Setting

Mr N Thomas Principal Winton Community Academy London Road Andover, SP10 2PS

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Winton Community Academy

Following my visit with Victor Chaffey, additional inspector, to your academy on 23 and 24 April 2015, 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 Winton Community Academy

The inspection was the third monitoring inspection since the academy became subject to special measures following the inspection which took place in December 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 Winton Community Academy

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

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Winton Community Academy

The academy is making reasonable progress towards the removal of special measures.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Winton Community Academy

T he academy may not appoint newly qualified teachers before the next monitoring visit.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Winton Community 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 DfE Academies Advisers Agency and the Director of Children’s Services for Hampshire.

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Additional Inspector

Tribal Kings Orchard 1 Queens Street Bristol, BS2 0HQ T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 0117 3115307 Direct email : rachel.evans@tribalgroup.com

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place in December 2013

 Rapidly improve achievement so that students make consistently good or better progress across all subjects and at all levels, especially in English, by making sure that:  all leaders, managers and teachers collect accurate information and use it consistently to check students’ progress against their starting points and match it to the quality and consistency of teaching and learning  the progress of students eligible for pupil premium, disabled students and those with special educational needs is tracked and recorded accurately so that support can be targeted effectively  subject leaders and teachers understand what constitutes good and outstanding achievement, so that they can check students’ work correctly and predict accurately what each student is able to achieve.  Improve the quality of teaching by:  eradicating low expectations so that leaders, teachers and students strive relentlessly for the best

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place in December 2013

 making sure that teachers use information about students’ different levels of abilities and needs to challenge all students and extend their thinking  planning ambitious, varied and exciting activities in all lessons to revive students’ interest in learning and allow them to improve their attitudes, gain confidence and self-esteem, and behave consistently well.  Rapidly improve the effectiveness of leadership and management and governance by:  restructuring leadership at all levels so that roles and responsibilities match those required of senior and middle leaders and are focused strongly on raising achievement  reviewing the range and level of subjects offered for study at Key Stage 4 so that all students, particularly the most able, can reach their full potential  making sure that all senior leaders and leaders in charge of subjects regularly check the quality and consistency of teaching and know how to

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place in December 2013

improve it  making sure that the governing body has reliable and accurate information to check whether actions taken to improve performance are improving achievement.

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Evidence

Inspectors observed the work of the academy, including 24 part lessons, the majority of which were observed jointly with members of the senior team. They scrutinised documents and met with the Principal, the interim Chair of the Governing Body, representatives from the sponsor, the senior and middle leadership teams, the special educational needs coordinator and a group of students. The single central record, which confirms that safeguarding checks have been made on staff, was examined.

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Context

Since the previous monitoring inspection there have been a number of staff changes. A new coordinator of special educational needs has joined the academy as has a head of the humanities department and a geography teacher. An English teacher has left. The academy is currently restructuring the provision for students with special educational needs. It has revised the support staff structure to improve efficiency and increase accountability. The vice-chair is acting temporarily as the Chair of the Governing Body.

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Achievement of students at the academy

The academy’s validated GCSE results for 2014, which have been published since the previous monitoring inspection, confirmed that students’ achievement was below the government’s floor targets (the minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 11). Despite improvements in results in English and mathematics from 2013, the overall gap in attainment between those students in receipt of pupil premium money (additional government funding for disadvantaged students) and other students remained wide. Likewise, although there was an increase in the proportion of students making reasonable progress in English and mathematics, students in receipt of pupil premium funding did not make enough progress.

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Achievement of students at the academy

Students’ achievement in the academy is beginning to show signs of improvement. Predictions for 2015 indicate that there will be a significant increase in the proportion of students who attain five good GCSE grades, including English and mathematics. Although the results are likely still to be below the national average, it is estimated that they will be above the floor targets. The accuracy of these predictions has been validated by robust external moderation.

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Achievement of students at the academy

The proportion of students who are likely to make reasonable progress in both English and mathematics is predicted to be above national figures. Predictions also indicate an increase in the proportion of students making more than the nationally expected progress from their starting points but this is likely to remain below national figures. There is likely to be a much smaller gap in English than in mathematics between those students who are in receipt of additional government funding and others. In mathematics, it is likely to widen. The mathematics department is addressing this by providing extra support for these students.

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Achievement of students at the academy

Achievement in the rest of the academy is showing signs of improvement. The school’s information shows that students are making progress across all year groups, although those who have additional funding are not making progress as quickly as others. However, the gap is narrowing in Years 9 and 10. The current Year 7 entered the academy with lower Key Stage 2 results than other year groups. A number of students had exceptionally low reading ages. As a result of modifications to the curriculum, the reading ages of these students is now improving. The achievement of students with special educational needs is still too slow. The academy is currently restructuring provision for these students to improve the quality of support they receive.

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The quality of teaching

Improving the quality of teaching has continued correctly to be a major focus for the academy. Since the last monitoring inspection, there has been an improvement in teaching. This is reflected in improved achievement. However, the quality of teaching still remains too variable. The academy is well aware of this and is continuing to provide extensive training, coaching and mentoring to improve teachers’ practice.

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The quality of teaching

The majority of teachers use comprehensive assessment information to track the progress of students with confidence. They generally plan lessons that are more suited to the needs of the class than previously but there is still not always sufficient match of work to the needs of individual students and the information is not always used to target specific areas of weakness. However, in mathematics, the information is used very well and specific interventions are planned to support areas where students are less sure.

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The quality of teaching

Students with special educational needs are sometimes not provided with enough simplified resources or specially adapted materials to enable them to make fast enough progress. The support provided for them by teaching assistants is very variable. At times there are not enough teaching assistants to provide support for students who need additional help and at other times the support provided does not encourage the students to think for themselves.

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The quality of teaching

Lessons are now more interesting than before as there is a wider variety of activities being demanded of students. In a technology lesson, where the objective was to determine what constituted a good ‘pop-up’ attraction, students were engaged with a quiz which asked them to identify various tourist attractions and to discuss which was the odd one out. Teachers’ questioning skills have improved and the majority of teachers check for understanding and misconceptions before moving on to a new area of work. On occasion, they rightly reteach a topic so that there is greater understanding by students. This was very evident in a Year 10 science lesson where Ohm’s Law was retaught so that students developed their understanding of this topic at a greater depth. Expectations of what can be achieved have been raised, but they are still not high enough. This is particularly so in some higher ability sets in the

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The quality of teaching

older year groups as well as in the lower sets in Years 7 and 8. This means some students are not being challenged enough and their pace of learning is too slow.

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The quality of teaching

The quality of marking has improved. It is undertaken regularly and teachers are ensuring that students follow up on the comments made. However, not all comments are sufficiently precise. They neither provide enough guidance on the next steps a student should take nor indicate how students can improve their work.

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The quality of teaching

The academy’s focus on developing literacy, especially in the lower years of the academy, is improving the reading skills of many students. However, literacy remains low in Year 9. The academy has plans to address this as a matter of urgency. Across all year groups not all staff insist on students answering questions in full sentences or using technical vocabulary. There is little evidence of key words displayed in classrooms to help those with lower levels of literacy. The quality of presentation accepted by teachers is also too inconsistent. Some insist on work being neatly organised, while others accept scrappy work too readily.

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Behaviour and safety of students

The ethos of the academy is very purposeful. There is a calm and orderly atmosphere. Relationships between staff and students are very cordial and mutual respect is apparent. The students show pride in the academy and those who have been there for some time articulate that there is a changed culture and that hard work is the expected norm. The majority of students demonstrate a positive attitude to learning and behave well.

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Behaviour and safety of students

Students feel safe at the academy and are confident that any issues will be dealt with quickly. Attendance has fallen slightly this year as a result of a number of persistent absentees. The academy has taken robust action to improve their attendance with some effect and is currently taking legal proceedings against others. It is tracking attendance very closely.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the academy

The Principal has continued the drive for improvement with vigour. His very clear sense of direction and purpose has motivated the staff at all levels and he has given them a renewed sense of confidence. He continues to make his expectations very explicit and does not allow weak teaching to go unchallenged. The academy’s improvement plans remain well focused and robust and accurate self-evaluation takes place regularly.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the academy

The senior leadership team is fully supportive of the Principal and has risen to the challenge to improve the quality of its own leadership and management. Leaders now understand fully the strengths and weaknesses of the academy and fulfil their roles well. Senior staff hold middle leaders to account for their work, plan well in advance for any new initiatives and provide a comprehensive coaching and mentoring programme for teachers. The bespoke teaching and learning magazine developed by the senior team is helping to encourage much wider debate on the nature of teaching and learning among staff. Senior leaders know well the strengths and areas for development for each member of staff and track their work rigorously. The vice-principal has a very detailed knowledge of the progress and achievement data for each student and for all year groups and staff recognise and respect his expertise in this area.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the academy

The middle leaders in the academy are beginning to work as a team. Their understanding of their roles is developing. However, the effectiveness of middle leaders is not yet entirely consistent in quality. The majority now check the work of their teams, scrutinise books and analyse students’ outcomes more deeply. They are generally more aware of what constitutes good and outstanding teaching and how to achieve this. They feel empowered and consulted but at the same time feel accountable for the outcomes from their departments. Their understanding of how to use the information about the progress and attainment of students has improved as has the accuracy of their predictions.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the academy

The governing body is working well. It holds the academy tightly to account through its monthly monitoring meetings where it receives very full information from members of the senior leadership team and the Principal. It analyses progress towards the academy development plan thoroughly. It is now asking much more challenging questions, based on a far greater understanding of the information provided. For example, it asked about the recently revised predicted figures for attainment in Year 11, why this was so and how students who were underachieving were being helped. It validates the information it receives by visiting the academy regularly. It has an accurate understanding of the strengths, weaknesses and areas of challenge that the academy faces. It is fully aware of the widening gap in mathematics between those students in receipt of pupil premium funding and other students. It has been conscientious in developing itself through training.

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External support

The academy has continued to receive support from its sponsor and this has increased in recent months. The Regional Director of Education visits monthly and the Assistant Regional Director remains a member of the governing body. They have provided a good level of challenge to the academy. Consultants and advisers have helped with curriculum reviews, training of staff and recruitment. For the most part this has been successful. The Principal has also commissioned external support from consultants and from three outstanding schools nearby. Teachers have been visiting these schools to ensure they understand what constitutes outstanding practice.

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