Dyson Perrins CofE Academy

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

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Mr Stuart Wetson Headteacher Dyson Perrins CofE Academy Yates Hay Road Malvern Worcestershire WR14 1WD

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Short inspection of Dyson Perrins CofE Academy

Following my visit to the school on 27 March 2018 with Gwen Onyon, 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 the school was judged to be good in January 2015.

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Short inspection of Dyson Perrins CofE Academy

You and your leadership team have maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You have created a strikingly positive school culture. Staff and pupils have excellent relationships. Staff show pupils that they care about their well-being and progress. In response, pupils treat staff with respect, are kind to one another, feel very safe and are able to do their best. Pupils speak very highly of the school and of these positive relationships.

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Short inspection of Dyson Perrins CofE Academy

In response to the previous inspection report, you have made improvements to teaching so that, for example, pupils are challenged appropriately in their lessons. As a result of this work, pupils’ progress has improved, including that of disadvantaged pupils. Where there have been some inconsistencies in pupils’ progress, you have taken effective action to remedy most of the issues. As a result, current pupils across the school are making strong progress towards their targets in most subjects. However, you are still, rightly, concerned about pupils’ progress in languages and history.

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Short inspection of Dyson Perrins CofE Academy

In the sixth form, the majority of students over the past three years have made good progress. However, a small number of students on academic courses made weaker progress over this time. You have reflected on your entry policy for these courses and current students in the sixth form are making better progress as a result.

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Short inspection of Dyson Perrins CofE Academy

All of the procedures that leaders have put in place are secure and robust. Leaders make sure that concerns are acted upon immediately and that ongoing issues are monitored carefully to make sure that pupils are safe. They work well with other agencies to promote safeguarding and respond to concerns.

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Short inspection of Dyson Perrins CofE Academy

Many pupils told inspectors that they feel very safe in school and have someone they can speak to if they feel that they need support with anything that concerns them. Staff make careful plans to care for and safeguard pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Inspection findings

 Since the last inspection, leaders have worked relentlessly to improve teaching and pupils’ progress. Overall progress for all groups of pupils was in line with the national average in both 2016 and 2017. However, in 2017, pupils’ progress in mathematics and science and history dipped. This was, in part, because of some staffing turbulence, uncertainty over new examinations and weaker teaching. Pupils’ progress in these subjects had been much stronger before 2017. Leaders have evaluated the reasons for this dip very carefully and given effective support for staff while monitoring pupils’ work closely. While there have been improvements in mathematics and science, pupils’ progress in history remains too weak.  Pupils’ progress in languages has been weak and in decline for some time. Leaders know this, and have made new appointments to the staff and developed teaching. There are green shoots of improvement, but pupils’ progress in

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Inspection findings

languages still lags behind that in other subjects.  Disadvantaged pupils make good progress overall. This is because teaching meets these pupils’ needs and the school effectively breaks down the barriers to their success through a wide range of well-considered actions. For example, leaders make sure that no pupil is at a disadvantage through a lack of equipment such as calculators or study guides. They also make sure that pupils can access extra-curricular activities by providing transport. In 2017, Year 11 disadvantaged pupils’ progress in mathematics dipped. However, their progress in the English Baccalaureate, English and other subjects across the curriculum has been in line with that of other pupils nationally for the last two years. This is a considerable success.  In the sixth form, the majority of students take applied general courses. Their progress in these subjects is in line with that of other students nationally. As a

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Inspection findings

result of admission requirements that were too low, students in the past have made weak progress on A-level courses. Leaders have changed their admissions policy so that current students who do A-level courses find them more accessible. As a result, retention has improved significantly, and current students are making better progress towards their targets.  Leaders use a range of other schools and external organisations to make sure that they can have confidence in their assessments. They feel that this is an important approach. While leaders have a clear view of the impact of this work on mathematics, English and science, they are less clear on the scale and impact of this on other subjects.

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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

 pupils’ progress in history and languages improves  leaders monitor closely the impact of the new admission policy for A-level courses so that all post-16 students make strong progress from their starting points  leaders develop a full overview of moderation procedures across the school.

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Next steps for the school

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

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Information about the inspection

Inspectors met with pupils throughout the day. They met formally with pupils in the lower school and students in the sixth form. Inspectors also considered the 59 responses to an online pupil questionnaire. They visited lessons, scrutinised pupils’ work and analysed leaders’ tracking of progress.

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Information about the inspection

Inspectors met with senior leaders, a group of subject leaders and governors. They scrutinised a range of documentation, including that on safeguarding.

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Information about the inspection

The views of parents were evaluated through the 65 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, and the 61 free-text responses. The views of staff were considered through the 48 responses to a staff questionnaire.

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