Winterhill School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.

The passion and ambition of the headteacher to provide the best education for the students of this community has driven up standards significantly over the last six years. The governing body ensures policies and procedures are followed. They have an excellent grasp of all funding and offer valuable support and challenge to the headteacher.

The combined effect of good teaching, excellent care and guidance and a positive culture for learning, results in students achieving significant success across most subjects. A high proportion of students now leave this school having made excellent progress in English, mathematics and science. The cons...tant development and improvement of all staff is a key factor in rapidly improving the quality of teaching and students' support across the whole school.

A high proportion of students who have complex needs attend this school. All benefit from the excellent support of a dedicated and highly professional team of support staff. The behaviour of students has also improved significantly.

Movement around corridors is calm. Students show care and respect for each other and for adults in this harmonious community. Students feel safe and they are safe.

Students' personal development and their social, moral, spiritual and cultural development are nurtured through an excellent programme of enriching activities. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Too few students gain good GCSE results in humanities and in modern foreign languages. The quality of teaching is inconsistent across the school.

There is much that is outstanding but also, some that requires improvement. Overall teaching is good. Teachers' effective use of assessment is the most significant difference between the best and the weakest teaching.

Information about this school

Winterhill School is an above average sized secondary school serving communities in the north west of Rotherham. There are more girls on roll than boys. Since the last full inspection, a new deputy headteacher has been appointed and the senior leadership team reorganised.

The proportion of students who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium is higher than the national average. The school is based within a diverse community. A fifth of the student body are from minority ethnic groups; mainly students who have Pakistani heritage and an increasing number who have Gypsy/Roma heritage.

English is believed to be an additional language for a significant proportion of students. The proportion of students supported at school action is much higher than that found nationally. The proportion of students supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.

Forty-five students attend part-time, off-site provision. Twenty attend The Bridge with the others attending: Happy Days Nursery (1), Hutton Park (7), Swinton Lock (1), Youth Service (8) and the Youth Centre (8). The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for students' attainment and progress.