Whitby School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils experience a variable quality of education. The strong learning that pupils experience in some subjects is not consistently replicated in others.

Pupils do access an increasingly ambitious curriculum. They are studying a wider range of content at key stage 3 than they did previously.

In lessons, pupils generally behave well and focus upon their learning.

Staff build positive relationships with pupils. However, pupils' behaviour outside of lessons is less orderly. Although most pupils are confident in the school's ability to address incidents of bullying, others are less confident.

The school teaches pupils how to stay safe. They learn about th...e dangers they may experience living in a coastal town, such as the sea and the cliffs. Pupils learn about the social risks posed by alcohol and substance misuse.

The majority of pupils feel safe, although some pupils are concerned by the behaviour of their peers, particularly at social times.

Students in the sixth form experience a well-designed curriculum that meets their needs. The school supports their academic and personal development in well- considered ways.

Students in the sixth form achieve well.

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

The quality of education that the school provides is not consistently good across and within subjects. The ambitious intentions of the curriculum are not fully realised in pupils' experiences in lessons.

Leaders have taken action to develop the curriculum. They have made sure that pupils in key stage 3 access a deeper range of knowledge and skills than was previously the case. The school has mapped out the most important knowledge that pupils need to learn in clear and logical ways.

For example, in English, pupils are taught the important vocabulary they will need to understand before reading new and more challenging texts.

Despite these improvements, the curriculum is not taught sufficiently well across all subjects. The school's use of assessment does not identify pupils' deep understanding of important concepts well enough.

The tasks that are used to check how well pupils have learned complex ideas are sometimes too simple. This can contribute to gaps in pupils' understanding. In contrast, the curriculum for sixth-form students is more securely embedded, enabling students to develop strong knowledge and skills.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the same curriculum as their peers. Staff are aware of their needs and take appropriate action to involve them in learning. The school works with parents and tracks the progression of pupils with SEND through the curriculum.

Pupils in the additionally resourced provision benefit from carefully considered support. The school makes sure that pupils in the school's own alternative provision access an appropriate curriculum. For some pupils with SEND, access to external support can be difficult, which can be a source of frustration.

Staff carry out timely assessments to check pupils' reading abilities and put extra help in place for those who need it. The school is beginning to promote a wider enjoyment of reading through initiatives such as reading sessions in tutorial time. However, it is too early to see the impact of this work.

In lessons, the majority of pupils behave well. They respond to teacher requests and contribute to class discussion. On too many occasions, however, this is not the case outside of lessons.

Pupils' behaviour at social times is less orderly. Despite more intensive supervision, pockets of poor behaviour persist. For example, some pupils remain concerned by pupils vaping in the school toilets.

The school has taken more assertive action to address poor behaviour. This is reflected in a higher number of fixed-term suspensions this term.

The school is currently involved in a project with the Department for Education to address underlying barriers to attendance.

There is some evidence that the school's work is leading to improvements in attendance for some pupils. Despite this, rates of absence remain too high.

Pupils follow a personal, social and health education programme that teaches them about the importance of healthy relationships.

Pupils can access a wide variety of clubs and activities to extend their interests. Then benefit from a careers programme that raises their awareness of their next steps. The school's actions to develop pupils' understanding of fundamental British values are less secure.

Despite pupils learning about equality and respect, some do not show sufficient respect for some of the protected characteristics.

The school is undergoing a significant period of change. In recent years, changes to leadership have affected the school's ability to sustain the pace of improvement.

The amalgamation of the school with another secondary school in the local community has been a source of contention. It is commendable that, in this context, pupils' overall progress remains in line with that achieved by other pupils nationally. Staff have remained focused on pupils' education.

Leaders are bringing increasing stability to the school's work. The local authority has supported the school with a comprehensive review of safeguarding practice. The new executive headteacher is building on this work.

A clear plan is in place to manage the transition to the newly amalgamated school. The governing body has recently increased the capacity and expertise of its membership to provide greater support and challenge at this important time.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The school has recently carried out a major review of safeguarding with the local authority and executive leaders from another school. This is leading to improvements in safeguarding practice. There remain areas where the school needs to track, evaluate and act upon behaviour concerns more closely.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• There is variation in how well the curriculum is implemented between and within subjects. The use of assessment does not check sufficiently how well pupils have learned important concepts. On occasion, the assessment tasks that pupils are set do not enable them to fully demonstrate their learning.

The school should take further action to ensure that assessment, and the tasks that teachers set pupils, enables teachers to get a deeper picture of the knowledge and skills that pupils have acquired. ? The behaviour of pupils outside of lessons is not good enough. A significant minority of pupils and parents remain concerned about behaviour, including vaping by some pupils in the school toilets.

The school should take further action to improve pupils' behaviour outside of lessons and provide greater reassurance to pupils and their parents. ? The attendance of pupils, especially of particular groups of pupils, requires improvement. The school must take more effective action to improve rates of attendance.

• Although safeguarding is effective and the school records concerns about pupils' safety, patterns of concern are not addressed well enough. This can affect how well the school addresses any emerging concerns about issues such as bullying. The school should take more effective action to address any patterns of concern.

• The curriculum to support pupils' personal development is not consistently embedded. Pupils' understanding of fundamental British values is not strong enough, and some pupils do not show consistent respect for the protected characteristics. The school should take further action to enhance this aspect of the curriculum.