Setting

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

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Mr Glen Allott Principal Wayland Academy Norfolk Merton Road Watton Thetford Norfolk IP25 6BA

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No formal designation inspection of Wayland Academy Norfolk

Following my visit to your school on 18 October 2017, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the inspection findings.

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No formal designation inspection of Wayland Academy Norfolk

This inspection was conducted under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 and in accordance with Ofsted’s published procedures for inspecting schools with no formal designation. The inspection was carried out because Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector was concerned about the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements at the school.

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Evidence

I scrutinised the single central record and other documents relating to safeguarding and child protection arrangements and met with you, the assistant principal, a group of pupils, the governor responsible for safeguarding, the chief executive officer of the TEN Group sponsored Norfolk Academies multi-academy trust (MAT), to which the school belongs, and a number of staff and leaders responsible for different aspects of safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.

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Evidence

In addition, I visited 11 lessons, toured the school site during breaktime and scrutinised the school development plan and audits of safeguarding carried out by the MAT and external agencies.

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Evidence

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

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Context

Currently there are 563 pupils on roll. Most pupils are from a White British background. The proportion of pupils that are known to be eligible for pupil premium funding is above average. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average. The proportion with a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is above average. At the last inspection in April 2017, the arrangements for safeguarding were judged not to be effective. Since the last inspection in April 2017, a member of staff responsible for attendance has been appointed. The senior leadership team has been restructured.

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Context

Since the previous inspection, school leaders supported by the MAT have taken decisive action to strengthen safeguarding. They have rightly concentrated on ensuring that pupils are kept safe from bullying, that they understand the different types of abuse such as radicalisation, and that attendance improves.

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Context

You have led a restructuring of leadership and established a safeguarding team. Consequently, all pupils and staff are clear about who is responsible for safeguarding. Parents and pupils understand whom they need to report to if they have any concerns. It is evident from speaking to pupils and the audits of safeguarding that pupils feel much safer at school than at the time of the last inspection.

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Context

There is a much stronger climate for safeguarding than at the time of the last inspection. Issues such as bullying have a much higher profile. For example, pupils have been provided with a number of means to report bullying. There is a dedicated link on the school website, a text number to contact or they can meet staff face to face. Pupils spoken to are confident that if they report that they are being bullied, it will be dealt with appropriately. Staff are managing cases where pupils have reported bullying much better than at the time of the last inspection. One positive difference is the daily checks on pupils’ well-being that are carried out on victims of bullying.

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Context

The use of abusive homophobic language has reduced considerably, with only four incidents recorded since the previous inspection. Pupils spoken to have developed an awareness of why it is not appropriate to use this language through the weekly welfare days where different safeguarding themes are discussed and taught, and events such as ‘Diversity Week’ in July. The Pupils Advising, Listening and Supporting (PALS) initiative, which gives trained pupils the opportunity to support others if they have concerns, is starting to have a positive impact on safeguarding.

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Context

Visits to lessons and breaktime showed that pupils work and play in a secure and safe environment. In nearly all the lessons I chose to visit, the pupils were working hard and no evidence of disruption was witnessed. The tour of breaktime showed that all pupils interacted in a relaxed and friendly manner. Again, no evidence of misbehaviour was witnessed. Supervision was proportionate and appropriate.

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Context

The school’s information indicates that attendance has improved since the last inspection and is now broadly average. The employment of a dedicated attendance officer, coupled with the strengthening of attendance checks and procedures, have been instrumental to this improvement. The rate of persistent absence overall has reduced, but it still remains too high for disadvantaged pupils where the drop in the rate of persistent absence has been much smaller.

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External support

Officers from the MAT, with governors, have carried out effective audits to check that aspects of safeguarding are strengthening and have challenged leaders to ensure improvement. The school has sensibly commissioned outside agencies to enhance the curriculum, such as by developing pupils’ understanding of female genital mutilation, homophobic abusive language and radicalisation. It has also commissioned external agencies to give independent audits of safeguarding, which have guided school leaders on the steps they need to take to further improve.

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Priorities for further improvement

 Reduce the persistent absence rates of disadvantaged pupils by carrying out a detailed analysis of the barriers to their attendance so that measures can be taken to overcome them.

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Priorities for further improvement

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Norfolk. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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