(updated 16 March)
St John Fisher RC Comprehensive School Chatham. OFSTED (June 2010) describes the schools as a larger-than-average, ethnically diverse secondary school. About half of the pupils are from White British backgrounds, with the largest groups from Black African or Eastern Europe heritages. An above-average proportion of pupils joins or leaves the school part way through their education. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is increasing steadily year-on-year and is high. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is above average, as is the proportion with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Since November 2009, it has been supported by the Rochester Grammar School and its Executive Head, Ms Denise Shepherd.
OFSTED has judged (June 2010) that: the school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than in all the circumstances it could reasonably be expected to perform. The school is therefore given a notice to improve. Significant improvement is required in relation to the quality of teaching and the effectiveness of the sixth form. The local authority recognised the school's weaknesses at the beginning of the current academic year when steps were taken to strengthen leadership and staff development through a partnership arrangement with Rochester Grammar. Changes have also been made to strengthen governance. Significant improvements have been made, most particularly in pupils' behaviour, which is now good. Pupils are responding well to higher expectations for their personal and academic development, shown in their above-average attendance.
Pupils' attainment is marginally below the national average by the end of Year 11, and their progress is satisfactory overall. However, this has been achieved through additional lessons and revision courses, mostly for Year 11 pupils, to make up for inconsistent progress in lessons because teaching has too many weaknesses. Frequent changes of teachers for some groups has led to a lack of continuity for pupils, limiting their progress. Pupils generally show interest in their learning, but in the weaker lessons this is not sustained because tasks lack relevance or they are not closely enough matched to needs. By contrast, when activities capture their interest, pupils are enthusiastic learners. Pupils make consistently good progress in English and satisfactory progress in the other core subjects of mathematics and science. This has not been the case across the wider curriculum. However, pupils are now making more rapid progress because the curriculum has been broadened with the introduction of more vocational and applied courses. This has enabled a closer match of courses to the pupils needs and interests, particularly girls. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language make satisfactory progress overall, often boosted by the additional provision in Year 11. In lessons, pupils' progress is sometimes limited when teachers do not use assessment information well enough to take account of individual starting points or needs, such as when pupils find writing difficult or are at a relatively early stage of learning English.
The sixth form is inadequate because of weaknesses in teaching that are similar to the rest of the school, and a curriculum which has not promoted appropriate progression for students from their GCSE starting points. Some changes to the curriculum were made for students currently in their first year in the sixth form, and close monitoring of their progress is now starting to improve attainment.
The executive principal has brought a sense of urgency to all areas of school improvement. Under her skilled and resolute leadership, there is a strong sense of purpose amongst staff and a determination to bring about the necessary changes. The need to depend on supply teachers has been vastly reduced by the recruitment of staff with the necessary skills and expertise. The success of the changes already made is evident in improved attainment for pupils across the school, which confirms the capacity for further development and improvement.
A monitoring visit by OFSTED in Febraury 2011 found 'satisfactory progress'.
Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School (the Math, the Maths School). Rochester. The Math, found outstanding in its recent OFSTED Report, has been regularly oversubscribed for the past five years. In that time, all boys who have passed and been initially turned down because of oversubscription, have eventually been offered places where parents have persisted. Medway Council has vigorously opposed appeals on grounds of oversubscription, to the extent that I have taken them to the Ombudsman complaining about maladminstration on three occasions, have been awarded fresh appeals for parents, and have then secured places at the school. This process has on occasion been very protracted. For 2008 entry, the Planned Admission number was raised from 155 boys to 168, some parents were successful on appeal, others were turned down and I complained to the Local Government Ombudsman on behalf of these, successfully winning places for all who had persisted. Those being turned down have mainly been from the further parts of the Hoo Peninsula, the Rainham area of Medway or beyond, and occasionally from areas such as Stockbury & Meopham in Kent. For 2009 entry with the new headteacher vigorously opposing appellants, there were just three successful appeals out of 22. 33 qualified first choices oversubscribed on 2nd March 2010. However, there were more successful appeals for 2010 entry.
Strood Academy This new Academy opened in September 2009, replacing the usually oversubscribed successful girls' Chapter School and the poorly performing boys' Temple School, to be built on the Chapter site at a cost of £24 million. Parents of girls who have sent them to Chapter because it was single sex were upset with good reason. Medway Council has falling rolls and two of the three Academy proposals see a reduction of two in the number of secondary schools. The new Academy is mixed and will almost certainly have a smaller roll than the current combined numbers, so some girls who would normally gain places will in any case be denied them. It will admit boys for the first time in 2009, the full transition being over a five year period. 13 first choices oversubscribed on 2nd March 2010. The main sponsor is the University for the Creative Arts, an organisation across five sites, originating in the previous Kent College of Art. OFSTED Mar 2012 - Satisfactory. Excerpts from the Report: Information about the schoolThis academy is larger than most secondary schools and has an average-sized sixth form. The academy specialises in business, enterprise and mathematics. The proportion of students entering or leaving the academy other than at the usual times is in line with the national average for secondary school. An average number of students are known to be eligible for free school meals. The proportion of disabled students and those with special educational needs is above average, as is the proportion of those with a statement of special educational needs, most having behavioural, social, emotional and learning difficulties, and a significant number with specific or moderate difficulties or autistic disorders.The academy meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.Key findings This is a satisfactory academy and sixth form. The majority of parents, carers and students are positive about the quality of education and care provided. Since becoming an academy, GCSE results have significantly improved over the two years from well below the floor standard. The academy is not judged as good because, although students start from a significantly low base, they demonstrate satisfactory progress in mathematics, science and English. Teaching is satisfactory with much that is good. Where lessons match students’ needs and abilities through well-structured tasks and teachers check learning, students make good progress. Some lessons lack sufficient challenge; assessment activities and marking are not always employed effectively to plan future learning. In the sixth form, induction and lesson activities often do not extend students’ learning, particularly their critical thinking or writing skills. Effective support for disabled students, those with special educational needs and boys results in the majority making satisfactory progress. Attendance is now broadly in line with the average. Students behave well, feel safe and most are keen learners. Previous high levels of exclusions have reduced significantly, owing to the structured, well attended interventions and rigorous monitoring of students with unacceptable behaviours. The vast majority of students progress to post-16 education, employment or training. The leadership team has been successful in overcoming many of the challenges it has faced. More stable staffing, a personalised curriculum and effective actions have reduced, although not quite eliminated underachievement, and resulted in significant improvements in teaching and standards in Key Stage 4.