Setting

Trevor Goddard Principal Lakeside Academy District Centre Grange Avenue Stirchley Telford TF3 1FA

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Lakeside Academy

Following my visit to your academy on 18 May 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 recent section 5 inspection.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Lakeside Academy

The inspection was the first monitoring inspection since the academy became subject to special measures following the inspection which took place in February 2015.

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Evidence

During this inspection, I met with you, as the Principal, and with groups of middle and senior leaders. I met with a member of the board of the Telford Co-operative Multi-Academy Trust, who is also Chief Executive Officer of the Community Academies Trust. I met with two governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body. I made short visits to a number of lessons and looked at the quality of work in students’ books. I held informal conversations with students during break time. The academy improvement plan was evaluated. No statement of action has been produced by the Telford Co-operative Multi-Academy Trust. Serco Inspections Colmore Plaza 20 Colmore Circus Queensway Birmingham B4 6AT T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T : 0121 6799167 Direct email :farhan.aslam@serco.com

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Context

Since the previous inspection, there have been a number of contextual changes and these changes are ongoing. The Telford Multi-Academy Trust, of which the academy is part, has a new directorate. The academy, alongside all others within the Telford Co-operative Multi-Academy Trust, is currently undergoing a significant restructure of staffing. The local governing body will be suspended in June 2015 and academy leaders will be accountable to an educational advisory board formed by the trust which will be responsible for the strategic direction of the academy. The current Principal is due to leave his post in August 2015. Leadership of the academy will be undertaken by a head of school and an executive head of school who will oversee both Lakeside Academy and Phoenix Academy. Proposals have been put forward for the Community Academies Trust to sponsor all of the secondary academies who are currently part of the Telford Co-operative Multi-Academy Trust. The academy moves

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Context

to new premises constructed under the government’s Building Schools for the Future programme in time for the start of the next academic year.

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

Leaders have begun to address the areas for improvement identified in the previous inspection. However, the plans for improvement are hindered by uncertainty and instability as a result of forthcoming changes. Changes of staffing, leadership and governance mean that current governors and leaders cannot generate a longer-term strategy to drive the academy forward during a restructure at all levels. Nevertheless, leaders and governors have remained highly committed to promoting the best interests of students and ensuring the best possible results for the current Year 11.

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

The academy improvement plan presents a range of actions to address the areas for improvement identified in the previous inspection. However, this plan is not suitable to drive academy improvement forward. This is because of a lack of specific and measurable success criteria, which limits leaders’ abilities to evaluate the impact of their actions on students’ achievement, attendance or behaviour. The occasions when changes are to be evaluated are not included in the plan so there are no regular checks to ensure that leaders are meeting their targets. It is unclear who will undertake monitoring activities. Leaders, therefore, cannot be properly held to account. The potential impact of this plan is further limited by impending changes of systems and procedures under new leadership. The plan does not allow for this transition. As a result, this plan is not fit for the purpose of bringing about necessary

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

sustainable improvements. No statement of action has been produced by the Telford Co-operative Multi-Academy Trust. There is a renewed focus on setting high expectations for students’ behaviour in lessons and how they conduct themselves around the academy site. Leaders have called this the ‘re-set button’. They have worked successfully to reduce the numbers of students who arrive late to school. However, the students that I spoke to said that behaviour in lessons continues to be a concern. They say that not all teachers have the same expectations of students and that learning is regularly interrupted by disruptive behaviour. Overall attendance remains well below the national average, as does the proportion of individual students who do not attend regularly. Attendance has declined since the previous inspection. The academy is working well with groups of students who present particularly challenging behaviour and can demonstrate a

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

positive impact. However, systems to monitor and track patterns in behaviour over time are not yet active and limit leaders’ action to make strategic improvements. Fixed term exclusions have risen considerably in comparison with the last academic year and since the previous inspection.

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

Leaders have adopted better systems to check students’ progress towards the targets set. Some measures have been undertaken to strengthen the quality and accuracy of teachers’ assessments, such as working with other schools and national networks. However, these checks are not systematic enough for leaders to be sure that all information provided about students’ achievement is accurate. Nevertheless, leaders are using this information to identify some students at risk of underachievement and put on extra classes for these students to help them to catch up.

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

Information provided by leaders about the achievement of Year 11 students predicts better examination results than last year. Students’ achievement in mathematics is predicted to rise and be closer to the national average. However, the proportion of students making expected or better-than-expected progress in English, although improved, remains too low and some groups, including boys and disadvantaged students, are making slower progress than others. The gaps between the progress and attainment of disadvantaged students and their peers are too wide, particularly in mathematics. The external review of the use of the pupil premium (additional funding for disadvantaged students) stipulated in the previous inspection report has not been undertaken. This review is urgent given weaknesses in the impact and evaluation of this spending.

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

During the visits that I made to lessons, I saw how better practice in marking is beginning to develop. Students are encouraged to make improvements to their work based on the guidance offered. However, some comments do not help students to develop their skills. I saw how teachers in English used their subject knowledge well to help students to understand how they would be assessed in their forthcoming examinations. As a result, students had greater confidence in how to approach questions in the examination. However, much teaching does not challenge all abilities. Students’ attitudes to learning are not consistently good. Some students lack concentration and do not listen carefully enough to their teacher and are slow to begin set tasks. These failings are further reflected in some poorly presented work.

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

The external review of governance called for at the February 2015 inspection has not been undertaken. The impact of the current governing body has been curtailed by the forthcoming suspension of local governance in June. From this point, governance will be undertaken by an education advisory board made up of trust directors.

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

The dissolution of the Telford Multi-Academy Trust and a new potential sponsor are intended to give the academy better strategic direction.

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

The Telford Co-operative Multi-Academy Trust has provided no external support. Leaders have commissioned some support from an outstanding school. This has involved observing lessons in some subjects and checking the accuracy of some teacher assessments. However, the academy improvement plan does not make sufficient reference to the vital role that this external support should play in school improvement. Rigorous external checks and support for the quality of education to be provided are not evident throughout the plan in order to build the skills and capacity of leadership at all levels.

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

Following the monitoring inspection the following judgements were made:

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

The proprietor’s statement of action is not fit for purpose. The Telford Co-operative Multi-Academy Trust did not prepare a statement of action.

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

The academy’s improvement plan is not fit for purpose.

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

Having considered all the evidence I strongly recommend that the academy does not seek to appoint NQTs.

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

I am copying this letter to the Secretary of State and the Director of Children’s Services for Telford and Wrekin. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Her Majesty’s Inspector

The letter should be copied to the following:

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Her Majesty’s Inspector

 Appropriate authority - Chair of the Governing Body/Interim Executive Board  Local authority – (including where a school is an academy)  The Education Funding Agency (EFA) if the school has a sixth form hns.efa@education.gsi.gov.uk  For Academies only - CausingConcern.SCHOOLS@education.gsi.gov.uk  The lead inspector

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