Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mr Russell Heritage Executive Principal Sheffield Springs Academy Hurlfield Road Sheffield South Yorkshire S12 2SF

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Academy

Following my visit to your academy on 14 March 2016, 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.

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Academy

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

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Academy

Senior leaders, governors and the sponsor are not taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection in order to become a good school.

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Academy

The academy should take further action to:

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Academy

 strengthen the role of United Learning in ensuring that leaders at all levels are supported effectively to bring about more rapid improvements in teaching, outcomes and attendance.

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Evidence

During the inspection, meetings were held with you, other senior leaders, the leaders of English and mathematics, a representative of United Learning (UL) and members of the local governing body to discuss the action taken since the last inspection. Lessons in English and mathematics were observed jointly with a senior leader. A meeting was held with pupils. Documents relating to the academy’s monitoring of the quality of teaching, pupils’ progress, attendance and exclusions were scrutinised.

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Context

Since the last monitoring inspection, a Principal was appointed, a vice-principal left for promotion, and the executive principal reduced his level of support from 2.5 to 1.5 days a week. Since September 2015, a new director of mathematics has been working in the academy part-time, pastoral support has been restructured and plans are being developed for UL academies in the Yorkshire M1 corridor to work more closely together from September 2016.

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Main findings

In 2015, the proportion of pupils who gained five good GCSEs, including English and mathematics, increased. However, the proportion of pupils gaining good grades in English and mathematics decreased. Rates of progress in English and mathematics also declined and were low in English. In English, this was due to a history of staffing issues and weaker teaching. These factors resulted in pupils not completing their controlled assessments early enough, in insufficient exam preparation and in not enough time given to teaching literature, especially poetry. In mathematics, leaders focused on the C/D grade borderline and lower-ability pupils received insufficient support to make the expected levels of progress. Assessment was not sufficiently accurate and predicted grades were over-estimated.

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Main findings

In the current school year, leaders have ensured that controlled assessments are managed more effectively and teaching of literature is stronger. Staffing in English is more stable, and the relatively new leader of English has applied the lessons learned from her first year and is leading the department well.

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Main findings

In both English and mathematics, leaders are analysing pupils’ exam practice outcomes more rigorously. Weaknesses in pupils’ performances are being identified more precisely and teaching is being planned more strategically to tackle the identified weaknesses. The accuracy of assessment is checked more rigorously: in English, by a marker from the examination board linked to the executive principal’s academy in Rotherham, Wingfield; in mathematics, by the subject leader from a local outstanding Sheffield academy, Notre Dame High.

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Main findings

As a result, the academy’s more accurate assessment of current progress indicates that the current Year 11, which is a weaker cohort, may achieve a higher proportion of pupils than in 2015 gaining five GCSEs at grades A* to C, including English and mathematics. The academy predicts that rates of progress will improve in English and mathematics, though they are unlikely to reach national averages. Overall, the academy estimates that progress, as measured by the new Progress 8 measure, may be close to the national average. Teaching is improving gradually. Leaders judge that more teaching has outstanding features. According to academy records, a similar proportion requires improvement as at the time of the last monitoring visit in January 2015. Teaching in English and mathematics continues to require improvement. In observed English teaching, an explanation and task about the relevance of the social context to a work of

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Main findings

literature was vague and confusing for pupils. The quality of marking is stronger than before. Pupils value the more precise guidance that teachers are providing and this is helping them to make better progress. English teachers have begun to identify pupils’ needs more accurately at Key Stage 4, but tasks do not consistently support and challenge the full range of abilities.

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Main findings

The new part-time director of mathematics has established clear expectations of what good teaching looks like, and is working closely with staff to model teaching and to coach staff in extending their repertoire. He is developing a more rigorous approach to analysing why particular pupils are making slower progress and has raised expectations of the actions that teachers will take to accelerate progress. This is beginning to improve the quality of teaching in mathematics. In some mathematics lessons, teachers do not check how well pupils understand and do not make sure that pupils record the methods learned to consolidate their learning.

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Main findings

Attendance rose in 2014 but dipped in 2015, and is currently at the same low level as at this point in the last school year. Leaders have focused support on the pupils with weaker attendance, and while the majority have improved their attendance, a significant minority have not. The academy is making more use this year of fixed- term penalties when other strategies have been exhausted but their impact is not evident so far. In October, the academy set up an alternative provision centre for school refusers and non-attenders and this is having a positive benefit for some pupils. Leaders have increased the rewards for good attendance but these have not raised attendance. Leaders said that attendance rose following an increase in GCSE outcomes and another rise would increase the motivation to attend.

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Main findings

Behaviour has remained calm. Fixed-term exclusions have continued to reduce, to a low level. However, internal exclusions occur regularly in response to incidents of low-level disruption. In some classes, teaching and relationships are not strong enough to manage instances of challenging behaviour and negative attitudes. A restructure of support staff is providing pupils with stronger support for their behaviour and academic progress.

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Main findings

The executive principal has a calm, reflective and analytical approach that is bringing about further steady improvement following the academy’s emergence from special measures. The academy still requires significant improvement. Leaders have selected support from local schools effectively, and this has contributed to improvements in English and mathematics. Professional development has established whole-school approaches to aspects of teaching and assessment, though not enough has been targeted on the needs of individual teachers. One third of teachers have volunteered to be coached, which demonstrates an increased staff commitment to reflecting on and improving their teaching. Newly qualified teachers have been supported and developed well, and as a result they are choosing to stay on at the academy.

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Main findings

Members of the local governing body understand the strengths and weaknesses of the academy and support the proposal for greater collaboration with other UL academies in the area.

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External support

Leaders have gained most of their support for subject leadership from the Learners First teaching school partnership in Rotherham and from Sheffield schools. The support for subject leadership provided by UL has been too distant and infrequent to drive rapid change. As a result, the quality of teaching and pupil outcomes are improving too slowly. On occasion, UL commitments to provide support have not been met. UL has provided useful opportunities for leaders to update themselves on national developments in curriculum and assessment and contributed to improved outcomes in humanities. The model of subject leadership introduced by UL in mathematics is beginning to have a more rapid impact. UL is proposing a strategy for more formal local collaboration between UL academies in the region. It is too early to judge its impact .

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External support

I am copying this letter to the chair of the local governing body, the Regional Schools Commissioner and the Director of Children's Services for Sheffield City Council. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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