School report
William Bradford Community
College
Heath Lane, Earl Shilton, Leicester, LE9 7PD
Inspection dates
8-9 November 2012
Previous inspection:
Satisfactory
3
This inspection:
Inadequate
4
Achievement of pupils
Inadequate
4
Quality of teaching
Inadequate
4
Behaviour and safety of pupils
Requires improvement
3
Leadership and management
Inadequate
4
Overall effectiveness
Summary of key findings for parents and pupils
This is a school that requires special measures.
 Students have persistently made inadequate
progress in the main college and sixth form,
and particularly in mathematics.
 A significant proportion of students who are
entitled to extra help through additional
government funding, do not make the
progress that is expected.
 Teaching over time has been inadequate,
particularly in mathematics.
 Poor teaching in some lessons results in
students losing concentration.
 In too many academic subjects students are
not given sufficient work at the right level.
 The curriculum is inadequate because until
very recently the students have not been
offered a suitable range of subjects to study.
Expectations of what they should achieve have
been too low.
 College leaders, including the governing body,
have not fully addressed the weaknesses
identified at the last inspection and have given
insufficient attention to making improvements
in the sixth form. The overall effectiveness of
the sixth form is inadequate.
The school has the following strengths
 The teaching of vocational subjects and in
English is often good.
 Students’ behaviour generally is improving
because the college manages this aspect well.
 Students show consideration for the needs of
others.
Inspection report: William Bradford Community College, 8-9 November 2012
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Information about this inspection
 Inspectors observed 26 lessons, of which five were joint observations with the Principal. In
addition, inspectors made a number of short visits to lessons. They also visited seven tutorial
groups and attended an assembly.
 Meetings were held with four groups of students, two members of the governing body, and
senior and middle leaders. A telephone discussion was held with a governor and a representative
of the local authority.
 Inspectors took account of the 13 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View); they also
reviewed the outcomes of the college’s own surveys into parental views.
 Inspectors observed the college’s work and scrutinised a number of documents, including the
college’s own data on students’ recent examination performance and current progress. They also
looked at documentation relating to college development, staff performance management, their
professional development and the monitoring of teaching, behaviour and attendance,
safeguarding and governance.
Inspection team
Kevin Sheldrick, Lead inspector
Her Majesty’s Inspector
Kerry Wootton
Additional Inspector
Robert McDonough
Additional Inspector
Inspection report: William Bradford Community College, 8-9 November 2012
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Full report
In accordance with the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this
school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of
education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not
demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.
Information about this school
 This college is much smaller than the average sized secondary school with a sixth form and has
reduced in size since the last inspection.
 An average proportion of the students are known to be eligible for the Pupil Premium (additional
government funding to support the achievement of students who are entitled to free school meals
or who are in local authority care).
 The proportion of disabled students and those who have special educational needs who are
supported through school action, school action plus or with a statement of special educational
needs, are average.
 The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds or who speak English as an additional
language is below average.
 The college’s provisional GCSE results for 2012 do not meet the government’s current floor
standard, which sets the minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress.
 Out-of-school childcare is provided at the end of the college day and during the college holidays.
The majority of children that participate attend local primary schools.
What does the school need to do to improve further?
 Ensure that teaching is at least good and results in higher achievement for all groups of students
by:
improving the quality of teaching in mathematics and making sure that disabled students and
those who have special educational needs are taught the mathematical skills they need for the
next steps in their education or the world of work
making sure that students study a suitably challenging range of subjects, including GCSE
science
making sure that work is always set at the right level for all students
making sure that students always work hard throughout lessons
equipping teachers with the skills to ask questions which check on students’ learning and by
making sure that all students have frequent opportunities to make a contribution in lessons
starting lessons with introductions that inspire students
providing students with accurate feedback about how they can improve their work.
 Improve leadership and management so that students make at least expected progress, including
in mathematics and in the sixth form, by:
making the governing body effective in holding senior leaders to account for the performance
of all students throughout the college
equipping all leaders with the skills to tackle the college’s weaknesses and ensure this is done
with much greater urgency
making sure that senior leaders and governors check on the performance of all staff by using
the full range of evidence available to them
clarifying the roles and responsibilities of those leading the sixth form
using the Pupil Premium funding to improve the performance of eligible students.
Inspection report: William Bradford Community College 8-9 November 2012
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Inspection judgements
The achievement of pupils
is inadequate
 The attainment of students when they enter the college in Year 10 is average. By the end of
Year 11, the attainment of students is low, particularly when mathematics is included. This
represents inadequate progress from their starting points.
 Students’ attainment has been boosted by the adoption of vocational courses. A focus on GCSE
outcomes identifies that attainment has been persistently low and provisional results show a
further decline in 2012 and are well below the college’s targets.
 Students make expected progress in English but this is not the case for many students in
mathematics. Generally, students do not make enough progress in other GCSE subjects,
although there is evidence that this situation is slowly beginning to improve.
 The college recognises that too many of the more able students take inappropriate vocational
courses, particularly in science, and this means that they are not adequately prepared for the
next step in their education.
 Although disabled students and those needing extra help do benefit from vocational courses,
they make inadequate progress because they lack the mathematical skills needed to progress
into further education or the workplace. Minority ethnic students also make inadequate
progress. Students known to be eligible for extra help through the Pupil Premium funding
achieve less well than other groups.
 In the sixth form, the large majority of students have made consistently inadequate progress in
recent years. The provisional 2012 results indicate that this continues to be the case, although
there has been an increase in the proportion of students gaining the highest grades at A level.
The small minority of students undertaking vocational courses in the sixth form make good
progress.
 Students enjoy lessons that commence with inspiring activities that help them understand the
purpose of the lesson. They express a strong dislike of routinely having to copy objectives at
the start of lessons.
The quality of teaching
is inadequate
 Inadequate teaching, combined with a curriculum that is poorly matched to students’ academic
needs and abilities, has resulted in underachievement.
 Teaching, particularly in mathematics, is not strong enough to make sure that students achieve
what they should. It is better in vocational subjects because work is more often pitched at the
right level. In academic subjects, students are not helped to understand what they need to do
to improve.
 Teaching in the sixth form requires improvement. It is not good enough to help students
progress as well as they should. Too many students study courses which do not meet their
needs. Students spoke about a few occasions where teachers lacked the confidence to really
challenge the more able students because they were teaching outside their main subject
expertise.
 In weaker lessons, progress is slow at the start of lessons because teachers do not inspire
students or spark enough interest. The practice of students routinely copying down all the
lesson objectives is not effective. However, some lessons start well and enable students to
clearly see the purpose of the activities that follow. For instance, a Year 13 English lesson
began with students undertaking an interesting evaluation of images associated with Carol Ann
Duffy’s ‘Rapture’. This prompted their interest and led to their sustained engagement in lesson
Inspection report: William Bradford Community College 8-9 November 2012
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activities.
Teachers’ questioning skills are not as effective as they should be in all classes. There is too
much reliance on those students who volunteer to provide answers while the rest do not have
to think about giving a response. In addition, teachers do not use questions to check on
students’ learning in the lesson or encourage them to think about how the work they do links
to real life.
Teachers’ marking of students’ work is inconsistent across the college. While there is some very
good practice, too much feedback lacks detail and is unhelpful in showing students how to
improve. A Year 11 student captured the views of many in stating that ‘feedback does vary but
in sociology it is fantastic - it is personalised, and it makes it crystal clear what we need to do
to improve.’
Lessons generally reinforce students’ literacy skills. Many staff routinely introduce important
subject specific words in lessons but they do not allow enough time for students to practise and
use this new learning.
Disabled students and those who need extra help are taught effectively in the vocational
subjects because the activities are designed to meet their needs. However, teaching assistants
do not always offer effective additional support in GCSE subjects because their role in
supporting students is not clear.
Students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. Inspectors had the
privilege of being able to witness the very moving remembrance service that took place during
the inspection. Students are curious about different cultures. Year 11 students spoke about
how they would appreciate finding out more about cultures under-represented at the college.
Examples were seen of group work in which students worked well together, such as providing
very thoughtful and sensitive feedback to each other on their performances in a drama lesson.
The behaviour and safety of pupils
requires improvement
 College staff monitor closely all aspects of behaviour and this focus has led to a reduction in
exclusions for certain groups of students. Students’ behaviour is well managed and sanctions
are rarely needed.
 Attendance for all groups is rising strongly and is now close to the national average. An
important factor in this improvement is a very good system to check on attendance. Effective
work is evident with specific families where students’ persistent absence has been a concern.
 Students and parents think that students feel safe. Bullying rarely occurs and when it does it is
handled well. The college used an incidence of cyber bullying last year to promote students’
awareness of the potential risks. Students, however, generally lack awareness that homophobic
remarks are a form of bullying.
 Students have a strong awareness of what is right and wrong, therefore, almost all meet the
high expectations the college has of them. In a small minority of lessons a few students,
usually those who have finished their work, get involved in behaviour that distracts others in
the class.
 In the sixth form, students do not consistently receive the advice and guidance they need
because support is not well coordinated. For instance, when sixth formers need advice they are
often dependent on the relationships they have established with teachers when they first
joined the college.
 The out-of-school care is enjoyed by those who participate. It has been enhanced by the
improved communication that now exists between the leader of this provision and the
participating primary schools.
Inspection report: William Bradford Community College 8-9 November 2012
The leadership and management
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are inadequate
 Leaders and managers have not demonstrated that they are able to tackle the college’s
weaknesses. The local authority has correctly identified the college as in need of significant
additional support. At the request of senior leaders, this has included help from consultants to
make improvements in mathematics, although so far this has not resulted in better student
progress. More recently the local authority has arranged additional support through a
partnership with a local outstanding school. Although at an early stage, college leaders are
optimistic that this will accelerate the rate of improvement.
 Too many areas for improvement identified at the last inspection continue to be weaknesses
because the college’s leaders have not acted quickly enough to improve matters. For instance,
they have only very recently ensured that there is more reliable information about students’
attainment.
 The leadership and management of teaching are inadequate. Despite some success in
promoting better teaching in vocational subjects, substantial weaknesses exist in the teaching
of academic subjects.
 Leaders have a reasonably accurate view of the college’s weaknesses but they have paid
insufficient attention to the quality of teaching and whether students study an appropriate
range of subjects. They have not targeted improvements to the sixth form with the necessary
rigour. While the college’s improvement plans address the right priorities, checks on the
progress being made are ineffective. Senior leaders are using a narrow range of measures to
track progress and some improvement targets are too vague.
 Although the shortcomings in the sixth form have been recognised, the improvement plan is
not being implemented quickly enough. Only very recently have challenging targets been
adopted. Previously, leaders have not had the accurate assessment information needed to fully
identify students who were falling behind.
 Suitable links are now being made between the performance management of teachers and the
training provided for them. However, a minority of staff think that training is not meeting their
needs. There are some strengths in the college’s performance management procedures. Senior
leaders and governors are beginning to use a greater range of evidence to supplement formal
lesson observations to help them gain a fully accurate picture of the quality of teaching and
learning. The college recognises that the curriculum does not fully meet the needs of students.
Too many students take vocational courses that do not adequately prepare them for their post16 studies. Although the college is now implementing a more appropriate range of courses it is
too early to evaluate how well these are meeting students’ needs.
 The college’s approach to spending the Pupil Premium funding is at an early stage and there is
limited evidence to track its effect on students’ learning.
 The governance of the school
Governors have some understanding of the quality of teaching but lack a detailed awareness of
students’ examination performance, particularly in relation to those in the sixth form.
Governors are aware of how senior leaders are tackling underperformance and the
arrangements for rewarding effective teachers but they are not directly involved. All new
governors undertake training about their core role and many have attended other courses to
broaden their understanding of governance more widely. However, training has not been
effective in ensuring that governors have the skills to understand the college’s performance or
the weaknesses that must be overcome if standards are to rise.
Inspection report: William Bradford Community College, 8-9 November 2012
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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.
Inspection report: William Bradford Community College, 8-9 November 2012
School details
Unique reference number
120276
Local authority
Leicestershire
Inspection number
401927
This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.
Type of school
Secondary
School category
Community school
Age range of pupils
14–18
Gender of pupils
Mixed
Gender of pupils in the sixth form
Mixed
Number of pupils on the school roll
410
Of which, number on roll in sixth form
125
Appropriate authority
The governing body
Chair
John Freeman
Headteacher
Caroline Churchill (Principal)
Date of previous school inspection
16 June 2010
Telephone number
01455 845061
Fax number
01455 848665
Email address
[email protected]
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