Bingley Grammar School

Keighley Road

Bingley

West Yorkshire

BD16 2RS

Head: Mr Luke Weston

T 01274 807700

F 01274 807713

E school@bingleygrammar.org

W www.bingleygrammar.org

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

Boarding: No

Local authority: Bradford

Pupils: 1814

Religion: None

Inspection dates                    12-13 March 2013

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3

Overall effectiveness

This inspection: Good 2

Achievement of pupils Good 2

Quality of teaching Good 2

Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2

Leadership and management Good 2

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.

It is not yet an outstanding school because

The progress which students make is not yet outstanding across the school.

Not enough teaching is outstanding and in a minority of subjects, mainly in Key Stage 3, there are pockets where planned work does not always meet individual needs. A small number of students lack the skills to manage their behaviour and take responsibility for organising their learning without close supervision.

■ While the school does much to share good and outstanding classroom practice, there is scope for this to become more routine practice in order that everyone benefits from the most successful examples.

Information about this inspection

• ■ Inspectors observed 44 lessons, of which four were joint observations with senior leaders. Inspectors also made a number of short visits to other lessons and scrutinised a sample of students' books. They also heard a small sample of students read.

• ■ Meetings were held with senior and middle leaders, governors and groups of students. A telephone conversation took place with a representative from the Bradford Partnership. Inspectors also spoke with many students informally, in lessons and around the school.

• ■ Inspectors looked at a range of documentation, including information showing students' progress and attainment, school improvement plans, monitoring documentation and records related to behaviour and safeguarding.

• ■ Inspectors took account of 87 responses from the Parent View website, one letter written to the inspection team by a parent and the questionnaires completed for the inspection by 93 staff.

Inspection team

James Kilner, Lead inspector

Derek Davies

Tudor Griffiths

Peter William Harrison

Janet Pruchniewicz

Full report

Information about this school

• ■ Bingley Grammar is much larger than most secondary schools.

• ■ The proportion of students supported by the pupil premium, which is additional funding for children in local authority care, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or those who have a parent in the armed forces, is below average.

• ■ The proportion of students supported at school action is similar to the national average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is slightly below that usually found.

• ■ The proportion of students from minority ethnic backgrounds is broadly average, as is the percentage who speak English as an additional language.

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

• ■ Where deemed necessary, the school provides part-time vocational courses for students off site at the nearby Keighley College as well as The JAMES project (Joint Activities and Motor Education Service) which provides alternative curriculum opportunities.

• ■ The school works collaboratively with The Three Valleys Partnership and The Bradford Partnership which provide the school with support and challenge in all aspects of its work.

What does the school need to do to improve further?

■ Ensure that all groups of students make good and increasingly outstanding progress in their learning, particularly in Key Stage 3, by:

• - eradicating the few remaining pockets of inadequate teaching and ensure that all is good or better

• - ensuring that teachers plan lessons which more accurately match students' individual needs and more closely meet the different ways in which they learn

• - encouraging students to take more responsibility for their own learning and behaviour

• - strengthening the systems for sharing good and outstanding classroom practice throughout the school.

Inspection judgements

The achievement of pupils                is good

• ■ Students enter the school with levels of attainment which are consistently above average. By the end of Key Stage 4 the majority of students gain five or more GCSE passes at grades A*-C including in English and mathematics, with an increasing number of those passes at the highest grades. A large majority of parents believe that their children achieve well during their time at the school.

• ■ All groups in school achieve better than similar groups nationally. The performance of students eligible for the pupil premium is monitored closely and funding used effectively to provide additional support and resources. Consequently, their average point scores, while still lower than those for their classmates, have improved each year over the past three years and the gap is closing rapidly.

• ■ Disabled students and those who have special educational needs make the same good progress because of the accurate identification of their needs and the effective support they receive. Senior leaders are developing the role of the dedicated teaching assistants who work with these groups so that this rate of progress can speed up more quickly.

• ■ Students have well-developed numeracy and literacy skills which they put to good effect across a range of subjects. Sixth-form students play a key role as reading mentors, supporting and encouraging the skills of the youngest students in school.

• ■ The very small proportion of students who attend alternative provision achieve well because their attendance and progress are monitored closely and staff ensure that chosen courses accurately match their needs, interests and abilities.

• ■ While progress for students in Key Stage 3 is good overall, it varies in some subjects where the quality of teaching is not consistently good.

• ■ Students achieve well in the sixth form and standards have risen consistently for the last three years, comparing favourably with national figures. This is because leaders provide courses which interest students and are relevant in meeting their needs when they move on to work or university. Also, there is now more frequent reporting on their progress and better mentoring of students, enabling them to know better how to improve their work and attain the highest levels.

• ■ The school makes a conscious decision not to enter students early for GCSE examinations as staff are committed to students achieving their full potential by making the best possible progress across Key Stage 4.

The quality of teaching                    is good

• ■ The majority of teaching is good and there are examples in several faculties and year groups where it is outstanding. However, there remains a proportion requiring improvement which the school is determined to tackle.

• ■ The majority of parents agree that teaching is good.

• ■ Effective teaching captures the students' imagination and allows them to develop their learning for themselves. This was seen in a technology lesson where teaching was graded outstanding because students were totally engrossed in their learning and the lesson proceeded at a rapid pace. Achievement was outstanding because students used their skills effectively to develop new ideas.

• ■ Where required, teaching assistants provide effective support for the learning of students with additional needs.

• ■ The school has a highly accurate view of the quality of teaching. During the inspection the judgements of teaching in all joint observations undertaken by senior leaders with inspectors concurred with the school's views on strengths and weaknesses.

• ■ Teachers' subject knowledge is invariably good and ensures that students benefit from expert guidance in a variety of practical and theoretical lessons.

• ■ Most teachers take full account of what students already know when planning lessons.

However, in some lessons the activity rather than the learning becomes the focus and there is little difference in what is expected of the most and least able in the group. The lesson then relies heavily on one learning style, meaning all must proceed at the same pace, so that the most able complete tasks quickly without being challenged.

• ■ Literacy and numeracy skills are promoted well in many subjects. For example, there is an insistence on students learning key words when approaching new concepts in mathematics and science. The majority of teachers are skilled in developing students' speaking and listening skills.

• ■ Where teaching fails to capture students' attention fully, some lack the maturity and independence to manage their own behaviour and learning so they go off task and, while not disruptive, this causes the individuals concerned to make little progress.

• ■ Students in the sixth form make good and better progress as a result of high-quality teaching.

• ■ The school's marking policy is consistently adhered to so that students are regularly praised for their efforts and guided as to how to improve. The school is developing the ways in which students respond to their work when it has been marked.

The behaviour and safety of pupils        are good

• ■ Students' behaviour around school and in lessons is good; they feel safe and respect one another's cultures and beliefs. The overwhelming majority rise to the expectation that good behaviour is expected at all times. Testament to the harmonious community is the sensible way in which students conduct themselves around the historic building.

• ■ Recent changes to the behaviour management policy, which challenges students to take responsibility for their own actions, are ensuring that rates of exclusion are falling significantly. Extreme behaviour is effectively managed through appropriate provision so that these students remain in the care of the school and they make similar, good rates of progress to those of their peers.

• ■ The large majority of parents responding to Parent View agree that behaviour is well managed. A minority of staff, particularly support staff, responding to the questionnaire do not think that behaviour reported is dealt with effectively. The school is in the process of ensuring that outcomes of reported incidents are communicated consistently to staff who report issues so that all are aware of the impact of these new policies.

• ■ Attendance is average and the school has drastically reduced the number of students who are persistently absent.

• ■ Students show a good understanding of different kinds of bullying pertaining to race, gender or sexual orientation. Students are clear that bullying is rare and, should it occur, they are sure that it is always dealt with effectively by the school. Students are well briefed as to how to keep safe when using the internet and particularly when using social-media websites.

• ■ Students readily celebrate the successes of their classmates. For example, in a highly motivating assembly preparing for work experience students spontaneously applauded the talented saxophone ensemble.

• ■ Students' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted effectively through a wide range of enrichment activities, as well as in lessons. Links to a community in Kenya and other international partnerships provide students with meaningful opportunities to consider at first hand modern day issues.

• ■ Leaders monitor the performance of different groups of students effectively, ensuring a good promotion of equal opportunities. Discrimination in all its forms is rejected.

• ■ The student council contribute to the democratic decision-making process through regular meetings with senior leaders and their classmates. Sixth-form students are worthy ambassadors and positive role models for younger students and the school has plans to develop this role even further.

The leadership and management are good

• ■ Astute and determined leadership from the recently appointed headteacher ensures an unrelenting drive to achieve the very best for the students. She is ably supported in all her efforts by an effective senior leadership team, coupled with a strong and well-informed governing body. Together they have brought about significant improvements in teaching, achievement and the curriculum over the last three years. This provides the school with the right team and vision to become even better in the future.

• ■ Senior leaders accurately monitor the quality of teaching more frequently and rigorously than in the past. They check on the progress students are making regularly so that all staff are increasingly held accountable for ensuring consistently good progress. Teachers do not proceed along the pay scale or receive extra allowances if their performance falls below the school's high expectations. In these cases suitable support and strategies to improve are provided.

• ■ The regular and formal sharing of the undoubtedly good and outstanding teaching is undertaken by the Assistant Director of Faculty (ADOF) team and the Bingley Learning Team (BLT), which has contributed to an increase in good or better teaching since the previous inspection.

• ■ The school offers a range of courses to suit different levels of ability. A good, broad and balanced curriculum ensures that students are provided with learning opportunities which prepare them well for careers and study after the age of 16. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of students is promoted successfully through the study of many different types of values and beliefs. Students are provided with good opportunities to develop their awareness of other cultures through trips and visits.

• ■ Partnership with Bradford Partnership provides good opportunities for checking and validating the accuracy of the school's highly accurate views on how well it is doing. The local authority has correctly provided only light-touch support for this rapidly improving school.

• ■ Safeguarding and child-protection arrangements fully meet requirements.

• ■ The vast majority of parents are pleased with the school. The inspection team investigated a specific query raised by individual parents but found no cause for concern.

• ■ The governance of the school:

- Highly motivated, well-informed governors provide a good level of support as well as high-quality and helpful challenge to all the work of the school. The governing body fully understands the strengths and weaknesses in teaching, learning and the rates of progress made by every single group of students. Consequently, members are able to assist in setting challenging targets for senior leaders in school development planning which are always linked to improving outcomes for students. Arrangements for managing the performance of the headteacher as well as checking on similar arrangements for all staff are thorough. The individual skills and strengths of governors are deployed effectively. For example, the finance committee has worked unstintingly to ensure that a deficit budget is now firmly in the black. They check on absolutely everything and are ensuring that pupil-premium funding is being used successfully to reduce the gap between the performances of different groups of 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 107439

Local authority Bradford

Inspection number 400912

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

Type of school Secondary

School category Voluntary aided

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 1,838

Of which, number on roll in sixth form 337

Appropriate authority The governing body

Chair Chris Quinn

Headteacher Julia Wright

Date of previous school inspection 30 September 2009

Telephone number 01274 807700

Fax number 01274 807732

Email address julia.wright@bingleygrammar.org