Hamilton School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an inadequate school Significant weaknesses in senior and middle leadership have limited the headteacher's capacity to improve the school. Safeguarding is not effective.

Leaders have not ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Leaders and staff do not record their concerns about pupils' well-being reliably. Over time, governors have failed to support and challenge leaders effectively.

Governors have not ensured that safeguarding arrangements meet statutory requirements. The additional support pupils receive varies in its usefulness and is sometimes ineffective, particularly for the most able pupils. Teachers do not use assessmen...t effectively to plan learning that is suitably matched to pupils' learning needs and abilities.

Pupils make inadequate progress, including the most able pupils. As a result, pupils do not achieve the outcomes of which they are capable. Pupils do not attend school regularly enough.

The curriculum is limited in its scope. Pupils do not study a suitable range of subjects. Some subjects, including religious education, are not taught at all.

Teachers' typically weak subject knowledge limits their ability to develop pupils' knowledge and understanding across the curriculum. Additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils is not used effectively because pupils' needs are not well understood. Consequently, their progress is too slow.

Pupils' positive behaviour is not developed well enough. Leaders have not ensured that staff have the skills and support to manage pupils' behaviour effectively. Leaders do not ensure that alternative education arrangements, made for pupils whose behaviour was not successfully managed in school, are suitable or meet pupils' needs.

Furthermore, leaders do not ensure that these pupils receive their entitlement to full-time education. The school has the following strengths The headteacher has begun to take firm action to challenge ineffective teaching. The interim executive board (IEB) has recently taken urgent action to check and improve safeguarding arrangements.

Information about this school

The headteacher was promoted to this post from a senior leadership role within the school in October 2017. The full governing body was disbanded in September 2018 and the IEB was established by the local authority. The first meeting of the new IEB was held in October 2018.

Membership of the IEB includes representatives from the local authority and two experienced headteachers. Phoenix College provides education for pupils who have social, emotional and mental health difficulties. All pupils have an EHC plan.

All pupils currently attending the school are boys. A small number of pupils access part-time activities off-site, rather than attending at the school. Currently, the providers of these activities are: Tutor Doctor, Rivers Gym, Reading Kicks, Whitley Amateur Boxing Club and Auto Skills.

The school receives external support from the local authority, including the senior school standards officer and the corporate health and safety officer. The local authority has brokered external consultancy support for leaders. The majority of pupils in the school are entitled to the pupil premium.