Setting

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

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Havant Academy

Following my visit with Victor Chaffey, Additional Inspector, to your academy on 1 and 2 October 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 fourth 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

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

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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 Advisors Unit at the Department for Education.

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Her Majesty’s Inspector

Tribal Kings Orchard One Queen Street Bristol BS2 0HQ T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 0117 311 5359 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

Since the last monitoring inspection new curriculum leaders for mathematics and humanities have joined the academy. A co-ordinator for Key Stage 3 English has also joined. In total, five teachers have left and five teachers have joined. All teachers are now permanent members of staff.

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Achievement of pupils at the school

Students’ examination results in 2014 were a marked improvement on last year’s. Bold in-year changes to the curriculum, better teaching and high-quality intensive support for Year 11, in preparation for their examinations, have had a clear impact. Almost half the year group gained five or more A* to C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics. The improvements made in achievement in GCSE English language were dramatic. The proportion of students, including disadvantaged students, who made expected and better than expected progress was above that previously seen nationally. However, the proportion of students making expected progress in mathematics by the end of Key Stage 4 was less than last year.

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Achievement of pupils at the school

The academy’s most recent information, collected at the end of the summer term, shows that achievement remains variable and is still unacceptably low in some year groups and subjects. Achievement in mathematics, in particular, needs improvement. Students’ progress in the mathematics lessons visited during this inspection was still too variable.

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The quality of teaching

Teaching is continuing to improve; inspectors saw no evidence of inadequate teaching during this inspection. Nevertheless, the quality of teaching is still too inconsistent. Teachers’ expectations of students are now high, but this is not always resulting in lessons that help students learn and progress as much as they could. Teachers now typically plan lessons that have a brisk pace and engage students’ interest. Teachers are increasingly effective in the way they question students to help them think more deeply. However, tasks that teachers set students do not always help students to master key concepts and skills well enough. Furthermore, teachers are still not checking individual students’ understanding of their work during lessons. Students are often required to move to a new task or topic whether they are ready or not. Leaders have set clear expectations for marking, but teachers are not meeting these

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The quality of teaching

consistently. In better lessons, students receive helpful written comments about what they have done well and how to improve. They get time in lessons to make the suggested improvements. In other lessons marking is not up to date, or only recognised by ticks.

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The quality of teaching

Teaching in English is increasingly successful in improving students’ literacy skills. However, teachers of other subjects do not always grasp opportunities to develop students’ literacy skills as well as they could. They discuss effectively the meanings of new and complex words with students, but do not always show them how they are spelled. Tutorial time includes regular literacy activities and students now have reading time every morning. Leaders are developing a similar approach to help students with their numeracy skills.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Leaders’ actions to improve behaviour are continuing to make a difference. The rate of fixed-term exclusions has declined notably during the last two terms and is now below that seen nationally. Students’ conduct around the school is calm and orderly. Typically, teachers have strong relationships with students that create positive attitudes to learning. However, low-level disruption to learning still occurs too often in Years 7 and 8 lessons.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Students’ attendance continues to improve. The academy has upheld the improved levels of attendance reported at the last visit. The proportion of students with high levels of absence is notably less than previously.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Students are developing a better understanding of bullying, and much has been done to help them distinguish between bullying, falling out and arguing. Incidents of bullying are now quite rare and dealt with swiftly. Students say that they feel well cared for and safe.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

The Principal’s and her senior leaders’ effective leadership have led to notable improvements in teaching, achievement, attendance and behaviour over the last year. The academy is in a good position to improve further. Staffing is now stable. The academy has recruited new middle leaders to drive improvements, including in the key area of mathematics. The curriculum now covers a suitable range of subjects and promotes students’ spiritual, moral, cultural and social development. The student services team is now well equipped to ensure students who need support receive it. Subject leadership needs further development. Subject leaders are continuing to take more responsibility for checking the quality of teaching and providing support and training for their teams. However, improvements do not always follow swiftly enough. For example, recent checks on the quality of marking revealed that some teachers were not following the academy’s policy. Subject leaders’ resulting actions

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

have not resolved this well enough. Subject action plans are not useful strategic documents for driving improvement. Most plans do not sharply define the actions to be taken or the expected changes in practice and students’ achievement that will result from these. Furthermore, the plans do not cover all the areas that require improvement. The academy is providing support and training for middle leaders to tackle these issues and there is a well-considered approach in place for holding them to account. This challenge and support must be effective if the academy is to build rapidly on the improvements made so far.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

The governing body has addressed the areas for improvement identified at the last monitoring inspection. Governors are reviewing the academy’s progress more often. Leaders have improved the reports on achievement they give to governors. The reports now provide information about progress in all subjects and are easier for governors to understand. As a result, governors are better placed to push for rapid improvement. Governors are making effective use of the information they get from their termly discussions with students. For example, governors made sure that reading time was moved to the start of the day, as students found sessions later in the day unhelpful.

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External support

The academy continues to benefit from a wide range of support. The Principal has, on behalf of TKAT, organised subject network meetings so that good practice is shared across the academy chain locally. Subject leaders at the academy value the support this is providing them. TKAT is checking the progress that leaders are making more regularly. A regional director now visits the academy frequently to check progress and provide support. The information gathered during these visits contributes to a formal termly review of the academy’s progress.

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