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Overall, the quality of provision in physics is good: results have been around the national average with recent improvement and a high proportion of top grades. Teaching is good and the department has improved since the last inspection. Strengths Areas for improvement Standards and achievement 130. A-level results have fluctuated around the national average over the last three years with some recent improvement. The proportion of students who gained a pass grade has been average but above-average proportions have achieved the highest grades. Results in 2001 were better than those in 2000, and are above the (provisional) national average. Male and female students have performed equally well. Retention and completion rates are good. The first group took the new AS-level examination in 2001; results are below the provisional national average. However, in relation to their GCSE results, these students made satisfactory progress and did as well as might be expected. 131. The number of students choosing to study physics is increasing. There are currently two groups in Years 12 and one group in Year 13. The number of students who have opted not to continue with physics to A2 Level is quite high, and the school took the sensible decision to combine the two Year 12 groups into one for Year 13. 132. The standard of work of current students is average. The most-able students in Year 12 have made a sound start to the course; they have good mathematical skills, which they used well when doing Young’s modulus calculations. Their investigative skills are in line with expectations so that they had no difficulty in setting up an experiment to measure Young’s modulus of copper. Students’ notes, as in biology, vary in quality; staff should monitor these notes more frequently to ensure that students have a complete, well-organised set of notes to secure understanding and enable revision. Quality of education 133. Teaching is good overall, and students learn well. The strengths of the teaching are teachers’ very good knowledge and love of physics, their good planning, and the wide range of methods and resources they use to help students learn. Teachers provide students with sufficient opportunities to develop their basic skills of communication, numeracy, and ICT. Valuable lesson time has to be used to bring the students who are not also studying mathematics up to the required level of numeracy. Teachers should make use of the additional time the school provides to support students’ numeracy, and specify their requirements for the physics students. 134. Students show high levels of interest. They work well together in larger-than-ideal groups setting up the Young’s modulus experiment. Students allocated different roles to each other so that all were fully occupied and the tasks were completed well. 135. Students learn well because the teachers use effective questioning techniques, which make them think very carefully about the topic. Teachers plan lessons well so as to interest and motivate students, particularly when the work to be covered does not lend itself to experiments or demonstrations. For example, through careful planning by the teacher, students in Year 13 learned well that internal energy is the sum of the energies of the molecules in the system. The lesson began with a quick review of relevant GCSE work and then moved swiftly on to A2 Level using a modelling approach backed up by a suitable worksheet. Leadership and management 136. The department is led and managed well. The head of department works closely with her colleagues so that the courses are well planned and the examination boards’ requirements met. The team has been quick to adapt to teething problems with the new sixth form courses, and are now well placed for continued success. Recently, the department has started to use students’ GCSE results to assess whether they are doing as well as expected. It is important for the department to extend this work. 137. Since the last inspection the department have made several improvements. The number of students opting for physics has increased significantly, which is testimony to the confidence the students have in the present staff. Students now learn well when acquiring knowledge and understanding, and assessment is now much better linked to planning.
ENGINEERING, DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING 138. In this curriculum area, the school provides courses to AS/A-level in design and technology and food technology (home economics). None of these subjects were inspected in detail; work in design and technology was sampled. 139. Examination results in design and technology have been broadly in line with national averages over the last three years. Two lessons were observed; in one, teaching was good, in the other, very good. Very exciting computer-aided design work was undertaken by students in Year 12, and a good focus on industrial practices and case studies has helped develop some very good major coursework pieces in Year 13. There have been outstanding individual achievements by both students and staff in design and technology in recent years. Standards are clearly rising, shown also by the high pass rate and high proportion achieving A grades in the 2001 examination. 140. Results in home economics have varied considerably in recent years, reflecting the small number (between three and seven) taking the course. Two of the three candidates who took the examination in 1999 achieved the highest grades, but the pass rate in 2000 was low. There were no candidates in 2001. 141. Within this curriculum area, the school currently runs AS/A-level courses in economics and business studies; the latter was inspected in detail. The school began an advanced vocational course in business studies, but numbers dwindled and the group was merged with the AS-level group. An intermediate-level vocational course could not be staffed this year, but the school has run such courses very successfully in the past, with 100 per cent pass rates and a high proportion of merit and distinction awards each year. 142. Results at A-level in economics have varied from year to year; overall, they are average. In 1999, the pass rate was below average but the grades achieved were excellent. In 2000, both pass rate and the proportion achieving top grades were average, and in 2001, the small number of candidates all passed with top grades. Business Studies Overall, the quality of provision in business studies is good. After a period of decline, results are improving and current work is above average. Teaching and the monitoring of students’ work are good. Strengths Areas for improvement performance of male students has been significantly lower than that of female. problems and the evaluation of solutions need further improvement. Standards and achievement 143. A level results in 2001 showed an improvement after three years of steady decline. Pass rates recovered to equal the provisional national average, and the proportion of students achieving the highest grades was above average, as it has been in most recent years. The 2001 results represent satisfactory achievement for these students, given their GCSE results. The great majority of those who took the examination in 2001 achieved better, and in many cases much better results than they did in their other subjects: this again marks an improvement after three years in which results have generally been lower than those in other subjects. The attainment of female students at A-level has been significantly better than that of male students in recent years, although males have been well represented among the top grades. 144. The standard of current work is above average and achievement is good. Students know a lot of facts and theories and call upon them readily when asked questions. Year 13 A-level students showed impressively precise recall, from their work in the previous year, of the key factors which drive business decision-making. Similarly, Year 12 AS-level students used their learning at GCSE well to introduce sophisticated concepts such as cash-flow forecasting and break-even analysis into some good early work on a business location decision. There are some weaknesses, especially among middle- and lower-attainers, in using their knowledge to analyse the behaviour of organisations in different circumstances, with the result that their answers are often too narrowly based on the recall of standard principles from textbook or class notes. 145. Students’ key skills are good. They communicate well, both in written work and when contributing to class discussions. Their number work is good and costing and accounting problems are well handled. Computers are used appropriately to help students process data and construct models of business activities.
Quality of education 146. Teaching is good, and students learn well as a result. Teachers have planned their courses well to meet the requirements of the AS- and A-level courses. Students relish the variety of activities and approaches used by teachers in their lessons, and respond well to teachers’ obvious passion for their subject: students show enjoyment and learn well. 147. Students work hard, and produce well-organised and well-maintained folders. They listen well in class, contribute effectively to class discussions, and are careful to take notes so that information is not forgotten. They use their textbooks and the department’s library very well to develop their understanding, tracking down sources themselves without requiring specific guidance or references from their teachers. There has been too great an emphasis on students’ building and consolidating their knowledge of business principles at the expense of exploring how these principles can be applied to a range of organisations of different types or facing different problems. The result is that students tend to be quick to repeat what they have been told by teacher or textbook without adapting it or considering alternatives. To address this problem, teachers are now using an assessment system that explicitly rewards students for applying business principles, analysing business problems and evaluating solutions. When this assessment system was used on the AS-level course last year, the quality of teachers’ marking improved because more specific guidance could be offered to students on how to refine their skills in answering questions. The quality of students’ work has improved as a result. In a very good lesson for students just starting marketing in Year 12, the teacher used video material to analyse and evaluate a marketing campaign, alerting students to the dangers to a company of trusting completely in the results of market research. 148. Lower-attaining students are well supported by direct help from teachers in class and by modified written exercises. A subject tutorial system due to be introduced this year will help to monitor their work more carefully and is aimed at addressing the under-performance of male relative to female students at A-level. Leadership and management 149. Leadership and management of the subject are good. The new systems introduced for assessing students’ work and monitoring their progress, outlined above, show that the department evaluates its work well and sets appropriate priorities for improvement. Although data are gathered to measure students’ results, they are not yet used sufficiently rigorously to analyse the performance of the subject in relation to national results and to the results of other subjects in the school, as a means of securing continuous improvement. 150. The Young Enterprise scheme has been highly successful in raising the profile of the subject, improving business links, and in providing opportunities for students to apply their business skills. A team from Theale Green did extremely well to reach the national finals of Young Enterprise last year. 151. Recruitment to the subject has risen in recent years and retention of students is good. A significant minority of students are accepted into the subject with very low GCSE grades and, although they are well supported, the school should consider counselling them on to the intermediate-level course, which is more appropriate to their prior attainment. 152. A number of aspects of the subject, including teaching, standards of work and students’ standards in key skills have improved and are good. Since business studies was not reported upon in the last inspection, it is not possible to evaluate the progress made since then.
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY 153. Within this curriculum area, the school currently runs only the AS/A-level Computer Science course, and that was inspected in detail. Computer Science Overall, the quality of provision in computer science is good, with above average and improving results and generally good teaching. Strengths Areas for improvement Examples of the use of ICT within the business community. Standards and achievement 154. Over the last three years, results at A-level in computer science have improved and were above the national average in 2000 and (provisionally) in 2001. Pass rates have generally been around the national average, and the proportion of students achieving top grades has improved, so that the average point score per student is now above the national average. In both 2000 and 2001, half of those who entered achieved one of the two highest grades. These results represent good progress by these students from their GCSE performance. AS-level results for 2000 were slightly below the (provisional) national average. 155. Standards of work in the second year of the A-level course, both in lessons and in the completed work in students’ portfolios, are of a good standard. Students in Year 13 analyse problems very well and provide extended, reflective answers to questions. The inspection took place too early in the year to assess the performance of Year 12 students in detail, but there is evidence of a sound start to the course. Students in Year 12 ask questions, expecting a quick answer, but are encouraged and guided in thinking problems through and discovering their own answers – for example in simple programming exercises using Visual Basic. 156. Students are well motivated, having chosen the course for a variety of sensible, well-considered reasons. They work conscientiously, and help each other willingly. Their behaviour is sensible and mature, and they enjoy challenge and respond well to it. Quality of education 157. Teaching was at least satisfactory in all lessons observed and good and very good in half. Teachers’ subject knowledge is good and lessons are well prepared and briskly paced. A variety of approaches is used to maintain interest. During practical sessions, the teacher intervenes appropriately, both to praise achievement and to provide support where necessary. The difference between the good and very good lessons and those which are satisfactory is that, in the latter, insufficient thought has been given to using examples which are within the students’ experience and might usefully illuminate complex ideas, thus ensuring clarity of understanding. 158. Homework is regularly set to consolidate work covered during the immediately-preceding lessons, and is regularly and helpfully marked. End-of-module tests are set and retaken if achievement is unsatisfactory. Students’ progress is therefore carefully monitored, and the students themselves have a clear understanding of how well they are doing and what they should do to improve. Leadership and management 159. The subject is well led and managed, as a result of which it is improving at all levels. Monitoring of students’ progress is good, but more use should be made of value-added analyses to target further improvement. 160. Resources of both hardware and software are good, and the school has been successful in obtaining hardware from industry. The school should consider seeking to extend the support from the business community to the provision of opportunities for students to experience the use of ICT in business, either first-hand or by visiting speakers, particularly in view of the school’s proximity to an abundance of ICT-based industries. 161. Provision for, and achievement in, computer science, and more broadly in ICT, have improved significantly from the very mixed picture described in the inspection report of 1996.
HOSPITALITY, SPORTS, LEISURE AND TRAVEL 162. Within this curriculum area, the school currently runs the AS/A-level course in physical education and the intermediate-level vocational course in leisure and tourism, both of which were inspected in detail. For the first time for this year, the school is also offering the advanced vocational course in travel and tourism in Year 12; there is therefore no history of results in the subject, and the small sample of work observed was from students three weeks into the course. The one lesson seen was good, with students showing that they had already begun to make the adjustment to the style of work required by an advanced vocational course; they had prepared material for the lesson well, and collaborated effectively to begin to analyse results. Physical Education (PE) Overall the quality of provision is very good: students achieve very well and make very good progress. Teaching is very good. Strengths Areas for improvement The use of ICT is underdeveloped. before they start the "analysis of skills" course.
Standards and achievement 163. In each of the last three years, all students entered have passed A-level PE - above the national average. The proportion of students attaining the highest grades (A or B) has been more variable: in 2000, it was below the national average but provisional results for 2001 show a significant improvement, half of all students achieving a high-grade pass. Students of a wide range of ability take AS/A-level PE and most do well when results are compared to the other subjects they study. In relation to their GCSE attainment, they often achieve better-than-expected AS/A-level grades. 164. Students currently in Years 12 and 13 are also producing work of a good standard. The folders of work on analysis and personal performance show students can apply theoretical principles to their own practical work, for instance by evaluating an activity and using the results to improve their own performance and to coach others. Students of average ability find this aspect of the work more difficult and their evaluations are less detailed. Most students make accurate use of the technical language of the subject, both in class discussions and in their written work. In an "analysis of skills" lesson, Year 12 students made a good start to this new aspect of the work, but some needed more support to develop their skills of observation at this early stage of the course. A feature of the work of the more-able students is their use of a range of material beyond the standard texts. In class discussions, students draw on their knowledge and understanding of issues and examples, such as in the work on historical aspects and sports psychology. Female students are achieving as well as male and, though fewer in number, make an equal contribution to discussion. Quality of education 165. Teaching is very good. The teacher’s very good subject knowledge and planning are strengths of all lessons. Teachers plan a range of activities to motivate students and sustain their interest, and convey their own enthusiasm for the subject to the students. The material is challenging and well ordered to help students understand theoretical principles through concrete activities and examples. In an excellent Year 13 sports psychology lesson on personality, the teacher skilfully set up an enjoyable task to identify individual characteristics, and used it to establish the major theories of personality and their influence in sport. Class discussions are productive: students contribute well and teachers use their responses to confirm understanding. In the most effective teaching, the initial question is followed by supplementaries to test students’ understanding further and to make them think for themselves. Occasionally, questions do not take this additional step nor probe students’ opinions sufficiently. 166. There is a high level of co-operation among students and they learn a good deal from one another. The very good learning environment generates good attitudes towards the subject and, as a result, the pace of lessons is brisk. Students are enthusiastic about their work and have confidence in their teachers. Relationships in lessons are very good. Students feel they do well in PE and that they are well supported by staff. This support is particularly strong in revision and preparation for examinations, with extra lunchtime and holiday sessions and good one-to-one support when necessary. A few students do not annotate and use their notes sufficiently to focus on key elements and to aid recall in tests and examinations. The lack of readily-available ICT equipment is a disadvantage, particularly for the analysis of performance and to encourage independent research. The school is aware of this issue and the equipment to address it has been delivered. Leadership and management 167. There is excellent co-operation between the head of department and the AS/A-level course leader, and these courses are very well led and managed. Analysis of results is thorough and is used to improve teaching and standards still further. The department has a lot of data on individual students but does not yet use it systematically to gauge improvement in their individual performance. Professional development is excellent and is an important factor in the very good teaching and standards achieved. 168. Improvement since the last inspection has been good: teaching and the progress made by students are now very good. Leisure and Tourism Provision in the leisure and tourism (intermediate) course is very good. Pass rates and the quality of grades achieved are consistently high, and the progress students make from GCSE is very good. Strengths Areas for improvement Managers should ensure that the very large increase in the popularity of the subject this year, which is putting pressure on resources of staff, equipment and accommodation, does not compromise quality. Standards and achievement 169. Standards in the leisure and tourism (intermediate) vocational course are high, with results well above the national average and good retention rates. The school has run the course for five years; in each year, all students have passed and the proportion achieving merit and distinction certificates has been high - seventy-five per cent in 2001. The GCSE qualifications of the students who study the course are modest, averaging 20 - 25 points; their progress to these good GNVQ results is therefore very good. Achievement in key skills is satisfactory overall, with some good work in ICT and group problem solving, and weaknesses in numeracy. 170. The evidence from work seen in lessons and in students’ files during the inspection shows that, just three weeks into the course, students are beginning to come to terms with the requirements of longer-term and more complex tasks. The assignment under way during the inspection was an introductory unit requiring students to work in teams to undertake fieldwork, select relevant information and organise it into a presentation with visual aids and a spoken commentary. At the beginning of the unit, several students found difficulty in staying on task and in organising the team’s resources to produce the necessary work; by its end, all groups had completed the task accurately and several presentations were of a good standard. Information was well chosen and well presented, both visually and orally. Students with SEN achieved well and were fully involved in data collection and presentation. 171. Students’ standards in key skills vary and are satisfactory overall. Their literacy is sound and they re-draft written work several times to achieve their best; many showed good oral skills in their presentations. Their ICT skills are good: all can use a search engine effectively to find relevant information, and they can summarise that information well, importing pictures and other images to enhance the text. Numeracy skills are less strong and need attention. Team problem-solving skills are developing well in the current group, and the assignments of previous years’ students show that these skills have contributed to their good results. 172. Students’ attitudes to their work are good for this early stage in their course. Most are well motivated and interested; several have already produced independent, additional work, and the chattering and drifting off task which characterised the first lesson of the unit had dwindled a few lessons later. Students acted responsibly on the trip out of school, and supported and encouraged each other well during their presentations: this is typical of the mature and sociable attitude of the sixth form as a whole. Quality of education 173. Teaching quality is very good overall, and at least good in all lessons seen. Teachers, who work well as a team, not only know their subject very well but also have a detailed knowledge of the requirements of the course, and of the styles of teaching and assessment which get the best out of students. They plan the course to match the needs of individuals and to motivate them, always aiming to make the work relevant by reference to the local area and by using stimulating methods, and varying the units taught from year to year to match the aptitudes and interests of the students. The teaching of students with SEN is very good; a skilled learning support assistant works with a small number of students, helping them to stay on task and achieve good results, in particular by boosting their confidence and helping with literacy. All teachers on the course share a style which is both facilitating and challenging: they achieve a good balance between helping students with problems and enabling them to find answers for themselves. 174. As a result, students’ learning is good. Although some, at this early stage, still require support to stay on track over longer-term objectives and tasks than they are used to, the evidence of the presentations is encouraging, showing that very good teaching and motivating assignments involving group work and presentation are beginning to develop a positive learning culture. 175. The course makes a very good contribution to students’ personal, especially their social, moral and cultural, development. In particular, the emphasis on teamwork, including outside of school, and on meeting the needs of clients, promotes students’ social development, while the emphasis on the local area and contrasts with other areas of the UK and abroad helps their cultural development. Leadership and management 176. The course and the teaching team are well led and managed. The assembly of a team of teachers with skills in ICT, literacy and numeracy has raised standards by strengthening the delivery of key skills and by enabling students’ individual needs in these areas to be targeted. The course is well organised, resourced and timetabled. The provision of both student and staff handbooks promotes achievement and progress by ensuring that everyone understands the objectives and content of assignments and the criteria used to assess them. The two units of work experience are well organised, and motivate students to produce very good assignments. 177. From recruitment in single figures for each of the last five years, the course has increased sharply in popularity this year, up to twenty-six takers. This expansion is partly the result of the quality and success of the course, and partly because the school does not offer other courses at intermediate level. The students, even those for whom leisure and tourism was not their first choice, are showing interest and enthusiasm. The group of twenty-six was taught as a single unit for the first three weeks of the year, and was about to be split into two at the end of the inspection. These numbers stretch the available resourcing - staff, equipment and accommodation - and the school should monitor carefully to ensure that quality and standards are maintained. 178. Since the subject was not reported upon in the last inspection, it is not possible to evaluate the progress made since then.
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