King Edward VII Academy

Inspection of King Edward VII Academy Gaywood Road, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 2QB

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Inadequate Behaviour and attitudes Inadequate Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Inadequate Sixth-form provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement 24–25 September 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils often miss out on learning because teachers do not manage their behaviour well enough. Too many pupils routinely miss out on learning because they are removed from lessons for even minor breaches of the school’s behaviour policy. While this means behaviour in lessons is generally calm and purposeful, the problems caused by challenging behaviour are not sorted out. Pupils’ behaviour has not been managed well enough for some time. The trust has allowed weak behaviour management to go on for too long.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that it is fine to be different at the school. However, they do not really understand what this means. When asked, they said some people are picked on for the way they are. They told us that phrases such as ‘that’s gay’ are used, but are not meant to be homophobic. They do not appreciate that this might be hurtful to some pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils mostly feel safe in school, but would like all their concerns followed up properly. They feel that some staff deal with incidents of bullying more effectively than others.

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better?

Leaders do not do enough to sort out poor behaviour. When pupils are removed from lessons, leaders do not do enough to teach them how to behave better next time. Staff do not set clear expectations of how pupils should conduct themselves or treat others respectfully. Staff are not trained well enough in how to manage pupils’ behaviour. The school’s approach leads to too many pupils who misbehave, or fail to follow the school rules, being removed from lessons.

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better?

New leaders have recently started to address weaknesses in behaviour management by providing more training for teachers and support staff. They have also appointed new staff to lead improvements to pupils’ behaviour. This is all very new and has had little impact.

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better?

The quality of education pupils receive is poor. Teaching is not good enough and behaviour is not managed effectively. This prevents pupils from developing the knowledge and understanding they should.

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better?

In depth inspection of science, mathematics, history and French showed that, until recently, leaders and teachers have not planned effectively what pupils need to learn and when this should be taught. There are new plans in place to improve this, but they are not consistent across all subjects.

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better?

Teachers often do not check what pupils have learned and what they have not. Weak assessment means that teachers are unclear about what pupils need to do next to build on what they have learned previously. 24–25 September 2019

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Absence rates are high. Pupils miss too much time for learning because they are not in school often enough. When they do attend, too many pupils are removed from lessons. This presents a major barrier to learning and progress.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are not taught or supported effectively. While the needs of the pupils are identified, too few teachers plan suitable learning for them or give the help they need. Pupils with SEND are often removed from lessons. Leaders have not fully considered the reasons why this happens or what could be done to stop this happening.

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The school has some strengths. Leaders have made some early improvements to the teaching of English. This is having a positive impact on pupils’ learning and progress in this subject. Pupils often receive effective careers guidance and support. Leaders promote school sport well, and physical education is a strength of the curriculum. Leaders have trained pupils as anti-bullying ambassadors to help others.

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Provision in the sixth form is much better than in the main school. Leaders in the sixth form review the effectiveness of the curriculum and step in when subjects do not perform as well as they should. Most teachers teach the curriculum in a way which helps students to learn well.

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Sixth-form students receive good guidance and mentoring from staff. They are well supported in planning what to do in the future. A large proportion go on to education, employment or training. Students have plenty of meaningful opportunities to develop leadership skills, such as by working with younger pupils in the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and the trust review their safeguarding arrangements regularly. They have improved the quality of their documentation. They maintain an effective record of their checks on the suitability of adults who work in the school and have well-kept records of concerns about pupils’ well-being.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure staff are trained in different aspects of safeguarding pupils. Staff understand how to use leaders’ new systems to report concerns. Leaders follow up on concerns, liaising with external agencies as appropriate to keep pupils safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum is not fully established. Planning in a range of subjects is new and does not show how pupils’ knowledge and understanding should develop as they move through the school. Leaders should review the quality of curriculum 24–25 September 2019

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planning and check that this is adhered to by teachers.  Teachers are unaware of what pupils have learned. They do not know what pupils need to spend longer working on to secure their understanding, or when pupils are ready to move on. Leaders should make sure that teachers use assessment effectively to inform their actions to plan learning and to move pupils’ learning on.  Too many pupils miss time in lessons because they are removed from lessons due to their poor behaviour, or because they are absent from school. Pupils removed from lessons do not learn as well as they should. Leaders should seek ways to raise overall attendance and review the school’s procedures to manage pupils’ behaviour in lessons.  The underlying causes of pupils’ poor behaviour have not been resolved. Pupils continue to misbehave even when they have been removed from lessons because they are not taught how to improve their behaviour. Leaders should provide

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further training for staff in how to manage behaviour and provide further guidance for pupils to improve their behaviour.

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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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

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. 24–25 September 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110214 Type of school Secondary comprehensive

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,095

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection 14–15 June 2017

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Information about this school

 The school is now led by its third substantive headteacher since the previous full inspection. For a short period, the school was led by an interim headteacher. The new headteacher has been in post since April 2019.  The school makes use of the College of West Anglia, King’s Lynn Campus, to provide some of the alternative education for some pupils.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 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. 24–25 September 2019

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 Inspectors visited classes in a range of subjects. We looked in detail at science, English, mathematics, history and French, meeting with curriculum leaders, teachers and pupils. We visited lessons and reviewed pupils’ work in these subjects. In addition, we spoke with other pupils and teachers about different aspects of the school.  Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, senior leaders and leaders of the trust, including the chief executive officer. We met with trustees and members of the newly formed academy council. Inspectors spoke with a representative from the local authority and a representative from the College of West Anglia.  Inspectors reviewed a range of information, including safeguarding records, behaviour records, attendance information and records regarding pupil transfers in and out of the school.  Inspectors considered the 53 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, as well as the 52 responses to the free-text option. We considered a

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complaint received by Ofsted before the inspection began. Inspectors also took into account the responses of the 50 staff who completed Ofsted’s survey of staff views. There were no responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Andrew Hemmings, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

James Dyke Ofsted Inspector 24–25 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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