Beckfoot School
Wagon Lane
Bingley
West Yorkshire
BD16 1EE

Head: Ms Gill Halls

T 01274 771444

F 01274 771445

E admin@beckfoot.org

W www.beckfoot.org

A state school for boys and girls aged from 11 to 18.

Boarding: No

Local authority: Bradford

Pupils: 1642

Religion: Does not apply

Beckfoot School

Wagon Lane, Bingley, West Yorkshire, BD16 1EE

Inspection dates 4-5 June 2014

Previous inspection:	Good	2
Overall effectiveness
This inspection:	Outstanding	1
Achievement of pupils	Outstanding	1
Quality of teaching	Outstanding	1
Behaviour and safety of pupils	Outstanding	1
Leadership and management	Outstanding	1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.

Information about this inspection

• ■ Inspectors observed 36 parts of lessons. Four were observed jointly with members of the senior leadership team.

• ■ Students' work in books was scrutinised.

• ■ Discussions were held with the headteacher, staff, members of the governing body and a representative from the Bradford Partnership.

• ■ The inspectors spoke to students in lessons, at break and during lunchtimes. They also spoke formally to four groups of students, including some from the sixth form, on the first day of the inspection.

• ■ Two inspectors heard students read.

• ■ The inspection team observed the school's work and looked at a range of documentation, including the school's plans for the future and on-going reviews of those plans. They also looked at behaviour logs, racist incident records and the school's safeguarding arrangements.

• ■ Three inspectors toured the school with students.

• ■ Inspectors took into account the 191 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View). One inspector spoke with a group of six parents and spoke to another parent on the telephone. The inspectors also considered letters from three parents and a telephone message left by another. Inspectors took account of 40 staff responses to the staff inspection survey and the school's own surveys of staff, parent and student views.

• ■ At the time of the inspection, the students in Year 11 and in the sixth form were involved in examinations.

Inspection team

•  Joan Hewitt, Lead inspector Katharine Halifax
•  
•  Her Majesty's Inspector
•  
•  Additional Inspector
•  
•  Additional Inspector
•  
•  Additional Inspector
•  
•  Additional Inspector
•  
•  Marcia Harding
•  
•  Michele Costello
•  
•  Alan Parkinson
•  
•  Full report

Information about this school

• ■ The school is larger than the average secondary school. It converted to academy status in August 2013. When its predecessor school, also known as Beckfoot School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good.

• ■ There is a specialist resource provision for students with physical disabilities. Ten students currently attend this provision.

• ■ The school is co-located with Hazelbeck School, which is a special school and is inspected as a separate institution. Inspection reports for Hazelbeck School can be viewed at www.ofsted.gov.uk.

• ■ The proportions of students from minority ethnic backgrounds are above the national average. Students with a Pakistani heritage are the largest minority ethnic group. The proportion of those who speak English as an additional language is below the national average.

• ■ The proportion of students who are eligible for support through pupil premium (which provides additional funding for students in local authority care and those known to be eligible for free school meals) is slightly below the national average.

• ■ The proportion of students registered as disabled or with a statement of special educational needs is below the national average, as is the number of students supported at school action plus. The proportion of students supported through school action is above the national average.

• ■ The school has alternative provision arrangements with JAMES, Yorkshire Tiling Academy, Educate Through Sport, PRISM and Confianza. There are nine students attending these provisions.

• ■ The headteacher is a Local Leader in Education. He and other senior staff support other schools in the local community.

• ■ The school meets the government's current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for students' attainment and progress.

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• ■ Further develop teachers' marking by making sure students are consistently supported to make high quality responses to the written comments on their work.

Inspection judgements

The achievement of pupils is outstanding

• ■ Students' achievement is outstanding. The large majority of students in Year 11 last year achieved five good grades at GCSE, including English and mathematics. This is set to rise again this year, so that about three quarters will achieve this gold standard. Increasing numbers are achieving the highest A and A* grades because of teachers' high expectations and students' excellent attitudes to learning. From their different starting points, students make impressive progress, often exceeding national expectations by a large margin.

• ■ Students' progress in English is especially strong. There is also a clear trend of improvement in the progress made by students in mathematics. The school's reliable internal data show that this is on track to improve even more for the current Year 11. The school has made sensible use of early entry in GCSE mathematics, resulting in a high proportion of top grades and maximising the potential of the most able. Recruitment to AS and A-level mathematics in the sixth form is strong.

• ■ Different groups of students achieve outstandingly well. Students with Pakistani heritage and those from a White British background make the same excellent progress. Disabled students also fare extremely well, because staff make excellent use of resources to support them to access the full range of subjects. Disabled students also benefit from specialist staff and therapy in partnership with the co-located special school. This ensures that they have the same rich opportunities as their able-bodied peers.

• ■ In the past, disadvantaged students, such as those for whom the pupil premium provides additional funding, have not done as well as others. In 2013, those known to be eligible for free school meals lagged behind other students in both English and mathematics by more than one grade at GCSE. However, they are catching up quickly and the gap between the progress they make and that of other students has closed rapidly in the last year. The same is true for students who are in local authority or foster care. Consequently, the school's work to promote equality and tackle discrimination is excellent.

• ■ Students who attend alternative provision make at least good and often outstanding progress. Those with special educational needs make excellent progress, too. This is because the school plans carefully for each student, helping them to overcome any difficulties and tenaciously nurturing high aspirations.

• ■ Achievements of students in the sixth form are excellent. They make outstanding progress across a range of subjects, resulting in above average results in A, AS level and vocational courses.

• ■ Students' reading skills are given great emphasis and, as a result, they are improving rapidly. The school has made excellent use of the Year 7 ‘catch-up' funding to help students improve their reading ages. Students enjoy reading and this is supported extremely well by lively displays and specially designed programmes to make sure students of all abilities, including the most able, improve their skills. There is a wide variety of opportunities for students to practise their writing skills in different subject areas. As a result, they can write at length in engaging and fluent styles.

• ■ Students are confident, articulate and accomplished learners. There is a buzz of learning in the school and students take a genuine delight in mastering new skills. They set very high standards for themselves and tackle difficult work with enthusiasm and the expectation that they will succeed.

  The quality of teaching is outstanding

■ Teaching is the bedrock of the school's success. Leaders, teachers and students are relentless in seeking ways to improve learning. Students, including those in the sixth form, relish the challenges teachers give them and demonstrate a mature understanding of their own responsibilities in making sure they do well. For example, they expect to work hard and do not hesitate to explain how they have solved a problem to the rest of the class or help a classmate to work through difficult tasks.

• ■ Students value teachers' helpful comments in their books. They speak animatedly about using the colour-coded marking to improve their work by, ‘beating the blues'. Some teachers make sure students get the chance to respond to the written comments and develop students' evaluative skills, but this excellent practice is not fully embedded across the school.

• ■ Teaching captures students' interests and provides them with a wealth of opportunities to explore moral dilemmas and develop a sophisticated understanding of other cultures. The most-able students are highly motivated and engaged because they are challenged well and teachers have very high expectations of them. Less-able students, those with special educational needs and disabled students have the same high aspirations because teachers are equally demanding of them.

• ■ Teachers are very skilful in questioning students to make them think carefully. For example, less-able Year 9 students made excellent progress in working out the sequence pattern in strings of numbers. This was because the teacher's questions supported them in creating and testing out each other's hypotheses. In addition, they thoroughly enjoyed competing with their friends and were very proud of their accomplishments.

• ■ Teachers and teaching assistants use information about students' targets and current achievement extremely well to make sure work is pitched at exactly the right level.

The behaviour and safety of pupils  are outstanding

• ■ The behaviour of students is outstanding. A finely honed sense of community is shared and promoted by all the students and adults in the school. All those involved with the school, including parents, speak with pride of being a, ‘Beckfooter' and how the ‘Beckfoot learner' is at the heart of the school.
•  

• ■ Students have a well-developed sense of responsibility and this is nurtured carefully by the school. An excellent example of this is that during review days, students meet with their parents and their tutor. During this meeting, students present their own progress information, analyse the progress they have made and suggest what their next target should be. This exemplary practice helps parents and students to maintain high aspirations. One parent commented to inspectors, ‘I thought, wow, you're only 11 and you can already do this!'

• ■ Students' pride and self-esteem are demonstrated in their conduct around the campus and in their appearance. They are smartly dressed and look after the building very well; for example, after lunch there is very little litter. Students of all different backgrounds, cultures and abilities socialise well. Disabled students are accommodated seamlessly in all activities. Students' enjoyment of learning is demonstrated not only in their high levels of attendance, but also in the swift movement from break to lessons.

• ■ Students have a sophisticated understanding of different forms of bullying and the damage it can do. They appreciate that adults will work with them to resolve the rare occurrences of name-calling or conflict. One student summed this up by commenting, ‘the school is like a massive family, we argue but we all get over it.'

• ■ The school's work to keep students safe and secure is outstanding. Sixth-form and older students are excellent role models for younger students, demonstrating self-regulation and concern for others. For example, students instinctively spot potential problems for wheelchair users or for learners from the co-located special school and take action without any fuss or bother.

The leadership and management  are outstanding

• ■ The headteacher's implacable focus on getting the very best possible outcomes for students is proving to be highly effective. Supported by an equally driven senior team, together they have secured impressive academic results for students. This is supported by a strong focus on developing students' whole experience and, as a result, students develop into intelligent, independent thinkers with compassion and a clear-eyed understanding of their responsibilities as members of the local, national and international community.
•  

• ■ The senior team has the overwhelming support of parents, staff, students and the school improvement community in Bradford. Parents are quick to praise the school. One or two parents say leaders are slow to deal with concerns, but the vast majority say the school responds quickly and effectively if they contact the school. Inspection evidence shows that systems to deal with the rare occasions when parents complain are clear and transparent.

• ■ All the adults in the school contribute to its success. Leaders and managers are reflective and ambitious. Their evaluation of the school's strengths and areas which could be developed is unflinchingly accurate. Evaluations are used effectively to plan for ambitious improvements or to take swift action, if any area dips below leaders' exacting standards. For example, the mathematics subject leader spotted that disadvantaged students were not doing as well as others in Year 10. She worked swiftly with senior leaders to review the course and teaching strategies and consequently this improved rapidly.

• ■ There is a restless hunger for improvement at all levels of leadership, including the governance. This manifests itself as a determination that no student will be left behind or disadvantaged. Consequently, all groups of students are making good or outstanding progress academically and in developing their personal skills and qualities. Students in local authority or foster care benefit from leaders' close monitoring and agile response to their changing needs.

• ■ Leaders have had marked success in improving the quality of teaching. Teachers are enthusiastic in trying new ideas and say leaders are inspiring them to improve their practice. Accordingly, there is a substantial core of outstanding teaching. On the few occasions where teaching is less than good, teachers are under no illusion that leaders will offer them strong support and equally strong, but respectful, challenge.

• ■ Students, including those in the sixth form and disabled students, benefit from a rich and memorable curriculum which makes full use of a range of partnerships. For example, the students attend ‘Deeper Learning' days during which they explore some topics in depth. A recent example was a day to raise students' awareness of drugs. Leaders use the ‘Beckfoot Learning Model' to promote students' outstanding social, moral, spiritual and cultural development. There are exemplary opportunities for students to develop leadership skills, volunteer and take part in charitable events.

• ■ The school makes a strong contribution to the Bradford Partnership and the development of other local schools. Middle and senior leaders and other groups of teachers are generous with their time to support local developments. Leadership training is strong and teachers appreciate the high quality professional development and coaching that are an integral part of the school's work.

• ■ The governance of the school:

• - Governance of the school is outstanding. Governors know the school's strengths extremely well and offer the headteacher and the senior team insightful challenge. The decision to delegate the headteacher's business and administrative duties across the senior team was an important move. This has allowed the headteacher to focus on the core work of the school and the impact has been to secure outstanding teaching and learning.

• - Governors have made sure that the way teachers are rewarded is closely tied to their performance. There is a clear line of sight between the school's development plan, teachers' pay and students' achievement.

• - Safeguarding arrangements are thorough and statutory duties are very well attended to, ensuring that students are safe.

• - Pupil premium funding has been used very effectively to make sure disadvantaged students have the same opportunities to succeed as other students. Governors have made sure this extends to improving the attendance of those students.

What inspection judgements mean

School
Grade	Judgement	Description
Grade 1	Outstanding	An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils' needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment.
Grade 2	Good	A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils' needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment.
Grade 3	Requires improvement	A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection.
Grade 4	Inadequate	A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school's leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

School details

Unique reference number 139975

Inspection number 442614

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

Type of school	Secondary
School category	Academy converter
Age range of pupils	11-18
Gender of pupils	Mixed
Gender of pupils in the sixth form	Mixed
Number of pupils on the school roll	1,639
Of which, number on roll in sixth form	300
Appropriate authority	The governing body
Chair	John Winkley
Headteacher	David Horn
Date of previous school inspection	5 November 2008
Telephone number	01274 771444
Fax number	Not applicable
Email address	admin@ beckfoot.org

Any complaints about the inspection or the report should be made following the procedures set out in the guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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