Pegasus Academy

Scotts Green Close, Dudley, West Midlands DY1 2DU

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Inadequate

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils are not making good enough progress from year to year so that they can build on previous learning and reach their full potential.  Leaders’ work is not always effective when agreed policies are not followed. For instance, there are times when leaders fail to identify when, where and for how long a group of pupils underachieve. Consequently, appropriate action is not taken .  Sometimes teachers’ questioning does not deepen knowledge or check pupils’ understanding. Not all pupils receive challenging and stimulating work.  On occasions, a minority of pupils disrupt lessons and display a negative attitude to learning.  Levels of absence have reduced but are still too high. Attendance rates of disadvantaged pupils, although improved, are below national average. Levels of persistent absence, and of punctuality, are reducing, but not quickly enough.  Teachers do not consistently follow the school’s marking policy to ensure that pupils’ work

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

improves.  Some mathematics teaching is inconsistent, and some pupils have gaps in their mathematical knowledge. This causes misconceptions and hampers pupils’ progress.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Newly appointed senior leaders, including the principal, are beginning to secure improvements in the quality of provision. They  Leaders have taken effective action in providing a strong careers advice and guidance are supported well by the Dudley Academies Trust (DAT).  Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) means that they are now making improved progress.  There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. programme. Pupils are able to make informed choices about their next steps.  The curriculum ensures that pupils access a breadth of experiences and opportunities. It develops their knowledge and interest across a wide range of subjects.  Pupils are happy, and proud of their school.  The school is developing pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding well.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management, and thus outcomes, by: – ensuring that all leaders apply school policies consistently – making sure that teachers enable pupils to improve their work by consistently following the school’s marking policy – training leaders to monitor effectively and act upon the information that they gather from their checks so that underachievement is responded to promptly.  Improve the quality of teaching so that pupils make the best possible progress by ensuring that: – teachers receive appropriate professional development to provide tasks at the right level of difficulty to challenge all groups of pupils – teachers use good questioning techniques to deepen pupils’ knowledge and understanding and check out pupils’ understanding of key concepts – mathematics teachers identify gaps in pupils’ mathematical knowledge so that pupils can learn from their errors.  Improve the personal development, behaviour and welfare of pupils by ensuring that:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– no pupil interrupts learning by low-level disruption and off-task behaviour – pupils are encouraged to have positive attitudes to learning so that learning time is not wasted – the amount of time some pupils miss from their education because of absence, persistent absence and lateness reduces, especially for disadvantaged pupils.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 The principal and senior leaders have implemented a clear vision with drive and energy. They have made a determined effort to tackle the areas judged inadequate at the last inspection. However, although there has been improvement, some weaknesses remain in the quality of education provided by the school and pupils are not yet making good progress  The school has recruited several new senior and middle leaders since the last inspection. This recruitment process is set to continue. A new head of mathematics arrives in September 2019. However, not all leaders use the school’s agreed policies effectively. They do not spot patterns or trends in pupils’ progress in a timely way and act upon the messages from them. As a result, not all leaders quickly address underachievement.  The DAT provides effective support to the school. It has targeted financial and human resources well to meet the needs of this improving school. For example, the school has

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

received appropriate resources to support the performance management of all staff. In addition, pupils now benefit from new technologies. Trust staff are frequent visitors to the school. Many have a specific brief to improve the quality of teaching in targeted areas. The impact of this work is most notable in English and the development of literacy in Year 7.  The curriculum ensures that pupils access a breadth of experiences and opportunities. It develops their knowledge and interest across a wide range of subjects. High-quality careers advice guides pupils about studying the English Baccalaureate (EBacc). School leaders have introduced literacy initiatives in key stage 4, so that pupils can benefit from EBacc’s breadth and challenge. The number of pupils entered for the EBacc exceeds the national average, because an increasing number of pupils study a modern foreign language at key stage 4.  The provision for disadvantaged pupils, and pupils with SEND, is now improving. Senior

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

leaders have deployed the additional funding for these pupils with greater effect. As a result, more disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND are better supported. This has led to more pupils knowing how to improve and these pupils are now beginning to make better progress.  Provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, as well as fundamental British values are a strength of the school. There are well-planned personal, social and health education and tutor and assembly programmes. As a result, pupils have the opportunity to discuss moral and social issues.

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Governance of the school

 Arrangements for governance have changed following the last inspection. There is a trust board that has the statutory governance role for all schools in the DAT. There is a Local Advisory Committee (LAC) for each school. The LAC has delegated responsibility for holding school leaders to account for standards. LAC members and trustees spoke positively about these arrangements to inspectors.  LAC members understand their roles and responsibilities well. They have an accurate view of the strengths and weaknesses of the school, because they interrogate reports provided by the principal and senior leaders. LAC members have been effective in challenging school leaders about the quality of provision. Governors agreed with inspectors’ findings about inconsistencies that remain in the quality of education in the school.  LAC members are not complacent about the challenges that face school leaders. They are ambitious for the school and are determined that any variability is ‘ironed out’, and

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Governance of the school

that all pupils make at least good progress and aim towards outstanding progress so that they reach their full potential.  LAC members and trustees discharge their statutory duties with diligence. Trustees carefully check the school’s budget and LAC members monitor safeguarding arrangements.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  School leaders have established a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff understand their responsibilities for keeping pupils safe from risk. This is because all staff receive regular training and updates about safeguarding, such as the ‘Prevent’ duty and child protection. As a result, adults know how to make referrals when they have a concern.  School leaders have ensured that all statutory safeguarding requirements are in place. Leaders ensure that trained staff carefully follow and record the processes for checking the suitability of adults to work with pupils.  The school site is safe. A high fence covers the perimeter of the school. Only authorised staff can open external entrance doors. Office staff screen all visitors before passing through the school gate. They also complete further identity checks before a member of staff accompanies a visitor into the main building. Hence, many pupils told

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Safeguarding

inspectors they felt safe at school because of these security measures.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 The quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection. The school has recruited new leaders and teachers, who contribute well to leaders’ expectations about performance in the classroom. However, teaching is not yet leading to consistently strong progress for pupils to attain the standards expected for their age.  Not all teachers have developed their questioning skills to deepen pupils’ knowledge and understanding. On occasions, the work set is not hard enough for some pupils. They complete tasks too easily without enough thought and so they are not making the progress they are capable of.  Teaching in some mathematics lessons does not take account of pupils’ prior learning. Some pupils have forgotten important knowledge learned in previous lessons. As a result, these pupils do not understand how to tackle tasks set by the teacher. For example, some pupils’ recall of basic numerical operations is not automatic. They are

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

unable to simplify ratios and fractions. This means they became stuck, finding it hard to concentrate. These pupils do not make the progress they should because of gaps in their knowledge.  Where teaching deliberately recaps prior learning in mathematics lessons, teachers build on this knowledge by introducing new concepts in ‘bite-size’ chunks. Learning goes on at a pace when teachers check for pupils’ understanding at frequent intervals.  In some mathematics lessons teachers insist pupils show every stage of their working out. This strategy helps pupils when they are stuck, and pupils acquire deeper knowledge and their confidence grows. Teachers adjust the pace of the lesson until all pupils are confident in applying this knowledge.  Pupils make better progress when lesson planning is well structured with clear expectations. In some science classes and in English, tasks are pitched at an appropriate level and feedback provides clear guidance about how pupils can improve

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

their work. Inspectors saw pupils actively engaged in music and dance lessons because the teacher’s clear explanation of the task enabled pupils to work in groups for a sustained period. As a result, pupils made progress because they also acted upon the teacher’s feedback.  Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly but not all follow the school’s marking policy closely enough to ensure that pupils improve their work.  In this academic year, the school introduced a new curriculum for Year 7 pupils called ‘Literacy for Life.’ This is a theme-based curriculum. Pupils are enthusiastic because the learning engages them and gives them confidence to develop their proficiency in numeracy and literacy. They can articulate what they are doing and what they have achieved.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.  The majority of pupils are proud to be members of their school and take pride in their work and their uniform. However, at times some pupils can show negative attitudes to learning. They do not concentrate or complete as much work as they could.  Pupils report that they feel safe in school. Incidents of bullying are rare. Pupils say that staff deal with bullying promptly.  Pupils have opportunities to work with the Black Country Chamber of Commerce. Senior pupils in the school have also hosted business breakfasts and have met with local businesses committed to promoting their employability skills.  A small number of pupils attend appropriate alternative provision, which meets their needs and interests. There are regular checks to ensure that pupils are engaged in their learning programmes and that they make the progress they should.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.  A minority of pupils’ behaviour can be disruptive in lessons. Inspectors observed some off-task behaviour in lessons, where expectations were low. This negative behaviour distracts other pupils from their learning.  The majority of pupils socialise well in corridors and around the school. These pupils treat the school with respect. Appropriate levels of staff presence during breaktimes and lunchtimes support the development of an orderly community.  Pastoral managers and form tutors have applied a range of approaches to promote better attendance. Consequently, fewer pupils are absent. However, these improved levels of attendance are still below the national average, especially for the disadvantaged pupils.  Fewer pupils are now late to school. However, improving pupils’ time-keeping remains a priority. A range of rewards and incentives is in place to encourage better punctuality

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Behaviour

and attendance. Levels of persistent absence remain above average. However, since the last inspection fewer pupils are persistent absentees.  Senior and pastoral leaders have raised expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Recently, the level of fixed-term exclusions has reduced as more pupils engage with this new culture.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 Although there has been a slight improvement in public examinations in the past three years, pupils’ attainment remained well below the national average. Work in books, and the school’s monitoring of pupils’ performance, shows that pupils are now beginning to make better progress. However, it is not sufficient to narrow the gap to ensure that pupils attain the standards expected for their age.  The progress of current pupils is not yet consistently strong. Pupils currently in Years 7 and 11 and are making better progress than in previous years. However, pupils in Years 8, 9 and 10 have not made progress at the same rate.  In the past 12 months, the DAT has appointed new senior and key subject leaders. These new staff are targeting pupils’ needs more effectively. More pupils know what they need to do to improve their work. This has contributed positively to the development of pupils’ skills across the curriculum.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 As a result of improvements in teaching, more pupils are beginning to make progress in English, science, history and geography. Where teaching now offers better challenge, such as in Music, Dance and Modern Foreign Languages, pupils are starting to show increased confidence in applying specific skills.  Leaders are using additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils with better effect. As a result, disadvantaged pupils are now making improved progress, which is closer to other pupils nationally.  The special educational needs leaders insist that teachers know their pupils well and provide well-crafted feedback to pupils. As a result, teachers now plan better to meet the needs of these pupils. Consequently, more pupils with SEND are on track to meet their targets.  High-quality careers advice and guidance has resulted in nearly all pupils in Year 11 securing a confirmed place in education, employment or training. Staff provide bespoke

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

support to those pupils who might leave secondary school with no destination.

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Email address office@pegasusacademy.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14–15 December 2017

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Information about this school

 Pegasus Academy is a smaller than average-sized 11 to 16 school. The school joined the Dudley Academies Trust on 1 September 2017. There are four local schools in the trust and Dudley College is the sponsor. There is a trust board, which undertakes all the governance functions in the school. A local advisory committee oversees the work of the school.  Almost half of the pupils in the school are disadvantaged.  The largest ethnic grouping of pupils is White British. A fifth of the pupils are of Pakistani heritage.  The proportion of pupils with English as an additional language is above average.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is at the national average.  The school uses one alternative provider, ‘The Skills Centre’, which is situated on the school site.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning across a range of subjects and age groups and scrutinised pupils’ written work. Inspectors conducted most lesson observations jointly with members of the leadership team. Inspectors visited 34 lessons, six form periods and one assembly.  Inspectors held meetings with members of the leadership team and representatives of the trust board and members of the LAC. In addition, inspectors met with curriculum and pastoral leaders. The lead inspector met with the chief executive of the DAT and the principal.  Inspectors met with pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, both formally and informally, to hear about their views of the school.  Inspectors looked at the school’s documentation, including the evaluation of the school’s effectiveness and the school’s improvement plan. Inspectors reviewed progress, behaviour and attendance information relating to current pupils and minutes

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Information about this inspection

of local advisory committee meetings.  School policies relating to safeguarding, pupils’ behaviour, the use of additional funding and provision for pupils with SEND were looked at.  Inspectors considered eight responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, including five free-text responses. Inspectors also considered 38 responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey and 17 responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey. Inspection team

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Information about this inspection

Antony Edkins, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Information about this inspection

Chris Stevens Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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Information about this inspection

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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Information about this inspection

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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