Queen Elizabeth's Academy

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

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Mr Mike Smith Principal Queen Elizabeth’s Academy Chesterfield Road South Mansfield Nottinghamshire NG19 7AP

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Queen Elizabeth’s Academy

Following my visit with Mr Robert Steed, Ofsted Inspector, to your academy on 6 and 7 July 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 academy’s recent section 5 inspection.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Queen Elizabeth’s Academy

The inspection was the first monitoring inspection since the academy became subject to special measures following the inspection that took place in November 2015.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Queen Elizabeth’s Academy

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

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Queen Elizabeth’s Academy

Leaders and managers are not taking effective action towards the removal of special measures. The trust’s statement of action is not fit for purpose.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Queen Elizabeth’s Academy

The academy’s improvement plan is not fit for purpose.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Queen Elizabeth’s Academy

Having considered all the evidence, I strongly recommend that the academy does not seek to appoint newly qualified teachers. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the diocese of Southwell, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Nottinghamshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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The areas for improvement identified during the inspection that took place

 Raise all pupils’ achievement by improving the quality of teaching, learning and assessment through: − ensuring that all teachers consistently use assessment information to plan activities which fully meet the needs of all groups and all learners − raising teachers’ and pupils’ expectations with regard to pupils completing more difficult tasks to stretch and challenge their understanding and secure more rapid progress − ensuring that there is a consistent focus on improving pupils’ communication skills.  Eradicate the gaps between the performance and attendance of disadvantaged pupils and their peers by: − evaluating the use of pupil premium and ensuring that strategies that do not secure rapid progress are adapted swiftly − raising the achievement of disadvantaged pupils across all subjects and across all years so that they achieve at least the progress expected of them for their age − continuing to improve the attendance of disadvantaged pupils and further

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The areas for improvement identified during the inspection that took place

reducing the proportions of those disadvantaged pupils who are regularly absent.  Further develop strategies to improve the attendance of all pupils across the academy and reduce the number of pupils who are regularly absent, so that attendance is at least in line with the national average.  Further improve achievement in the sixth form by ensuring that the head of sixth form works closely with subject leaders to check the quality of teaching across all subjects, particularly the academic courses.  Rapidly improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ performance in science, particularly in key stage 3 and in the core and additional sciences at key stage 4.  Strengthen the capacity for leadership and management at all levels to accelerate improvements in what the academy offers its pupils by: − ensuring that the skills of all subject leaders, including those who are new, in monitoring the quality of teaching, learning and assessment are secure

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The areas for improvement identified during the inspection that took place

− ensuring that all teachers mark books in line with the academy’s assessment policy − ensuring that teachers’ performance targets focus sharply on improving the achievement of all pupils − ensuring pupils are provided with opportunities to reflect on the diversity of British society to prepare them for life in modern Britain − ensuring that government funding to improve the numeracy of the least able pupils in Year 7 is used effectively to secure rapid improvement of these pupils’ skills − ensuring that the support from the School Partnership Trust Academies is timely and sustained to allow senior leaders’ initiatives for improvement to become fully embedded − improving engagement with parents to ensure that all leaders understand parents’ views and involve them more in supporting their children’s learning and increasing their progress.

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The areas for improvement identified during the inspection that took place

An external review of the academy’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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Evidence

Inspectors observed 22 parts of lessons, including tutor time. They met with the principal, groups of pupils, the vice-chair of the governing body, and a representative of the current sponsor. Inspectors met with subject leaders of key subjects, leaders of teaching and the sixth form. Inspectors scrutinised a range of the academy’s documents, including the academy’s action plan, self-evaluation document, pupils’ behaviour logs, achievement information and monitoring records of teaching.

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Evidence

During this monitoring visit, evidence to support the extent to which the academy is helping pupils to understand Britain’s diverse society was not fully gathered. This area for improvement will be fully evaluated at the next visit.

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Context

Since the last inspection, the academy has undertaken a rebrokering arrangement with a new sponsor, Diverse Academies Learning Partnerships (DALP), to replace its current sponsor, School Partnership Trust Academies (SPTA). The new sponsorship will begin from 1 September 2016.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

Leaders and managers, including representatives of the sponsor, have not been effective in bringing about necessary improvements quickly enough. Too much time has been wasted. Eight months after the last inspection, there is still no clear plan of action to improve the academy. Senior leaders, while they are well meaning and diligent, lack direction and a consistent vision. They do not consistently hold subject leaders to account. The principal does not have a good oversight of how well the senior team is performing and he has not acted quickly enough to address weaknesses. Consequently, in some areas, inconsistent and weak teaching has been allowed to prevail and out-of-date practices continue, such as grouping pupils because of their poor behaviour rather than their ability.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

The principal has been poorly supported by the current sponsors. This has meant that improvements have been slow. For example, work to support and accelerate the progress of disadvantaged pupils since the pupil premium review in February is only now beginning to show signs of improving outcomes. However, this progress is recent and fragile. In addition, while the systems to monitor and track pupils’ progress are sound, some of the data to support this process is not reliable.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

The range and quality of training for teaching is improving. Middle leaders, as well as sharing good practice and seeking support from colleagues in other high- performing schools, are undertaking professional qualifications to further develop their leadership skills. Subject leaders, especially of the key subjects, are improving their understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in their department. They carry out their monitoring activities regularly but sometimes lack the skills to effect improvements quickly. Their evaluation of the quality of teaching and learning is sometimes over generous and does not match pupils’ outcomes. Science remains a significantly underperforming key subject, despite new leadership since January. The leader of the sixth form does not have a clear understanding of the quality of teaching across subjects. This is because too few monitoring activities have taken place.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

Much work has been done to improve the validity of teachers’ assessments of pupils’ work. Consequently, predictions for pupils’ achievement in 2016 in mathematics and English indicate that results are set to improve compared to 2015.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

Leaders’ work to improve parental engagement with the academy is making a difference. Recent surveys and records of attendance to academy events show that parents are increasingly more positive about the school.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

The members of the governing body, known as the education advisory board, are skilled, experienced and knowledgeable about educational matters. However, representatives from the sponsor on the board have not attended all meetings. The new and improved information governors receive from leaders has allowed them to challenge weak progress in certain areas, such as the progress of disadvantaged pupils. They are more cautious about accepting what leaders are telling them than in previous years. Governors seek to validate the information with first-hand evidence from frequent visits to the academy, focused meetings with curriculum leaders and meetings with pupils. However, they have not been working to an action plan that is fit for purpose. Consequently, their focus is not sufficiently specific to the necessary areas for improvement from the last inspection. In addition, key milestones to measure improvements are unrealistic. Governors

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

acknowledge that the rewriting of the academy’s action plan is urgently required. Their work with the proposed new sponsors has been productive this term. The new sponsor’s clarity of vision and practice, especially in respect of governance, has been highly praised and welcomed by the chair and vice-chair of governors.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

The quality of teaching across key subjects is variable. Too few teachers consistently challenge pupils, especially the most able, to achieve the best they can. Teachers’ knowledge of pupils’ prior attainment is not always used effectively to plan for pupils’ progress. Consequently, some pupils coast and have developed a poor work ethic. Teachers’ expectations are not consistently high enough. This is especially true in some science and mathematics lessons. The quality of teaching in humanities is improving strongly. The new head of science has devised a number of training and development opportunities to strengthen teaching in science. Not all teachers have acted on the training and improved their practice quickly enough. Some have flagrantly ignored policy and expectations. As a result, pupils are still being let down by this department and they underachieve. Stronger and more experienced teachers have been deployed to teach in higher

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

sets and key stage 4 classes. The quality of teaching at key stage 3, especially in lower sets, is weaker. Many teachers are becoming more consistent in applying the school’s marking and feedback policy. Some teachers are using their feedback effectively to enable pupils to fill the gaps in their understanding through challenge questions and ‘red pen’ reflection. Most teachers give regular feedback about the quality of pupils’ literacy; this is mostly in relation to spelling and punctuation.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

In many lessons observed, inspectors noted teachers’ concerted efforts to develop pupils’ communication and thinking skills, through their organisation of pair and group work activities and their questioning. Most pupils in these lessons demonstrated confidence in expressing themselves. In most lessons observed, teachers engendered good relationships and respect in the classroom. However, pupils report that behaviour in a proportion of their lessons is consistently not good and is often characterised by shouting out and messing about by pupils. When inspectors witnessed this behaviour, it was directly related to weaker teaching and inappropriate setting arrangements.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

The teaching of reading is successful. Pupils who were below their chronological reading age have made considerable improvements as result of a successful reading strategy. The teaching of numeracy across the curriculum is still not effective. Few opportunities are taken by teachers to develop these skills.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

Teaching in the sixth form, especially in the vocational subjects, is mostly effective and improving. Students enjoy their studies, and teachers plan learning to motivate and inspire learners well. Teaching to enable pupils to reach the highest grades at A level is not successful.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare

Pupils’ attendance is improving, though very slowly. Figures for this academic year show that pupils’ attendance is still below current national averages. The proportion of pupils who are persistently absent remains stubbornly high. Disadvantaged pupils’ attendance remains a concern. In Year 10, disadvantaged pupils’ attendance is at 88%; this level of absence equates to one day per fortnight off school. This is having a detrimental effect on their progress. Some strategies to tackle this problem are having an effect. For example, the use of a minibus to collect identified pupils and take them to the academy school has proved successful for some.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare

Inspectors observed good conduct and behaviour by pupils around the academy. There is little litter around the academy, and pupils are polite to adults, including visitors. Pupils, however, stated that behaviour in lessons is not consistently good, and behaviour around the site can be boisterous at times. More importantly, pupils reported that teachers are not consistent in their application of the behaviour policy. Leaders’ work to analyse patterns of pupils’ behaviour is not well developed.

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Outcomes for pupils

Pupils’ outcomes are to set to improve in both English and mathematics. Improved work to improve the validity of teachers’ assessments lends greater credibility to these predictions than in previous years, especially in English. However, these overall improvements mask continued underlying underachievement by certain groups, namely the disadvantaged and the most able pupils. These groups of pupils are not making the progress they should. This issue remains a serious area of concern for the academy.

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Outcomes for pupils

At key stage 3, a more challenging curriculum has meant that many pupils are not making the progress they should to reach age-related expectations, especially in key subjects. Inconsistent teaching in this phase of the academy means that rapid progress is not happening and will not happen unless significant improvements are made.

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Outcomes for pupils

In the sixth form, despite students’ attainment upon entry being lower than in previous years, attainment in vocational and academic courses is set to improve. However, some teachers’ expectations of students are not high enough. Students’ targets are not carefully considered in relation to their GCSE performance, especially when they are high. Currently, too few are on track to achieve higher grades at A level.

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External support

The support received from the academy’s sponsor, School Partnership Trust Academies (SPTA) has been wholly inadequate. This multi-academy trust (MAT) has not provided effective support or challenge to the academy. It must take considerable responsibility for the academy making insufficient progress for the last few years. The pupils, staff, governors and parents have been let down by this trust. Since the inspection in November 2015, the sponsor’s engagement with the academy has been sporadic and weak. The MAT has not come close to earning the significant amount of funds it receives from the academy’s much-needed budget. It has abrogated all responsibility for the improvement of the academy this year on the basis that the academy has been rebrokered to a new sponsor from September 2016. The new sponsor, Diverse Academies Learning Partnership (DALP), has been providing some support before it officially begins work with the academy. However,

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External support

the fact remains that SPTA is the academy’s current sponsor and has not ensured that the academy has received the urgent support it needed and was paying for. The sponsor’s statement of action, submitted to Ofsted in January 2016, was deemed not fit for purpose. The sponsor’s revised statement of action was not available at the start of this monitoring visit. After an impromptu visit by the director of education of the trust on day two of the inspection, the revised statement of action was finally submitted. Unfortunately, this statement of action, including the associated action plan, was as weak as the previous one, poorly written and inaccurate. The action plan cited events prior to the section 5 inspection in November, and timelines did not match the necessary two-year time period until the academy’s next inspection. The academy looks forward to a new partnership with DALP.

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