E-ACT Shenley Academy

Inspection of Shenley Academy Shenley Lane, Northfield, Birmingham, West Midlands B29 4HE

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Previous inspection grade Inadequate 6 and 7 July 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s motto, ‘Building futures, changing lives’, is exactly what happens here. Everyone involved in the school is committed to every pupil’s welfare, well-being and academic success. Pupils’ mental health is front and centre in leaders’ thinking and decision-making. As a result, pupils thrive and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school nurtures and develops pupils’ individual talents so that they can succeed in their chosen fields. No stone is left unturned in order to find ways of adding more to pupils’ future prospects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school inspires and supports pupils to contribute to school life, the local community and beyond. Pupils inform important decisions about the school’s curriculum. Many volunteer in the local community. Pupils have even gone on to present at conferences at a national and international level.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave maturely. They treat each other with genuine respect and understanding of difference. Bullying is socially unacceptable here. Pupils told inspectors that, when it does happen, it rarely needs to be passed on to staff to deal with. Pupils have the skills to work things through for themselves. Where staff do need to get involved, they help pupils to resolve the issues that led to the problem happening.

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better?

Leaders state that, ‘The curriculum is at the heart of everything in this school.’ It means that leaders have created a curriculum that weaves together plans for teaching subjects, personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, the careers programme and the extensive range of wider experiences. As a result, pupils achieve high standards and develop social and cultural awareness. The curriculum teaches pupils how to behave well and stay safe. It helps them develop tolerance, respect and empathy and equips pupils to go on to appropriate destinations after leaving school.

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better?

The curriculum is taught in ways that ensure pupils acquire rich, deep knowledge about each subject. It also helps them make strong links between what they have studied and individual or societal issues. For example, during a discussion with inspectors, pupils made a link between Hitler’s view of a supreme race and the Black Lives Matter cause.

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better?

Curriculum plans set out the exact knowledge pupils will learn week by week and what skills this will enable them to perform. Teaching and built-in assessment builds this knowledge sequentially. Teachers check in lessons if pupils remember prior content and are learning the intended new knowledge. Part-way through a topic, teachers assess if pupils have learned what they need. They adapt planning to keep pupils on track. At the end of the topic, teachers double check that pupils have 6 and 7 July 2021

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learned what they ought to learn. This happens well in almost every subject. A very few departments have new staff teams. These departments are getting to grips with delivering the school’s curriculum but still have a little way to go to be as effective as the rest.

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The provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) has improved considerably since January 2021. Pupils with SEND follow the same curriculum as other pupils. Where necessary, teachers adapt lessons to enable pupils with SEND to access the curriculum content. For example, they might use a laptop to record their work or have extra help from a mentor. Leaders seek advice from external agencies to ensure that the support they provide for these pupils is appropriate.

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The school uses alternative provision for a small number of pupils so that their needs can be better met. The school selects the provider carefully to make sure that it is safe and the right place for the pupil. Leaders check pupils’ attendance at these settings daily and keep a close eye on their safety there. The school maintains full responsibility for the quality of education provided to their pupils by making frequent visits to check that the correct curriculum is being followed and that each pupil is learning what is intended.

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There is a culture of ambition, care, trust and openness between the E-Act multi- academy trust (the trust), of which the school is part, and the school. This leads to staff, at all levels, seeking to improve in everything they do all the time. Very clear lines of accountability keep trustees well informed of the quality of education, enabling them to take swift and highly effective action where needed. Leaders in the school implement and quality assure these actions rigorously so that improvement is sustained.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The trust’s culture puts pupils’ welfare firmly at the heart of the school’s work. High levels of training equip staff to identify where pupils need help. Leaders work closely with many agencies to secure the right help for pupils and their families. The school provides substantial support for pupils’ mental health. Leaders adapt the curriculum in response to individual, local and national safeguarding issues. For example, they introduced lessons about sexual violence in response to Ofsted’s review of sexual abuse in schools. This is engaging pupils in meaningful discussions about rape culture.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Curriculum plans for all subjects show very precisely what pupils should know and when. Delivery of these plans in most subjects leads to this intent being learned. In a few subjects, this is not the case because newly established teams have not fully implemented the ‘Shenley lesson cycle’ as well as other 6 and 7 July 2021

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departments. Leaders need to ensure that the ongoing detailed approach to identifying and tackling weaknesses in curriculum delivery removes these differences so that pupils’ high achievement is consistent across every subject.

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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.

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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. 6 and 7 July 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10184715 Type of school Secondary

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School details

Website http://www.shenleyacademy.org.uk/

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 4 and 5 February 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has undergone significant change since being made subject to special measures. A new headteacher and senior leadership team have been appointed. 61 staff have left, and 60 new staff have joined the school.  The school uses five registered alternative providers to meet the particular needs of some pupils. No pupils are sent to unregistered provision by the school or by the registered alternative providers.

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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 13(4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with the headteacher, the chief executive officer, the national and regional directors of education for the trust and senior leaders responsible for safeguarding, curriculum and provision for pupils with SEND. 6 and 7 July 2021

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 Inspectors conducted deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, history, art, physical education (PE) and languages. Deep dives are where inspectors hold discussions with leaders of a subject, scrutinise curriculum plans, visit a sample of lessons, speak with teachers and pupils about the subject and look at the work pupils produce.  Inspectors scrutinised the school’s single central register of employment checks, met with the designated safeguarding leads and the safeguarding lead from the trust, looked at curriculum plans which show where pupils will be taught about safeguarding risks, spoke to staff about how they follow the school’s child- protection procedures and to pupils about how safe they feel in school.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in school, discussed behaviour with pupils and teachers, scrutinised records relating to behaviour, bullying and attendance and spoke to pupils about how the school promotes their personal development.

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Inspection team

Sandy Hayes, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Catherine Crooks Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Claire Jones Her Majesty’s Inspector 6 and 7 July 2021

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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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