Setting

Miss Donna Trusler Principal The Manor Academy Park Hall Road Mansfield Woodhouse Mansfield NG19 8QA

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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to The Manor Academy

Following my visit to your school on 29 June 2015, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave me and for the time you made available to discuss the actions you are taking to improve the school since the most recent section 5 inspection.

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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to The Manor Academy

The visit was the second monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in May 2014. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to The Manor Academy

Senior leaders and governors are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection.

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Evidence

During the inspection, meetings were held with yourself and the leader of the ‘Flourish’ team. I met with a group of students from Years 9–13. I also met with the six Directors of the Board, including the Chair and the headteacher of a local partner school. These meetings were held in order to discuss the action taken since the last inspection. I visited a number of classrooms, spoke with students informally and looked at their work. I examined a range of documentation, including the academy’s self-evaluation document, analysis of your recent data, your single central record and records on students’ behaviour and attendance. 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 679 9167 Direct email : farhan.aslam@serco.com

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Context

Since the previous inspection three new teachers of science, sociology and health and social care have started at the academy. You have also employed a specialist teacher for the most-able students and two mini-bus drivers. Two of your senior leaders have been promoted to Deputy Principals. The governing body has reconstituted and is now known as the Board of Directors.

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Main findings

You have high expectations and, well supported by your senior leaders, you continue to move the academy forward at a rapid pace. There is no room for complacency at the Manor Academy and you are committed to finding innovative solutions. You have already implemented your own system for assessment following the removal of National Curriculum levels and this is well understood by students and staff. You have rightly placed a high focus on improving your engagement with parents and their attendance at parents’ evenings has tripled.

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Main findings

Your predictions indicate that there should to be strong improvements in the progress made by Year 11 students from their starting points in English, mathematics and science in 2015. They also indicate that there are likely to be improvements in the percentage of students achieving five good GCSEs in English and mathematics at the end of Year 11. Academy leaders have taken action to ensure that all students are following a suitable science GCSE in 2015. The progress made by students eligible for the pupil premium is also improving, particularly in the current Year 10. Leaders recognise that more can be done to improve the attainment of the most-able students.

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Main findings

Students’ behaviour is improving; they say that staff apply the behaviour policy rigorously and consistently. Students say that they feel safe. They behave well around the academy site and are appropriately supervised at break and lunchtime. Students are clear that any form of bullying is unacceptable and are confident that staff would deal with it effectively.

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Main findings

You are highly proactive in developing local partnerships with other schools. You believe that permanent exclusions are a last resort and work actively to bring students back on board, in a safe environment. As a result, you have led the introduction of the Reach and Achieve my Potential unit (R@MP), in conjunction with other schools in the Mansfield Learning Partnership. The academy’s shared ‘Altex’ centre also provides an effective alternative to fixed term exclusions.

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Main findings

The quality of teaching is improving. Teachers use tablet computers effectively to support students’ different learning needs. Academy leaders routinely monitor the quality of teaching, taking into consideration a range of evidence, including the quality of marking and student voice as well as short highly focused lesson observations. The quality of teachers’ feedback and marking is improving. Students enjoy working in mixed aged classes where they benefit from working at a rate that suits their needs.

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Main findings

The recent reconstitution of the governing body has resulted in a greater clarity of Directors’ roles and responsibilities. Directors are highly committed and supportive of the Principal. They make regular visits to the academy to check on specific areas of academy improvement, linked to the improvement plan.

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Main findings

Ofsted may carry out further visits and, where necessary, provide further support and challenge to the school until its next section 5 inspection.

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External support

The academy is not a passive recipient of support and works in strong partnership with both the Redhill Teaching Alliance and the Mansfield Learning Partnership. The academy has enlisted the support of a Specialist Leader of Education from the Redhill Teaching Alliance to help them further improve their attendance. Some effective strategies were introduced to reduce absenteeism and students’ overall attendance is moving much closer to national averages. However, disadvantaged students are more likely to be regularly absent.

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External support

I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Board of Directors, the Director of Children’s Services for Nottinghamshire, the Education Funding Agency and the Department for Education Academies Advisers’ Unit.

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Her Majesty’s Inspector

The letter should be copied to the following:

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Her Majesty’s Inspector

cc. Appropriate authority - Chair of the Governing Body/Interim Executive Board cc. Local authority cc. The Education Funding Agency (EFA) if the school has a sixth form hns.efa@education.gsi.gov.uk cc. CausingConcern.SCHOOLS@education.gsi.gov.uk

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