Ofsted Report - Inspection carried out 26/27 January 2012

Ofsted Inspection Report l Letter to Parents from the Headteacher l Letter to Students from Ofsted

Ofsted Action Plan (Document)
Meetings were held with parents at the beginning of May 2012 to outline the plan and answer questions from the community.

Letters sent to all parents in all year groups to invite them to attend the meetings: Year 7 l Year 8 l Year 9 l Year 10 l Year 11, 12,13


Press Release: 6 March 2012

School will work with parents and carers to improve

Calder High says it will work more closely with parents and carers after inspectors issued the school with a notice to improve.

Ofsted inspectors visited the school in January of this year. Since their last inspection in 2008, they found:

• Current leaders have successfully improved the quality of teaching through the introduction of regular monitoring and rigorous evaluation

• Previous inadequate teaching has largely been eradicated

• Progress made by students is improving and is broadly satisfactory

• Students reach above-average standards and overall the quality of education provided by the school is acceptable

Inspectors said that recent results were “much improved” and the students were on track to achieve even more highly in 2012.

While inspectors also found students’ behaviour in class as compliant and their attitude to learning satisfactory, parents and students had raised concerns about the behaviour of some pupils. In their letter to pupils, inspectors say that they have judged behaviour at the school as inadequate.

“For this reason, the school has been given a notice to improve,” they said.

Head teacher, Carol Spillane, said: “While we are right to be proud of the successful improvements that have been made, it is crucial that everyone involved in Calder High now works together to address the inspectors’ concerns over behaviour.

“We will be seeking the views of parents and carers to find new ways of working together for the benefit of all our pupils.

She said that, while it is clearly very disappointing to be given a notice to improve, the inspection team reported that the overall quality of education was acceptable.

The team had found a great deal of evidence to show that the school was making strides in the right direction.

“Results were found to be “much improved” and there is good reason to believe students will go on to achieve more in 2012. All the staff have worked very hard to improve the quality of teaching. The curriculum was also singled out for praise,” she said.

“School leaders have also been endorsed, providing clear direction and showing the capacity to improve the school further.”

“I have no doubt that by working more closely together, teachers, students, governors, parents and carers can build on these strong foundations to address the few but significant concerns.

“The overall picture of Calder High is that of an improving school, already making progress and working hard to achieve more in 2012 and beyond.”

Chair of Governors, Rob Good added: “Nobody is going to pretend that a “notice to improve” is a good thing but it’s enormously important to be clear about the principle concerns Ofsted has raised.

“These concerns are not about the quality of teaching or leadership – Ofsted made that clear. 

“The inspectors’ concerns are about the behaviour of some pupils, not in the lessons but in and around the school, including those who go off site at lunchtimes. It is for this reason and no other that the “notice to improve” has been given.

“Governors and staff accept the criticism and are determined to work hard to improve things but I’m sure parents will understand that this is not something we can do on our own. The school needs the support of parents and pupils to make the changes - changes that can only be good for our children, for their experience in school and for their future when they leave it. This is OUR school and we all want it to thrive.