St James Academy

Inspection of St James Academy St James’s Road, Dudley, West Midlands DY1 3JE

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

The principal of the school is Ian Moore. This school is part of Dudley Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the Chief Executive Officer, Jo Higgins, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Lowell Williams. 4 and 5 June 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

St James Academy is an inclusive and welcoming school. Pupils are courteous and polite. They are rewarded for showing good manners and they warmly welcome visitors to the school. Pupils who require English language support receive this through a specialised programme. Pupils who are new to the school are supported to quickly feel part of the school community. Prejudice is unacceptable to everyone. As a result, pupils feel they can be themselves in a safe environment.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The majority of lessons are calm and orderly. Pupils know how to report any concerns about other pupils or about their feelings. Those pupils who were spoken to by inspectors could all name a trusted adult who would help them. Bullying is rare and, if issues do arise, pupils are confident that staff will resolve their concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The careers programme is a strength of the school and reflects the school’s ambition of ‘dreaming big’. Pupils are well prepared for life after Year 11. There are clubs and activities on offer, such as law competitions and basketball. However, there is more work to do to ensure that a greater number of pupils benefit from this extra- curricular offer.

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better?

The school has worked hard to improve the quality of teaching since the last inspection. For example, lessons now include activities that are designed to help pupils revisit and remember previous learning. This approach is helping pupils to remember more. In addition, teachers spot and address pupils’ misconceptions well. In history, for instance, teachers closely monitor the progress of pupils and adapt their teaching when necessary. In mathematics, teachers regularly use mini whiteboards to check understanding and boost pupils’ confidence.

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better?

The school has reviewed and developed its curriculum in key stage 3. It is now broad and balanced, with discrete subjects, in line with the national curriculum. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), follow the same curriculum. Most teachers know their pupils well and most adapt activities appropriately.

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better?

The school ensures that reading is prioritised for all pupils across the school. The school identifies which pupils need additional reading support when they join the school. These pupils benefit from a well-delivered specialist reading programme. Furthermore, the school uses a range of effective strategies to promote a love of reading, including ‘reading for pleasure’ in form time.

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better?

The school has high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Most pupils understand and follow these expectations well. In most lessons, pupils are able to learn without any distractions. When pupils do not have their usual teacher, or tasks are not adapted to meet pupils’ needs, low-level disruption can occur. 4 and 5 June 2024

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The school ensures, as part of form time, personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, and assemblies, that pupils learn how to stay safe. Pupils learn about topics such as consent, knife crime and respect. The school also supports specific groups of pupils to access wider opportunities. For example, some pupils engage with free instrumental lessons. A small number of pupils complete the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

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The school takes effective action to improve the attendance of pupils. Despite this, some pupils do not attend school regularly, which creates noticeable gaps in their learning. The school is aware of this and is working well with families and external agencies to promote higher attendance.

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Pupils receive helpful guidance when choosing courses to study in Year 10. They are also well supported in their applications to college and post-16 courses. Year 11 pupils talked very positively of the school’s support in their preparations for examinations.

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Leaders, including those responsible for governance, are very knowledgeable about the school. They visit often and have invested considerable time helping the school to improve. The trust provides a positive balance of support and challenge. Staff feel proud to have contributed to the school’s development. They also appreciate the consideration leaders give to their well-being and workload. However, leaders recognise there is more work to do to ensure that all parents fully support 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 do not attend school as often as they should. As a result, they have gaps in their learning. The school should further consider how to reduce absence across the school and how best to support pupils to address gaps in their knowledge when they return.  On occasions, the school does not ensure that the work given to pupils is well matched to their needs. When this happens, it sometimes results in low-level disruption and pupils becoming distracted. The school should continue to develop and embed its work on ensuring that work is adapted to meet the needs of all pupils to improve their engagement in lessons.  Many pupils choose not to engage in extra-curricular activities. As a result, not all pupils benefit from the breadth of opportunities across the school. The school should review and evaluate the current activities, while also seeking the views of pupils to strengthen the existing programme of wider curriculum experiences.

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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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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). 4 and 5 June 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1 and 2 March 2022

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Dudley Academies Trust, which contains six schools.  The principal was appointed in 2019.  The school makes use of five registered alternative providers.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 7 to 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.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 4 and 5 June 2024

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 Inspectors met with the principal, vice principals and other senior leaders and with trust leaders. The lead inspector also spoke to a school improvement partner by telephone.  Inspectors also met with other staff in the school.  The lead inspector met with the chair of the trust, the chair and vice-chair of the school board (the local governing body) and members of the trustee and local governing board.  The lead inspector also met with the CEO of the trust.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, music, history and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also visited other lessons in different subjects and spoke to other curriculum leaders and staff.  Inspectors spoke to pupils about their experiences in school.

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 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 reviewed a range of documentation relating to the school.  Inspectors reviewed responses to Ofsted’s Parent View, responses to the staff survey and responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Michael Scott, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sarah Godden Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 June 2024

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