Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Lindsay Watson Interim Campus Lead Midpoint Centre (Key Stage 4 PRU) Lawnswood Avenue Parkfields Wolverhampton West Midlands WV4 6SR

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Midpoint Centre (Key Stage 4 PRU)

This letter sets out the findings from the monitoring inspection that took place on 19 June 2024, on behalf of His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills. The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005 and was the third monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require special measures following the graded (section 5) inspection that took place in January 2023.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Midpoint Centre (Key Stage 4 PRU)

The purpose of a monitoring inspection is not to grade the school's overall effectiveness, but to identify and report on the school's progress. It is to highlight to the school and parents any improvements that school leaders have made since the school's previous graded inspection.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Midpoint Centre (Key Stage 4 PRU)

During the inspection, I discussed with you and other senior leaders, the chair of the interim education board and the local authority the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent graded inspection. We discussed the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. I also visited lessons, spoke with pupils and staff and scrutinised a range of documents. I have considered all this in coming to my judgement.

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Leaders have made progress to improve the school, but more work is

necessary for the school to be no longer judged as requiring special measures.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Since the previous monitoring inspection, you have continued in your role as interim campus lead. An assistant headteacher left the school at Easter 2024.The school's interim headteacher and another assistant headteacher will be leaving their roles at the end of the summer term. As well as this, the deputy headteacher, who has been supporting the quality of education, will also be departing the school.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The school is due to join a multi-academy trust in September 2024. As part of the preparations for this conversion and changes that are likely to happen as a result, the headteacher of another school on the campus on which the school is located has been working closely with school leaders.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

At the time of the previous monitoring inspection, the school had not taken sufficient action to tackle some of the more deep-rooted weaknesses that had been identified, particularly around the quality of education. You have taken decisive steps forward since this time and the impact of your work is clear to see. While there is still much more to do, the school is back on track on its journey of improvement.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

You have continued to prioritise safeguarding and have built on the strengths identified previously. Leaders meet regularly to discuss pupils and any safeguarding concerns that should arise. Leaders have made sure that staff continue to receive regular training around safeguarding. Safeguarding remains a key agenda item that is discussed at the end of each day's staff debrief. As a result, staff understand contextual risks and concerns that are emerging within the school. The school has also ensured that pupils have been taught about how to keep themselves safe through bespoke workshops from external visitors. This has included topics such as knife crime, gangs, county lines and child exploitation. Records for safeguarding concerns are well kept and show that leaders continue to record all their actions about pupils on their online system. This includes information when pupils transition on to the school roll. Leaders have also strengthened

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

their safeguarding records by including information relating to pupil attendance.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

There have been positive improvements in behaviour and attitudes. All staff have received training in January 2024 about dealing with challenging situations and childhood trauma. You have used assemblies and personal, social, health and economic lessons to try and prevent incidents of misbehaviour, such as vaping, escalating further. Alongside this, there has been more consistency as a result of increased stability in staffing which has helped set higher classroom expectations and increase levels of engagement. All this combined has meant that behaviour has improved, and the number of positive points to reward positive behaviour being issued by staff has increased significantly. That said, you know there is still more work to do. The number of suspensions issued this year has increased steadily. While you are clear as to the reasons for this, they know it will be important to continue to monitor pupils’ behaviour carefully moving forward.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The school has continued to make attendance a high priority. While attendance remains relatively low, leaders are much clearer on the actions they are putting in place to support pupils and how targets are to be reviewed and evaluated. You have continued to work closely with external agencies to look at strategies for getting pupils into school. As a result, a higher proportion of pupils in Year 10 have increased their attendance since arriving at the school. Leaders recognise attendance remains an area that needs to improve and that they are committed to continue working with pupils closely right from the moment they arrive at the school.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

There have been several improvements to the quality of education since the last monitoring visit. Challenges in terms of staffing have been addressed through help and support from another school on the campus to help fill gaps on the timetable and develop the curriculum. This has started to make a positive difference. There is a much clearer structure to the curriculum and the order in which topics are taught. You are starting to raise the ambitions for what pupils can achieve so that they all work towards GCSE qualifications alongside those in functional skills. However, you recognise there is still more to do. You are now looking to expand the curriculum offer to include a wider range of qualifications for pupils to take. Teachers are beginning to model tasks effectively and pupils are actively engaging with the work they are set. However, teachers are not consistently checking pupils' learning to pinpoint errors or misconceptions. Additionally,

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

teachers are not consistently using pupils' various starting points to adapt the curriculum to close gaps in knowledge.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

You have recognised the need to raise the profile of reading. All pupils are now assessed on entry to the school to establish their reading ages. You are using this data to help inform the interventions that need to take place. You have also revamped the school's reading room to help make it an enjoyable place for pupils to come and choose books. However, you recognise this is just the start. You already have plans in place to start screening pupils for gaps in their phonics knowledge and provide targeted support from next academic year.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

As part of the school's induction process, you have continued to identify those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). You recognise that for most pupils, this is linked to their social, emotional and mental health development. Leaders have started to improve the individual learning plans in place for each pupil with better quality targets. These continue to be reviewed on a termly basis. However, the targets that are set sometimes lack the precision they need, particularly around pupils' academic development. In addition to this, leaders are still in the process of upskilling staff on how best to support pupils with SEND and how to use learning plans in the classroom to adapt tasks.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The school have continued to work closely with a multi-academy trust who have provided both operational and strategic support. A member of the trust has been working at the school at least one day a week and supporting you with school improvement. Alongside this, the school have also continued to receive help from the local authority. This has increased since the last monitoring inspection and they have assisted the school in helping with their work in areas such as SEND. The interim educational board have continued to meet regularly to provide both support and challenge to leaders. They have been much more focused on reviewing the actions that leaders are taking and how these are happening in a timely way.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

I am copying this letter to the chair of the management committee, the Department for Education's regional director and the director of children's services for Wolverhampton. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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