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Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Jayne Bartlett Headteacher Shenley Academy Shenley Lane Northfield Birmingham West Midlands B29 4HE

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Ofsted visit to Shenley Academy

Following my visit with Alun Williams, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 6 October, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the visit’s findings. Thank you for the time you made available to discuss your actions since September 2020, when the government expected all schools to open fully to all pupils.

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Ofsted visit to Shenley Academy

This visit was conducted under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 (as amended) and in accordance with Ofsted’s published procedures for visiting schools while routine inspections are temporarily suspended.

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Ofsted visit to Shenley Academy

Ofsted’s visits to schools during the autumn term are not inspections. We are not giving graded judgements. We did not undertake the usual range of inspection activities and were unable to check other sources of evidence, such as visits to lessons or looking at pupils’ work. The content of this letter gives an overview of our discussions about what has happened in your school this term.

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Ofsted visit to Shenley Academy

During the visit, we spoke to you and members of the senior leadership team, including the senior leaders responsible for curriculum, behaviour, attendance, safeguarding and inclusion. We did not speak to pupils because of the protective measures in place.

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Context

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s education system is managing the return to full education for pupils following an extended break in formal schooling due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

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Context

In undertaking this focused work, HMI are visiting a broad range of schools. HMI will visit a sample of:

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Context

 approximately 1,200 schools across all Ofsted grades (outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate)  maintained schools, academies and free schools, special schools and centres of alternative provision, including those in cities, and coastal, town or rural communities.

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Context

The information from this visit will feed into Ofsted’s national reporting so that the insights can be shared with the government and the education sector. We did not find any significant concerns during the visit. In such a case, an inspection report would be published on our website and available to parents and carers.

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Context

We did not consider your response to COVID-19 during the spring and summer terms 2020, when the school was not open to all pupils.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

 You opened the school to all pupils on Monday 7 September. As part of a planned, phased return, pupils in Years 7, 10 and 11 returned in the previous week.  You told us that pupils’ current attendance is slightly below that expected normally. At the time of the visit, 31 pupils were isolating and accessing education remotely. You described how staff reassure pupils and parents if they are anxious about COVID-19, by explaining the hygiene measures in place to keep pupils safe. You have shared virtual video tours and offered pupils and parents individual guided tours of the school.  All pupils are studying all the subjects that they normally study. You explained that in some subjects, such as science, physical education (PE), design technology, dance and drama, teachers have adapted their teaching, for example, focusing on theory lessons initially and planning practical activities for later in the year.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

 Teachers have assessed pupils’ learning in each subject to identify starting points and any gaps. For example, in mathematics, teachers have decided that pupils need to revise basic number operations. In English, you believe that pupils need more practice in extended writing and wider reading. Staff have received support and training to adapt their teaching approaches.  You told us that teachers have prepared materials matched to the normal curriculum so that pupils can access them remotely online or on paper if they have to self-isolate. The trust has provided equipment for pupils who do not have their own laptop or internet access. You explained that leaders and teachers are exploring how they can best broadcast live lessons.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

Thank you again for contributing to this important national work. The views and experiences you have shared will help to inform future policy.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of trustees and the chief executive officer of the multi-academy trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Birmingham. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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