Setting

CfBT Inspection Services Suite 22 West Lancs Investment Centre Maple View Skelmersdale WN8 9TG T 0300 1231231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 01695 566868 Direct F 01695 729320 Direct email: pnuttie@cfbt.com

p.1

Mr Richard Briggs Headteacher Invenio Academy Foxhills Road Scunthorpe Lincolnshire DN15 8LJ

p.1

Special measures monitoring inspection of Invenio Academy

Following my visit to your academy on 8 May 2014, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to confirm the inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave during the inspection and for the time you made available to discuss the actions which have been taken since the academy’s recent section 5 inspection.

p.1

Special measures monitoring inspection of Invenio Academy

The inspection was the first monitoring inspection since the academy became subject to special measures following the inspection which took place in January 2014.

p.1

Evidence

During this inspection, meetings were held with the headteacher and other senior leaders, the Chair of the Governing Body, a representative of the local authority and representatives of Outwood Grange Academy Trust (OGAT) who intend to sponsor the academy from 1 September 2014. I was taken on a tour of the academy by four students. The local authority's statement of action and the academy's improvement plan were evaluated.

p.1

Context

An English teacher, a part-time teacher of music and an information and communication technology teacher left the academy at Easter 2014. Another mathematics teacher, a humanities teacher and the headteacher will leave the academy at the end of August 2014. There will also be three teacher redundancies at the end of August following a staffing review. A new Principal of the academy has been appointed from within OGAT and will take up post in September 2014, two new mathematics teachers and a teacher of information and communication technology and business studies will also take up post in September 2014. As a result of a review of the structure of support staff, three new posts will be created to commence in September 2014. Building work continues to remodel and refurbish the academy. Since November 2013 additional leadership, teaching and support staff from OGAT have been working in the academy.

p.1

The quality of leadership in and management of the school

The academy’s leaders, including the Chair of the Governing Body, the local authority and the intended sponsor fully understand the scale and urgency of the improvement required. They acknowledge that the extremely low level of students’ achievement must rapidly improve. Systems have been quickly put in place to gather information and track students’ progress more effectively. There are now sound ways of verifying this information and governors are more confident that the picture they have of students’ achievement is an accurate one. This more systematic approach is helping leaders identify where there is underachievement and quickly put additional provision in place to improve students’ progress.

p.2

The quality of leadership in and management of the school

Considerable additional capacity, secured through OGAT, has proved effective in increasing teachers’ professional understanding, adding expertise and experience to the existing senior leadership team and increasing the technical expertise of support staff. This additional capacity has also enabled tried and tested systems to be introduced rapidly, leading to greater consistency in teachers’ approaches to planning lessons, marking students’ work and managing behaviour. Arrangements have been put in place so that there will be a seamless transfer from the current structures for governance to the revised framework when the academy becomes part of OGAT. This ensures that the high level of commitment and knowledge of the current Chair of the Governing Body will be retained.

p.2

The quality of leadership in and management of the school

A detailed plan is in place to address the areas for improvement identified at the last inspection, this has been shared with staff and parents. Timescales are ambitious as are the targets for improving attainment, progress, attendance and the quality of teaching. The plan does not provide detail on how progress towards these targets will be evaluated and the plan adjusted if the academy is not on track to meet them. The plan contains reference to improving governance and to closing the gap in achievement between students supported by the pupil premium and their peers; however, these aspects are not as well integrated into the plan as a whole as other priorities.

p.2

The quality of leadership in and management of the school

While much development work is at an early stage of implementation there are signs that the quality of teaching is improving. Leaders are regularly observing lessons and there are processes in place to verify the judgements that they are making. A structured and regular programme of support is in place to enable teachers to improve their practice according to their different needs.

p.2

The quality of leadership in and management of the school

Following the monitoring inspection the following judgements were made:

p.2

The quality of leadership in and management of the school

The academy’s statement of action is fit for purpose.

p.2

The quality of leadership in and management of the school

The academy’s improvement plan is fit for purpose.

p.2

The quality of leadership in and management of the school

Having considered all the evidence I am of the opinion that the academy may appoint newly qualified teachers.

p.2

The quality of leadership in and management of the school

I am copying this letter to the Secretary of State and the Chair of the Governing Body. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely

p.2