Nuneaton Academy

The Nuneaton Academy Radnor Drive, Nuneaton, CV10 7PD

p.1

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 This inspection: Inadequate 4 Achievement of pupils Inadequate 4 Quality of teaching Inadequate 4 Behaviour and safety of pupils Inadequate 4 Leadership and management Inadequate 4

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires special measures.  The achievement of students in mathematics has declined since the previous inspection. Progress in mathematics and science is inadequate.  In too many lessons, too little learning takes place, and students stop working because they are bored.  The expectations of teachers are too low and students are not challenged to achieve their best. Many students do not take pride in their work or complete all the tasks and homework they have been given.  The quality of teachers’ marking and guidance varies, and too much is not good enough to help students to improve.  Teachers do not use the information on what students have already achieved to plan their learning, particularly in mathematics and science.  The sixth form requires improvement. Students do not make good progress particularly on their vocational courses or when they retake examinations.  Pupils supported by the pupil premium make

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

inadequate progress and this is not improving quickly enough. Leaders have not evaluated the impact of the extra funding.  Behaviour is inadequate. There is too much low-level disruption across the academy, particularly when teaching is weaker.  Attendance is below average overall. It is particularly low in some year groups.  Senior leaders do not all have a sense of urgency about what needs to be done. They have not acted quickly enough to eliminate inadequate teaching and improve students’ achievement, especially in mathematics and science.  Leaders do not all monitor the work of the academy effectively, nor do they ensure that subject leaders have the skills necessary to improve achievement and the quality of teaching.

p.1

The school has the following strengths

 The progress of students is improving in some subjects, especially in English, history and French.  The Year 7 ‘catch-up’ funding has been used effectively to increase the progress of eligible students.  Students say they feel safe in school.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 40 lessons or parts of lessons. These were taught by 40 different teachers, representing over half of the teaching staff. Four of the lessons were observed together with senior leaders.  Inspectors observed activities during form time and registration time. They attended an assembly and observed behaviour around the site during break, lunchtimes and at the end of the day.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, a group of subject leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, the inclusion coordinator, two governors including the Chair of the Governing Body, and three representatives of the Midlands Academy Trust, including the Chief Executive.  Inspectors met with two groups of students. Both groups were selected at random by the inspection team.  The inspection team analysed the views of staff and parents gathered by the academy, and the 18 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View. A small number of parents spoke with the

p.2

Information about this inspection

inspection team, and their views were also taken into account.  Inspectors observed the academy’s work and looked at information about students’ progress and attainment, the academy’s improvement plan, and its analysis of how well it is doing. They also looked at the system for managing the performance of staff, records of governing body meetings and a range of policy documents.

p.2

Inspection team

Victoria Bishop, Lead inspector Additional Inspector David Bennett Additional Inspector Richard Bernard Additional Inspector Isobel Randall Additional Inspector Michael Marks Additional Inspector

p.2

Full report

In accordance with the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

p.3

Information about this school

 The Nuneaton Academy converted to an academy in September 2010. It opened on the sites of two predecessor schools. In September 2011, the academy moved to one site and opened a sixth form. Major additional building work has just been completed.  The academy is an average-sized secondary school.  The academy is sponsored by the Midlands Academies Trust (MAT). The principal has been in post since January 2014.  The proportion of disabled students or those who have special educational needs supported by school action is above the national average. The proportion supported by school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs is average.  The proportion of students eligible for the pupil premium is well above the national average. This additional funding is given to schools for students known to be eligible for free school meals, and those in local authority care.  The academy meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum

p.3

Information about this school

expectations for students’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The academy sends 11 of its students off site to alternative provision. Seven of these attend the North Warwickshire and Hinckley College. The academy also has links for provision with the Opportunity Centre, Coventry Building Workshop and the Shaftsbury Centre and River House.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching, and so raise achievement, especially in mathematics and science, by ensuring that: – students are given activities which interest and challenge them – teachers have high expectations of students and ensure that they take pride in their work and complete all tasks set, including homework – the marking of students’ work gives them clear guidance on how to improve, in accordance with the academy’s marking policy - teachers use data on students’ current progress to ensure that the work they are set is always hard enough to move their learning forward.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the behaviour of students by: – ensuring that less learning is disrupted by off-task behaviour in lessons and the amount of time spent by senior staff responding to incidents is reduced – improving the attendance of student in those groups where it is below the national average.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management, including governance by: – ensuring that new leaders and teachers clearly understand their roles and responsibilities through an effective induction programme – ensuring all leaders receive training to become more effective in monitoring the quality of teaching – ensuring that policies and procedures are more consistently applied across the academy – monitoring more closely the impact of the pupil premium funding on improving the achievement of eligible pupils.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and governance may be improved. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should also be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and governance may be improved.

p.4

What does the school need to do to improve further?

The academy should not seek to appoint any newly qualified teachers.

p.4

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Students join the academy with attainment that is significantly below national levels. The proportion of students achieving five or more GCSE grades A* to C, including English and mathematics, fell between 2012 and 2013 and is significantly below the national average. Despite students’ low starting points, this represents inadequate progress overall, including the most able.

p.5

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 The achievement of students in mathematics and science is inadequate. Too few students make the progress expected of them. Current student progress records show that they continue to make inadequate progress in mathematics and science, especially in Years 10 and 11.

p.5

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 The achievement of students in English has improved over time and more students have made the expected levels of progress. Inspection evidence shows that this improvement is not being maintained in all year groups however, and there is too much variation in students’ achievement across subjects.

p.5

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Students supported by pupil premium funding make inadequate progress. The gap between the achievement of these students and others is getting wider. In mathematics, the gap in their standards and that of their classmates is equivalent to nearly two GCSE grades, and in English it is more than one grade.

p.5

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Overall, the progress of disabled students and those who have special educational needs requires improvement. Those who are supported at school action plus make inadequate progress.

p.5

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Progress in Key Stage 3 is slowly improving. The ‘catch-up’ funding for Year 7 has been effective in improving the progress of eligible students by one National Curriculum level.

p.5

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 The gap between the performance of boys and girls has narrowed over time. However, the achievement of boys in mathematics remains inadequate.

p.5

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Students who attend the off-site alternative provision make good progress in their vocational courses at Key Stage 4, but they make inadequate progress in both English and mathematics.

p.5

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 The academy uses early entry of students in mathematics, science and English. Whilst some students attain well, there is no evidence to indicate that this has any impact on their rate of progress overall.

p.5

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 The academy has a plan to improve students’ literacy skills through work in different subjects, but this is not being implemented consistently across the academy.

p.5

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 The progress of sixth form students is improving but requires improvement. This is because the progress of students studying for vocational qualifications is inadequate, although progress is stronger in more academic subjects. In addition those students who re-take English and mathematics at GCSE level are not supported effectively to achieve the higher grades. None of these students achieved a grade C or higher in their recent examinations. However more students are on line for achieving higher levels this year in both forms of qualifications.

p.5

The quality of teaching is inadequate

 Teaching over time is inadequate because too many students fail to reach the standards they are capable of in all subjects. Teachers do not have high enough expectations of their students and they are not given enough activities which interest and challenge them in all year groups. Too many students become bored, engage in off-task behaviour and do not concentrate properly in lessons, particularly in science and mathematics.

p.6

The quality of teaching is inadequate

 Teachers do not use data on students’ current progress to ensure that the work they set is always hard enough to move students’ learning forward.

p.6

The quality of teaching is inadequate

 Work in students’ books varies greatly in quality. Too often, books have graffiti in them, work is incomplete and scruffy and demonstrates the slow progress made by students. Students do not make good use of their homework planners to record their tasks, many are not completed and there are differences in the amount of homework set for and completed by students across subjects.

p.6

The quality of teaching is inadequate

 The marking of students’ work does not give them clear guidance on how to improve. Too many teachers fail to implement the academy’s marking policy and do not mark students’ work often enough.

p.6

The quality of teaching is inadequate

 When teaching is well planned, students are interested in their tasks which are set at the right level of difficulty for them and they have positive attitudes to their work. Some teachers use effective questioning to skilfully encourage students to think more deeply about their work and to successfully assess their own learning in order to improve their progress.

p.6

The quality of teaching is inadequate

 The quality of teaching in the sixth form requires improvement. Where teaching is most effective, there is a positive climate for learning, but teaching is not yet consistently good. However students appreciate the additional support that some teachers provide and say these teachers’ high expectations and belief in them helps them to have higher expectations for themselves.

p.6

The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 The behaviour of students is inadequate. Too often, poor behaviour in lessons slows the progress made by students. There is too much low-level disruption of learning and the academy’s behaviour records show that, too often, senior staff have to visit lessons to help colleagues deal with poor behaviour.

p.6

The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 Behaviour outside of the classroom is variable. There is some unruly behaviour at the end of the school day in areas not monitored by staff, and some swearing by pupils. However, over most of the site, behaviour is calm and students are polite to one another.

p.6

The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 The high number of fixed-period exclusions has recently reduced. However, there is frequent use of in-school isolation. The number of permanent exclusions is low.

p.6

The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 The appearance of the school is improving rapidly due to the very recently opened new buildings. Students told inspectors that they would like to see more displays and posters to liven up the classrooms and corridors. Students have good respect for their school environment and there is little litter around the site.

p.6

The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 The academy’s work to keep students safe and secure requires improvement as the academy’s behaviour records are incomplete. Students say that bullying is dealt with effectively by academy staff when it is reported but, in many cases, they ‘just put up with it’ and do not report it. They say they do not take comments regarding racism or homophobic taunts seriously.

p.6

The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 Safeguarding procedures meet requirements. Students say they feel safe in school and know what to do if they have a problem or are concerned at all. They are aware of the posters around the site clearly telling them who is available and trained to help them.

p.7

The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 Attendance has been low for the last two years. Although it has improved slightly, it remains below average. The attendance of students eligible for pupil premium funding, disabled students and those who have special educational needs is poor. Despite recent improvements, the rate of persistent absence remains higher than that seen nationally.

p.7

The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 The behaviour of students in the sixth form requires improvement. Attendance is improving but remains too low, especially for Year 13. Attitudes to learning are not yet consistently positive, although students are proud to be in the sixth form.

p.7

The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 The views of parents and staff indicate some concern about behaviour within the academy. Half of the staff who returned a questionnaire did not agree that behaviour was good. Almost three-quarters of the parents who responded to Parent View did not think that behaviour was good. Parents and staff were positive about safeguarding and safety and students said that they thought that behaviour was improving.

p.7

The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 The academy has introduced new strategies to reduce the amount of challenging behaviour but these have not had time to have an impact across all year groups.

p.7

The leadership and management are inadequate

 Senior leaders do not have the capacity to secure rapid improvement across the academy. There has been some improvement since the last inspection but too many areas have not improved quickly enough to ensure that all students achieve well and students’ achievement in mathematics has declined.

p.7

The leadership and management are inadequate

 Senior leaders do not have an accurate understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement in the academy’s performance. Leaders are not fully aware of the evidence needed to evaluate the academy effectively, and this prevents them from accurately identifying and prioritising their actions.

p.7

The leadership and management are inadequate

 The academy does not ensure that pupil premium funding is used effectively. There is no evaluation of the impact of this funding on improving the achievement of eligible pupils. Actions to increase their performance are ineffective.

p.7

The leadership and management are inadequate

 There have been significant changes in staffing since the time of the last inspection. The academy has found it difficult to recruit staff in key subjects and this has led to differences in the quality of leadership of subject areas.

p.7

The leadership and management are inadequate

 Not all leaders and teachers who are new to the academy clearly understand their roles and responsibilities as the induction programme is not yet well established. , Some leaders have not had training as to how to become more effective in monitoring the quality of teaching. Consequently, new subject leaders have not all had a positive impact on the academy’s performance.

p.7

The leadership and management are inadequate

 Performance management arrangements are inadequate. Although clear targets are set, these have not had a positive impact on the achievement of students.  The curriculum provides opportunities for students to follow a range of academic and vocational courses which are suited to their needs and the academy has planned well to implement the new course requirements. Although the academy has no clear overview of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural education offered to students, a range of activities are planned to enable them to reflect on their beliefs and values. Assemblies include a range of relevant topics and there are opportunities for students to work together and with the local community.

p.7

The leadership and management are inadequate

 Careers education is improving and there are regular ‘Lifeskills’ and guidance sessions from form tutors. All Year 11 students have independent advice from an external careers advice service. Students on vocational courses also undertake work experience which prepares them well for the next step in their careers.

p.8

The leadership and management are inadequate

 The quality of leadership and management of the sixth form requires improvement because leaders have not yet ensured that students make at least good progress on all courses.

p.8

The leadership and management are inadequate

 Links with parents and the community are inadequate. The academy was not able to provide evidence of seeking parents’ views or of actively working with parents to improve outcomes for students. The 18 parents who responded to Parent View expressed concerns and the majority of these parents would not recommend the academy to others. A group of parents who met with inspectors, expressed positive views about how the academy had supported their children.

p.8

The leadership and management are inadequate

 The academy does not adequately promote equality of opportunity. The unacceptable behaviour of some pupils is not tackled appropriately and the gaps between the standards of attainment reached by different groups of pupils are not closing rapidly enough.

p.8

The leadership and management are inadequate

 The trust now holds regular meetings to support and challenge the performance of the senior team and the new principal and is using external advisers effectively to support its work.

p.8

The leadership and management are inadequate

 The governance of the school: – The governing body has identified concerns, including those related to mathematics, but it does not have an accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the academy. Governors know about additional funding, including the pupil premium, but do not know its impact in relation to the quality of support provided and the amount of progress that eligible students make. Appropriate targets are set for staff but the governing body does not ensure that teachers are rewarded only when targets relating to students’ achievement are met. Governors ensure that students are kept safe.

p.8

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

p.9

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.

p.9

School details

Unique reference number 136158 Local authority Warwickshire Inspection number 431694

p.10

School details

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

p.10

School details

Type of school Secondary School category Academy sponsor-led Age range of pupils 11–19 Gender of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 957 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 74 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Anne Melville Principal William Branney Date of previous school inspection 10 October 2012 Telephone number 024 76341134 Fax number 024 76341134 Email address wbranney@nuneatonacademy.co.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 .

p.10

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.

p.11

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

p.11

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

p.11

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’.

p.11

School details

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

p.11