Monkwearmouth Academy

Inspection of Monkwearmouth Academy Torver Crescent, Sunderland SR6 8LG

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Inspection dates: 15 and 16 November 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The executive headteacher of this school is Michael Collier. This school is part of Tyne Coast Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Michael Collier, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Les Watson. 15 and 16 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Monkwearmouth Academy is a rapidly improving school. The school has included a programme of ‘ME time’ into the curriculum each week to enable all pupils to access a wide range of opportunities. Pupils can take part in clubs such as community club, pet club and environment club, as well as sea cadets, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme and the school’s football academy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils follow a ‘curriculum for life’. This ensures that pupils know how to stay healthy and safe. Pupils have many opportunities to develop their leadership skills. They enjoy being peer mentors, house captains, head students and members of the school council.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils behave well in the school. Pupils are courteous, and they treat each other with respect. There is a culture of tolerance, and all pupils and staff have made a ‘commit pledge’ to challenge and report prejudicial behaviour if they see it. Pupils appreciate this commitment. The school is calm and orderly. Staff know pupils very well. As a result, pupils receive high levels of care and support.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has recently developed its curriculum. The impact of these recent developments has not been fully realised through published examination results. Some pupils, including the most disadvantaged, do not attend school as often as they should. This is limiting their progress.

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better?

In most subjects, leaders have planned an ambitious, carefully sequenced curriculum. This helps pupils build their knowledge over time. In a small number of subjects, curriculum plans do not always identify in enough detail the core knowledge that pupils should learn. Most curriculum plans cover the subject in detail. In a minority of subjects, curriculum content does not go into sufficient depth. Where this is the case, pupils are not supported to learn as much as they should.

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better?

Pupils benefit from their teachers’ secure subject knowledge. Pupils have regular opportunities in lessons to apply their knowledge and develop their skills during ‘purple zone’. This is time in every lesson dedicated to independent learning. Teachers use this time to check pupils’ understanding. In many lessons, teachers make appropriate adaptations to support pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Some pupils do not consistently remember the knowledge they have been taught over time. This is limiting the progress that these pupils are making.

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better?

The school has put in place a programme to support the weakest readers. This includes a phonics programme for those pupils in the early stages of reading. The school has recently invested in the library. This is well stocked with a wide range of books from different genres for pupils to read. Pupils are given regular opportunities 15 and 16 November 2023

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to read for pleasure. The school has begun to develop a reading mentor scheme in order to provide younger pupils with more opportunities to read aloud and to improve their reading fluency.

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The school has high expectations for pupils’ behaviour, and the majority of pupils behave well. Pupils are polite. Most pupils concentrate in lessons. The school has recently introduced a new behaviour policy, with an emphasis on rewards. This is helping to motivate pupils. The school prioritises attendance. However, some pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, do not attend school often enough. This is limiting what these pupils know. Some pupils do not achieve as well as they could in public examinations because they do not attend school often enough.

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Personal, social and health education (PSHE) and pupils’ personal development are strengths of the school. The PSHE curriculum is well planned. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe and healthy. They also learn about tolerance and respecting those who are different to themselves. Pupils are keen to help in their community. For example, pupils have recently taken part in events to raise money for LGBTQ+ charities.

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Pupils are prepared for the next stage in their education and employment. The school has a clearly planned careers programme, which includes impartial careers advice. Pupils are given opportunities to develop their talents and interests in the ‘ME time’ programme and further extra-curricular clubs that take place after school.

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Leaders, including trustees, are ambitious and have a shared determination for the school’s ongoing improvement. Trustees and the local governing board check on the school’s progress regularly. They fulfil their statutory duties. The school has benefited significantly from the support of the trust. Staff, including early career teachers, say that the school is considerate of their workload and well-being. Staff are proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, are not attending school as often as they should. This means that these pupils have gaps in their knowledge and, for older pupils, this is preventing them from doing as well as they could in their public examinations. The school must continue to develop its strategies to support attendance, particularly for pupils who are more disadvantaged.  In a minority of subjects, aspects of curriculum planning lack detail. This is limiting the quality and consistency of what pupils are taught in these subjects. The school must ensure that all subjects have a planned curriculum that covers 15 and 16 November 2023

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the subject in depth and identifies precisely the important knowledge that pupils need to learn.  As a result of previous curriculum limitations, there is variation in the extent to which pupils remember the most important content in some lessons. As a result, some pupils struggle to learn new content. The school must continue to develop strategies to help pupils remember important knowledge in the long term.  Some parents, including parents of pupils with SEND, have expressed some concerns about the levels of communication with the school. This is causing some parents to feel frustrated. The school must continue to improve the ways it communicates with parents.

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How can I feed back my views?

You can use to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school, 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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 15 and 16 November 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of The Tyne Coast Academy Trust.  The executive headteacher is also the CEO of the trust.  A very small number of pupils access alternative provision. This provision includes three registered providers.  The school is registered with the Department for Education to take pupils from the ages of 11 to 19, but it currently has pupils aged 11 to 16 only.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Year 7 to Year 11 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 15 and 16 November 2023

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 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the executive headteacher and other senior leaders over the course of the inspection.  The lead inspector held a meeting with the chair of the board of trustees and one other trustee. The lead inspector reviewed documentation relating to governance, including minutes from trust board meetings.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: English, mathematics, geography, art and design and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of

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pupils’ work. Inspectors also visited a sample of lessons in other curriculum areas and spoke to additional subject leaders.  An inspector met with the special educational needs coordinator and visited a sample of lessons to look at the support given to pupils with SEND.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first. Inspectors met with leaders responsible for personal development and visited an assembly and form time.  Inspectors met with groups of pupils and students formally throughout the inspection and spoke with them informally at social times and in lessons.  A range of school documents was reviewed, including the school’s self-evaluation and the school improvement plan.

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 Inspectors considered the views of pupils, parents and staff gathered through Ofsted’s questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Dan McKeating, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Karen Gammack Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 November 2023

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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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