The Giles Academy

The Giles Academy Church Lane, Old Leake, Boston, PE22 9LD

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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 Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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This is a good school

 Students reach at least average standards by the end of Year 11. This represents good progress in relation to their below-average starting points.  Disabled students and those who have special educational needs make good progress and achieve well.  The drive for excellence shown by the leadership and management of the school are outstanding because their actions are strongly improving teaching and accelerating students’ achievement.  Teaching in most subjects is good, with some that is outstanding.  Students are very proud of their school. They show great respect to one another and adults. Their behaviour is exemplary, both in lessons and around school and they feel safe.  Additional government funding is used well to provide extra support and challenge for groups of disadvantaged students. The gap in their achievement against other students is narrowing.  Students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural

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This is a good school

development is excellent because they are given the opportunity to develop the necessary skills and attitudes to enable them to fully participate in life when they leave the school.  The sixth form is good. Students make good progress on BTEC, AS and A level courses. The school makes sure that students get the individual high-quality guidance they need to decide upon their education, training or employment when they leave school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 In a few lessons, questioning is not sufficiently challenging and probing for all students, particularly the most able; to achieve the best they are capable of.  While overall attendance is in line with national averages, some students’ attendance is too low and so they do not make the progress they should.  Marking and assessment are not consistent across the school in providing advice to students about what exactly they need to do in order to make improvements to their work and make better progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in 41 lessons. Five of these observations were carried out jointly with members of the school’s leadership team.  Meetings were held with the school’s leadership team, school staff, the Chair of the Governing Body, and groups of students  Inspectors took account of the 21 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). Responses to questionnaires completed by 37 staff were also analysed and considered  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including: national published assessment data and the school’s own data; the school’s self-evaluation; improvement plans; safeguarding policies, behaviour policies and school records. They also scrutinised a sample of students’ work.

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Inspection team

Christine Young, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Bob Roberts Additional Inspector Richard Masterton Additional Inspector Keith Brown Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The Giles Academy is an average-sized secondary school  The Giles Academy has sixth form that is growing in number and in popularity.  It is a non-selective secondary modern school in an area where selection for five neighbouring grammar schools takes place.  The school converted to become an academy on 1 September 2010. When its predecessor school, known as The Giles School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding.  It has specialist status for the visual arts.  Most students are White British. There are a relatively small, but increasing number of students who come from Eastern Europe.  The proportion of students eligible for the pupil premium is average. This is additional money allocated by the government for looked after students, those known to be eligible for free school meals, and those with a parent in the armed forces.  The proportion of students supported by school action is above average, as is the proportion of

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Information about this school

students supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards for secondary schools, which set the minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress.  The school operates a breakfast club.  A small number of students in Year 10 and 11 attend alternative provision away from the school at Boston College.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the amount of outstanding teaching across the school by ensuring that:  all teachers use information about how well students are progressing to effectively plan lessons which enable all, including the most able, achieve their very best.  the quality of marking and feedback is consistently high across the school and provides advice to students about what exactly they need to do in order to improve their work.  teachers use open, demanding questions that challenge students’ thinking and which probe their understanding.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Work with parents to improve attendance and reduce persistent absenteeism.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students join the school with skills that are below average. They make good progress. By the end of Year 11, students’ attainment is broadly average. In 2012, 59% of students achieved five A* to C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students achieve well in English, with results above the national average. Students’ skills in reading, writing and speaking are well supported in all subjects. Results in GCSE mathematics have been below the national average; but show improvements this year. This is because the school has put in place approaches to improve students’ calculating and problem-solving skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement in the visual arts (the school’s specialism) is outstanding. This is because teaching of the arts is sharply focused, exciting and students are motivated to learn. The excellent facilities provide an inspiring creative environment where students achieve outstanding results in their examinations.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 A few carefully selected students are entered early for GCSE mathematics and this has been very successful this year in improving their attainment. Early entry has also raised these students’ self-esteem.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Year 7 students eligible for additional support in reading from the government’s catch-up premium are being well supported through targeted provision, including one-to-one tuition. As a result, they are making good progress in improving their reading skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The good progress made by the small number of Eastern European students at early stages of learning to speak English as an additional language enables them to be integrated into lessons quickly. The provision for these students is highly effective in enabling them to achieve as well as their classmates.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled students and those who have special educational needs make similar progress to other students. Their prior attainment is measured accurately. These students receive timely, well- focused help from their teachers and teaching assistants.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students for whom the school receives additional funding through the pupil premium are taught in small groups and benefit from extra educational resources and help with going on trips and visits The faster progress these students are making shows that, this year, the school is narrowing the 2012 half GCSE grade gap in their attainment in English and Mathematics compared with other students in the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students who attend alternative provision off-site courses achieve as well as others. Their progress and welfare are carefully monitored.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In the sixth form, students make good progress, with the majority studying BTEC work-related courses. Many of them exceeded challenging targets in 2012. Results at BTEC level, especially, are consistently above average and the majority of students go on to their first choice university, training or employment.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Because not all of the departments in school use the school’s data and tracking well enough to analyse how much progress students are making not all students make the progress they are capable of.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The vast majority of teaching is good and some is outstanding. Teaching in a range of subjects, including English, mathematics, history, art and design, and physical education is well planned to meet students’ needs. Teachers also challenge and use their expertise to enable students of all abilities, including the more able, disabled students and those students who have special educational needs to make good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ good use of questioning often develops students’ enquiry and leads to a better understanding.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is especially good in English. Teachers’ passion and excellent subject knowledge result in students’ enjoyment and enthusiasm for the subject. A range of assessment activities and the use of high-quality dialogue strongly supports students in preparing for their written examinations. The quality of discussions between the teacher and students in an English lesson about ‘Of Mice and Men’ was highly impressive in enabling students to explore characterisation and relationships in detail and apply this knowledge directly to the examination question.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers build effective working relationships with students. They help them to develop the confidence to work independently and with others and to complete their work. In whatever ways the students’ work, their pace of learning is often good.

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The quality of teaching is good

 A strong feature of the good and outstanding teaching in the sixth form is the well-targeted intervention and specialist support given to individual students. Assessment is effectively used to promote learning for all abilities. Feedback is encouraging and the promotion of discussion further supports the students’ communication skills and their ability to work collaboratively.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The vast majority of parents consider that appropriate homework is given to students to extend their learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In a few lessons, teachers do not use effective questioning to help students develop a better knowledge of the topics being studied. This results in students not fully exploring important aspects of their understanding and making the progress of which they are capable.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of marking and feedback is not consistent across the school. Good commentaries provide students with specific advice on what they have to do to improve their learning and make better progress. The most effective marking enables students to respond to the teachers’ advice and follow up the students understanding of how to improve. This marking often opens up a useful dialogue between the teacher and the student. Where marking is not as good, students’ work is acknowledged but little advice is given to the student to indicate what improvements need to be made.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In some lessons, teachers do not use regular and effective assessments to plan the next steps in learning and give students work that enables them to learn at a faster rate and gain a better understanding.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The school provides an outstandingly harmonious and very well-ordered environment where behaviour is excellent. Diversity is valued and students feel very safe and secure in school. Students are notably courteous towards each other and towards adults. They are rightly proud of their school and, when in lessons and moving around school, they model exemplary behaviour.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Students have highly positive attitudes to learning and are keen to do their best in class. The vast majority of parents and carers are positive about behaviour and agree that their children are safe and happy in school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Students have developed a wide range of personal and social skills, which enable them to work successfully as individuals, with a partner or in a larger group. The students’ ability to engage productively in discussion makes a positive contribution to their development of self-awareness, self-esteem and overall progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Students say that bullying very rarely takes place and that, if it does, they have every confidence that school will deal with it effectively. Students have an excellent understanding of the different forms bullying might take and demonstrate great tolerance and understanding of each other’s needs, both in the classroom and around school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Robust action by the school is leading to improved attendance, which is now average. Persistent absence is dropping. The school is aware of the need for closer work with parents and carers for this improvement to continue.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Students’ enjoyment of school makes a significant contribution to the quality of their behaviour. There is an exceptionally positive climate for learning. Students’ commitment extends beyond the classroom. One example was the Old Leake ‘Wellython’ which involved 1400 students and local people raising a substantial amount of money for the air ambulance.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Sixth form students receive outstanding information, advice and guidance. The school greatly benefits from the willingness of many students to give up their time to selflessly contribute to the life of the school; for example, as members of Giles Voice (the school council), as senior prefects, as sports leaders or as mentors to younger students.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Leaders know the school’s strengths and relative weaknesses in detail. A thorough review of teaching is taking place and, as a result, there is targeted training and support for teachers. The impact of this can already be seen in good and outstanding classroom practice.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The broad curriculum meets students’ needs exceptionally well, enabling them to believe that they can succeed. The vocational courses create high levels of self-esteem. GCSE, A level, AS level and BTEC courses encourage greater student engagement and success. Work-related courses are especially effective in equipping students with the skills needed to be successful in the world of work.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 All aspects of school improvement are rigorously monitored, evaluated and reviewed. Leadership at all levels is strong, and subject leaders are held fully to account for the performance of their areas through an internal review system. This has resulted in the school using data more effectively to monitor and track students’ progress and more quickly provide support for any students who fall behind.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school’s self-evaluation accurately identifies the priorities for the school. The school development plan sets out clearly how the school intends to reach its ambitious targets.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school’s leaders at all levels have a very detailed, accurate and realistic understanding of its strengths and areas for development. Strong support from senior leaders and access to a range of professional development opportunities has enabled subject leaders to rapidly sharpen improvement planning and improve the quality of teaching.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Performance management systems for teachers show how well students make progress in lessons. Accurate records of teachers’ performance lets the school know how effective teaching is and what support through appropriate targeted training is needed.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Students’ spiritual, social, moral and cultural development is extremely well promoted throughout the school in lessons and in the excellent range of opportunities in the arts and sports for students to get involved in. These activities develop personal and social qualities including leadership, independent learning, teamwork and self-confidence. In Year 10, every student takes part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award. A broad range of visits and trips provide students with experiences that develop political, economic and social awareness to enable them to understand and contribute to society as adults.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The sixth form is successful because of its highly effective leadership, which ensures that the students achieve good outcomes. Students are set challenging targets and their progress is systematically monitored to ensure any potential underachievement is quickly rectified. The school provides a range of academic and vocational courses that are enabling the expanding sixth form to achieve examination success and equip students with opportunities to follow their future life choices. Staff training is providing the foundation for the work-related courses that are enabling students to be successful.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is well informed about the strengths and weaknesses of the school. It scrutinises the school’s data and self-evaluation carefully. Governors have a clear awareness of the progress and achievement of different groups of students and of how the students perform in comparison to others nationally. They hold the headteacher to account for the management and progress of the school. Governors attend well-focused training to broaden their experience and expertise. They have a clear understanding of how teachers are performing in the classroom and how this links to salary progression. Financial resources are very well managed to support provision for students, including those for whom the school receives the pupil premium.

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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 pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils 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 pupils’ needs. Pupils 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 pupils 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 136282 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 412076

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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 Maintained Age range of pupils 11–18 Gender of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 997 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 174 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Frank Picket Headteacher Chris Walls Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01205 870693 Fax number 01205 871426 Email address dlaw@giles.lincs.sch.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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