Hadley Learning Community - Secondary Phase

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. Students achieve well.

They are keen to learn and all groups make good progress from their mostly low starting points. Most teaching is good or outstanding. Students say how much they appreciate the support and encouragement of their teachers and their willingness to give them extra help.

Behaviour in lessons and around the school is good and often exemplary. Students take pride in their school and say that adults keep them safe. The effectiveness of the Queensway HLC Autistic Unit is good.

Students are well cared for and good teaching is enabling them to achieve well. The inspirational principal works in close partnership with ...the headteacher and senior team who share her vision for the school that focuses strongly on promoting students' achievement and well-being. Senior leaders are very well supported by the governing body who provide outstanding support and challenge.

Leaders have been relentless in improving the quality of teaching and have successfully eradicated inadequate practice. Well-established procedures ensure students' safety, and the care and support provided for students facing challenging circumstances is exemplary. The school shows a strong capacity to improve further.

It is not yet an outstanding school because : A minority of teachers do not plan in sufficient detail to ensure that tasks fully match the variety of individual needs of their students, particularly those of highest ability. As a result these students sometimes find tasks too easy. The quality of marking is inconsistent.

Some teachers do not sufficiently inform students how to reach their challenging targets, provide them with opportunities to respond to this advice or give them time in lessons to do so.

Information about this school

The school is smaller than the average-sized secondary school. The proportion of disabled students and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is average, while the proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is high.

The proportion of students from minority ethnic heritages is above average, the largest group being of Pakistani heritage. A high proportion of students speak English as an additional language including new arrivals from Eastern Europe who are at an early stage of learning English. The proportion of students known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for students in local authority care and those known to be eligible for free school meals, is above the national average.

Twenty-six students follow a variety of full- or part-time alternative courses at Telford College of Arts and Technology, Walford College, Lord Silkin, Nova Training and AFC Telford United. The majority of students are entered for mathematics GCSE during their final year while a small number are entered in Year 10. The school meets the current government floor standards for secondary schools, which set the minimum expectations for students' attainment and progress.

The school runs a breakfast club every morning. The proportion of students who arrive at the school at times other than the start of Year 7 is above average. The Hadley Learning Community includes primary and special school provision managed by the same governing body.

In addition there is children's centre provision managed by the local authority. The secondary phase only was inspected during this inspection. The school took over the management of the off-site Queensway HLC Autistic Unit on 1 September 2013.

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