The Everitt Academy

Inspection of The Everitt Academy Church Lane, Carlton Colville, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR33 8AX

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Inadequate Behaviour and attitudes Inadequate Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected 17–18 September 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils who join The Everitt Academy have had poor previous experiences in the school. Over the past year there have been changes of leadership. During this time, behaviour at the school declined and there were many serious behaviour incidents.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that since the acting headteacher has been in post, behaviour has got better. They say there is name-calling and some bullying at the school, but adults help sort out problems.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Since the acting headteacher has been in post, staff have more confidence and better support than before. All staff are now working together to improve learning and help pupils to be better prepared for the next stage of education. These improvements are at an early stage.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils told inspectors that they like being at the school because they are in smaller groups, and adults listen to them. Adults and pupils have good relationships. Staff take time to learn about each pupil. They ask about pupils’ interests. They seek out opportunities that will interest each pupil such as horse-riding and cooking.

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better?

Leaders and staff share a common desire to do the very best for all pupils. This aim is not currently being realised.

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better?

Pupils have previously been taught a limited range of subjects. New curriculum plans are being implemented but are poorly structured. Teachers do not identify what is the most important learning they want pupils to grasp by the end of a unit of work. Teachers are unclear how they will know if pupils have learned and retained what they have been taught. Teachers do not take enough account of pupils’ individual needs in their planning and teaching. Some pupils cannot access learning in different subjects as they get older because they cannot read well.

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better?

Over the past year there have been a high number of serious behaviour incidents. The number of pupils who have been excluded from school has been high because of the poor behaviour. Physical restraint has been needed frequently. Leaders and staff do check the appropriateness of physical restraint, when it is used. The number of serious incidents and exclusions has begun to decline since leaders introduced a new behaviour policy. Pupils like the changes and enjoy the new rewards, such as tuck shop points, for good behaviour. Staff report that they ‘now feel [they] can teach’.

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better?

Attendance at the school is too low. Too many pupils do not receive the full-time education to which they are entitled. Too many are on part-time timetables that are not well thought out. Some pupils do not come to school at all. These pupils receive varying amounts of tuition off-site and with alternative 17–18 September 2019

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providers. Pupils are not learning all the subjects that they should.

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The academy trust failed to act quickly to stem the decline at the school. More recently, trustees have appointed new staff, provided staff training, and brought in a headteacher from another one of their schools to lead the changes. The trust now checks on pupils’ behaviour, attendance and exclusions. A new chair of the local governing body is in place and is developing systems to help leaders bring improvements in the school. This work is still very new.

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The acting headteacher has given staff a renewed sense of purpose and direction. He has begun to address the many weaknesses in the school. Staff say they feel supported and team spirit is now strong in the school. Leaders are open and honest. They recognise that there is lots of work to do to make sure that pupils receive a high-quality education which suits their needs.

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All staff are very mindful of pupils’ prior poor experiences of school and are working hard to help improve their attitudes towards education. They talk with pupils about their interests. They use this to plan activities which pupils enjoy. Staff encourage pupils to make good choices. Assemblies now take place where pupils learn about bullying and think about events in the world. Leaders have increased the opportunities for socialising. Leaders have introduced careers information and guidance for pupils in key stage 4. It is planned for pupils in key stage 3. Advocates work with pupils to help them manage their behaviour more successfully. Pupils who are new to the school are well supported.

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Leaders do not have a systematic approach to promoting pupils’ understanding of different cultures. Plans for widening the opportunities for spiritual development are in their early stages.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff are very aware that pupils at the school are vulnerable. They are well trained to spot signs that pupils may be at risk of harm. Leaders check that pupils who are not in school because they have part-time timetables are at home or attending alternative provision. They carry out risk assessments to consider pupils’ individual needs and the risks that pupils may pose to themselves and others in school. Leaders follow up concerns about pupils with external agencies to make sure action is taken. Pupils say that the school is safe. Staff said that they now feel safe in school because behaviour is better. Pupils know about how to keep themselves safe online. They learn about safe relationships in sex and relationships education lessons.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders need to ensure that there is a high-quality, structured and coherent curriculum in place. Leaders need to identify what is the key knowledge that pupils need to learn at each stage of their education and in each subject. They need to plan how and when this will be taught so that pupils build on their knowledge over time and as they move through the school.  Teachers need to take account of pupils’ education, health and care (EHC) plans when planning their teaching. They need to identify where pupils have gaps in knowledge and use this information to personalise the teaching sequence for pupils.  Leaders and trustees need to ensure that staff and leaders develop the skills and knowledge they need to fulfil their roles effectively. Curriculum leaders need to have a clear view of what good-quality education looks like and know how they will check that this is in place.  Leaders need to ensure that the recent improvements in pupils’ behaviour are

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

sustained so that there is a significant reduction in serious incidents that lead to the need for physical restraint or exclusion, so that more pupils are effectively accessing education.  Leaders need to consider and record more precisely the rationale for and risks to pupils being out of school when making decisions about any part-time timetables. Leaders need to routinely review these plans to ensure that more pupils access high-quality, full-time education.  The local governing body needs to develop its role in liaison with the academy trust, so leaders and staff continue to have appropriate support and challenge to address weaknesses in the school so that more recent improvements are sustained.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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You can search for published performance information about the school.

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In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 17–18 September 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10115155 Type of school Special

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School details

School category Academy special sponsor-led

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School details

Chair of local governing body Douglas Cadmen

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School details

Website https://www.everittacademy.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school opened in September 2017 to provide education for 50 pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs which cannot be met within mainstream school. All pupils at the school have EHC plans.  The school has been commissioned by Suffolk local authority and is sponsored by Catch 22 multi-academy trust (MAT).  Pupils are placed at the school by the local authority. A few pupils on the school’s role are currently living within other local authority areas.  Prior to this inspection the local authority reviewed the school (in July 2019) and identified a range of weaknesses. As a result, the local authority decided not to place any more pupils at the school (except for those already notified of a place). This arrangement is to be reviewed in January 2020.  The school’s substantive headteacher was absent from school from February 2019. The school was led by senior leaders until May 2019. The acting

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Information about this school

headteacher from within the MAT took up post on a full-time basis in June 2019. 17–18 September 2019

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

In accordance with section 44(2) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with senior leaders, curriculum leaders and the academy trust’s executive principal for trust schools in the east and spoke with two members of the MAT. Inspectors spoke with some teaching assistants and some class teachers. Inspectors spoke with a range of pupils about the school.  Inspectors scrutinised pupil records and files relating to safeguarding, looked at records of staff recruitment and looked at records of training relating to safeguarding  Inspectors considered deeply the school’s work in reading, mathematics, art and physical education. Inspectors met with senior leaders and curriculum leaders. They visited lessons and spoke with teachers and pupils from the lessons they visited and looked at pupils’ work.  Inspectors gathered information relating to other areas of the framework by visiting classes, speaking with pupils and looking at pupils’ work in a range of subjects, talking with leaders, teachers and other staff, talking with members of

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Information about this inspection

the academy trust and the external provider used by the school to provide external challenge. Inspectors spoke with parents at the start of the school day and spoke to pupils in the playground at lunchtime.

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Inspection team

Maria Curry, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jenny Carpenter Ofsted Inspector 17–18 September 2019

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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