Setting

Mrs Elaine Crookes Interim Headteacher Djanogly City Academy Sherwood Rise Nottingham Road Nottingham NG7 7AR

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Djanogly City Academy

Following my visit with Ian McNeilly, Her Majesty’s Inspector and Isobel Randall, Additional Inspector, to your academy on 10–11 June 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 Djanogly City Academy

The inspection was the second monitoring inspection since the academy became subject to special measures following the inspection which took place in November 2013. The full list of the areas for improvement 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 Djanogly City Academy

Having considered all the evidence I am of the opinion that at this time:

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Djanogly City Academy

 The academy is not making enough progress towards the removal of special measures.  I strongly recommend that the academy does not seek to appoint newly qualified teachers.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Djanogly City 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 Local Governing Body, the DfE Academies Advisers Unit, the Education Funding Agency and the Director of Children’s Services for Nottingham.

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Her Majesty’s Inspector

Serco Inspections Colmore Plaza 20 Colmore Circus Queensway Birmingham B4 6AT T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 618 8524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 0121 679 9169 Direct email : mathew.mitchell@serco.com

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place in November 2013

 Make teaching consistently good or better by ensuring that: − teachers show consistently high expectations of what all students can achieve in lessons through always insisting on the highest standards of work and behaviour − lessons proceed at a suitably brisk pace so that students can learn quickly − assessment data are used consistently across all year groups, including in the sixth form, to match work to the learning needs of all students, including the most able and those who find learning difficult − questioning is used to provide challenge to students, to that they are able to think deeply and make more rapid gains in their knowledge and understanding − teachers mark students’ work regularly to give clear advice about how to improve it, and provide enough time for students to respond.

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place in November 2013

 Raise achievement throughout the academy, and particularly in English, mathematics and science, so that standards are at least in line with national averages by: − rigorously checking in lessons that all students are making accelerated progress, especially students supported through pupil premium funding, disabled students and those who have special educational needs − ensuring that all sixth-form students are placed on courses that match their levels of ability.

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place in November 2013

 Improve behaviour and attendance by: − setting clear and consistent expectations for students’ behavior and conduct − ensuring that all students engage fully in learning in lessons − providing more effective support for students at risk of exclusion − reducing rates of absence and particularly the number of students who are persistently absent by working closely with their families to raise awareness of the importance of full attendance

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place in November 2013

 Strengthen the effectiveness and impact of leadership, by ensuring that: − a permanent headteacher is appointed as soon as possible to lead the development of the academy − the progress teachers make towards the individual targets set to improve their skills is checked rigorously − all those responsible for leading and managing subjects are appropriately skilled and have a good impact on improving achievement, teaching and behaviour − the progress made by different groups of students is checked accurately across all subjects so that teachers can use this information to help speed up their learning − academy policies in relation to managing students’ behaviour are put into practice consistently.

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place in November 2013

 Ofsted will make recommendations for action on governance to the authority responsible for the school. 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 including parts of 26 lessons as well as shorter visits to other classes. Many of these were jointly observed with members of the senior leadership team. Inspectors spoke formally to three groups of students at both sites of the academy, to ascertain their views about behaviour and improvements to teaching. They also spoke to students in lessons about their work and the support they receive from the academy to improve their attendance. Inspectors scrutinised documents, including the academy’s information on the progress students are making in English, mathematics and science. They met with the interim headteacher and other senior leaders. The lead inspector also held meetings with the Chair of the Local Governing Body, the Director of Operations from the Djanogly Learning Trust and the headteacher designate.

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Context

Since the last monitoring inspection in February 2014, the academy sponsor has entered into a partnership agreement with the Torch Academy Gateway Trust. A new headteacher has been appointed to take up post from September 2014, alongside a newly appointed senior leadership team. Two new mathematics teachers have started at the academy, and share leadership responsibility for this subject.

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Context

Leaders have agreed to reduce the numbers of students recruited to the academy from the next academic year. While students in the current Year 12 will be able to complete the courses they have started this year, leaders have also terminated the majority of the academy’s post-16 provision, excepting some work-related qualifications. Consequently, plans have been made to move the majority of the academy’s educational provision to the Gregory Boulevard site and a process of restructuring the academy’s staff is being finalised. Twenty teaching staff will leave the academy at the end of this academic year.

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Achievement of pupils at the school

At the time of the last section 5 inspection, achievement was inadequate. Standards in English, mathematics and science were too low because students did not make enough progress in these subjects. Achievement remains inadequate. The academy’s own data show that standards are not set to improve this year, and will remain well below national averages. Progress in mathematics and science continues to be inadequate across both Key Stage 3 and 4. This is as a result of serious failings in the quality of teaching, and in the previously poor leadership of these subjects. Students make better progress in English, but this is still not enough to ensure they reach higher standards of attainment than previously. There has been a significant amount of turbulence in the staffing of classes, particularly in Key Stage 3. Students report that they have had up to six different teachers in some subjects. This has had a disastrous impact on the progress they

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Achievement of pupils at the school

have made this year, with the majority of students in Years 8 and 9 failing to meet their targets in English and mathematics. Students in Year 7 have made much better progress owing to a lower turnover of staff.

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Achievement of pupils at the school

The achievement of students who are eligible for additional support through pupil premium funding is similarly inadequate. The considerable funds received by the academy have had no noticeable impact on helping them do well at the academy this year. The standards they are set to reach in this year’s GCSE examinations are predicted to be as low as standards reached last year by students who were also supported through this funding. The achievement of students who are disabled and those who have special educational needs has also not improved. While leaders collect data on their progress, they do not analyse it effectively in order to evaluate the impact of any additional support these students are receiving. Consequently, these students continue to make inconsistent progress.

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The quality of teaching

The quality of teaching remains highly variable. It is still not consistently good enough, particularly in English, mathematics and science. Some teaching is unacceptably poor, with some qualified teachers failing to meet the national Teachers’ Standards (these are the minimum level of practice expected of teachers). For example, inspectors saw evidence of teachers consistently failing to provide students with written advice on how to improve their work, for months at a time. Marking across the academy remains poor. While many teachers check students’ work regularly, very few provide clear guidance on how to improve it.

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The quality of teaching

Where learning was most effective during this inspection, the work set demonstrated that some teachers do set high expectations, both of themselves and of their students, and do so routinely. They use assessment data to plan activities, and ask probing questions that strengthen and develop the understanding of their students. In lessons, they insist on high standards of behaviour and students respond very positively to this. Students listen carefully and are eager to show what they know and can do. The quality of teaching in mathematics is improving. The two new subject leaders within this department have had a very positive impact in a short time. However, these improvements are yet to be evidenced clearly through the progress students make in this subject.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The academy has recently reviewed its behaviour policy, and systems for quickly responding to and dealing with unacceptable behaviour in lessons have been revised. Students at the Sherwood Rise site report that these have had a positive impact on behaviour. However, this is not the case at the Gregory Boulevard site, where students report that behaviour is managed inconsistently, and too many lessons are interrupted by poor conduct. Inspectors’ observations confirmed these views. Additionally, there are still too few guidelines about what teachers should expect in terms of students’ preparedness for lessons and their attitudes to learning. Students are frequently late to lessons and many do not attend school with the right equipment. This causes unnecessary interruptions to learning. While students wear their new uniform with pride, the presentation of their work is often careless, and this has a detrimental impact on how well they develop accuracy in their writing.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Attendance has improved since the last inspection. The academy has employed a range of creative and effective strategies to improve attendance, including an ‘attendance car’ and outreach visits to families. Attendance is now almost 2% above what it was in the same period last year, and rates of persistent absence have halved. The academy’s work to provide more effective support to students at risk of exclusion has had mixed results. One student discussed the support he had received with considerable gratitude. He recognised that his future prospects were much improved because he had been enabled to remain in school. Fixed-term exclusions have fallen considerably. However, the academy has permanently excluded twice as many students this year; the number is well above the national average.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

Leaders at all levels recognise that not enough progress has been made since the inspection in November 2013. The academy has undergone significant turmoil over this time, particularly in the number of changes to teaching staff. Leaders have been unable to mitigate the impact of these changes on the quality of education provided.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

Leaders have ensured that all teachers now have performance targets that are drawn from the Teachers’ Standards. They have had some success in challenging inadequate teaching and this has led to some teachers leaving the academy. However, both senior and middle leaders’ monitoring of the quality of teaching has not been good enough. They have not identified significant shortcomings in some teaching, nor have they established minimum expectations for teaching and behaviour across the academy.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

Teachers make termly reports on the progress of students, and this information is recorded in detail for each year group. However, it is not clear if this information is accurate, particularly when some teachers continually fail to mark students’ work. Leaders have not effectively checked how far they are improving the progress of students who may find learning difficult. Despite receiving additional funding and deploying extra help to support these students, leaders remain unable to show if this is making a difference. Governors are in no doubt about the scale of improvement that is necessary. They have undergone an external review, and this has increased their understanding of the commitment and expertise they need. However, their capacity to provide them remains limited. While new governors are being appointed to the Local Board, they are not yet in a position to hold the future leadership of the academy rigorously to

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

account for the changes and pace of improvement that are necessary.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

The Djanogly Learning Trust has established a partnership agreement with the Torch Academy Gateway Trust, and through this, the trustees have secured the appointment of a headteacher for September 2014. However, the paucity of improvement at the academy owes much to their inability to secure the leadership of the academy sooner. The steps they have taken to reduce the size and scope of the academy are appropriate. However, this has led to significant disruption which has had a detrimental effect on students’ learning. They are taking steps to improve governance both of the academy and of the Trust as a whole, for example by deploying some directors to the Local Governing Body. However, it is not yet possible to judge the effectiveness of these changes with regard to the long-term improvement of the academy.

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External support

The academy continues to receive support from external consultants in English and mathematics, particularly in the validation of teacher’s assessments. The academy reports that assessment in mathematics is now largely accurate. Beyond this, leaders have used very little external support in order to accelerate improvement. Arrangements have have been made through the partnership with the Torch Academy Gateway Trust to provide support from September 2014.

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Priority for further improvement:

 Ensure that systems are developed and used to strenuously challenge and independently evaluate the effectiveness of the academy’s new senior leadership team from September 2014.

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