Setting

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

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Tony Segalini Principal Kettering Science Academy Deeble Road Kettering Northamptonshire NN15 7AA

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Academy

Following my visit to your school on 7 December 2021, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to confirm the monitoring inspection 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 improve the school since the most recent section 5 inspection.

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Academy

The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005 and has taken place because the school has received four successive judgements of requires improvement at its previous section 5 inspections.

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Academy

This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. I discussed the ongoing impact of the pandemic with you and have taken that into account in my evaluation.

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Academy

Having considered the evidence, I am of the opinion that at this time:

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action in

order for the school to become a good school.

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action in

 regularly review all concerns logged on the school’s safeguarding system to ensure that all staff have recorded and reported concerns appropriately  check the effectiveness of staff safeguarding training to ensure that all staff understand their responsibilities and are confident in reporting and recording their concerns.

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Context

You have built leadership and management capacity since the previous inspection with the appointment of additional vice and assistant principals, and a business manager. You have restructured senior leadership responsibilities to focus on the school’s priorities for improvement. An interim special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) has been appointed for this term. You have appointed a school counsellor and a school nurse to support pupils’ well-being. Additional staff have been appointed to the safeguarding team to focus on pupils’ welfare. The number of pupils on roll has increased by over 200 since the previous inspection.

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Context

The pandemic has affected your long-term plans for improvement. For example, you have not been able to make as much progress in improving the quality of education in all subject areas as initially planned. You have delivered your ‘review and continue’ curriculum this term. You have improved behaviour with the implementation of a new behaviour policy at the start of this school year.

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Main findings

The trust has strengthened leadership across the school since the previous inspection. You have appointed additional senior leaders and have re-organised their responsibilities to focus on key areas of the school’s improvement. Leaders have a common vision for the school. They are ambitious for pupils to be successful. You are taking appropriate and timely steps to address several weaknesses. You are bringing about improvements in the quality of education and the behaviour of pupils.

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Main findings

Subject leaders are improving curriculum planning. They are developing well-structured, ambitious curriculum plans that identify the key knowledge and skills they want pupils to learn. These curriculums are sequenced and enable pupils to know more and remember more over time. Leaders and teachers have thought carefully about the sequence in which pupils build their learning over time. They enable pupils to revisit and build on previous learning. Curriculum planning is further ahead in some subjects than others.

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Main findings

Leaders have improved the provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They have established better ways of identifying and assessing pupils’ needs. They work with external agencies to support and improve pupils’ learning. Leaders have created individual pupil passports that identify how best to support pupils. Not all staff use the passports consistently.

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Main findings

Pupils say that behaviour has improved. They told inspectors that staff now recognise, praise and reward positive behaviour more than they used to. Staff have higher expectations of pupils than they did previously. Pupils’ attitudes and conduct have improved. Fixed-term and permanent exclusions have reduced significantly. Leaders analyse patterns of behaviour to identify trends. They provide support for those pupils who need additional help to improve their conduct and behaviour. Staff readily challenge inappropriate and prejudicial comments. Staff provide pupils with a wide range of opportunities and experiences through the ‘co- curriculum’. These include activities such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award, cadets and a wide range of clubs, teams and societies. This co-curriculum was adversely affected by the pandemic. Leaders adapt the personal development curriculum to address local issues as they arise.

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Main findings

Trustees and governors know the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They have appropriate plans in place to address the areas for improvement reported in the last inspection. They challenge and support leaders well.

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Main findings

Leaders make sure that all statutory pre-employment checks are undertaken before an adult starts working with pupils. These checks are recorded on the school’s single central record. Staff receive regular safeguarding training and updates. Leaders have not checked whether all staff fully understand their responsibilities. Safeguarding leaders know pupils well. They work with a range of external agencies to make sure that pupils get the additional help they need. Leaders have not been rigorous in monitoring safeguarding records. Some safeguarding records are not precise enough because they do not include a clear explanation of leaders’ actions. Pupils say that they feel safe at school. They know who to turn to if they have any worries or concerns.

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Additional support

The school continues to receive support from The Brooke Weston Trust. Trust officers work closely with the school and provide effective support. They have helped to develop and improve leadership at all levels. The support is helping to improve the quality of education. Officers have plans in place to review safeguarding records.

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Evidence

During the inspection, I met with you and with other senior leaders, officers from the trust and the chair of the local governing body to discuss the actions taken since the last inspection.

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Evidence

I met with the subject leader for modern foreign languages, the SENCo and groups of pupils. I evaluated the school’s improvement plan and self-evaluation form. I reviewed a range of policies and safeguarding records.

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Evidence

I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of trustees, and the chief executive officer of The Brooke Weston multi-academy trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for North Northamptonshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website. Yours sincerely

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