Springwest Academy

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

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Ms Mariella Wilson Principal Springwest Academy Browells Lane Feltham TW13 7EF

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Short inspection of Springwest Academy

Following my visit to the school on 16 January 2018 with Yvonne Chisholm, Ofsted Inspector, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since your predecessor school was judged to be good in September 2014.

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Short inspection of Springwest Academy

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Pupils’ outcomes at GCSE show progress in the core subjects of English and mathematics, and in languages and humanities subjects. Persistent absence has seen a significant reduction. The focus on ‘the Springwest learner’, together with more established strategies, such as the compulsory preparation sessions at the end of the day, mean that you have made it clear what you expect of the pupils and that you will support them to achieve their best.

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Short inspection of Springwest Academy

On the day of the inspection, pupils behaved well, they were welcoming and spoke openly to inspectors. Staff are supportive of your vision and clear about their purpose in serving the children of the community. The vast majority of parents and carers who responded to the Ofsted survey said that they would recommend the school. The local governing body and trust board provide effective support and challenge to the school.

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Short inspection of Springwest Academy

You and your leaders evaluate the school’s strengths and areas for development well. You rightly acknowledge that the improvements to teaching and pupils’ progress in some subjects must now be reflected in other areas, particularly in key stage 4.

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Short inspection of Springwest Academy

Safeguarding policies and procedures are robust. Staff have received training and are knowledgeable about what to do if they have concerns about a child. Records showed that professionals in and outside the school work together effectively to support vulnerable pupils. Pupils said that they feel safe in school and had good information through their ‘red days’ about, for example, protecting themselves against unsafe internet use and when travelling to and from school.

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Inspection findings

 At the start of the inspection, three areas of focus were agreed. The first of these was the improvement of key stage 4 results in mathematics. This was because pupils’ progress in mathematics at the school has been very high in the past two years.  Strategies to develop numeracy skills and to improve the teaching and learning in mathematics have been prioritised and driven by school leaders since the last inspection. The department has strong and stable staffing and a clear vision about how to teach pupils in order for them all to make progress. Staff in the department focus on pupils’ stage of learning, rather than their age.  The second area of focus for the inspection was the curriculum. This was because pupils’ progress in some subjects has been noticeably lower than in others. Inspectors looked at examination results and current assessment information, spoke to leaders responsible for the curriculum and progress, and

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Inspection findings

visited twelve lessons.  Leaders have already identified the areas where the curriculum did not serve the whole-school community well and introduced a greater variety of courses and subjects at key stage 4 in response to that. Pupils are enjoying the breadth that this has created and spoke positively about their learning in the optional subjects. In addition, you have identified a number of areas for the development of teaching, including your ‘teaching high’ priority area. We saw examples of teachers asking pupils sophisticated and challenging questions in classes and it was evident, for example in Spanish books, that it is already having an impact in some subject areas. You acknowledge the need to share this good practice within the school more widely so that pupils’ progress in all subjects is equally strong.  The third area of focus was the number of pupils who leave the school without being in secure education, employment or training. This was because the

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Inspection findings

published information for destinations in 2015 indicated that the proportion of pupils not in education, employment or training was above average.  Leaders and governors have a good understanding of the challenges pupils face. You have identified parental engagement as a development priority and have built a substantial raft of support in school to ensure that pupils are choosing appropriate post-16 courses which are suited to their aspirations and likely examination outcomes. The school’s figure for the 2016 leavers indicates that the proportion not in education, employment or training has decreased. This improvement, and the pastoral support you have put in place, indicate that you are taking effective action to improve this aspect of the school’s work.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 subject leaders learn from the strategies for teaching and learning used in the most successful curriculum areas, so that progress is equally strong across the school  there is careful monitoring of the new courses that have been introduced at key stage 4, so that pupils are able to leave the school in a stronger position for the next stage of their education or training.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the local governing body and the chief executive officer of the multi-academy trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Hounslow. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

The inspection started with your self-evaluation of the school’s performance. We agreed the lines of enquiry that the inspectors would follow during the inspection. Inspectors looked at a range of school documentation, including current assessment information, safeguarding case studies and governing body minutes. Inspectors visited lessons, looked at work and had discussions with pupils. Other meetings were held with the vice-principals, assistant headteachers, the head of Year 11, the special educational needs coordinator and the designated safeguarding lead. The lead inspector spoke to the chair and vice-chair of the local governing body and the chief executive officer of the trust. In addition, inspectors considered responses to the staff and pupil surveys and to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents.

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