Setting

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

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Ms J Surani and Mr R Sadhra Co-acting Principals Kingsley Academy Prince Regent Road Hounslow Middlesex TW3 1NE

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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to Kingsley Academy

Following my visit to your school on 11 October 2018, with Stephen Adamson, Her Majesty’s Inspector, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the monitoring inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave me and for the time you made available to discuss the actions you are taking to improve the school since the most recent section 5 inspection.

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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to Kingsley Academy

The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 and has taken place because the school has received two successive judgements of requires improvement at its previous section 5 inspections. At its section 5 inspection before the one that took place in June 2017, the school was also judged to require improvement.

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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to Kingsley Academy

Senior leaders, the governance board and the trust are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection in order for the school to become good.

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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to Kingsley Academy

The trust should take further action to:

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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to Kingsley Academy

 ensure that leaders at all levels are supported to have the management skills and expertise to increase the pace of change still further.

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Evidence

During the inspection, inspectors met with you, the vice-principals, the school’s business manager and the national director of secondary schools for Academies Enterprise Trust (AET). Inspectors also met with the head of 16 to 19 study programmes, the designated safeguarding lead and the special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator. I met with the new chair of the governance board, the vice-chair, and the outgoing chair. These meetings focused on the actions taken since the last inspection. Inspectors evaluated the school’s self-evaluation and action plan. They spoke to pupils informally at break and lunchtimes and more formally with pupils selected by you. Inspectors evaluated a range of pupils’ work both in lessons and as part of a joint work scrutiny with a senior leader. They visited lessons jointly with you and your leaders, to evaluate pupils’ attitudes to learning and their progress. They both undertook a site walk of the new premises. One

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Evidence

inspector scrutinised the school’s checks on the suitability of staff to work at the school.

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Context

The substantive headteacher was not in attendance during the inspection. Two co- acting principals currently lead the school. A new chair of governors started on the governance board in September 2018.

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Main findings

You, the governance board and AET directors are clear about what you still need to do to address the areas identified at the previous inspection. You are proud of the impact of your actions to date. You know, however, that there needs to be more urgency regarding the pace of change and as such, have refocused your efforts on key aspects of school improvement.

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Main findings

Staff now use the school’s feedback policy consistently well across all subjects. Pupils receive helpful advice on how they might improve their work, they make amendments and attempt more complex tasks that deepen their understanding. This was seen clearly in pupils’ books.

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Main findings

Many pupils arrive at the school at times other than the start of Year 7. The majority do not have key stage 2, standardised assessment outcomes in mathematics, reading and writing. Many are new arrivals to the country and are at the initial stages of learning to speak English. Consequently, you have developed a robust system for assessing pupils on entry and checking their ongoing progress so that no-one gets left behind. You and your subject leaders analyse the progress of groups carefully so that you can see where you need to target further support. Teachers have this information in ‘class learning profiles’, though how effectively it informs their planning and teaching is still inconsistent.

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Main findings

You have continued to prioritise improving pupils’ literacy skills across the school. Teachers carefully check that pupils’ written work, across all subject areas, is of a high quality and is accurate. Pupils are encouraged to articulate their ideas before writing them down and to broaden their vocabulary as their confidence in learning to speak English grows. Evidence in pupils’ English books indicates that appropriate tasks are being set to write for a range of audiences and purposes. This focus on improving literacy has had a positive impact on pupils’ achievement across a range of subjects. Consequently, in both 2017 and 2018, pupils made progress across a range of subjects in line with the national average. Pupils’ progress in science and mathematics was particularly strong. You continue to target subjects such as design and technology, business, humanities and modern foreign languages, to ensure that

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Main findings

pupils make more progress in these areas.

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Main findings

Students on 16 to 19 study programmes access a range of opportunities to prepare them for the next stage of their education and training. Visits to universities, public speaking competitions and work experience all broaden their horizons and ensure that they make informed choices about what to do next.

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Main findings

Attendance overall remains stubbornly below the national average. You have taken robust action to address this. You categorise carefully the reasons for pupils’ absence, so that you can target support appropriately. You know that for some, poor attendance is due to extended term-time absence following holidays to pupils’ home countries. For others, their persistent absence poses a significant safeguarding risk. You handle each case differently and appropriately. A system to reward good attendance is in place and is having an impact. Some pupils’ attendance has improved as a result.

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Main findings

The move into the new build posed some specific safeguarding risks that you have addressed diligently. You and your team are clear about your responsibility to keep pupils safe. You are very aware of the potential risks posed by the local area and have taken decisive action to minimise these. Your staff are well trained and vigilant. Procedures for passing on concerns, both in school and to external agencies such as social services, are timely and ensure that pupils get swift and suitable support. Consequently, safeguarding arrangements are effective.

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Main findings

Some leaders, particularly middle leaders, are new in post or require further support to ensure that they have the skills and expertise to lead improvements in a sufficiently timely and effective way. You have put in place a range of support through AET and partnership with a local school, Heathlands, to add capacity in these areas.

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External support

You and your team benefit from a wide range of support. AET’s national director of secondary schools provides ongoing leadership guidance and capacity. Your governance board are highly experienced educational professionals, who offer an equal measure of support and challenge. AET has provided subject expertise, particularly in mathematics and English, which has had a positive impact on the progress pupils make in these subjects. The Heathland School is providing support, for instance in history and design and technology. Hounslow Education Partnership continue to provide subject networks and support.

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External support

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governance board, the chief executive officer of Academies Enterprise Trust (AET), 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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