The Snaith School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

The Snaith School is a good and improving school.

The headteacher is a strong, caring and visible leader who is held in high esteem by staff, students and governors. She communicates a clear vision and strong commitment to improvement. She has appointed new senior leaders who have brought fresh ideas which have begun to be successfully implemented.

Students are keen to learn and they achieve well. GCSE results have gone up significantly in recent years and they continue to be above average. Since the last inspection the proportion of students that gain five GCSEs at grades A* to C, including English and mathematics, has risen from average to above average.

Students make good progress.... However, there was a dip in 2010 due to a decline in the progress made by Year 11 students in mathematics. Mock exams and early entry GCSE results in mathematics show that the school's targeted strategies have led to improved progress by the current Year 11 students.

The highly effective work of the specialisms in business and enterprise and applied learning has enabled students to develop outstanding workplace skills through the many links with business. Attendance is consistently high. Behaviour is good and exclusions are low.

The majority of teaching is good and some is outstanding. In a few cases teaching is still too prescriptive and relies on repetitive tasks. The school has made significant changes in the use of assessment.

However, the new systems are at an early stage and inconsistencies have still to be ironed out. In a few lessons there is too much variation in the clarity with which teachers use assessment criteria to break up learning into precise steps and to target the identified needs of students. The challenge to learn a new skill is not always presented with sufficient precision and enthusiasm to engage students.

The verbal feedback by teachers is effective but written marking is variable. Where it focuses solely on effort or presentation, students lack a reference point for improving specific skills when they are working independently. The good curriculum enables a high proportion of students to continue in education, training or employment at age 16.

Care, guidance and support provide effective support for individuals. Good transition arrangements are enhanced by good information advice and guidance and effective specialist school business and enterprise partnerships with primary schools and post-16 providers. Leaders have been successful in raising attainment.

Self-evaluation is accurate. The pace of change has increased over the last year and effective action has been taken to improve the quality of teaching and learning, the use and analysis of data and the use of assessment in teaching. The school has a good capacity for sustained improvement.

Information about the school

The Snaith School is a smaller than average 11 to 16 secondary school. The proportion of students known to be eligible for free school meals is well below average. The proportion of students with special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average, though the proportion with a statement of special needs is average.

Few students are from ethnic-minority groups. The school has specialisms in business and enterprise and applied learning. It has the Investors in People and Healthy School awards and a gold award for the information, advice and guidance given to students.