Crosby High School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school at Crosby High.

They feel part of a safe and caring community. Pupils share warm relationships with staff. They know that there is always someone that can talk to if they have a worry or a concern.

Pupils value the wide range of social opportunities that the school provides for them.

The school is in the process of making changes to the curriculum offer for pupils. Currently, the school's expectations for the academic achievement of some pupils is not as high as it should be.

The quality of education that pupils receive is variable. Some pupils do not access a curriculum that meets their academic abilities well enough. T...he teaching that pupils receive in some subjects does not help them to learn as well as they should.

In the main, pupils behave well. They are polite and respectful towards each other in lessons. The school atmosphere is calm and friendly.

The school has improved the way that it helps pupils to manage and understand their own behaviour. For example, it provides individualised support and counselling for pupils when they struggle to access learning.

There is a varied programme of activities in place for pupils to develop themselves beyond the academic curriculum.

For example, pupils take part in outdoor learning, animal care and residential trips. Many pupils complete the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme. This helps pupils to build their confidence, social skills and their understanding of the world.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Over time, the school has experienced some inconsistency and turbulence in its leadership. This has led to weaknesses in the curriculum. The school has now regained some stability of leadership and started to make improvements to the curriculum.

However, these changes are in their infancy.

Recently, the school has acted decisively to make improvements to the curriculum pathways and qualifications that pupils can study. This is helping to raise the ambition of the curriculum.

However, the current curriculum does not meet the needs and abilities of some pupils well enough and this hampers their achievement.

In some subjects, the school has started to identify and order the most important knowledge that pupils must learn. In these subjects, teachers choose appropriate learning activities.

They identify gaps in pupils' knowledge. However, in other subjects, this work is underdeveloped. Teachers are not clear about the precise information that pupils should learn and it is not taught in a coherent order.

As a result, in these subjects, the school's systems for assessment are ad hoc and do not enable teachers to accurately check how well pupils are building their knowledge over time.

All pupils in the school have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school shares important information about pupils' needs with staff.

Pupils access a wide range of specialist and external help for their SEND as required. Staff are generally well equipped to deal with pupils' social and emotional needs. However, the school does not use the information that it gathers about pupils' academic starting points as effectively as it could.

This means that, on occasion, the school does not have high enough academic expectations of some pupils. This hinders pupils' achievement in some subjects.

Reading is prioritised and promoted throughout the school.

Pupils at the early stages of learning to read are identified quickly. They are given prompt and effective help to fill in gaps in their reading knowledge, including phonics. This helps pupils to read with increased fluency and confidence so that they can more easily access the wider curriculum.

The school has established clear rules and routines that pupils understand and try to follow. When they find this difficult, the school provides sensitive support to help them to regulate their emotions and re-engage with their learning. Pupils are supportive of each other.

For example, older pupils act as appointed ambassadors to help and guide their younger peers.

Through the curriculum, pupils learn about difference and tolerance. They learn about different cultures, families and relationships.

Pupils are taught important information about how to keep themselves safe, including online. Pupils receive helpful careers information, advice and guidance and complete work experience. This ensures that they have a sound understanding of life in modern Britain and that they are prepared for their next steps in education, training or employment.

Staff appreciate the additional packages of support that the school has invested in for them. Most staff feel that the school is considerate of their workload and highly supportive of their well-being during this period of necessary change that is happening at pace. Governors, supported by the local authority, have a renewed focused on the most important actions that they need to take in order to improve the quality of education that pupils receive.

They are united in their support for the school to make the changes that are necessary for pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, the school has not clarified the important knowledge that pupils should know and remember.

This hinders pupils from building knowledge securely based on their prior learning. The school should ensure that teachers are clear about the essential knowledge that pupils require so that pupils can embed their knowledge securely in readiness for subsequent learning. The school does not use the information that it gathers about the precise needs of pupils, all of whom have SEND, well enough.

This means that some pupils learn a curriculum that is not well matched to their needs and abilities. It limits some pupils from achieving as highly as they could. The school must ensure that it uses the information that it gathers about pupils' needs so that they study a suitably challenging and ambitious curriculum.

• The school's systems to check how well pupils are learning and retaining new knowledge are underdeveloped. Pupils develop misconceptions in their learning that go unchecked. The school must ensure that teachers are well trained to use assessment systems that identify and address where pupils are insecure in their learning.

• There are some inconsistencies in teachers' pedagogical choices. Consequently, some pupils do not build knowledge as they should. The school should ensure that teachers have the necessary knowledge and expertise to make the most appropriate pedagogical choices to deliver the curriculum well.

• Over time, turbulence and instability of leadership has led to weaknesses in the curriculum that have not been addressed as quickly as they should. This has hindered the achievement of some pupils. The school and governing body should ensure that recent actions to improve the curriculum are followed up and embedded swiftly to improve the quality of education that pupils receive.