Manchester Enterprise Academy

Manchester Enterprise Academy Simonsway, Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester, M22 9RH

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Sixth form provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The academy is a good school that has improved students’ achievement significantly year on year. This reflects its vision, ‘A fantastic future for all’.  Its work to keep students safe and secure is outstanding. This view is echoed strongly by parents, staff and by the students themselves.  Students are extremely proud of their school and describe it as ‘a vibrant community that treats you as a family’. Their behaviour is good and plays a large part in their successful learning.  The percentage of students gaining five good GCSE grades, including English and mathematics, rose to be above average in 2014. This represents a significant increase over the past four years.  The effectiveness of the sixth form provision has improved and is good.  Teaching is good. Teachers have good subject knowledge and make learning enjoyable and purposeful.  Staff know students extremely well as individuals and the courses they take are tailored very well to

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

their individual needs.  Strong and determined leadership has been the key to the academy’s success. The work of the Principal has been recognised both locally and nationally.  Senior leaders and governors work very effectively together to drive improvement. They constantly check how well students are learning and take effective action to address any underachievement, both in teaching and in students’ progress.  Staff are extremely positive about all aspects of the school and are making a substantial difference to the lives of the young people.  Provision for students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. The students are extremely appreciative of these opportunities, many of which prepare them well for their future life in modern Britain.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The quality of teaching does not always maximise students’ progress.  Occasionally, teachers do not use information about what students can and cannot do to set work that challenges them appropriately.  Marking is not of a consistently high quality.  The role of subject leaders requires further development. Not all are doing enough to check and improve the quality of teaching and its impact on students’ progress in their areas of responsibility.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed lessons in all year groups in a wide variety of subjects across the academy. Three lessons were observed jointly with members of the senior leadership team.  The inspectors examined information from the academy about current students’ learning and progress. They also looked at work in the students’ books completed over the current academic year.  Meetings were held with the Principal and other leaders, including some who are in charge of subjects.  The inspectors met three governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body. Two of the governors met are also representatives of the sponsors of the academy.  Several meetings took place with students. In addition, inspectors took many opportunities to talk with students in classes, at breaks and at lunchtimes.  The inspectors looked at a range of documents, including those relating to safeguarding and child protection, the school’s development plans and external views of the academy.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors examined records of attendance and behaviour, as well as information about the quality of teaching and the performance of staff.  The inspectors took account of the 68 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and letters received from parents. They also took account of the 64 responses from members of staff to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Alison Thomson, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The academy is much smaller that the average-sized secondary school. Its specialism is in enterprise and its main sponsor is Manchester Airport. Partner sponsors are Manchester City Council and Wythenshawe Community Housing Group.  Most students are of White British heritage.  The proportion of students from minority ethnic groups and the proportion whose first language is believed not to be English is lower than average.  The proportion of students who are disabled or who have special educational needs is much higher than average.  The proportion of students who are disadvantaged, and therefore supported by the pupil premium, is much higher than average. The pupil premium is additional funding for those students who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for

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Information about this school

students’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  A small number of students who have behavioural, social or emotional needs are educated full-time at alternative provision. These services are managed by Manchester City Council and are Ed Start and the pupil referral unit.  Since the previous inspection, there have been some changes in staff, including some at leadership level.  The Principal provides valuable support to a wide range of other schools

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further raise students’ achievement through ensuring that more teaching leads to outstanding progress for all groups of students, including those in the sixth form and across all subjects, by:  using information about what students can and cannot do to set work that always maximises their learning  further improving the quality of guidance students receive about how to improve their work and ensuring they have sufficient opportunities to respond to it  enhancing the roles of subject leaders so they all effectively check and improve the quality of teaching in their areas of responsibility and its impact on the progress that all groups of students make.

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The leadership and management are good

 The vision and determination of the Principal to improve the school and address the areas for development from the previous inspection are outstanding. As a result, teaching is improving strongly and achievement has risen dramatically. Leaders have a very accurate understanding of the academy’s strengths and have identified clearly the priorities for improvement.  Leadership and management of teaching and learning are improving strongly. Many teachers have improved their performance through bespoke help and advice and they work well together to share best practice. The result has been a dramatic rise in the progress and attainment of all groups of students in 2013-14, which is continuing this year.  Leaders in charge of subjects have been involved in bringing about improvement, but their roles require further development, particularly in subjects where performance is less strong. Not all leaders have been

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The leadership and management are good

fully effective in checking and improving the quality of teaching in their areas of responsibility and the impact it has on students’ learning and progress.  The staff questionnaires show staff are very supportive of the academy and they appreciate the help they receive in order to continuously improve their practice. Teachers’ pay is linked very closely to their performance, with teachers being held to account for the progress their students make.  Systems for checking how well students are achieving are very thorough. Any student who is in danger of underachieving is identified early and helped to catch up.  Additional funding, including the pupil premium and Year 7 catch-up money, has been used to good effect, for example in providing additional support by teaching assistants. As a result, gaps between the performances of different groups are closing rapidly. This reflects the inclusiveness of the academy, its

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The leadership and management are good

good work to promote equality of opportunity, tackle discrimination and to foster good relationships.  Safeguarding meets statutory requirements. The academy looks after its students extremely well and places a high emphasis on keeping its students safe. As a result, all students feel safe.  The curriculum meets the needs of the students very well. There are many enrichment opportunities on offer and the students appreciate these. Many reflect the academy’s enterprise specialism and involve the academy’s sponsors and other local and national businesses.  The academy’s promotion of spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is extremely strong in influencing students’ development in those areas. The students are very much involved in decision-making through their roles as school councillors and student leaders. Students told the inspectors that the academy really listens to them and takes on board their ideas, for example, to broaden cultural

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The leadership and management are good

experiences through visits to temples and sampling food from around the world. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  The impact of advice and careers guidance is excellent in helping students make informed choices about the next steps in their education or entry to training or employment.  The academy’s sponsors support the academy extremely well, for example in providing specialist advice to students’ on writing cvs.  The academy monitors the achievement, attendance, behaviour and safety of the students who attend alternative provision rigorously. This is done by liaising with the alternative providers and also on a daily basis directly with some students. Reports from the alternative providers confirm that the majority of students who attend their provision achieve well and there are marked improvements in their behaviour.  The governance of the school:  The governing body is very effective and has helped greatly to drive the academy forward. Governors

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The leadership and management are good

are extremely knowledgeable about the academy’s relative strengths and areas to develop. The governing body plays a key role in allocating funding, including that for disadvantaged students, and its members are aware of the good impact that this is having. Governors are also very knowledgeable in understanding data about students’ progress and about the quality of teaching. They are involved in linking teachers’ pay to their performance and have ensured that weaknesses in teaching have not been rewarded. They are very reflective and determined that the academy should improve even further.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of students is good. Academy records and older students confirm that it has been good and improving for some time. The staff questionnaires showed overwhelmingly that they consider behaviour to be good. Year 11 students rated behaviour highly and said that the vast majority of students behave well all the time, although some people can occasionally be a bit silly in lessons.  Students are very polite and courteous to visitors. They behave very sensibly between lessons, at breaktimes and at lunchtimes. Litter is very uncommon. Students wear their uniform with pride and describe the academy as ‘very focused with high aspirations for their future’ and one that ‘changes people for the better’.  The vast majority of students behave sensibly in lessons, engage well and are keen to learn. They work productively in groups and give and receive advice sensitively. This was seen in many lessons, including a

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Behaviour

Year 11 history lesson about youth opposition to Nazi Germany. Most, although not all, students respond very positively to the comments that teachers make about their work.  Attendance has improved considerably and is now above the national average. Students arrive punctually to lessons. Exclusions have reduced significantly.  Reports indicate that most students who attend alternative provision behave well.

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Safety

 The academy’s work to keep students safe and secure is outstanding. Adults look after students exceptionally well and very effective systems are in place to ensure this, as for example in the rigorous risk assessment for visits. As a result, all groups of students across the academy feel very safe.  Parents agree strongly that their children feel safe and that the academy looks after them extremely well.  Students are very knowledgeable about the different forms of bullying, including racist and homophobic bullying, and outside organisations are used successfully to support the academy’s approach. Students say bullying is rare and on the few occasions when people fall out, the adults respond swiftly and effectively.  Students have carefully balanced views about social, moral and cultural issues and look after students who are new to the academy well. They have a very sensible and mature attitude to risk-taking and they

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Safety

promote safety very well for others.  The academy has clear and well-documented policies and procedures to ensure safety in practical subjects and students were observed working very safely in practical lessons during the inspection.  Reports indicate that students who attend alternative provision behave well and feel safe.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good and results in students making good progress throughout the academy. Some teaching leads to outstanding progress.  Teachers and students have very positive relationships. Most teachers have high expectations and give work that enable students to learn effectively and develop their skills. They plan work that is interesting and engages students well.  Where teaching is outstanding, teachers set work that stretches all students appropriately, including the most able, and makes them think deeply. They check throughout the lesson how well students understand their work and encourage them to reflect about how well they are learning. This was illustrated particularly well in Year 10 mathematics, where students made outstanding progress in learning to solve equations.  Literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) are incorporated increasingly effectively into lessons. Key subject terms are introduced well and students are encouraged to write on

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The quality of teaching is good

their learning maps important points they have learned, not only from that day’s lesson, but what they remembered from the previous lesson.  Teachers are tackling the low literacy skills that some students have when entering the academy increasingly effectively, for example by teaching students in small groups and through the use of specialist computer reading programmes.  Students who are disabled or who have special educational needs are taught increasingly well. Teaching assistants support learning effectively by breaking down the work into manageable steps for those students who require it.  Spiritual, social, moral and cultural development is promoted successfully in many lessons, for example in drama, when exploring how people feel in certain situations or in science reflecting on the adverse effects of nuclear accidents.  Occasionally, teachers do not use information about what students can and cannot do to plan lessons well

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The quality of teaching is good

enough to maximise the learning of all students.  Teachers usually mark students’ work regularly and accurately. The more effective marking tells students clearly how to improve their work and students use this advice well to make improvements. However, not all marking is of this high quality and this limits the progress that some students make.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students achieve well. They generally make good progress from their individual starting points, which are usually well below average. In many subjects they leave with standards of attainment that are in line with those found nationally.  The proportion of students attaining five or more GCSE grades A* to C, including English and mathematics, has risen substantially year on year. The proportion was significantly below average in 2013 and was above average in 2014.  Progress in many subject areas, including English and mathematics, has improved dramatically. Progress in English is particularly impressive and is outstanding for many students. Performance in some other subjects, such as science and art, has not been as strong. However, information from the school and evidence from observations and work scrutiny during the inspection indicate that performance in those subjects is improving swiftly this year.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The achievement of disadvantaged students is good and broadly in line with their peers in the academy and other students nationally. Published data for 2014 show that the progress of disadvantaged students in the academy is similar to that of their peers in English and mathematics and similar to other students nationally. It also shows that gaps in the standards attained between disadvantaged students and their peers are closing rapidly. When compared to their peers in the academy and to other students nationally, the disadvantaged students were about half a GCSE grade behind in English and one grade behind in mathematics.  The achievement of students who are disabled and those who have special educational needs is generally good and improving. Recommendations from an external audit of special educational needs provision are being implemented well. For example, teaching assistants tend to work seamlessly with teachers to make

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The achievement of pupils is good

work accessible for the students.  The most able students make good progress in most subjects because the teaching usually makes suitable demands of them and motivates them to do well.  A significant number of students receive additional help with reading, writing and in mathematics through the Year 7 catch-up programme. This is having a good impact on their progress in these areas. Reading has an increasingly high profile throughout the school. The students told us they were delighted to see the staff dressed as characters from literacy classics such as Alice in Wonderland or Frankenstein on World Book Day.  The very few students who attend alternative provision generally make good progress there and grow in confidence. The academy checks on their progress rigorously.  Some students are entered early for GCSE examinations in English, but no longer for GCSE examinations in mathematics. There is no evidence to suggest that students’ performance, including that of the most

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The achievement of pupils is good

able students, has been adversely affected by early entry.  Students are being prepared increasingly well for the next stage in their education, training or employment. The academy plays close attention to literacy, numeracy and communication technology. These aspects are being integrated well into many lessons. Students are becoming more confident and come across as mature young people.

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The sixth form provision is good

 The provision in this small sixth form is bespoke, inclusive and reflects the school’s enterprise specialism. It uses the expertise of the main sponsor, Manchester Airport, well, to provide a range of opportunities such as work experience and summer employment.  The students who enter the sixth form usually start with low attainment. They generally make good progress and leave with attainment that is rapidly approaching that found nationally. Retention rates from Year 12 into Year 13 are improving and are now above those found nationally. Attendance is also improving, although is still below average.  The supportive ethos of the Aspirational Mentoring Programme has a strong impact on students’ life skills and potential employability. An increasing number of students go on to university, for many the first in their family to do so.  The quality of teaching in the sixth form is good. The strengths are as in the main school: excellent

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The sixth form provision is good

relationships between teachers and students, good teacher subject knowledge and opportunities for students to work with others and to be self-reflective. Weaknesses sometimes occur in matching the work well enough to the students’ ability and in the quality of feedback in helping students to improve their work.  Achievement is improving year on year and is good, both in the academic and vocational subjects. Courses are suited well to the aptitudes of the students and there are many opportunities for enrichment to prepare students well for life in modern Britain.  A significant number of students re-sit GCAE English and mathematics examinations. The percentage that gain a grade C or better is rising. Those who do not gain a grade C, however, usually increase their original grade substantially.  Leadership and management of the sixth form are good and have lead to improvements in achievement and in students’ personal development. Currently, however, as in the main school, the role of subject

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The sixth form provision is good

leaders requires further development in ensuring that the quality of teaching impacts as well as possible on achievement.  Behaviour of students in the sixth form is good and the promotion of their safety outstanding. Students in the sixth form are well supported and looked after. They are increasingly good models for younger students and enjoy their duties in looking after them. They have mature attitudes to their work and rise to challenges presented to them.

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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 school, 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 school’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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School details

Unique reference number 135874 Local authority Manchester Inspection number 453600

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Secondary School category Academy sponsor-led Age range of pupils 11–19 Gender of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 584 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 64 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Olivia Clayton Headteacher James Eldon Date of previous school inspection 12 March 2013 Telephone number 0161 4992726 Fax number 0161 4991147 Email address admin@meacad.org.uk 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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School details

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

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools 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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School 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), schools, 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 school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school 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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School 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 school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

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

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