Rodillian Academy

Rodillian Academy Longthorpe Lane, Lofthouse, Wakefield WF3 3PS

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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This is a good academy because

 The executive headteacher and all other leaders have created a clear and compelling vision for the academy, where high achievement and clear discipline are paramount.  Governors, leaders and managers have the right balance between supporting, motivating and challenging staff. Consequently staff morale is high.  Significant and sustained improvements have been made in pupils’ outcomes since becoming an academy in 2012. Outcomes are improving and by the time they reach Year 11, pupils’ attainment is often above national averages.  The behaviour of pupils is excellent. The academy has high expectations in terms of both behaviour and learning.  Attendance has improved year on year. Pupils are proud of, and enjoy coming to, the academy.  The management of teacher performance is clear and effective. It focuses on improving teaching and outcomes and has had a significant impact on the improvements made.  Teaching is strongly improving across the

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This is a good academy because

academy. As a result, pupils and learners in the sixth form are now making good progress in many subjects.

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It is not yet an outstanding academy because

 The progress of specific groups of pupils, including the more able, disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and those following academic courses in the sixth form, is not outstanding.  The quality of teaching is not consistently outstanding across the academy and this is reflected in some teacher feedback to pupils not having enough impact.  Homework set is not always challenging enough.  Learners who are following academic courses in the sixth form do not have consistent opportunities for work experience. Success rates for learners resitting English and mathematics are not high enough.

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What does the academy need to do to improve further?

 Continue to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that: – specific groups of pupils, including the more able, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, make at least good progress in all subjects including English – best practice within the academy is shared and developed to improve further the impact feedback has on pupils’ progress – homework is challenging and consolidates and deepens learning.

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What does the academy need to do to improve further?

 Continue to improve sixth form provision by ensuring that: – academic learners accelerate their rates of progress in some subjects – all academic learners consistently experience some form of work experience – success rates for learners resitting their GCSE English and/or mathematics continue to rise.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 The executive headteacher and his senior leaders have created a culture in which every child, regardless of their background, can achieve the highest possible standards within a well-disciplined environment. They are unyielding in their desire for pupils to have the best possible education and life chances. As a result of this, the academy continues on its strong and impressive improvement journey.  Staff and pupils live and breathe this vision and inspectors were told several times, by both staff and pupils, what an ‘amazing place it is to be’. Staff are passionate about the vision that has been set for the academy. They are energised and resolute that pupils should make the best possible progress.  Leaders have a firm grip of what is going well within the academy and what needs to be even better. Their self-evaluation accurately identifies the need for more-able pupils to make faster progress in some

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

subjects and to address variation between some subjects. Inspection evidence shows that effective actions are being taken to improve these areas.  The management of teachers’ performance is straightforwardly focused on improving specific aspects of a teacher’s practice. Highly effective training, support and coaching is provided by fellow teachers on a regular basis. This training package is successful in its aim of helping staff to achieve their challenging targets and improve pupils’ progress, therefore leading to strong improvements in teaching.  Comments by pupils, and by many parents, confirm that teachers show great levels of energy and enthusiasm. One parent spoke for the overwhelming majority of those that replied to the online survey, Parent View, when they said what a ‘wonderful job’ leaders do in creating a learning environment which is both exciting and orderly.  Links with external agencies, including the police, are excellent. These strong lines of communication,

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

combined with high-quality safeguarding training and high levels of expertise and vigilance, ensure that safeguarding procedures are very effective. The small number of pupils who attend alternative provision at Southway are safe and make rapid progress given their starting points.  The curriculum is inspiring. For example, Year 7 pupils develop their resilience skills. They all learn how to play the ukulele and have an excellent range of enrichment activities that take them outside their comfort zone. Pupils are encouraged to see the learning of French as part of being resilient and open to new learning experiences. This forms the bedrock for their learning as they progress through the academy.  The curriculum provides pupils with fantastic experiences and prepares them for their future in modern Britain. The academy has fully embraced the importance of providing effective careers guidance for pupil.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

As a result pupils have a clear understanding of what pathways they can follow after Year 11.  The governance of the academy – Governors and members of the trust make a highly effective contribution to developing the aspiration, vision and success of the academy. Governors come from a wide range of backgrounds and this enables them to ask increasingly challenging questions of leaders in their desire to improve even further. Governors have not been afraid to take decisive action when performance does not meet their high expectations. – Governors are reflective and keen to improve further. They have a clear sense of how additional funding is spent, including the pupil premium, and understand the overall positive impact it is having on pupils’ progress. Governors regularly invite other leaders to their meetings to challenge and better understand the impact they are having.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is improving and this has helped drive up pupils’ outcomes. Relationships between staff and pupils are excellent. Pupils show very good attitudes to learning and are quick to settle and get on with their work. In the very best lessons pupils have a real thirst for learning and are engrossed in what they are doing.  Teachers have strong subject knowledge and the most effective teachers use assessment information extremely well. For example, mathematics teachers are particularly adept at finding out what pupils are struggling to master and then adapt and amend lessons to tackle these difficulties and misconceptions. Consequently, pupils make outstanding progress in mathematics. Teachers’ questioning is often extremely skilled. This allows teachers to assess the quality of pupils’ understanding carefully, precisely and in depth.  Significant work has been undertaken to improve pupils’ literacy skills. Inspectors saw pupils arriving to

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

school early to take part in their ‘Rise and Read’ lessons to help improve their literacy skills. As a result, pupils are improving their reading skills and a number of pupils are growing to love reading.  Additional adults in lessons make a very effective contribution to the improvement in pupils’ achievement. They work well with teachers to gain a good understanding of whom they need to support and what needs to be achieved by the end of each lesson. Pupils are benefiting from this additional support and as a result are making good gains in their learning.  There are examples of very good teacher feedback to pupils that are in line with the academy’s expectations. In these instances pupils clearly understand what they have to improve and act upon this feedback. However, there are instances when pupils are not clear enough about how well they are doing. This is because teacher feedback is not always clear enough. A small number of teachers allow errors,

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

including those of spelling, punctuation and grammar, to go unchallenged over time. Some spelling mistakes are repeated over several lessons. This can slow pupils’ progress.  Homework is set in line with the academy’s policy. However, inspection evidence and parental comments indicate that it is not always sufficiently challenging to prepare pupils well enough for work to come.

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Personal development and welfare

 The academy’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  Pupils are proud of their academy. There is an extensive range of opportunities for pupils to develop both personally and emotionally. Pupils learn the importance of helping and caring for others. Fundraising activities for the local hospice or for children in need around the world are used very effectively to help pupils have respect and empathy for others.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is preparing them extremely well in becoming thoughtful and active citizens. An example of this was seen during a sensitive and very well managed discussion with pupils about the Holocaust and the impact it had on a range of different ethnic groups. The teacher and pupils showed great insight and sensitivity during their discussions and exemplified high levels of moral and cultural understanding.

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Personal development and welfare

 Enrichment weeks provide fantastic opportunities for pupils to become confident and self-assured learners. Pupils take part of a wide range of activities such as motocross, jewellery making and developing their understanding of the world of work. Pupils described these experiences as ‘amazing’.  Pupils are taught most effectively about keeping safe, including internet safety, and a number of staff are well trained in identifying any potential radicalisation or extremism.  The overwhelming majority of parental responses confirmed that this aspect of the academy’s work is outstanding.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Both in lessons and when moving around the building, pupils are calm, sensible and polite.  Lunchtimes exemplify the outstanding behaviour of pupils. In a large and very busy cafeteria pupils sensibly line up for lunch, eat together and chat and leave quickly and without fuss when the bell sounds. Pupils leave little litter and treat their environment with great respect.  Attendance rates are high overall and improving year on year. For the last two years attendance has been well above average. Leaders have focused much of their energies on making sure that the academy is a place pupils would want to attend. Improvements to teaching, alongside very effective systems for monitoring and tackling the first signs of absence, have helped significantly improve attendance and reduce persistent absence. Leaders work hard to ensure that exclusions are low and reducing and that

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Behaviour

permanent exclusions are avoided at all costs.  The small number of pupils who attend the alternative provision at Southway are well cared for and regular reviews and updates are provided on the progress these pupils are making.  Pupils wear their uniform with pride and they look smart and ready to learn. There is little low-level disruption in lessons. Academy records show that incidents of bullying have reduced year on year. It is difficult to find pupils who have experienced bullying, including homophobic or racist bullying.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Since 2012 outcomes have continued to improve strongly as a result of highly effective teaching. Typically pupils start Year 7 with attainment levels below national averages. By the time they reach the end of Year 11, the proportion of pupils achieving 5 good GCSEs including English and mathematics is well above the national average. Pupils achieve especially well in information technology, business studies, health and social care, history, religious studies and mathematics. As a result pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, employment or training.  Pupils work hard and want to do well in all their subjects. A large proportion of pupils make greater progress than that which is expected of them, especially in mathematics. Progress of some groups of pupils in English language, including the most able, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, is broadly average.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Leaders recognise that the progress that more-able pupils make in some subjects could be further improved. The overall progress of particular groups, including high-ability pupils, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, is not as rapid as their peers. Pupils’ progress is improving across the academy but is not outstanding because there are still inconsistencies in the rates of progress made by different groups of pupils.  The progress of disadvantaged pupils is improving. It is better in mathematics than it is in English. On consideration of current assessment information, as well as the results of teaching observations and reviews of pupils’ work, we find signs that leaders are starting to accelerate the progress that this group of pupils are making and that gaps between them and their peers are closing.  The transition arrangements for pupils entering Year 7 are very effective. Pupils told inspectors that they

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Outcomes for pupils are good

were very confident when they joined the academy.  Pupils who attend the academy’s alternative provision make good progress given their starting points and often are successfully reintegrated into their classes as a result of effective high-quality academic and pastoral support.

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16 to 19 study programmes are good

 Achievement in the sixth form is good overall. Learners studying vocational qualifications make good progress over time. Learners studying academic pathways in the past have not always made good enough progress. However, for learners currently in the sixth form, their progress on most academic courses is good. Disadvantaged learners make good progress and in some cases it is stronger than that of other learners.  Learners were keen to praise their teachers for going ‘the extra mile’ in helping them with their studies. Weekly meetings between learners and their tutors enable learners to have a good sense of the progress they are making. Retention rates are good.  Tutor periods provide useful and effective opportunities for learners to learn how to keep themselves safe and healthy, both physically and emotionally. Learners spoke very positively about the insights they had gained as to how to manage stress, the dangers of drugs and the risks of using the internet and social

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16 to 19 study programmes are good

media sites.  Learners show high levels of diligence when they are working on their own. Learners say how much they value the pastoral care and support that is available to them. Careers information, advice and guidance are good. Learners are well informed about the options and pathways available to them, both prior to joining the sixth form and when considering their choices at 19. As a result the number of learners going on to university is rising, including a growing number of learners going to the most prestigious universities.  Overall the academy meets the requirements of the 16–19 study programme. There are a number of opportunities for learners to develop their understanding about the world of work through assemblies, guest speakers and volunteering. However, further opportunities need to be provided for learners studying academic pathways to ensure that all develop their experience of work.

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16 to 19 study programmes are good

 A growing number of learners are successful at improving their GCSE mathematics grade when a C grade is not obtained at the end of Year 11. The success rates at English have not been as strong. Leadership of the sixth form is improving. It has been recently strengthened by the deployment of a senior leader to work with the Head of Sixth Form. The quality of teaching is good overall and relationships between staff and learners are positive.

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School details

Unique reference number 138336 Local authority Leeds Inspection number 10000584

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Type of school Secondary School category Academy converter Age range of pupils 11–18 Gender of pupils Mixed

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programmes

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,437

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programmes

Appropriate authority The Rodillian Multi Academy Trust and local governing body Chair Brian Sheldrake Executive Headteacher Andy Goulty Telephone number 01924872252 Website www.rodillianacademy.co.uk Email address info@rodillianacademy.co.uk Date of previous inspection No previous inspection

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Information about this academy

 Rodillian Academy is a much larger than average secondary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium is above the national average. Pupil premium funding is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and looked after children.  A small number of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is below average.  The academy meets the government’s current floor standards that set minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The Rodillian Academy is part of the Rodillian Multi Academy Trust. The local governing body plays an advisory role. The Trust is represented on the governing body.  The academy rarely uses alternative provision, and, when it does, it uses Southway, which is managed by

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors gathered a wide range of evidence during the inspection, including through observations of teaching, some of which were undertaken jointly with senior leaders.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ work during lessons and a sample of pupils’ written work, including English, science, history and French.  Inspectors held meetings with academy staff, including the executive headteacher, other senior leaders and staff in charge of aspects of the academy’s work. Inspectors met with a group of teachers, including newly and recently qualified teachers. They also met members of the Trust and the local governing body.  Inspectors spoke with pupils and learners in the sixth form in formal interviews, during lessons and informally at lunch and breaktimes.  Inspectors considered a large variety of documentation related to the academy’s work, gaining the academy’s view of its performance and information concerning pupils’ attainment, progress and

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Information about this inspection

attendance and improvement plans.  Inspectors scrutinised records concerning safeguarding, pupils’ behaviour and the quality of teaching and learning.  Inspectors analysed 86 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View. Inspectors also took into account 39 written responses from parents.

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Inspection team

Philip Smith, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Chris Smith Her Majesty’s Inspector Joan Hewitt Her Majesty’s Inspector Mary Lanovy Taylor Judith Gooding David Pridding Carl Sugden Nicholas Merifield Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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