Setting

Janine King Principal Wold Academy Wold Road Hull East Riding of Yorkshire HU5 5QG

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Additional, remote monitoring inspection of Wold Academy

Following my remote inspection with Gill Wild, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), of your school on 10 and 11 February 2021, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the findings. Thank you for the help you gave during the inspection and for the time you made available to discuss the actions that have been taken to provide education to all pupils during the current circumstances.

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Additional, remote monitoring inspection of Wold Academy

This monitoring inspection was conducted under section 8 (2) of the Education Act 2005 (as amended) and in accordance with Ofsted’s published procedures for visiting schools while routine inspections remain temporarily suspended. It was additional to the usual monitoring process for schools that are judged to have serious weaknesses.

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Additional, remote monitoring inspection of Wold Academy

Following changes to government guidance and the imposition of COVID-19 (coronavirus) lockdown restrictions, this monitoring inspection was carried out remotely. As such, the range of evidence available to inspectors was narrower than would normally be the case during an on-site inspection. As a result, this letter provides a more limited level of assurance than our usual monitoring reports.

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Additional, remote monitoring inspection of Wold Academy

The inspection took place because the school was judged to have serious weaknesses at its previous section 5 inspection. The school’s most recent section 5 inspection took place in July 2019.

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Additional, remote monitoring inspection of Wold Academy

Having considered all the evidence and taking into account the impact of COVID-19 on the school, I am of the opinion that at this time:

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

to provide education in the current circumstances. Ofsted

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

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

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Context

 In January 2020, the vice principal was seconded to another school within the trust. A new vice principal was appointed in September 2020 and a new chair of governors was elected.

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Context

 A very small number of pupils had to work from home during the autumn term 2020.

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Context

 At the time of this inspection, approximately 80% of pupils were being educated at home. Around half of vulnerable pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) were attending school.

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Main findings

 Leaders offer a digitally based curriculum to pupils who are learning from home. Where pupils do not have access to devices, these are provided. Paper copies are also available if they are needed.

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Main findings

 Leaders ensure that teachers have time to upload lessons and make regular calls to pupils who are learning from home. Leaders use this as an opportunity to check on pupils’ academic and pastoral needs. In subjects such as science, teachers set questions regularly to check what pupils have remembered. This information is used by teachers to plan future learning.

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Main findings

 Pupils accessing education remotely are taught through a mixture of pre- recorded and ‘live’ lessons. The same materials are used for pupils learning at school and at home. Leaders are checking that pupils are learning by reviewing the work they complete.

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Main findings

 Pupils attending school continue to receive the additional help they need in reading to catch up. Adults who support pupils with their reading have had the necessary training. Leaders have recently increased the amount of time available in school to support pupils with their reading. These interventions are not available for pupils learning from home. Instead, these pupils have access to additional resources and adults make phone calls to hear pupils read. Leaders should consider how they can further support pupils who are being educated remotely to catch up if needed.

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Main findings

 Pupils in the early years, Year 1 and Year 2 continue to have daily phonics lessons. Pupils learning from home watch videos matched to leaders’ chosen phonics scheme. Leaders are encouraging parents to return videos of their children reading and teachers use these to help them decide when pupils are ready to move on to learning new sounds. The phonics work children complete at home is well matched to their needs.  Leaders have used assessment information from the autumn term 2020 to adjust the curriculum. Additional time has been dedicated to teaching mathematical fluency. When national restrictions are lifted, leaders plan to check what all pupils have learned across the curriculum while accessing education remotely. Leaders plan to make further alterations to the curriculum to take account of gaps in pupils’ understanding.

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Main findings

 In the autumn term 2020, leaders reviewed arrangements for supporting pupils with SEND. This has helped leaders to target the right support for these pupils. Pupils with SEND learning at home are provided with additional resources to support them with their work. These include physical mathematics resources, larger screens or different learning activities. Where access to outside agencies has been reduced due to COVID-19, leaders have ensured that staff have the skills to continue to offer this support. Resource packs and regular phone calls have helped deliver speech and language support to those pupils learning from home.

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Main findings

 Leaders have the support of an executive headteacher from within the trust for one day each week. This has helped leaders plan strategically. Monthly reviews, carried out by the trust, are helping leaders to measure the impact of their actions and plan future improvements. Teachers with subject leader responsibilities find the support they receive through trust-wide subject leader meetings an invaluable opportunity to share ideas and practice.

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Main findings

 Governors undertake regular remote visits with subject leaders to find out about the content of curriculum plans and how they are being delivered in the current circumstances. Reports provided by the principal and trust professionals give governors the information they need to challenge leaders on the curriculum decisions they are taking.

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Evidence

This inspection was conducted remotely. We spoke to you, the vice principal, subject leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, trustees from the multi-academy trust, pupils, staff and the chair of the governing body to discuss leaders’ actions to provide education to all pupils during a national lockdown.

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Evidence

We also observed some reading interventions and looked at examples of pupils’ learning online. We looked at responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, including 35 free-text responses, and 37 staff questionnaires.

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Evidence

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, chair of the board of trustees and the chief executive officer of The David Ross Education Trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Kingston Upon Hull. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely

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