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Mrs Krysia Butwilowska Principal The Parker E-ACT Academy Ashby Road Daventry NN11 0QF

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Special measures monitoring inspection of The Parker E-ACT Academy

Following my visit to your school 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 school’s recent section 5 inspection.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of The Parker E-ACT Academy

The inspection was the first monitoring inspection since the school became subject to special measures following the inspection which took place on 28–29 January 2014.

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Evidence

During this inspection, meetings were held with the Principal, the Executive Principal, the education adviser from E-ACT, senior leaders and two subject leaders. I spoke on the telephone with the Chair of the Interim Executive Board (IEB). I looked at a range of documentation, including current students’ progress data. The vetting checks on new staff were also examined. I observed the behaviour of students between lessons, visited classes and talked informally to some students. The sponsor’s statement of action and the post-Ofsted school improvement plan were evaluated.

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Context

Since the previous inspection, a new Principal has been appointed and will commence in September. Shortly after the inspection, an IEB, comprising seven Serco Inspections Colmore Plaza 20 Colmore Circus Queensway Birmingham B4 6AT T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T : 0121 6799169 Direct email : mathew.mitchell@serco.com members, replaced the governing body. Four new teachers started after Easter, including subject leaders for mathematics and science. In addition, three temporary teachers were employed to cover art, design and technology, geography and English. A new science technician has also taken up post. From September 2014, sixth form provision will cease to be in partnership with DSLV E-ACT Academy.

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

The Executive Principal and Principal, supported by the IEB and the sponsor, have responded rapidly to the issues raised in the inspection report. The Executive Principal commits two days a week to the academy and had been in post for two weeks prior to the inspection. He is highly ambitious, unwilling to accept mediocrity and has been pro-active in ensuring that finances support the drive for academy improvement. As a result, the post-Ofsted action plan clearly identifies challenging targets, broken down into regular milestones, against which others can hold leaders to account. Governors are rigorous in their approach to monitoring. Currently, there are insufficient targets to judge the progress made in science and by the most-able students.

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

Leaders have taken rapid action to install a fit-for-purpose, academy-wide, data system to track students’ progress and staff have been trained on its use. The latest data collection was completed using this system and there is evidence that staff are starting to use this to inform their planning and decide upon appropriate actions to support students. Leaders know that current teacher’s assessments are not routinely reliable and recognise the importance of rigorous moderation to check their accuracy.

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

A thorough external review of post-16 provision has taken place and a number of recommendations made, largely focused on improving the quality of teaching and provision. As a result, leaders have reviewed the subjects on offer and have taken steps to strengthen the entry requirements for some subjects.

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

Students’ behaviour and their attitudes to learning are variable. Since the inspection, staff have received training on managing behaviour. However, the behaviour policy is still not consistently applied and, consequently, some students do not adhere to the uniform rules or take pride in the presentation of their work.

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

The new IEB is determined to take rapid and decisive action to remove the academy from special measures. Governors are drawn from a wide range of expertise and they are prepared to challenge leaders and hold them suitably to account. As a result of the dissolution of the previous governing body, a review of governance has not taken place. However, a review of the use of pupil premium funding has recently been published.

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

The sponsor’s statement of action accurately identifies the support needed by the academy. The education adviser is working effectively with the academy to ensure that plans for improvement are robust and that additional support is commissioned from good and outstanding E-ACT academies.

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

Following the monitoring inspection the following judgements were made:

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

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

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

The academy’s post-Ofsted action plan is fit for purpose.

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

Having considered all the evidence, I am of the opinion that the academy may appoint a maximum of three newly qualified teachers, restricted to the core subjects of English, mathematics and science. These appointments can only be made if appropriate mentoring and strong professional support can be assured.

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

I am copying this letter to the Secretary of State, the Chair of the Interim Executive Board, the Chief Executive Officer for E-ACT, the Executive Principal, the DfE Academies Adviser Unit, the Education Funding Agency and the Director of Children’s Services for Northamptonshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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