Big York secondary put into special measures

The schools inspectorate has deemed York High School “inadequate” and as a result the school has gone into special measures and is required by law to become an academy.

The school, dubbed as ‘coasting’ by the inspection team, has 747 pupils and was accessed on January 11 and 12. The report’s findings follow disappointing GCSE exam results in 2015 and 2016.

The inspectors found that there was insufficient teaching of a high enough quality to bring about the necessary progress of pupils. Particular concerns were expressed about the outcomes in science and modern foreign languages.

Head teacher David Ellis said: “We are obviously very disappointed that the inspectors felt that York High requires special measures as we are working very hard to ensure the best outcomes for our young people against a back drop of a much more difficult examination system.

“We do however accept the judgement and we feel that the inspection team applied the expectations of the new Ofsted framework fairly. The new Ofsted expectations are however very challenging, particularly for schools like York High where a larger proportion of our students find traditional examination assessment very difficult. That said we fully accept that it is our job to do the very best we can for our young people and community.”

Mr Ellis, who has been head at the school for ten years and retires in six months, said talks are underway with South Bank Multi Academy Trust which includes Millthorpe, Knavesmire and Scarcroft Schools, with a view to joining them in the future.

He said: “This will allow us to work closely with other schools within the trust to address the issues identified in the report. I will keep our community informed about the progress of these discussions.

"In addition we have already, since the inspection a month ago been able to make a number of appointments of new staff in some of the key areas for improvement and these teachers will be joining York High later in the year when their current contracts are completed.”

The report’s key findings were:

• The school did not meet the government’s minimum standards for pupils’ achievement and progress in 2015. Leaders confirm that this is also likely to be the case for 2016
• York High is a coasting school. Year 11 pupils have failed to reach their potential over a three-year period
• Since the previous inspection - when the school was rated as good in 2012 - the quality of teaching has not improved fast enough. Weak teaching has resulted in pupils’ inadequate progress between Years 7 and 11, particularly in science and modern foreign languages
• Teachers do not have high enough expectations of what all pupils, but especially the most able, can achieve
• Disadvantaged pupils make much less progress than they should. Teachers do not identify and address gaps in their learning with sufficient rigour
• The progress made by pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is inconsistent across year groups and subjects
• Leaders have not ensured that teachers’ assessments of pupils’ attainment and progress are accurate and robust in all subject areas
• Attendance, although improving, is still too low for disadvantaged pupils. Too many pupils are persistently absent from school
• Subject leadership, identified at the school’s previous inspection as an area for improvement, remains weak
• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. They have not developed a thirst for learning and either switch off or talk among themselves when lessons are not interesting and engaging
• Leaders, including governors, have not acted urgently enough to improve outcomes for pupils. Leaders have not ensured that pupils are fully equipped to succeed in their next stage of education or employment

As well as identifying key areas for improvement the report recognises the good personal development of the pupils and the strong work that York High has done in relation to values and diversity.