Ormiston Ilkeston Enterprise Academy

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Mr David Smith Ormiston Ilkeston Enterprise Academy King George Avenue Ilkeston Derbyshire DE7 5HS

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Enterprise Academy

Following my visit to your school on 23 February 2016, 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 that have been taken since the school’s previous monitoring inspection.

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Enterprise Academy

The inspection was the second monitoring inspection since the school was judged to have serious weaknesses following the section 5 inspection that took place in April 2015. The monitoring inspection report is attached.

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Enterprise Academy

Having considered all the evidence I am of the opinion that at this time:

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Enterprise Academy

Leaders and managers are taking effective action towards the removal of the serious weaknesses designation.

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Enterprise Academy

The school’s action plan is fit for purpose.

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Enterprise Academy

I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Governing Body, the Regional Schools Commissioner and the Director of Children’s Services for Derbyshire County Council. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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The areas for improvement identified during the inspection that took place

in January 2015.  Improve teaching and achievement, particularly in English and science, by: – closely matching engaging activities and resources to students’ different abilities, particularly so that those of the highest ability are challenged – effectively ensuring that marking gives students a clear understanding of what they need to do to improve their work and achieve their targets, and that students follow the advice given – managing students’ behaviour consistently well, so that poor behaviour is not tolerated and all teachers take swift action to prevent learning being disrupted.  Improve leadership and management by: – communicating with students and their parents the importance of full attendance, and engaging parents more closely in their children’s learning – making more effective use of the pupil premium funding to narrow the achievement gap between disadvantaged students and their classmates

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The areas for improvement identified during the inspection that took place

– giving subject leaders the training and support they need to improve teaching and learning in their areas of responsibility – using the expertise in the main academy to ensure sixth-form leaders fully analyse the progress made by different groups of students so that they can identify and tackle underachievement more effectively. An external review of the academy’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken to assess how this aspect of leadership and management can be improved.

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Evidence

The inspector met with the Principal, senior and middle leaders and the Regional director from the Ormiston Academies Trust, and spoke by telephone to the Chair of the Governing Body. Together with a senior leader, the inspector observed teaching in English, science, religious studies and languages, and looked at work in pupils’ books. A short visit to the ‘hub’, the centre for pupil support, was also undertaken. A range of documentation was reviewed, including the school’s self- evaluation and action plans, records of the monitoring of teaching, attendance and exclusions data, behaviour records and data on the current achievement of pupils.

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Context

Since the previous inspection, 15 members of staff have left the school. New heads of faculty have been appointed in humanities, science and computer science, and there is an acting head of faculty in modern foreign languages. New teachers have been appointed in science and languages. Two members of the leadership team left the school at the end of the autumn term and have not been replaced.

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

Senior leaders, although reduced in number, have accelerated improvements in teaching quality through the consistent application of rigorous performance management and a high-quality programme of professional development for teachers. They have continued to address long-standing weaknesses across the school, putting in place targeted support plans for teachers and making the necessary adjustments to staffing levels to reduce the budget deficit. They have taken the difficult but necessary decision to suspend the sixth-form provision at the end of this academic year. These actions are resulting in a better standard of teaching. The vast majority of inadequate teaching has been eradicated since the previous inspection. Teachers are now much more willing to work with each other to improve their practice, and the increasing collaboration between colleagues and across faculties is resulting in improved teaching across the school. In the English

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

lessons observed, teachers skilfully used a range of strategies to improve pupils’ learning and engagement. These included carefully targeted questioning to draw out higher-level responses from the most-able pupils and well-planned support for the least able.

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

Improvements to pupils’ behaviour have continued. In the vast majority of lessons observed, pupils displayed positive attitudes to learning, although there is more to do to ensure that all teachers insist on high standards of behaviour from all pupils and enforce the ‘respect’ agenda prominently displayed around the school and in classrooms. The move to the new building has had a positive impact on pupils’ behaviour and has increased their sense of pride in their school. This was confirmed by those pupils who spoke to the inspector and also by the quality of work in books. School records also show that internal sanctions are all reducing, as is the number of pupils who are excluded from the school on a fixed-term basis. The number of times these exclusions have been used this term has fallen on the same time last year, but they remain high. The school faces challenges in improving the behaviour of a group of Year 10 pupils in particular who continue to flout school rules and

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

disrupt learning, despite a raft of strategies put in place to improve their conduct and engagement. The attendance of some pupils, including some supported by pupil premium funding, remains stubbornly low. Leaders are aware of this and are committed to taking strenuous action to rectify this picture, although the full impact of these actions is yet to be evidenced.

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

The progress board, comprising a group of governors with educational expertise, check regularly on the impact of leaders’ actions to improve the school. This has helped to ensure that the pace of improvement has not faltered. Governors use their skills in interrogating data to ensure that leaders are rigorously held to account for the performance of pupils.

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

Although outcomes did not improve significantly in 2015, the progress of current pupils shows encouraging signs of improvement. This is as a result of actions taken to improve teaching. Information from the school shows that current Year 11 pupils are on track to achieve broadly average standards at GCSE this year, including in English. Leaders have a clear understanding of the reasons why outcomes, although showing some signs of improvement, have not risen quickly enough, and a keen appreciation of the key actions needed to ensure that the rate of improvement accelerates.

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The quality of leadership and management at the school

An external review of pupil premium spending was carried out in June 2015; however, changes to leadership have meant that the full impact of this review cannot yet be seen in full.

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Strengths in the school’s approaches to securing improvement:

 Monitoring carried out by senior leaders shows that teaching across the school is improving. Opportunities to share best practice and learn from effective teaching elsewhere are improving teachers’ understanding of how to improve and are raising staff morale.

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Strengths in the school’s approaches to securing improvement:

 New appointments are improving the quality and effectiveness of subject leadership. These leaders are increasingly effective in monitoring the quality of teaching and learning in their faculties. They ensure that teachers are now more cautious and more accurate in their predictions for pupils’ achievements.  The school’s new behaviour policy gives teacher clear advice and guidance on managing pupils’ behaviour and developing positive relationships with pupils. This is leading to improved behaviour in class and around the school, although not all teachers enforce the policy consistently.

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Strengths in the school’s approaches to securing improvement:

 The school’s marking and feedback policy is being implemented with increasing consistency. Pupils told the inspector they find this feedback helpful in improving their learning. There are improving signs of higher expectations being enforced, for example in insisting on good standards of presentation.

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Strengths in the school’s approaches to securing improvement:

 Pupils’ attitudes to learning are improving, as better teaching increases their engagement in and enjoyment of their learning.

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Weaknesses in the academy's approaches to securing improvement:

 Outcomes in 2015 were not as strong as school leaders had predicted. GCSE examination results were still well below national levels, with only approximately half of pupils making the expected progress in English. Current pupils are benefiting from better teaching in this subject, but many are hampered by the legacy of poor teaching previously, which means they have not developed the skills, confidence and subject knowledge to be successful.

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Weaknesses in the academy's approaches to securing improvement:

 Changes to leadership and staffing have reduced leaders’ capacity to tackle some of the areas of improvement from the previous inspection. For example, although the review of pupil premium funding was carried out in June 2015, the impact of actions taken to improve the achievement of eligible pupils cannot yet be seen.

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Weaknesses in the academy's approaches to securing improvement:

 Strategies to improve attendance stalled in the autumn term because of staffing difficulties. While this work is now back on track, the continued persistent absence of some pupils means it will be even harder for these pupils to catch up with their peers.

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Weaknesses in the academy's approaches to securing improvement:

 A small group of pupils continue to show defiance and refusal to comply with the school’s behaviour policy. Fixed-term exclusions for these pupils are not reducing.

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External support

Since the previous inspection, the sponsor, the Ormiston Academies Trust, has stepped up the level of support to the school. The Regional director from the trust visits the school on a weekly basis and consequently has good knowledge of its strengths and weaknesses. She directly and effectively holds the Principal to account for the improvement of the school. A consultant employed by the trust has provided intensive support for key faculties and middle leaders, working with these leaders to develop new curricula and schemes of work. There are further plans to support the ongoing development of teaching through the trust’s coaching programme.

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