Lift Kingswood

Kingswood Academy Wawne Road, Bransholme, Kingston Upon Hull, HU7 4WR

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Inadequate 4 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Inadequate 4

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that has serious weaknesses.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The proportion of students making expected progress in English and mathematics in 2014 was very low.  The proportion of students achieving five A* to C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics is well below the national average.  The proportion of students who gained two A* to C grades in science and A* to C in humanities in 2014 was very low.  The progress boys make by the end of Year 11 is not good enough. Their attainment is low and much lower than girls’ attainment.  The rate of progress in some lessons and over time is too slow because too little teaching is of good quality. This means students are not able to make up for past underperformance.  Teachers do not always have high expectations of the amount of work students can complete during a lesson and this limits progress.  Processes to hold middle leaders to account for bringing about improvement are not consistently effective across the academy.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Middle leadership is improving but not all middle leaders have the skills to drive improvements in their subjects.  Some lessons are interrupted by low level disruption, such as off-task talk, which slows learning.

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The school has the following strengths

 The Principal provides strong leadership.  Senior leadership has improved since September 2014 and because of this teaching is improving.  The new governing body provides highly effective challenge and support.  Some subjects have developed good practice in marking and feedback which provides students with next steps so they know how to improve.  The gaps in attainment and progress between disadvantaged students and their peers are closing throughout the academy.  An innovative curriculum is taught to Year 7 and Year 8 students, which is starting to improve their literacy and numeracy skills. The new curriculum at Key Stage 4 better matches students’ needs and is helping to improve achievement.  Behaviour during social times is good. The academy keeps students safe.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 29 parts of lessons, including 11 made jointly with academy leaders. Inspectors listened to a small number of students read.  Meetings were held with the Principal and other senior leaders, staff, students, members of the governing body and a representative of AET, the academy’s sponsor. Inspectors spoke to students informally at break and lunchtime.  The inspection team looked at documents provided by the academy, including the academy’s self- evaluation and its improvement plans; safeguarding documents and those relating to attendance and behaviour; student progress data; records of monitoring the quality of teaching; and minutes of the governing body.  Inspectors took account of 16 responses to the staff questionnaire and 19 responses to the online Parent View questionnaire, and also an analysis of academy’s own parent questionnaires.  The planned visit to ‘Aspire’, the alternative provision used by the academy did not go ahead because the

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Information about this inspection

students were on an off-site visit. The records of students’ attendance, behaviour and achievement at the centre were investigated during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Helen Lane, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Full report

In accordance with section 44 of the Education Act 2005 (as amended), Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this academy requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform.

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Information about this school

 Kingswood Academy is smaller than the average-sized secondary school.  The academy opened in July 2013. When its predecessor school was last inspected it was judged to require special measures. The academy is sponsored by the Academies Enterprise Trust (AET).  Most students are White British; English is their first language. The proportion of minority ethnic students is beginning to increase, as is the proportion of students with English as an additional language.  The proportion of disadvantaged students eligible for support through the pupil premium is well above average. The pupil premium is additional funding for students who are known to be eligible for free academy meals and those who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of disabled students and those with special educational needs is above average.  The academy uses ‘Aspire’ as alternative provision for a very small number of Key Stage 3 students.

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Information about this school

 The academy has a new on-site centre, ‘the Inner College’, which provides alternative education for a group of Year 10 students. Students are taught a core curriculum including English and mathematics and spend one day each week undertaking work experience.  The Principal supports other schools locally and nationally with finance, curriculum and building development.  The academy is a member of a local partnership of schools and leads on a school council across the schools. The academy provides specialist physical education teaching for a group of primary schools.  The academy does not meet the government’s current floor standard, which is the minimum expectation for students’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and achievement of students so they are consistently good or better by:  ensuring all staff provide work which challenges students, especially the most able  increasing the expectations of staff and students of the amount and presentation of work completed in lessons  reducing low level disruption in lessons so learning always proceeds at a good pace  providing more opportunities for students to develop their speaking skills  further developing a more consistent approach to marking and feedback by sharing the good practice which exists  consistently holding individual teachers to account for the progress of students, particularly boys, in lessons and at each data collection  improving the attainment and progress of boys so they match the attainment and progress of girls.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management, particularly middle leadership by:  continuing to develop middle leaders so they all have the skills to monitor the quality of the teaching in their department rigorously and hold teachers and themselves to account for students’ progress  ensuring processes to hold middle leaders to account for bringing about improvement are consistently effective.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The Principal provides highly effective leadership. This is recognised by students, staff, governors and the sponsor. Students say, ‘the biggest single influence on the improvements has been the Principal.’ Governors describe the Principal as ‘experienced, visionary and passionate’. He is a role model for other leaders. As a result, senior leadership has improved. Staff say senior leaders give strong direction and lead by example. Middle leadership, although improving is not as strong and, overall, leadership and management requires improvement.  Middle leadership is developing as a result of training provided in the academy and opportunities to undertake national leadership qualifications. However, the effectiveness of middle leadership is variable, as is the way in which they are held to account by senior leaders. Not all middle leaders have the skills needed to monitor the quality of teaching in their department rigorously or hold themselves and teachers

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The leadership and management requires improvement

to account for students’ progress.  Since September 2014 academy leaders have put in place a more robust and comprehensive programme of training and development for staff linked to the academy’s priorities for improvement. As a result, improvement is starting to be seen in the classroom. For example teachers consistently share the learning objectives and plan activities for the lesson carefully. Personalised programmes are provided to challenge and support teachers whose practice is not good. As a result, the quality of teaching is improving. Effective recruitment of new teachers has resulted in far fewer temporary teachers. This has also had a positive impact on the quality of teaching.  A school improvement group has very recently been set up following training by an external consultant. This group are planning training linked to individual teacher’s performance management targets and providing personalised coaching to improve the quality of teaching in the academy. It is too soon to see

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The leadership and management requires improvement

the impact of this work.  Academy leaders have used an imaginative approach to curriculum development. Students in Year 7 and Year 8 are working together in a ‘stage not age’ curriculum. The ‘As long as it takes (ALAIT)’ curriculum is a skills based curriculum with strong focus on developing the literacy and numeracy skills students need to access their GCSE courses. It is too soon to measure the full impact of this curriculum but early analysis suggests an improvement in students’ reading skills. Students say they feel much more confident about reading as a result of the additional opportunities to read both in these lessons and in ‘academic mentoring time’. The Key Stage 4 curriculum is now offering good opportunities for students to gain a range of good qualifications; however, the curriculum from the predecessor school, which was not broad and balanced, impacted negatively on the achievement of Year 11 in 2014 and is affecting the current Year 11. The

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The leadership and management requires improvement

academy is working hard to enable the current Year 11 to access an appropriate range and number of qualifications.  A thorough audit by the academy shows religious education, personal social and health education lessons and assemblies help students’ understanding of the structure and diversity of modern Britain well and promote tolerance and respect. There are good relationships between students and staff and students in lessons and at break and lunchtime. Year 7 students said, ‘teachers and students are really friendly’. Students are confident that the infrequent instances of discrimination will be dealt with effectively by their head of year.  The academy provides good advice and guidance to students about future education and careers. As a result, all students who left the academy in 2014 are still in education or have a job. This is much better than the national average.  Performance management procedures have been revised and are robust. It is too soon to see the impact

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The leadership and management requires improvement

on students’ achievement but there is now a clear link between teacher’s targets and students’ achievement.  The opportunity to become a prefect is providing good leadership training for Year 11 students. All students have a range of opportunities to be involved in extra-curricular enrichment including sports and arts clubs and a gifted and talented club.  Leaders monitor the progress, attendance and behaviour of students attending alternative provision. It is too early to measure the impact of ‘Aspire’ or the newly formed Inner College; however the behaviour of students attending the Inner College has improved.  The academy sponsor has provided a considerable sum of money to improve the internal structure of the academy building. This has had a positive impact on behaviour and learning. The sponsor has provided effective support to develop literacy and mathematics and in the management of finance and human

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The leadership and management requires improvement

resources.  The Principal makes good use of external consultants to develop the quality of teaching, middle leadership and the newly formed school improvement group.  The academy meets the statutory requirements for safeguarding. Safeguarding arrangements are good. A member of the governing body has an excellent knowledge of the requirements for safeguarding and monitors the arrangements rigorously. Senior leaders recognise the need for improvements in boys’ attainment and progress in order to ensure equality of opportunity. Leaders have recently appointed a new coordinator for boys’ achievement. It is too early to see the impact of this. The English department have provided significant support for a group of Year 11 boys, which has resulted in all of them making at least expected progress and half of them making more than expected progress in their coursework.  The governance of the school:  The local governing body replaced an interim management board in September 2014. The members of

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The leadership and management requires improvement

the governing body have the expertise needed to challenge and support academy leaders. The new Chair of the Governing Body is a highly experienced education professional.  Minutes of meetings of the governing body show the governors are holding the academy robustly to account for the quality of teaching, students’ achievement, the curriculum and the effectiveness of leadership. The Chair of the Governing Body has a comprehensive understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the academy’s performance and the need to improve attainment and progress. Governors have rigorous procedures to check the work of academy leaders in tackling underperformance. It is too soon to see the impact of this but early signs show that governors are asking challenging questions.  Governors are monitoring the spending of the pupil premium funding and its impact. A range of extra help for disadvantaged students, including one to one tuition is having a positive impact on their

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The leadership and management requires improvement

progress. Pupil premium funding is being used effectively.  Both the interim management board and the governing body have been effective in checking the financial management of the academy, to ensure a balanced budget. The proportion of teachers who receive increased pay is carefully linked to the progress of their students and the performance management system.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of students requires improvement.  Students’ conduct is good around the academy at break and lunchtime; however observations made during the inspection show that learning is sometimes disrupted by a small minority of students. For example, at times they lose focus and chat or choose not to do the work set. These observations were supported by the views of students spoken to and a small number of parents who responded to the Parent View survey.  A new behaviour policy is impacting positively and behaviour has improved. Behaviour logs show a reduction in incidents of poor behaviour and older students recognise the improvements in behaviour since the academy opened. A governor who recently visited the academy after some time said, ‘I could not believe the changes in attitudes, behaviours and presentation of young people and the aspiration of teachers’. All students carry a behaviour card on which issues and positives can be recorded. Students

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Behaviour

value the rewards for good behaviour.  Attitudes to learning are good when students are engaged in their learning, but sometimes expectations are low and students work slowly and do not complete enough work.  Students are proud of their uniform and the academy. They do not always take pride in the presentation of their work.  Fixed term exclusions have reduced as a result of the effective use of internal exclusion.  The behaviour of Year 10 students taught in the Inner College and at Aspire is improving.

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Safety

 The academy’s work to keep students safe and secure is good, including for those students attending off- site provision.  Students say they feel safe everywhere in the academy and although there is occasional bullying they are confident that adults will help them to solve problems. All incidences of bullying are rigorously recorded and investigated. Students understand different types of bullying including racist bullying, homophobic bullying and cyber-bullying.  As a result of rigorous procedures and effective action by the academy attendance is improving rapidly, although it is still below the national average.  Punctuality in the morning and to lessons is carefully monitored and is improving.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Improved systems for the professional development of staff and support from an external consultant are impacting positively on the quality of teaching in the academy. This is leading to improvements in attainment and progress evidenced by the academy’s current data. However, although this better quality teaching is successfully accelerating students’ progress it has not been in place long enough to ensure all students fully overcome their past underperformance.  Marking and feedback have improved. A team of middle leaders have responsibility for monitoring marking and feedback and have rigorous processes for doing so. Some subjects, including English and mathematics, have developed effective systems for providing feedback to students, which encourages them to respond. Where this is working well students’ progress is accelerating. However, this good practice is not shared widely with all teachers.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers have data about the attainment of students in their groups, but they do not always use the data to plan learning that meets the needs of all students, or share the steps students need to follow to make good progress. Work can be too difficult or too hard. When teachers do plan activities for students of different abilities students, including the most able, are often allowed to choose to do the easiest work and are not challenged sufficiently.  Students’ speaking skills are not always well developed in the classroom. Frequently, students’ answers to questions are too short and do not deepen their thinking.  Teaching assistants help students to learn by asking questions rather than telling them the answers. Most teaching assistants are helping students who have special educational needs or are supported through Education Health and Care plans effectively. Support for the small minority of students new to the school

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

who speak English as an additional language is particularly helpful.  The ‘ALAIT’ curriculum provides very good opportunities for Year 7 and Year 8 students to develop their reading, writing and mathematical skills. All students read widely during ‘academic mentoring sessions’. The literacy policy is used by some teachers effectively to develop students’ use of key subject language and correct spellings and grammar in students’ books, however this is inconsistent. Extra support with English and mathematics is provided for students who need it at Key Stage 4. As a result, students’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics are improving.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 The proportion of students attaining five or more grades A* to C including English and mathematics in 2014 was well below the national average. The proportion of students gaining two A* to C grades in science or an A* to C grade in French and humanities was poor. Given the starting points of these students in Year 7, achievement was inadequate.  The progress made by students in English and mathematics in 2014 was lower than the national average. The progress made by disadvantaged students was much lower than the national average for non- disadvantaged students. Boys made significantly less progress than their peers nationally in English.  In 2014, disadvantaged students achieved on average one grade less than their peers in English and one and a third grades in mathematics. Disadvantaged students were one and a half grades behind non- disadvantaged students nationally in English and nearly two grades in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Pupil premium funding is used to provide a wide range of extra help including one-to-one support for disadvantaged students. Early analysis of the impact of one-to-one support shows it is having a positive impact on students’ progress. Gaps in progress in English and mathematics between disadvantaged students and others are closing over time across the academy and, in Year 9, disadvantaged students are making better progress than their peers in mathematics.  The academy’s own data, which have been rigorously checked, show attainment and progress of students are better in the current Year 11 than in Year 11 in 2014 in English and mathematics. Attainment has risen and progress has accelerated across the academy since September 2014 as a result of better teaching. However attainment in some subjects is still well below the national average, particularly in core science for the current Year 11.  The gap between the progress made by boys and girls is still too wide in English and mathematics in the

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

current Year 11. Current data for Year 11 show the difference in the proportion of boys on track to attain five GCSE grades at A* to C including English and mathematics when compared with girls is 29%, which is a greater difference than in 2014. The proportion of girls making expected progress in English and mathematics in the current Year 11 is in line with the national average for 2014, but boys’ progress is below the national average for 2014.  In 2014, the attainment and progress in English and mathematics of the most able students was much lower than the national average. The proportion of students gaining the top grades was very low in nearly all the subjects they studied. Some of the most able students are not challenged sufficiently in all their lessons. Leaders recognise this and have appointed a member of staff with responsibility for the most able. The academy’s data show the attainment and progress of the most able in English and mathematics in the

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

current Year 11 are better than in 2014. The organisation of the curriculum before the academy opened and the early entry to GCSE examinations in Year 9 and Year 10 for the Year 11 cohort of 2014 had a negative impact on the number and quality of the GCSE grades achieved by some students. Academy leaders are taking action to ensure that students in the current Year 11 have the opportunity to study all their GCSE option courses in depth.  The appointment of a new senior leader with responsibility for students who have special educational needs or are supported through Education Health and Care plans is impacting positively on the provision for these students. The academy’s data for these students show their progress is improving following a period where their progress was not monitored closely.  The small number of students attending the alternative provision ‘Aspire’ started in January 2015, and

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

those attending the Inner College in November 2014. It is too soon to judge the impact of the provision on the students’ achievement.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good academy, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is failing

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Grade Judgement Description

to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the academy’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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Academy details

Unique reference number 139118 Local authority Kingston upon Hull City of Inspection number 449833

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Academy details

This inspection of the academy was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Academy details

Type of school Secondary Academy category Academy sponsor-led Age range of pupils 11–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the academy roll 589 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Carol White Principal Robert Dore Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01482 879 967 Fax number 01482 878 934 Email address cweightman@thekingswoodacademy.org guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Academy details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s academy. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which academies to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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Academy details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about academies in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Academy details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), academies, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the academy. Under the Education Act 2005, the academy must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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Academy details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and academy inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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Academy details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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