The CE Academy

Inspection of The CE Academy Cromwell Campus, Poole Street, Northampton, Northamptonshire NN1 3EX

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Inadequate Previous inspection grade Outstanding 25–27 May 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have not ensured that safeguarding arrangements are effective. They do not always check carefully enough on pupils’ whereabouts or put adequate risk assessments in place for when pupils learn away from the school’s sites.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many pupils benefit from the varied experiences that the school provides. This includes opportunities to learn at external providers. These experiences help many pupils to develop an appreciation of learning and success. Teachers and support staff help most pupils to gain qualifications and move on to their next steps of education and training.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils develop respectful relationships with each other and with members of staff. Staff and key tutors know and care for pupils well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is mostly calm and purposeful. They learn to improve and manage their behaviour by reflecting on what they do. They take increasing responsibility for their choices and actions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff help pupils to become more responsible and self-confident individuals. They build pupils’ trust, respect and resilience. Pupils gain from a range of experiences that promote their personal development and well-being. However, some pupils are absent from the school too often to be able to gain from these experiences or engage with their learning fully.

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better?

The leadership and management of the school is inadequate. Leaders have not established a secure culture of safeguarding. They do not always check on the attendance and welfare of all pupils who learn away from the school’s sites. Leaders do not consistently follow up on the well-being of all pupils who are absent. This places pupils at risk.

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better?

Leaders do not maintain accurate records of attendance. They do not always use the correct codes to record absence. Staff routinely authorise pupils’ absence, regardless of the reason. This is not in keeping with the national guidance. This practice means that leaders do not have an accurate view of pupils’ attendance and absence.

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better?

Leaders’ curriculum plans are ambitious for most pupils. Staff support pupils who find reading difficult. Subject leaders plan curriculums that enable pupils to know more and remember more over time. Teachers break learning down into sequenced steps to help pupils learn. For example, teachers of photography and art make sure that Years 10 and 11 pupils gain the knowledge and skills needed for the GCSE assessment pieces. In art, displays of pupils’ work in the classrooms and corridors demonstrate pupils’ knowledge of the subject and their pride in their work. The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has affected the continuity of learning for some 25–27 May 2021 pupils. Teachers have changed their planning to make sure that pupils learn the essential knowledge that they need. Leaders have not ensured that the provision fully matches the needs of some pupils, including some with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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better?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Most pupils learn to improve their behaviour over time. Staff challenge instances of disrespectful language and behaviour. They are skilled in helping pupils to calm down and reflect on their behaviour.

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better?

Leaders have developed an effective programme to support pupils’ personal development. For example, pupils learn about healthy lifestyles and relationships. They learn how to be safe in different circumstances. Leaders ensure that this learning is relevant to pupils’ lives. When leaders learn about challenges that pupils are facing, for example, they will adapt the personal development programme to meet pupils’ needs.

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better?

Pupils are challenged to think about moral issues. Staff help develop pupils’ social learning by building relationships based on respect. Pupils build their appreciation of culture by learning about literature and different artists. Staff help pupils’ spiritual development through learning about different religions.

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better?

Governors do not successfully hold leaders to account. They have not met their statutory duty to ensure that pupils are kept safe. Governors have not ensured that leaders record attendance accurately. They have not done enough to assure themselves that they know accurately what the school does well and what needs to improve.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders do not record pupils’ absence accurately. For example, they mark pupils as attending approved educational activity when this is not always the case. They do not consistently check on the welfare of pupils who are absent. Leaders cannot be certain that all pupils are safeguarded when they are supposed to be in the school’s care.

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Safeguarding

Leaders do not put adequate risk assessments in place or regularly update risk assessments, including when circumstances may change. This leaves pupils at risk, particularly when they are attending off-site provision.

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Safeguarding

Staff have received safeguarding training. They know the procedures to follow if they have any worries about a pupil. Leaders record relevant pre-employment information on the single central record. Pupils learn about keeping themselves safe.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding leaders keep accurate child protection records. Leaders work with a range of external agencies to support pupils when needed. 25–27 May 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Safeguarding is not effective. Leaders cannot be certain that all pupils are safeguarded when they are supposed to be in the school’s care. Leaders must ensure that there are adequate safeguards in place for all pupils at all times, including all occasions when they are learning away from the school site. This should include appropriate risk assessments which are regularly reviewed and updated.  Leaders have not checked that registers are accurate. The information recorded on registers is routinely inaccurate. As a result, leaders do not have an accurate understanding of attendance and absence. Leaders must ensure that registers are accurate in order to provide precise records of daily attendance and attendance over time, including to commissioning bodies, such as other schools.  Governors rely too heavily on what leaders tell them about what is happening in the school. As a result, they do not hold leaders to account well enough, including

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

over safeguarding and attendance. Governors should ensure that they are assured of the accuracy of what leaders tell them about all aspects of the provision, so that they can hold leaders fully to account.

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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 are the school and you are 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 here .

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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. 25–27 May 2021

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School details

School category Academy alternative provision converter

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Date of previous inspection

22 October 2020 under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The CE Academy is a stand-alone academy that provides education for pupils aged 11 to 16 that are at risk of exclusion or are permanently excluded from other schools. In addition, the school provides education for school-age mothers.  The school is located on nine sites, eight of which are currently in use.  The school uses 11 alternative providers to meet the needs of pupils on a part- time basis. These are: Centurion Training, Future Starts Ltd, Youth Works, Northampton Town Football Club, Northampton Saints Foundation, Groundwork – The Green Patch, Adventure Ways, Fermynwoods Contemporary Arts, Seeds of Change, A4S (Progressability) and The Lodge Educational Recordings.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We deemed the inspection a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Information about this inspection

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, 25–27 May 2021 because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with the headteacher and members of the senior leadership team. The lead inspector met with two trustees, including the chair, and two parent governors. He spoke with the chair of governors on the telephone.  Inspectors visited seven of the school’s nine sites. They visited lessons, looked at pupils work and spoke with pupils about their schoolwork. They met subject leaders and class teachers.  Inspectors focused on reading, English, science, art and personal, social, health and economic education. They also looked at a range of other subjects, including mathematics, sugarcraft and photography.  Inspectors met with designated safeguarding leaders. The lead inspector reviewed the single central record and looked at safeguarding records.  Inspectors met with members of staff and spoke to others on the telephone. Inspectors also received many emails and communications from staff.  The lead inspector spoke with a local authority officer and leaders from two

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Information about this inspection

schools that commission places for their pupils at The CE Academy.  An inspector visited one alternative provider and spoke with two others on the telephone.  Inspectors considered a wide range of documents. They looked at school policies and attendance registers.

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Inspection team

Chris Davies, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Stephanie Innes-Taylor Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Deirdre Duignan Her Majesty’s Inspector 25–27 May 2021 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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