Wayland Academy

Wayland Academy Merton Road, Watton, Thetford, IP25 6BA

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  The vast majority of students make good progress in their academic development and their attainment is improving rapidly.  Teachers are enthusiastic and demonstrate excellent subject knowledge and, as a result, students are interested and learn well.  Students mix well with one another, behave well and incidents of bullying of any kind are rare.  Relationships between students and staff are positive, and staff are skilful in managing behaviour in the classroom.  The school is highly effective in providing a range of subjects and courses that fits the needs, aptitudes and aspirations of its students.  The leadership of the school at all levels is highly committed to ensuring that students are not left behind and leaders intervene effectively to prevent this. Leaders are having a positive impact on the quality of teaching and, as a consequence, students’ attainment is rising.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Students in English do not make as much progress as students in other subjects such as mathematics.  Some leaders and managers are not yet consistently effective in the way they review and improve teaching.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 34 lessons. Two of these were joint observations with the headteacher and an assistant headteacher. In addition, the inspection team made a number of short visits to lessons to consider aspects of the school’s work.  Students’ work in books was scrutinised.  Records and logs about students’ behaviour, safety and attendance were analysed.  Data and information about students’ performance in public examinations, including recent module tests, were analysed. Information held by the school about the progress made by students currently on roll was also considered.  The minutes of governing body meetings, records of the performance management of staff and school improvement plans were examined. Key policies and procedures, including those for safeguarding, were checked.  Inspectors took account of the views of students and parents, 38 of whom responded to the online questionnaire (Parent View), and staff. They held discussions with the Chair of the

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Information about this inspection

Governing Body, school leaders and support staff.

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Inspection team

James McAtear, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Sa'ad Khaldi Additional Inspector Paul Bartlett Additional Inspector Rachel Hobson Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Wayland Academy is a smaller than average-sized secondary school.  Most students are White British. The proportion of students from minority ethnic groups or who speak English as an additional language is well below that found nationally.  The proportion of students known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which provides funding for young people in the care of the local authority, those known to be eligible for free school meals or those with a parent in the armed services, is below average.  The proportion of students requiring extra help at school action, school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average. The school makes use of further education provision. This includes a small number of students linking with Easton College and larger groups taught by lecturers from City College Norwich on the Wayland site for vocational courses.   The school contains a specialist resource base, which is managed by the school itself, to meet

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Information about this school

the learning needs of its students.  The school makes limited use of early entry for GCSE examinations.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum level expected for students’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  Wayland converted to become an academy school on 1 March 2012. When Ofsted last inspected its predecessor school, Wayland High School, it was judged to be satisfactory.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve rates of progress in English to levels similar to those seen in mathematics and other subjects by ensuring that:  teachers match methods of teaching more closely to the individual needs of the students, including developing their skills of extended writing  students have the opportunity to apply their learning independently.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improving the impact of leadership and management by:  ensuring that governors monitor more closely the impact of the use of pupil premium funding on the achievement of eligible students  ensuring that leaders are consistently effective in raising standards of teaching across all subjects in the school through insisting on a more consistent level of achievement between key subjects  insisting that marking in books consistently help students to see how to improve their work.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school monitors the progress of all students closely and responds quickly to assist those who may have fallen behind. The programmes it puts in place to help them are effective. For example, a six-week module to improve standards in literacy has worked well in helping a group of students to get back on track.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled students and those who have special educational needs are making progress in line with that expected nationally and, over time, start to narrow their gap in attainment. These students are given well planned support that is tailored to their needs and helps them to make good progress. For example, the schools’ work in relation to improving standards of reading means that these students have made gains well above those ordinarily expected in English. In mathematics, these students make very good progress as a result of well-planned support and the good teaching they receive.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Although they are not a large group, those students who attract the pupil premium make good progress and start to narrow their gap in attainment in English and mathematics with other students because of the carefully targeted individual support that they receive.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Similarly, the Year 7 catch-up premium is being used well in order to support and encourage those who did not reach the nationally expected standard before starting at the school. This is helping this group to make good progress, especially in English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Work with Easton College and Norwich City College to widen the range of opportunities for its students in Years 10 and 11 is effective in enabling students following these courses to achieve highly at GCSE and BTECH level. As a result, these students, and those across the school, are well prepared for the next phase of their education either at college or at sixth form level.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school makes a little use of early entry for GCSE examinations. This does not limit the progress of those students taking these. For example, those learning English as an additional language sit an early GCSE in a language connected to their ethnic heritage. As a result of this, and the support the school provides for developing their understanding of English, students from a minority ethnic background make good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 When students start at the school, the standards they have achieved are below average. During their time at the school, the progress made by the students in mathematics exceeds national expectations so that students make very good progress in this subject. Higher levels of attainment than those seen nationally are reflected in a wide range of subjects including geography, art, vocational subjects and English literature. The value added measure of progress shows that students overall make more progress than the national average and that this picture is reflected across all groups of pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Although rates of progress are improving in English, and results in this subject are now higher than at the predecessor school, they are not as high as those seen in other subjects like mathematics.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers develop a positive atmosphere in the classroom. Because of this, students try hard to improve their work. In most subjects, teachers have high expectations and students make the most rapid progress when this is the case.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Students say they enjoy their lessons and make most progress with their learning when their lessons involve the positive use of information and communication technology. The best lessons ensure that students are able to engage actively by applying their learning to specific tasks that challenge them. For example, in one technology lesson, students worked independently for considerable periods of time, supporting each other in groups and with little teacher intervention, because of the high-quality of the teacher’s planning and students’ active involvement. In other subjects, students are not always given opportunities to work independently or in small groups.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Marking, for example in technology and mathematics, is sometimes used well to show students how to improve their work. Students in these subjects are able to see clearly how to improve on a step-by-step basis and find this very helpful. However, although marking is regular, there are too many cases where it is not detailed enough to make sure that students are clear about exactly what they need to do to improve. Time is not always given to allow for improvement or correction.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Parents and students agree that teaching is good at the school. However, both say that, at times, the amount of homework is not sufficient to ensure that students progress as well at home as they do at school. Homework tasks contained in students’ books are not always set as consistently as they could be.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The levels of work in most lessons were set correctly to provide challenge and support for students. When this is the case, teaching works well in ensuring that students read texts well and use numbers skilfully because the tasks set give just the right level of challenge and support. However, at times, students were not always well prepared for more extended writing tasks. Planning in these situations did not always take full account of the differing levels of ability of students. In these cases, teaching was not matched closely enough to the needs of the students.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour in the school is good. There is little disruption to learning in lessons, students are respectful of their teachers and willingly take part in lessons. They pay attention when their teachers explain topics and also work well in paired and grouped learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Students move around the school safely. Their behaviour in corridors and in social areas is considerate. The school’s records indicate that their attendance and behaviour when working with local colleges and outside school is good.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Students say they feel safe in the school. They are well aware of a range of risks they may face, either over the internet or physically in terms of fire and water. The school has appropriate checks and procedures in place to ensure students’ safeguarding.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school provides support for students who need to improve their learning through its support unit ‘The Specialist Resource Base’ which, although it is managed by the school, also supports students from other schools. It makes good use of the fact that that it is well resourced to help students learn more effectively. This has improved standards of behaviour and learning for the very small minority of students who make use of this facility to improve standards of literacy and numeracy.  Students are courteous and welcoming, show good manners and are cooperative with each other. They mix well together. For example, students in Years 10 and 11 help younger students to improve their reading, often giving up their spare time to do this.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The proportion of students who receive fixed-term exclusion is small, and it is rare for a student to be permanently excluded. The school is decisive in taking measures to include students effectively when their behaviour needs to be improved and in addressing their additional learning needs.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is below the national average. The school has addressed this through a range of measures, including telephoning parents and carers on the first day of any unexplained absence and enlisting the support of educational social workers to provide additional help to families who need this. As a result, attendance is improving. Students are punctual in arriving at lessons.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school makes effective provision for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural education of the students. For example, they are encouraged to form and ask their own questions about the world. The school makes good use of students’ own cultural backgrounds to help one another. For instance, students for whom English is an additional language assist primary-age students for whom learning English is a challenge.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s curriculum is broad and balanced and is particularly effective in ensuring the literacy and numeracy needs of the students are being met. It includes provision for the needs of students from minority ethnic groups that includes help to read, write and talk more effectively in English. This allows students to follow courses that meet their needs as well as their preferences. The school’s partnerships with other providers, like further education colleges, works well to ensure that vocational learning is an option open to all students.

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The leadership and management are good

 The standard of professional development provided for teaching staff is good. However, leaders are not always consistent in ensuring that standards of teaching are monitored accurately and improved in all subjects. In consequence, some variability remains in the quality of teaching.

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The leadership and management are good

 The support provided by the sponsor Trust, Transforming Education in Norfolk, is effective. Developments supported by the Trust and led by the Headteacher and the school’s senior managers have made a significant impact on learning. For example, the ‘The Specialist Resource Unit’ is effective in raising levels of literacy amongst those students who need to be helped to get back on track with their learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors are highly committed to supporting the school and they keep up to date with their training. They hold the school to account and have a good understanding of the quality of teaching, student achievement and of the data on students’ progress. They carry out all their legal duties, including those for safeguarding, and monitor financial arrangements and the use of resources effectively. The headteacher’s annual performance management is rigorous and he is set challenging improvement targets, while governors also have a good understanding of the process for setting annual objectives for every teacher, and the link between this and pay progression. They understand what is done to reward good teachers and to tackle underperformance. Although pupil premium funding is being spent on those for whom it is intended, governors do not closely monitor its impact on the progress of eligible students.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its students’ needs. This ensures that students are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its students’ needs. Students are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its students an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 137949 Local authority N/A Inspection number 406688

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Academy converter School category Non-maintained Age range of pupils 11–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 671 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Geoff Sorrell Headteacher Michael Rose Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01953 881514 Fax number 01953 885677 Email address mrose@waylandacademy.org.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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