Setting

Ms Helen Cassady Principal Havant Academy Wakefords Way Havant, Hampshire PO9 5JD

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Havant Academy

Following my visit with Raye Alison-Smith, Additional Inspector, to your academy on 7 and 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 previous monitoring inspection.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Havant Academy

The inspection was the third monitoring inspection since the academy became subject to special measures following the inspection which took place in July 2013. The full list of the areas for improvement which were identified during that inspection is set out in the annex to this letter. The monitoring inspection report is attached.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Havant Academy

Having considered all the evidence I am of the opinion that at this time: the academy is making reasonable progress towards the removal of special measures.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Havant Academy

The academy may appoint newly qualified teachers (NQTs).

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Havant Academy

This letter and monitoring inspection report will be published on the Ofsted website. I am copying this letter and the monitoring inspection report to the Secretary of State, the Chair of the Governing Body, the Director of Children’s Services for Hampshire and the Academies Advisers Unit at the Department for Education.

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Her Majesty’s Inspector

Tribal 1-4 Portland Square Bristol BS2 8RR T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 0117 311 5359 Direct F 0117 315 0430 Email : christina.bannerman@tribalgroup.com

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place in July 2013

 Improve the quality and effectiveness of teaching, by ensuring that:  teachers have consistently high expectations of what all students can achieve in lessons  staffing becomes stable and less reliance is placed upon temporary teachers  assessment data are used more consistently across all year groups, and particularly in Key Stage 3, to ensure that work is matched to the learning needs of all students, including the most able and those who find learning difficult  teachers in all subjects contribute to developing students’ literacy and numeracy skills  questioning is used to provide challenge to students, so that they are able to think deeply and make more rapid gains in their knowledge and understanding  teachers check students’ understanding of their work frequently during lessons to enable the teaching to be adjusted to meet the needs of all students  teachers mark students’ work using a consistent approach, which clearly

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place in July 2013

identifies specific areas for improvement and allows students to reflect on how they can make better progress.  Raise achievement throughout the academy, so that standards are at least in line with national averages.  Strengthen leadership at all levels, by ensuring that:  information about the progress of different groups is checked accurately across all subjects and used to assess the impact of teaching on improving students’ progress  all senior and subject leaders hold all staff fully to account for students’ achievement  academy policies in relation to managing students’ behaviour are put into practice consistently  the governing body develops effective systems to hold the academy to account for the quality of teaching and the progress that students make, including monitoring the impact of pupil premium funding on students’ progress.  Improve behaviour and attendance by:  setting clear and consistent expectations of students’ behaviour and conduct

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place in July 2013

 providing more effective targeted support for students at risk of exclusion  strengthening further the systems for checking and promoting good attendance, including working closely with parents.  Ensure that a broader curriculum is offered in Key Stage 4, with an appropriate range of academic and vocational courses matched to the needs of students. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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Evidence

Inspectors observed the academy’s work, scrutinised documents and met with the Principal, senior and middle leaders, staff, groups of students, members of the governing body and representatives of the academy’s sponsor, The Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT).

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Context

At the time of the last visit many teaching posts were being covered by temporary or supply staff. The academy is now fully staffed with permanent members of staff. The small number of staff who are leaving at the end of the summer term has already been replaced for September.

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Achievement of pupils at the academy

Students are increasingly achieving more, although patterns of achievement across different subjects remain quite variable. A range of evidence indicates that GCSE results are likely to rise again this year. For example, Year 11 students have already taken GCSE English literature and have achieved considerably more than last year’s Year 11. Students are now making better progress in lessons because teaching is improving. However, their achievement is often limited by weak reading and writing skills.

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Achievement of pupils at the academy

A good system is in place to collect information about students’ progress at regular intervals. Senior leaders analyse this information carefully to monitor the progress of individual students and to check on the performance of different subject areas. Good, rigorous checks ensure that teachers’ assessments are accurate and reliable. Summary information about students’ achievement is now presented in a clearer and more easily understandable way. Middle leaders receive very useful booklets of information, which give clear, succinct information about the achievement of whole classes, groups of students and individuals. This is helping them to monitor the work of their departments, to identify students who need additional help and to hold teachers to account for the achievement of their students.

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The quality of teaching

Many new appointments were made last term and the academy now has a full complement of teaching staff. This is a considerable achievement. Teachers who joined the academy this term have been well supported. They have settled in well and made a good start.

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The quality of teaching

Good teaching is increasingly commonplace and inadequate practice is now rare. Teachers have good relationships with their students and are enthusiastic about the subjects that they teach. They typically mark students’ work more frequently and to a higher standard. Year 11 students are receiving high quality, intensive support to help them to revise and prepare for their examinations.

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The quality of teaching

Many students have very poor reading, writing and speaking skills. While some teachers provide good support to help them to overcome these difficulties, more could be done. Some teachers, for example, challenge students to answer questions fully and clearly; others accept brief and poorly expressed answers. When students work on individual tasks, many teachers do to too little to check on their progress and the quality of their work; they miss opportunities to challenge them to make improvements or to aim higher. In some cases students are given unclear or generous amounts of time to complete tasks. They then work at a slow pace, with little urgency.

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The quality of teaching

Completely changing the Year 11 curriculum during the school year was a bold decision, but all indications are that the new curriculum has helped students to achieve more. Good plans are in place to make further changes to the academy’s curriculum in September, so that students are able to study a broader range of subjects.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Behaviour continues to improve. Students generally behave well in class. A minority of lessons are disrupted by misbehaviour, but the number of incidents of students having to be removed from lessons has fallen significantly in the past term.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Students’ attendance has improved dramatically this year: attendance levels are now broadly average. The school follows up any absences tenaciously and good work has been done to promote the importance of regular attendance.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Younger students in particular say that there is quite a lot of bullying, although they sometimes confuse bullying with students falling out and arguing. Students also say that staff take bullying seriously and deal with it diligently.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the academy

The academy has made major strides forward in the past term. The Principal and senior team have a very thorough and realistic understanding of the academy’s strengths and weaknesses, and they are tackling the weaknesses tenaciously. When changes are made, they are followed through rigorously.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the academy

Senior leaders monitor the academy’s work very carefully. They visit lessons frequently to check on a range of aspects and elements, for example how well teachers start their lessons. The results of these visits are analysed forensically to identify common themes and to direct training and support for staff. Middle leaders are increasingly involved in monitoring the academy’s work. They have been well prepared to take on this role, through high quality, focused training and direct support from senior leaders.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the academy

Very good training and support are helping teachers to improve their teaching. The results of this are clear: many teachers have made considerable improvements to their work over the past year. Teachers are provided with extremely thorough feedback when they are observed. Any identified areas for improvement are followed up carefully on later observations.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the academy

The appointment of a number of new governors has added significantly to the skills of the governing body. Governors now receive much better information about the progress that students make. Minutes of their meetings show that governors ask pertinent and challenging questions. A number of governors visited the academy last term to make their own checks, for example by holding discussions with students; this has helped them to develop a better understanding of the academy’s effectiveness. However, governors do not formally review the academy’s improvement and progress frequently enough.

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External support

The academy benefits from a wide range of support, much of it provided by its sponsor TKAT. This support is carefully matched to the academy’s current needs and it is leading to tangible improvements. TKAT is very responsive to requests for support from the academy. Its staff monitor the academy’s progress informally, but do not carry out regular, formal reviews of progress and do not check whether the academy is on track to meet the objectives and deadlines in its action plan.

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