Jewellery Quarter Academy

Inspection of Jewellery Quarter Academy St George’s Court, 1 Albion Street, Birmingham, West Midlands B1 3AA

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 18 and 19 May 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Jewellery Quarter Academy welcomes everyone and seeks to do the best for pupils and staff. Pupils get along well. Bullying is uncommon, and staff work hard to resolve any disagreements. Pupils feel safe, in part because they can easily report any concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has clear values and high expectations. There is a strong sense of teamwork. Leaders promote the development of pupils’ character alongside academic achievement. They understand the importance of close working with parents and carers, employers and other agencies.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Friendly respect between staff and pupils helps lessons and social times to run smoothly. Pupils benefit from good pastoral support. They enjoy a wide range of extra-curricular activities. Pupils take part in different sports, in creative activities and debating. They are proud of their school, and older pupils appreciate how they are profiting from recent improvements.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have ensured that there is a well-planned curriculum. It is broad and ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils at key stage 3 study all the subjects in the national curriculum. A recent focus on reading is paying dividends.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The trust that runs the school has taken important steps to strengthen it.

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better?

Leaders have organised the curriculum effectively. It is newly ambitious. For example, a significant proportion of pupils are now studying for GCSEs in triple science. Leaders are resolving the staffing issues that restricted modern foreign languages. The number of pupils learning French at key stage 4 is rising. Subject leaders have sequenced the work carefully so that it builds on pupils’ existing knowledge and skills. They have taken account of the impact on pupils’ learning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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better?

Teachers are enthusiastic, and know their subjects well. They use the correct terminology for each subject, and identify the important vocabulary for pupils to learn. Teachers explain ideas clearly. Pupils are gaining steadily in knowledge and understanding. Pupils with SEND learn well because teachers know how to adapt learning to meet their additional needs. Sometimes, teachers do not extend the knowledge of the highest prior attaining pupils as well as they might.

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better?

Teachers make checks on what pupils have learned. Across the school, they use the information that they gather to plan ‘do now’ tasks at the start of lessons. These reinforce previous learning. However, teachers’ grasp of what pupils have remembered over time, on occasion, is less secure. 18 and 19 May 2022

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This academic year, leaders have taken specific action to develop pupils’ reading skills and promote a love of books. Staff have received appropriate training. Classes read together during form time. Younger pupils have responded well to these initiatives. Many have borrowed books from the recently opened library.

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Pupils enjoy their learning, and behave well in lessons. Disruption to learning is infrequent. However, a small number of pupils struggle to behave appropriately. Staff work assiduously with them and their families to explain the school’s expectations. Suspensions, which have been high over time, are now declining.

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Pupils develop a good understanding of personal safety, relationships and social topics as part of a well-planned programme. On Fridays, staff use discussion of contemporary events to add to pupils’ social and cultural awareness and understanding. The school provides comprehensive careers advice. Very few pupils do not go on to appropriate education or training. A high proportion of pupils take part in activities after school. These include different sports, music, drama and photography.

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Senior leaders show a clarity of purpose in line with the school’s values. They know how to improve the school further. Although subject leaders are eager to contribute, some have had scant opportunity to check on the implementation of the curriculum. The staff recognise that leaders consider their workload and well-being. In making provision for creative subjects and physical education (PE), leaders do their very best to combat the limitations of the school site.

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The trust has taken effective action to establish a strong local governing board. Collaborative work between trust schools to develop the curriculum is already bearing fruit.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about the risks that they may face, including those originating online. Leaders make sure that staff are well trained in safeguarding, so that they know how to identify pupils who may be at risk. They keep the staff updated about issues that might pose a threat. Leaders take the appropriate actions and involve other agencies that work with children. They are persistent when the need arises.

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Safeguarding

The school keeps the necessary safeguarding records. Leaders make the right checks on the staff who join the school.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know that there is always someone to talk to. They feel safe at school. 18 and 19 May 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers’ routine assessment of pupils’ learning is sometimes too general. Teachers then lack a precise understanding of what pupils have learned and can remember over time. Leaders should ensure that teachers use formative assessment to identify more closely the gaps in pupils’ knowledge. This will enable them to tailor reinforcement and revision work more accurately, providing the right knowledge to the right pupils at the right time.  Although the curriculum is ambitious, teachers sometimes do not adapt it to challenge the highest prior attainers as effectively as they could. For example, sometimes the work is unnecessarily repetitive, or teachers allow pupils to choose work that is too easy. Leaders should ensure that all teachers are skilled in planning work that extends and deepens the knowledge and skills of the highest prior attainers.  Staffing issues have restricted the scope for subject leaders to monitor the quality

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

of the curriculum. Senior leaders should ensure that subject leaders have sufficient opportunity to check on the implementation of different subjects. This should enable them to make further refinements to the curriculum and to provide staff with additional guidance.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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. 18 and 19 May 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10229106 Type of school Secondary Comprehensive

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School details

Website www.corejewelleryquarter.academy

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 and 14 November 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Jewellery Quarter Academy is one of four secondary schools in CORE Education Trust, a multi-academy trust (MAT).  The headteacher was appointed to his post permanently in February 2022.  The school meets the requirements of the Baker Clause. This means that pupils in Years 8 to 11 receive information about the full range of education and training options open to them. This includes opportunities for a range of education and training providers to speak to pupils about technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.  The school uses two registered providers for alternative provision. Seven pupils attend full time, the majority as part of a programme of support for those newly arrived with English as an additional language. 18 and 19 May 2022

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders, and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. Meetings were held with curriculum leaders and the special educational needs coordinator. Inspectors also met with a range of other staff, including early career teachers, trainees, officers of the MAT, and members of the local governing board (LGB), to which the MAT delegates oversight of some aspects of the school’s work.  Inspectors spoke with pupils at social times, and with groups of pupils more formally.  When inspecting safeguarding, inspectors looked at the school’s procedures for recruiting and checking on staff. They also considered the effectiveness of staff training and the procedures to keep pupils safe.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including leaders’ plans to improve the school, records of LGB meetings, and the school’s attendance and behaviour records.  The inspection team took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s questionnaire for parents, including narrative comments. Inspectors also considered responses to Ofsted’s survey for staff.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: science, mathematics, modern foreign languages and art. In these subjects, inspectors considered the curriculum, visited lessons and scrutinised pupils’ work. Inspectors also met with pupils and with teachers to discuss learning in these subjects. On the second day of the inspection, inspectors looked at the curriculum in English, PE and religious education.

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Inspection team

Martin Spoor, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Graeme Rudland Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 May 2022

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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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