Setting

Mr Chris Teal Headteacher The Kimberley School Newdigate Street Kimberley Nottingham NG16 2NJ

p.1

School

Following my visit to your academy on 3 July 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 academy since the most recent section 5 inspection.

p.1

School

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the academy was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in March 2015. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

p.1

School

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

p.1

Evidence

During the inspection, I held meetings with you, your two deputy headteachers, the head of the sixth form and a group of governors including the Chair to discuss the action taken since the last inspection. I visited some lessons and spoke with staff and students, particularly about teachers’ marking and students’ responses to it. The academy’s development plan was evaluated. I scrutinised a range of documentation including information about students’ current achievement. 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 9154 Direct email : aidan.dunne@serco.com

p.1

Context

At their full governing body meeting on 2 July 2015, governors unanimously agreed to join a multi-academy trust, the East Midlands Education Trust. They are now following this decision up with appropriate action.

p.2

Main findings

You, your senior leaders and governors are fully committed to improving students’ achievement and the quality of teaching at the academy. Some actions that were already being carried out at the time of the last inspection are being consolidated and improved further. For example, you and your senior leaders have raised staff expectations about the rigorous analyses of students’ performance data and making sure that this is leading to raising achievement quickly. Leaders who are responsible for checking students’ personal welfare now align their findings closely with their evaluations of students’ progress data. As a result, the work of heads of house with tutors and subject staff has a much sharper focus on students’ actual progress and what barriers need removing to accelerate their progress. Your senior leaders, in their line management meetings with all leaders, are much more robust in holding staff to account for students’ progress, including that of the disadvantaged and the

p.2

Main findings

most-able students. The academy’s tracking of students’ progress indicates that many more are now making or exceeding the progress expected of them than they were at the time of the last inspection.

p.2

Main findings

You are taking effective action to improve the impact of teachers’ marking on students’ work. Leaders are providing effective role models for carrying out checks on students’ work by asking faculty leaders challenging questions about the quality and frequency of teachers’ marking. As a result, subject leaders are now clearer about the power of effective marking on improving students’ work. Students report that teachers are consistent in following up suggestions they make for improvement and that this is helping students to correct mistakes quickly and also help deepen their learning.

p.2

Main findings

You and your senior leaders have raised your expectations about improving students’ attitudes to learning, alongside improving the quality of teaching. Changes to the behaviour policy and regular checks on the policy’s implementation are ensuring a greater consistency in staff dealing with unacceptable behaviour in lessons. Underpinning improvement is training undertaken by staff in the use of a new system for recording students’ behaviour; for example, noting the number of times when students are sent out of lessons and how well they are reintegrated into successful learning. The training is helping leaders and teachers to better understand the impact of teaching on students’ behaviour in lessons. Leaders’ tracking of students’ attendance shows that the proportion of students who are persistently absent has reduced significantly, compared to last year’s data. Your draft academy development plan addresses all of the issues from the last

p.2

Main findings

inspection. You and your leaders, fully supported by governors, have raised teachers’ aspirations and set out challenging expectations to raise achievement. However, these intentions are not always fully translated into specific actions or specify enough measurable indicators in the development plan to help you and governors to check the success or otherwise of actions. You recognise that these aspects are not fully indicated in the draft development plan as they are in subject leaders’ action plans. In practice, leaders, such as subject leaders, are held to account for students’ progress using measurable data.

p.3

Main findings

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

p.3

External support

Subject leaders are working with staff from an academy judged as outstanding to help develop the quality of assessment, particularly in Years 7 to 9. This is ensuring that the quality of teachers’ assessment of students’ progress is reliable. Work with the academy is also helping subject leaders to develop their leadership skills further, for example, in improving the quality of checks made on students’ progress.

p.3

External support

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

p.3

Her Majesty’s Inspector

The letter should be copied to the following:

p.3

Her Majesty’s Inspector

 Appropriate authority - Chair of the Governing Body/Interim Executive Board  Local authority – including where the school is an academy  Contractor providing support services on behalf of the local authority - where appropriate  The Education Funding Agency (EFA)  The person or body responsible for appointing foundation governors if the school has a foundation  For academies [ CausingConcern.SCHOOLS@education.gsi.gov.uk ]

p.3