Aldridge School - A Science College

Inspection of a good school: Aldridge School - A Science College Tynings Lane, Aldridge, Walsall, West Midlands WS9 0BG

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Outcome

Aldridge School - A Science College continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at this school, including those in the sixth form, enjoy their learning. They say that their teachers care about them and help them to do their best. Classrooms are calm and purposeful spaces that encourage and promote learning. Teachers have high expectations of how and what pupils will learn. Pupils rise to this challenge.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the opportunities provided to broaden their experiences. Those in the sixth form enjoy supporting younger pupils to achieve their best. Pupils who spoke to inspectors said how much they appreciated how quickly leaders have reinstated educational visits and extra-curricular clubs, despite the long-lasting impact of the pandemic in this area of the country.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Nearly all pupils say that they feel safe and happy. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe online and in the community. They are very confident that if they have a problem there will always be someone to talk to and they will always receive help. Pupils are well-versed in fundamental British values. They are nearly always kind, respectful and tolerant of each other. As a result, they say that there is very little bullying. When it does happen, staff deal with it quickly and effectively.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have designed and implemented an ambitious curriculum. It provides every pupil with the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to make a success of their lives. It is well sequenced and enables pupils to build on their prior learning to progress towards clear end points. The mantra here is to ‘teach to the top’. Teachers adapt learning effectively for those pupils who may struggle, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This is helping to improve the progress made by the weakest learners. However, occasionally, the support strategies do not ensure that these pupils can learn more and remember more of what has been taught. 25 and 26 May 2022

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Leaders quickly identify the needs of pupils with SEND. They have developed and implemented effective support to make sure those needs are consistently met. For instance, keyworkers allocated to those with an education, health and care plan provide a high level of support. They meet regularly with pupils and check their progress every week. As a result, leaders quickly identify pupils who are not keeping up with their classmates and put strategies in place to help them catch up. Regular ‘assess, plan, do, review’ meetings ensure that plans are appropriately adapted.

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Teachers check pupils’ learning effectively. They use questions skilfully to spot and address pupils’ misunderstandings or misconceptions. Staff adjust and modify the curriculum as necessary when they identify any gaps in pupils’ learning.

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Pupils from Year 8 onwards get good careers advice. Visits to Oxford University and Walsall College have helped pupils to make decisions about their futures. Approximately half of Year 11 leavers choose to remain in the sixth form. This is because they have access to a very broad range of A-level and vocational qualifications that they can study at any of the schools in the trust. Post-16 study programmes are carefully constructed. Students contribute to their local community as well as to school life; for instance, supporting those who struggle with reading and organising school events.

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Reading is an important part of the learning culture. Leaders plan and provide a wide range of activities for all year groups to promote the love of reading. Pupils enjoy reading and enjoy the rewards that reading in and out of school bring them. A rigorous approach to improving reading is in place. A range of programmes helps pupils improve their reading fluency and comprehension. However, leaders have not established a suitable phonics programme for the small number of pupils who are at a very early stage of reading.

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Behaviour around the school and in lessons is nearly always good. Leaders have high expectations and these are applied consistently. Low level disruption in lessons is infrequent. When it does occur, teachers follow the agreed behaviour policy. The reward system is understood, used effectively by teachers and valued by pupils.

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Pupils, including those in the sixth form, have many opportunities to develop their confidence, independence and understanding of the wider world. Leaders have organised visits from different faith and community groups, the police, fire and rescue services, local charities and the army that are delivered through the personal, social and health education (PSHE) programme. Pupils regularly work alongside organisations, including the Brindley Foundation, to address a different community topic each term. For instance, pupils have been involved in devising a knife crime awareness campaign and in developing a garden of remembrance.

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Trustees have a clear and accurate view of the school. They have put systems in place to support an effective approach to developing a culture of achievement. For instance, the local governing board offers the school both support and challenge. In turn, they are held to account by the trust which maintains close oversight of progress towards agreed improvements.

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Most staff are very positive about the support they receive from leaders. They say that leaders care about their well-being and provide help when they need it. 25 and 26 May 2022

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Most of the parents are supportive of the school. However, some parents do not feel that they always get the right information at the right time.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Rigorous systems are in place to keep pupils safe, including checking that staff are safe to work with young people. Staff are well-trained and know what to do should they have concerns, no matter how small. Consequently, pupils who are at risk of harm are identified quickly.

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Safeguarding

Leaders work with a range of external agencies so that pupils get the right help at the right time. Pupils learn how to recognise risks and to keep themselves safe. Leaders are aware of risks in the local community and make sure that pupils know how to protect themselves from those risks.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The reading support curriculum does not include a systematic synthetic approach to teaching phonics. As a result, the small number of pupils at a very early stage of reading do not yet have appropriate support. Leaders should ensure that provision for these pupils includes a suitable phonics programme and that those delivering the programme have the relevant training and expertise.  Occasionally, teachers do not implement the curriculum in the best way to support some pupils’ learning. This limits the progress a small number of pupils make. Leaders should make sure that the curriculum is delivered in a way that best meets pupils’ needs and abilities.  A few parents say that leaders do not provide the right information at the right time. Leaders should continue to improve and develop the ways in which they provide information for and communicate with parents.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately. 25 and 26 May 2022

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This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged Aldridge School - A Science College, to be good in February 2017.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 25 and 26 May 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10211414 Type of school Secondary

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1584

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form

Date of previous inspection 8 and 9 February 2017

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Information about this school

 Aldridge School - A Science College converted to become an academy in 2012. It joined The Mercian Trust in January 2018. When its predecessor school, Aldridge School - A Science College, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  Aldridge School - A Science College is an academy within The Mercian Trust.

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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, senior leaders, staff and pupils. The lead inspector held a meeting with the chief executive officer and the executive director of education; with four trustees; and with the chair and members of the local governing body. 25 and 26 May 2022

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 Deep dives in English, mathematics, modern foreign languages and geography were completed. These included discussions with subject leaders and teachers, visits to lessons and scrutiny of pupils’ work. Inspectors also met with pupils to discuss their learning in these subjects and listened to pupils read.  The lead inspector reviewed the PSHE curriculum plan, spoke with the curriculum leader and visited an assembly. The lead inspector also reviewed the support provided for pupils at an early stage of reading.  A range of documentation was scrutinised, including leaders’ plans to improve the school and their self-evaluation of the school’s work. Minutes of local governing body, and trust member meetings were also reviewed.  When inspecting safeguarding, the inspector considered the school’s procedures for keeping pupils safe, the checks made to ensure safe recruitment and the quality of staff training.

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Inspection team

Mel Ford, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Russell Hinton Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 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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