delivery does not meet their needs.

Some pupils are not allowed to study certain subjects. For a small number of pupils, their attendance is limited by the school because of their behaviour.

Pupils are typically disengaged in lessons.

They may ignore the teacher and chat among themselves. Some pupils can be defiant. They do not respond to adults' requests, and they leave lessons because they want to.

Some pupils think they need to misbehave to fit in. Certain behaviour is dangerous, such as planned fights, and this has left pupils an...d staff feeling unsafe.

Pupils do not treat one another with respect.

Name-calling, the use of homophobic language and bullying are features of everyday life for too many pupils. Pupils have stopped reporting bullying because, too often, 'nothing happens'. The negative experiences pupils have at school mean they do not want to attend.

On a positive note, pupils appreciate the greater opportunity they have to use social times as they wish, such as playing football.

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

Too many pupils are persistently absent. Pupils are choosing not to attend school.

The school's curriculum is not fit for purpose. Some pupils have undertaken courses that are not in their interest to do so. A number of pupils are on a vocational pathway due to their past performance in primary school.

They are not able to study a subject such as history. Where this is the case, they do not have access to the full suite of subjects that make up the English Baccalaureate.

Many pupils are not getting standard pass grades at GCSE.

This is particularly the case for boys. There are a number of contributing factors for this. Some subjects are not coherently planned or do not take into account what pupils already know.

Where this is the case, pupils who have gaps in their knowledge do not catch up. Some pupils in key stage 3 are not given age-appropriate content to learn. Work can be far too easy.

When this happens their learning stalls. Some pupils' behaviour and erratic attendance mean that they do not learn. Sometimes, pupils make copious notes, but they do not understand what they have written.

They struggle to recall and apply what they have learned. This is because some teachers' delivery of the curriculum does not encourage pupils to think independently.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), like their peers, are not served well by the curriculum and how it is taught.

Pupils' support plans, including those who have an education, health and care plan, have not been reviewed for some time. Some plans contain no guidance for teachers, and this limits the support they give.

Reading is a priority.

The school day ensures that pupils have time to read. The investment in the library means that pupils now have access to a wide range of texts. They participate in a range of activities, such as author workshops.

Pupils who struggle to read have access to support programmes, including phonics. Yet, a lack of specialist staffing means that pupils have to wait for their turn to have one-to-one phonics teaching.

The personal development programme appropriately teaches pupils about online risks and issues they may face in the community.

The teaching of protected characteristics is not as well understood by certain pupils. This is shown in their intolerant behaviours. While there is a religious education (RE) curriculum and timetabled lessons in place, sometimes pupils are not taught RE due to staff absence or poor behaviour.

The school has expanded its range of extracurricular activities. Pupils receive appropriate careers information, advice and guidance. A small number of pupils undertake work experience.

While staff report that the number of pupils truanting is reducing, it is still a problem. Some staff spend their time looking for pupils on site as they are not where they should be. Truanting pupils cause problems by disturbing other lessons.

Most pupils following a reduced timetable do so to manage their behaviour and to avoid suspensions. In some cases, this is in place without parental agreement or because the parent felt under pressure to agree. Some are on the reduced timetable for the indefinite future.

The school is not using part-time timetables for appropriate reasons, or the minimum time required. Pupils are therefore not accessing the education to which they are entitled. Pupils on reduced timetables spend most of their time off site.

Although staff should complete checks on their whereabouts and their safety, these are not always completed. This places pupils at risk.

Governors do not have a clear understanding of the weaknesses in the school's provision.

Over time, the school's actions to bring about improvements have been ineffective. There are now many issues to tackle as a result.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

There is a lack of safeguarding culture at the school. Too many pupils are not confident that staff will deal with behavioural issues or concerns about bullying. Thus, there is a reluctance to report issues as they occur.

Many parents and staff agree that pupils are not safe on site.

Some of the most vulnerable pupils have suffered serious violence or harm by other pupils. While school leaders ensure they involve external agencies promptly, they inconsistently assess the level of risk that pupils face.

In some instances, no risk assessment has been undertaken. Therefore, appropriate measures to keep pupils safe are not taken. This includes taking measures to combat risk for those pupils on reduced timetables and those who are subject to restrictive physical intervention.

Staff report that they have received injuries from pupils, but school leaders have no oversight of this. This limits their ability to provide a duty of care to both staff and pupils as well as liaise with the local authority designated officer if need be.

Too many pupils are absent, and staff cannot be confident of their whereabouts or whether they are safe.

The school's systems for checking this are not working effectively. Staff are aware of the signs of potential abuse and neglect and make appropriate referrals to the designated safeguarding team. However, pupils not in attendance at school do not benefit from staff vigilance and are therefore vulnerable.

While relevant staff and governors are up to date with safer recruitment training, they did not complete all the checks they should when employing staff. The section 128 checks they need to undertake were not complete. This was undertaken during the inspection.

School leaders do not ensure that new employees have a safeguarding briefing before starting work. This means that some staff are unclear about safeguarding procedures and to whom they should report.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• There are multiple failings with safeguarding practice and the school lacks a robust safeguarding culture.

School leaders and staff are not consistently following statutory guidance to keep children safe. The school should address urgently the areas of weakness, making sure that staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities for the safeguarding of children, and follow clear and robust procedures. ? The behaviour policy and its delivery are not working.

The school's core values of 'respect, responsibility and resilience' are often ignored. Too many pupils have a lack of respect for one another and for adults who work at the school. Some behaviour is unsafe.

The school must strengthen the behaviour management systems that are in place, setting clear expectations for staff and pupils, so that behaviour improves rapidly. ? There are flaws with the curriculum and its delivery. In some subjects, pupils' starting points are not sufficiently taken into account.

This limits learning, leads to boredom and, in some cases, misbehaviour, as pupils do not want to do the work. Some pupils are absent too frequently, which impacts on their achievement. The school must speed up its plans for improving the curriculum and its delivery so that pupils enjoy their learning and attend school.

• The support for pupils with SEND is weak in a range of lessons. Some support plans for pupils with SEND are unhelpful as they contain limited guidance or no guidance at all for staff. This means that pupils with SEND struggle to access the curriculum.

The school must address the weaknesses in SEND provision so that this group of pupils learn effectively and are well prepared for their next steps in education, employment or training. The school has not addressed longstanding weaknesses in the quality of provision. Some decisions have not been made in the best interests of pupils.

The curriculum has been narrowed for some pupils, reduced timetables are used inappropriately, and pupils undertake some courses that serve no useful purpose for them. The school must strengthen systems of accountability so that weaknesses are addressed effectively, and decisions are made in pupils' best interests. Having considered the evidence, we strongly recommend that the school does not seek to appoint early career teachers.