Alleyne's Academy

Inspection of a good school: Alleyne’s Academy Oulton Road, Stone, Staffordshire ST15 8DT

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Outcome

Alleyne’s Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy learning at this school. This is because they are taught well and benefit from highly effective pastoral support. Pupils feel safe because bullying is rare. Almost all staff who responded to the inspection questionnaire agree. Pupils’ behaviour is good, and lessons are rarely disrupted due to poor behaviour. Staff model good behaviour and have appropriately high expectations of pupils. Pupils behave respectfully towards each other and their teachers and most are well mannered, courteous and polite. Many pupils are proud of their school. They wear their uniform with pride.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders, governors and staff have a shared commitment to ensuring that all pupils are successful. As a result, the large majority of pupils work hard and show a good level of determination to succeed. Pupils have good attitudes to learning and try their best in most subjects. This is because the work that they are set in lessons is interesting and appropriately challenging.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are committed to ensuring that pupils leave the school not only with good GCSE and A-level results, but also as well-rounded young people. The curriculum is designed to provide pupils with a wide and diverse range of opportunities which promote their personal development very well.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders and governors have ensured that the school has been good for several years. The headteacher inspires all members of the school community to achieve their best. Consequently, pupils are taught well, and many achieve good examination results, including in English, mathematics and science.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

School leaders know what the school does well and how it needs to improve further. For example, they know that the curriculum in Year 9 needs to be improved because pupils are not currently required to study the full range of national curriculum subjects. This year, leaders are working effectively with the middle schools so that they know what 5–6 December 2019

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pupils have achieved in each of the different subjects at the end of middle school. This is helping leaders to plan improvements from September in Year 9. They have already made some good improvements to what pupils are taught and when in English, mathematics and science in Year 9. This means that pupils are learning even more in these subjects.

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Pupils are taught computing in several different subjects in key stage 4. Leaders have ensured that the requirements of the national curriculum are met. However, they have not checked that pupils study this subject in enough detail.

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Leaders are training staff how to develop the curriculum. Subject leaders have reviewed and adapted the sequence of learning in many subjects. This work is having a strong impact on pupils’ learning, particularly in science, English and business studies. For example, in a science lesson, pupils were able to remember information about cells that they had learned several months ago. However, leaders have not checked that this work is equally as effective in all subjects, including modern foreign languages (MFL). The MFL curriculum has not been planned well enough to ensure that pupils make equally strong progress in reading, writing, speaking and listening.

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Pupils have many opportunities to take part in a variety of enrichment activities. For example, pupils have visited the National Space Museum to support their work in science lessons. Visiting speakers support the curriculum, including the Year 11 sexual health presentation which took place during the time inspectors were at the school.

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The proportion of pupils who studied the English Baccalaureate (English, mathematics, history, geography, science and MFL) was below average in 2019. This was because too few pupils studied a foreign language due to staffing issues. However, almost twice as many pupils studied these subjects in 2018. Higher proportions of pupils are currently studying the English Baccalaureate than in 2019.

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The school provides excellent support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leadership of this area is exceptional. This group of pupils achieve very well because of the support they receive. They also achieve well because the curriculum in the different subjects is appropriately adapted to meet their needs. In 2019, every Year 11 pupil with SEND moved on to further education or employment with training.

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The sixth form has improved since the last inspection. Students make good progress in their courses, particularly in applied courses. In addition to academic study, students have a wide range of extra-curricular and enrichment activities which they take part in. Activities such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and Young Enterprise equip students with employability skills as well as help them to develop leadership and teamworking skills.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding is the top priority in the school. Staff are well trained, and they know what 5–6 December 2019

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to do if they have any concerns. When necessary, the school makes appropriate referrals to external agencies in a timely manner. Safeguarding records are appropriately detailed. Staff are vetted as required. Attendance procedures are robust and ensure that leaders know the whereabouts of absent pupils. Pupils learn about how to keep safe and assess risk in ‘connect’ lessons and in assembly. They also learn about safeguarding through visiting speakers, including the police.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders are making very good progress in reviewing and improving the curriculum, particularly in English, mathematics and science. However, although improvements in the other subjects are taking place, leaders need to check that the curriculum planning in all subjects meets their high aspirations and aims, including in modern foreign languages.  Leaders have made sure that all pupils study the national curriculum for computing. They have done this by ensuring that all the relevant content is covered across several different subjects. However, leaders have not checked that pupils learn computing in sufficient depth. They should do this so that they know that all pupils are learning the full national curriculum for this subject.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the third section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Alleyne’s High School, to be good in December 2011.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 5–6 December 2019

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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. 5–6 December 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111744 Type of school Secondary Comprehensive

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form

Date of previous inspection 19 April 2016

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Information about this school

 This is the third inspection of the school since it opened as an academy in September 2013. Ofsted conducted a monitoring inspection in April 2015 and a short inspection in April 2016.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors held meetings with the senior leaders, subject leaders, the sixth-form leader, teachers, pupils and trustees, including the chair of the trust. Inspectors evaluated school documents, including curriculum plans and school development plans.  The lead inspector scrutinised the school’s safeguarding arrangements and documentation, including the single central record. The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead and the special educational needs coordinator. 5–6 December 2019

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 The team considered 56 responses from pupils and 60 responses from staff to Ofsted’s questionnaires. Inspectors also took account of nine responses from parents to the Ofsted Parent View survey.  A range of inspection activities were completed to gather evidence on the quality of education. These included lesson visits, looking at pupils’ work and discussions with subject leaders, teachers and pupils about their learning.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes and lunchtimes.  The inspection focused on business studies, English, modern foreign languages and science. Inspectors met with the leaders of these subjects, visited lessons and spoke with pupils and teachers. All other subjects were considered as part of the inspection.

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Inspection team

Richard Sutton, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Jane Epton Ofsted Inspector 5–6 December 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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