Winstanley Community College (Closed Academy Converter - July 31, 2012)
Kingsway North
Leicester
Leicestershire
LE33BD

Phone:0116 *** ***
Headteacher: Mrs Rita Nixon

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527 pupils, Mixed

ofsted.gov.uk

© Crown copyright 2009

Introduction

This inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools and three additional inspectors, one of whom focused on the school's provision for safeguarding children. Inspectors observed 18 lessons and spoke to senior staff, middle managers, parents, governors, the School Improvement Partner, outside professionals linked to the college, students and other staff. They observed the school's work, and looked at school development planning, the school's evaluation of its own effectiveness, school data, parents, staff and pupil questionnaires, and other relevant documentation.

The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at the following:

• whether students were making enough progress in English
• establishing how many students were making better than satisfactory progress as they move through the school
• the quality of teaching and learning
• the extent to which the leadership and management of teaching and learning had improved since the last inspection in July 2007.

Information about the school

Winstanley Community College is a Leicestershire school situated close to the Leicester city boundary in Braunstone Town. The college became a specialist sports college in 2008 in partnership with its upper school, Bosworth Community and Sports College, and another high school. The majority of students are White British with 21% from ethnic minority groups. Standards on entry to the school are broadly average, although the full range of academic ability is represented. The proportion of students eligible for free school meals is broadly average, and the proportion that have a statement of special educational need is above average. The college is used extensively by the local community and is a base for adult learning and youth service activities. A Children's Centre is to be built on the site in 2010.

Main findings

Winstanley Community College is a good and improving school that provides a strong foundation for students' future lives. Students are proud to belong to this thriving school at the heart of the community. Many described it as 'a great school'.

The school has many strengths. The principal and all leaders and managers have demonstrated a good capacity to keep on improving the school. They know the strengths and weakness of the school well and their own self-evaluation matches that of inspectors. The issue of weaker progress in English identified at the last inspection has been effectively tackled and the good use of student attainment data has enabled those students in need of additional help to be well supported to improve. A reading initiative has improved reading skills and now a similar initiative is beginning to have an impact on writing which has also been identified as an area for further development. This notwithstanding, students now make good progress from their starting points and attain standards in line with national expectations in English and slightly better in mathematics, science and information and communication technology. All staff are ambitious for year-on-year improvement in student attainment. Another strength is the SHINE values devised by the school (Supporting others, Hard work, Independence, Never giving up, and Excellence). These values permeate the whole culture of the school and are evident in the way students develop leadership skills and the ability to work well with each other. An innovative Year 7 curriculum is another initiative that is beginning to have a positive impact on students' progress.

There has been a strong drive to improve the quality and consistency of teaching and learning. It is now good, although some satisfactory teaching still remains. Whole-school training and support for individual teachers has improved its quality. No inadequate teaching was observed during the inspection. Some of the observations were conducted jointly with senior staff whose judgements agreed with those of the inspectors. Good and outstanding lessons were observed. In one outstanding food lesson, students were given an experience of purposeful learning in a real-life context. They worked in a professional chef's kitchen environment with tight timelines for the completion and presentation of their roast dinner. More skilful teachers are now sharing their expertise with other staff. The outcome of all these initiatives is that students behave well in lessons and enjoy school more. While behaviour in lessons is good, there is some concern from a few members of staff, parents and students that not all teachers consistently apply the school's behaviour management policy, and inspectors agree. This creates some confusion for students. Their attendance is now above the national average, and fewer are excluded from school. However, the presentation of work in students' books is often untidy. They use different pens; not enough care is taken with their writing; and they do not always show enough pride in their books.

The sports college status is having a positive impact on whole school attainment, especially in English and French. Speaking and writing initiatives such the pros and cons of boxing, commentaries on sports matches, and teaching some physical education (PE) lessons in French have been notable successes.

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Raise attainment further across the curriculum by ensuring that teaching establishes a higher expectation of the presentation of students' work.

• Ensure that all staff fully apply the behaviour management policy in order to achieve consistency.

Students are keen learners, participate well and work at a good pace in most of their lessons. They listen carefully, respond to guidance and co-operate with each other. Students of all abilities, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are keen to acquire knowledge and skills, often showing pride in their achievements. For example, less able Year 8 students enjoyed a challenging, quick-fire French conversation exercise, based on naming sports activities, in which the whole class participated. Students' attainment by the end of Year 9 is slightly above national expectations in mathematics, science and information and communication technology. Attainment in English has improved and is now in line with national expectations. Both boys and girls make good progress relative to their starting points. Persistently weaker progress in English in previous years has been successfully tackled by the school.

Students feel safe and secure in school, and say there is always a member of staff to turn to if they are troubled or concerned. Their behaviour is generally good in classrooms and around the school. Students actively pursue healthy lifestyles through the provision of regular PE lessons for all, and through their high level of participation in extra-curricular sport. Personal, social, health and economic education (PSHEE), food technology and science lessons make them aware of the dangers of alcohol, smoking and drugs, as well as the importance of a healthy diet. The school makes very good use of lessons in food to reinforce the benefits of healthy meals.

Students make a good contribution to the life of the school through participation in events such as school drama productions and charity fund-raising events. Older students act as reading mentors to their younger peers. A school council enables students to have a say in the day-to-day running of the school. The role of sports captains also gives them good opportunities to take on responsibility. The development of skills which will help students in their future economic well-being is good overall. Many of them show good speaking skills, are fluent in the use of information and communication technology and know how to organise activities such as restaurant-style meals for parents and other adults. The school has made excellent links with a local manufacturing company so that students can have early experience of a business environment.

Attendance at the school has improved and is now good. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are good too, reflecting the willingness of pupils to share their own cultural heritage, as for example in Black History Week and Indian dance displays.

These are the grades for pupils' outcomes

¹ The grades for attainment and attendance are: 1 is high; 2 is above average; 3 is broadly average; and 4 is low

How effective is the provision?

Teaching and learning are good. Teachers prepare and plan their lessons well. They provide a range of interesting activities, often relating to real life situations that motivate students and enable them to develop independence and take on leadership roles in the classroom. Teachers usually conduct lessons at a pace that ensures good learning and progress. Inspectors observed outstanding teaching in the school that provides a model to others, but there remains a small proportion of satisfactory lessons where opportunities are missed to consolidate learning. In these lessons, expectations for how work is presented are not high enough, and the literacy needs of some students are not always addressed as effectively. The school recognises this as an ongoing priority across the curriculum. Marking and assessment have improved as a result of a strong emphasis on their development, and are now usually good. Students know their level or grade, and know what to do to improve. However, the frequency and quality of marking is variable across subjects. Much work has gone into the development of a curriculum that provides a National Curriculum core accompanied by linked areas of learning. These are designed, among other things, to develop students' competence in learning, their confidence in overcoming difficulties, and their commitment. Begun a year ago, the programme now operates in Years 7 and 8 and has had a demonstrable and positive impact on students' attitudes and behaviour, as shown in the substantial reduction in fixed-period exclusions. Extra-curricular activities are varied, well supported and much appreciated by the students.

All adults in the school are fully committed to the care, support and guidance of the students, particularly those who are vulnerable or needing extra help with their learning. This is a strength of the school. Students themselves speak highly of the efforts of staff and appreciate this support very much. All students make good progress as a result of the strong focus on individual needs and with the willing cooperation and support of parents. Many outside agencies also provide good support. Careful record keeping, tracking and monitoring ensure that students are identified for appropriate help. The arrangements to support students on their transition from primary schools and then on to upper school are exemplary and ensure that students settle quickly. The parent of a Year 7 student commented, 'My son can't wait to get to school now.'

These are the grades for the quality of provision

How effective are leadership and management?

The school is well led by a dedicated principal who has very good knowledge of the school and its community, and is supported by a strong senior leadership team with complementary skills. Together they have demonstrated their ability and ambition to successfully implement change, and to raise standards and improve the life chances of students. A good example is their relentless focus on improving literacy across the school. Their work on data and student tracking has made sure that equality of opportunity and tackling discrimination is high profile. Students make good progress and whole school attainment is rising. This ambition is spreading to the middle leaders as well, who are now becoming more confident with the use of data and self-evaluation strategies so that students of all abilities and ethnicities are well supported.

The school, ably supported by the good governing body, ensures that good safeguarding policies and procedures are in place, and that they meet statutory requirements. High priority is given to the welfare of individual students, particularly those who are most at risk. Potential security problems have been identified well and solutions sought.

Community cohesion in the school is good. The school is very aware of the context of its students and the local community, and has created a number of outreach initiatives. For example, good relationships have been established with local community groups; thoughtful trips to an Asylum seekers project have raised awareness of economic migrants; and planned visits through the International Schools' Link have arranged visits from teachers in Sudan and Nigeria. The school is a real focal point for the local community and many use its numerous facilities. For example, the Asian Elders weekly lunch club; the 'over-50s' sports clubs; the youth service activities; playgroup; the use of the hall for Asian wedding celebrations; and the various swimming and football groups

Resources are well deployed to achieve good value for money. However, some of the teaching rooms are cramped with the large class sizes, and also, with no dining hall, lunchtime eating facilities are inadequate.

Outside professionals are very positive about their links with the school. They acknowledge their warm welcome and how receptive staff are to working with them. One stakeholder commented that, 'This is a welcoming school where you are always greeted with a smiling face and feel part of a big family.' Parents have noted the change in the school since the last inspection. One described the school as 'going from strength to strength' and another that it is a 'positive and productive learning environment'.

These are the grades for leadership and management

Views of parents and carers

Seventy six completed questionnaires were received from parents and carers. The overwhelming majority were positive in their responses. The most positive response was the way that the school prepares their child for the future, such as transition arrangements between local primary and upper schools. Inspectors agree with parents.

The largest area of concern was the way school deals with unacceptable behaviour. Inspectors investigated this issue by talking to parents and students and looking at the school's behaviour policy. The behaviour policy is robust with clear guidelines for staff. Inspectors did not observe any incidents of unacceptable behaviour in lessons or around the school, although some staff do use different strategies to manage behaviour. Discussion with students and a group of parents confirmed that when unacceptable behaviour occurs it is usually dealt with effectively. Some staff and students however, felt that the behaviour management policy was not consistently used by all staff and inspectors agree. This leads to some students becoming confused about sanctions. It has become a point for improvement for the school, to ensure the consistent application of the behaviour policy by all staff.

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at Winstanley Community College to complete a questionnaire about their views of the school.

In the questionnaire, parents and carers were asked to record how strongly they agreed with 13 statements about the school. The inspection team received 76 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 579 pupils registered at the school.

The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statement. The percentages indicate the proportion of parents and carers giving that response out of the total number of completed questionnaires. Where one or more parents and carers chose not to answer a particular question, the percentages will not add up to 100%.

Overall effectiveness of schools inspected between September 2007 and July 2008

22 January 2010

Dear Students

Inspection of Winstanley Community College, Leicester, LE3 3BD

Thank you for the warm welcome you gave me and the inspection team when we visited your school earlier this term. We enjoyed talking to you, looking at your work and watching you learn.

You go to a good and improving school. There have been lots of improvements since the school was inspected in 2007 and now you are attaining higher standards, especially in English. There is still work to do though as we felt that you could take more pride in the presentation of your work. The principal and all the staff have worked hard to make sure that you all make better progress in all subjects. Well done! All the adults in the school work hard to make sure you all get the support you need, especially with your work. You are given lots of opportunities to develop your leadership skills in the school, such as becoming sports leaders or being members of the school council. These opportunities develop your confidence to be independent and will be highly valued by future employers when you get a job. You all say you feel safe in school. Workers from other agencies like the youth service and the community support officer enjoy coming to work with you and the school staff, and say how polite you are. You get on well with each other and respect each other's different views and backgrounds. The teachers work hard for you to prepare interesting lessons which often involve team work. You have got a really good principal and senior staff who are making sure that the school keeps on improving and prepares you well for life.

In order for you and the staff to make the school even better, I have asked the principal and senior staff to do the following things:

• make sure that you all try harder to make the work in your books neater. You will then take more pride in your work and it will help you to revise for tests.
• make sure that all teachers use the behaviour management system in the same way.

I wish you all the best of luck with your future studies at Winstanley.

Yours sincerely

Clive Kempton

Her Majesty's Inspector