Ofsted: Mayfield School in Portsmouth making 'significant' changes and improvements following a previous 'inadequate' report

A new report has revealed that leaders and staff members at Mayfield School, in Mayfield Road, North End, have been working incredibly hard to improve following the previous Ofsted report which was published in February of this year. Ofsted said that although there are still significant improvements to be made within the school, it highlighted that clear improvements have already been made. The monitoring visit took place on November 15 and it outlined that the school continues to have ‘serious weaknesses’ – but it said that ‘leaders have made progress to improve the school’.

The published letter from Ofsted to headteacher Ashley Howard said: “You started in your role of headteacher at the school in September 2022, shortly before the graded inspection in November of that year. Since that inspection, there have been significant changes to the leadership of the school. This began by increasing the number of leaders in the primary phase, allowing for a greater focus on teaching and learning, and particularly on reading.

"Improving pupils’ behaviour and attitudes has also rightly been prioritised by leaders and it is here that we can see that the most significant progress has been made. There is generally a calm and orderly atmosphere around the school, both in and out of lessons. Very few pupils are now truanting from lessons and disruption in class is far less common. Staff comment that the difference is dramatic, and they now feel safe in school and well supported by leaders”

The monitoring visit found that there can be some inconsistencies concerning how some members of staff deal with poor behaviour and as a result of this, behaviour will be worse in some areas than others. However, leaders have also turned their focus towards suspensions within the school and these numbers have also ‘fallen sharply’ following the progress in dealing with poor behaviour. Students who would have previously have been suspended are now receiving intensive support in the ‘Odyssey’ building where they are taught. The visit outlined that these pupils are currently receiving a narrower curriculum as they only attend part time, and that the school should be working towards getting them in the setting on a full time basis so they can learn an ‘ambitious’ curriculum.

Mayfield’s headteacher Ashley Howard said he was pleased that Ofsted had recognised the hard work and achievements of staff who have been working to tackle the issues.

He said: "We're pleased that Ofsted acknowledged that the most significant improvement is that leaders have prioritised pupils' behaviour and attitudes, resulting in a calm and orderly atmosphere, and a reduction in suspensions. We will keep focusing on managing pupil behaviour, to see further improvements and to ensure consistency across the school. I would like to acknowledge our partnership with the trust who have supported the rapid improvement journey of the school and will continue to do so. There has been significant work and investment of the trust to date and whilst we have not converted yet, they are fully committed to working with Mayfield to move forward. To improve exam outcomes, our priority is on improving our curriculum; we've put a programme of continuing professional development in place and received support from local multi-academy trust, to evaluate and develop our curriculum. We’re also grateful to our governors for helping to drive improvement in this area."

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During the previous inspection, students had raised concerns about derogatory language, but the most recent report says the school has ‘increased the time spent on personal development and put in place a thorough programme to teach pupils the effect that such language was having on their peers. ’As a result of this, it has become apparent that derogatory and discriminative language will not be tolerated by staff and pupils understand this clearly, the report said. It added that while some students still have concerns about being different, they do not always report concerns about the way they are treated because they ‘feel it would not be handled sensitively’.

The letter from Ofsted said: “The previous inspection highlighted significant concerns with safeguarding. These concerns have been addressed and safeguarding is now effective. There is now a designated safeguarding lead (DSL) for both the primary and secondary phase and a team of deputy DSLs. This is helping to ensure that when a concern is raised, help is rapidly sought and secured. Pupils across the school are offered a broad curriculum, and leaders are ambitious for what this curriculum should achieve. However, leaders have identified that these ambitions are not yet shared by all staff. In too many lessons, especially in the senior phase, pupils are given work that is not ambitious enough. Too much time is spent on activities that are not supporting pupils to learn more.

"Leaders are taking action to address these concerns. There is a well planned programme of continuing professional development (CPD) which is tailored to the needs of individual members of staff. Staff say that they are keen to engage in this CPD and that they can see its value. The school has also had ongoing external support from local multi-academy trusts, who are working with middle leaders in both phases of the school to help them evaluate and develop their curriculum.”

The monitoring visit found that there are still improvements that need to be made within the school but that the leadership team, along with the staff and governors, there has been progress since the ‘inadequate’ rating in February. To view the Ofsted report and the monitoring visit, click here.

Cllr Suzy Horton, Portsmouth City Council’s cabinet member for children, families and education said she was pleased the progress at the school had been recognised. She said: "We welcome the feedback from Ofsted on Mayfield School and are pleased that the plans that have been put in place have been recognised as effective and are showing improvements. Ofsted found that there have been significant changes to both primary and secondary leadership of the school since the inspection in Nov 2022, and are grateful that it's been recognised that leaders have made progress, including increasing number of teaching staff and allowing for a greater focus on teaching and learning, particularly in reading. The previous concerns around safeguarding have been addressed and safeguarding is now effective and is helping to keep pupils safe. However, we're committed to continue to make improvements in this area.”