Liberty Academy

Inspection of Archbishop Sentamu Academy 1 Bilton Grove, Hull HU9 5YB

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Inadequate Personal development Requires improvement Sixth form provision Good Leadership and management Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 11 to 13 May 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ experiences at the school vary widely. Many pupils enjoy their lessons and benefit from the school’s extensive facilities. However, not all pupils are benefiting fully from these, including the increasing number of pupils who do not attend school regularly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are concerned about the standards of behaviour, especially out of lessons, in corridors and outside during social times. Pupils say that some standards have declined since the last school inspection. The records that the school holds on incidents of poor behaviour confirm pupils’ perceptions. Despite this, pupils feel safe at school and do not worry about bullying.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many staff are equally concerned about pupils’ attitudes to education and the lack of respect shown by pupils. However, staff do recognise the recent improvements that are being introduced to address their concerns. These include the appointment of new leaders, additional support staff and enhanced support from the multi-academy trust.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils access a range of exciting subjects, including motor engineering, all delivered in purpose-built facilities. However, there are not enough planned opportunities for pupils to revisit and consolidate the most important parts of their learning.

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better?

Standards of behaviour have not improved since the last school inspection, which took place in November 2021. To a large degree, the experiences many pupils have at the school have deteriorated during this time.

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better?

Despite leaders’ efforts to create a calm and orderly environment, the school’s own records indicate concerning, and in many cases rising, occurrences of poor behaviour, removals from lessons, serious incidents, use of internal ‘seclusion’ facilities and formal suspensions. Across the first two terms of this school year, for example, there have been almost 4,500 occasions when pupils have been placed in the internal ‘seclusion’ rooms, most commonly for half a day or less. Almost one in every five pupils has been suspended from school this year.

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better?

Many incidents of poor behaviour are associated with a lack of respect shown from pupils towards staff. Staff who challenge pupils often fail to get them to comply with basic, reasonable requests. There is also variation in the implementation of the school’s current behaviour and rewards policy. However, leaders have very recently put new systems and key personnel in place to start to address this. A new senior leader is leading this important work. Several new pastoral staff have joined the school to work with vulnerable pupils. Extensive support from leaders from the trust has also recently been put in place. 11 to 13 May 2022

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Pupils do not attend school regularly enough. Almost half of all pupils have concerning levels of absence. As the number of pupils who are absent regularly has increased, some of the approaches to improving attendance have become fragmented. The attendance of pupils who attend the school’s ‘Arc’ provision, many of whom are vulnerable, is of particular concern. Despite this provision’s uninspiring physical environment, pupils here are well supported.

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Leaders have carefully considered the subjects being taught at the school, including in the sixth form. They are committed to providing a curriculum which inspires pupils, while also ensuring they are ready for the world of work. This is particularly well thought through in the sixth form. The wider pastoral offer for sixth-form students, including the approach to improving their attendance and preparing them for their next steps, is a strength of the school.

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Subject leaders are continuing to refine teaching plans to ensure pupils are taught topics in a sensible order. Although they have identified the most important aspects within each subject, they have not yet fully considered ways to ensure these topics are revisited. As a result, some pupils are not remembering some of what they have been taught. However, pupils, including those in the sixth form, enjoy their lessons and have good relationships with teachers in lessons.

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Until recently, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities have not been well supported. Teachers have not always been told how to meet the needs of individual pupils. However, leaders have added capacity in this important area, and plans are in place to further enhance this. Leaders have also identified groups of pupils who need support with reading and are providing the help needed to address this.

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Leaders have been slow to introduce extra-curricular opportunities following the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many pupils, including older pupils who have been at the school for a number of years, have never been on a school trip or accessed an extra-curricular opportunity. The notable exceptions to this are the pupils involved in the school’s sports scholarship provision. These pupils regularly access a wide range of opportunities.

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The quality of the personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum is variable. Leaders’ work to monitor and develop this aspect of the curriculum was put on hold while they focused their attention on issues of poor pupil behaviour. However, their drive to quality assure and improve the PSHE curriculum has since resumed.

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School governors, working alongside trustees and other leaders from the trust, know the school well. The findings from this inspection did not come as a surprise. These leaders were already fully informed of the schools’ priorities and have helped develop detailed plans for improvement. Although leaders’ efforts to improve the school have been impeded by a range of internal and external factors, they are currently working at pace to ensure the school receives the help it needs to improve. 11 to 13 May 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Despite the frequency of incidents of poor behaviour, pupils feel safe at school. They have named adults to go to and have confidence they will be well supported. Where pupils need help, it is given, and staff keep detailed records to help monitor and further support pupils.

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Safeguarding

Staff receive regular training on how to keep pupils safe. They are well-informed about the systems in place locally and the requirements of statutory guidance. Leaders carry out the necessary recruitment checks on new staff before they start employment at school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There is not a calm and orderly environment throughout school. The behaviour of too many pupils disrupts the experiences of others. Too many pupils do not show respect to staff. Levels of poor behaviour and rates of ‘seclusion’ and suspension are high. There is inconsistency in the application of the behaviour policy. Leaders must take further action to ensure the standards of pupil behaviour are acceptable.  Too many pupils do not attend school regularly enough. These pupils are falling behind because of the lessons they are missing. They are not as prepared for their next steps as they could be. Leaders must engage with the community to promote and secure higher levels of pupil attendance.  The PSHE curriculum is not planned in a way that supports pupils to secure important information over time. Leaders have not taken an academic approach to this important learning. Enrichment opportunities are not planned through the

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

curriculum. Leaders’ plans to improve this area of the curriculum must be enacted.  The push to improve the quality of education is ongoing. Some subjects are only just implementing their new curriculum plans. There are some inconsistencies in the way pupils learn new topics. Not all teachers plan opportunities for pupils to revisit the most important subject content. Leaders should continue to refine teaching plans to ensure pupils are supported to retain and understand their new learning.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 11 to 13 May 2022

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The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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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. 11 to 13 May 2022

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School details

Local authority Kingston Upon Hull City Council

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School details

Inspection number 10238716 Type of school Secondary comprehensive

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Appropriate authority

Board of trustees Chair of trust Tony Myers

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Appropriate authority

Date of previous inspection 9 and 10 November 2021, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Hope Sentamu Learning Trust. As the school is designated as having a religious character it is inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005, most recently in October 2017. The timescales for re- inspection have been extended in light of the pandemic.  The school currently uses four alternative providers: Aspire and Compass, which are also part of the Hope Sentamu Learning Trust; the Sullivan Centre; and Rise Academy.  Through its careers programme, the school meets the requirements of the Baker Clause, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. 11 to 13 May 2022

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspectors 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, 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

 This was the second routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the principal and other senior leaders. They also met the chair of the board of trustees, other trustees, the chair of the governing body, other governors, and a representative from the Diocese of York. They met with the chief executive officer, chief operating officer and other leaders from the trust.

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Information about this inspection

 To evaluate the quality of education, inspectors conducted deep dives in English, mathematics, history and geography. This involved meeting with subject leaders; looking at curriculum plans; reviewing pupils’ work; talking to pupils about their work; and talking to teachers. The school’s PSHE curriculum was also reviewed.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors met leaders with responsibility for safeguarding. They reviewed the actions taken to keep pupils safe and reviewed several case files. The checks that the school makes when appointing new staff were reviewed.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of documentation, including policies and records of pupil behaviour, bullying logs and accident logs. Inspectors talked to a wide range of pupils and staff about their experiences in school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors considered the 22 new responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents, Ofsted Parent View.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out following complaints made to Ofsted that raised serious concerns. Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector decided that an inspection of the school should take place to follow up the whole-school issues that were raised. Inspectors initially sought to establish whether leaders were taking effective action to improve behaviour and to secure a robust safeguarding culture.

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Inspection team

James Duncan, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Graham Findlay Her Majesty’s Inspector 11 to 13 May 2022

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Eleanor Belfield Her Majesty’s Inspector

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John Linkins Her Majesty’s Inspector 11 to 13 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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