Wilnecote Junior Academy

Inspection of Wilnecote Junior Academy Smithy Lane, Wilnecote, Tamworth, Staffordshire B77 5LA

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The executive headteacher of this school is Kelly Williams, who is responsible for this school and one other. There is also a head of school, Nicola Glover. This school is part of Fierté Multi-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, Maria Hamblin, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Zoe Insley. 25 and 26 June 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many pupils report that they are happy at Wilnecote Junior Academy and enjoy social times. They know that if they have a concern they can approach an adult who will help them to resolve it. Pupils are clear about how they are supported to stay safe, for example, online. However, many pupils report that they are frustrated by the inconsistencies in the school. These include how they can be disturbed in class by poor behaviour or how they are taught. One pupil, typical of many, said the school ‘could be better’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum has been renewed by leaders across the school. Some of the curriculum is very new, and there are inconsistencies in how well pupils are supported to learn the curriculum in a range of subjects. Pupils enjoy music and the many opportunities they have to perform and to develop their musical knowledge with instruments.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the trips and visits that the school organises, including work in the local community. This includes litter picking in the local area and writing Christmas cards for a retirement home. Pupils especially enjoy ‘forest Friday’ when they take part in activities outside.

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better?

The school has reviewed the curriculum to ensure that it suitably ambitious. For example, in music, the key knowledge pupils need to learn is clear and teachers deliver the curriculum as intended. Pupils are supported well to build on previous knowledge. However, this is not the case in other subjects. Where the delivery of the curriculum is weaker, the selection of learning tasks is imprecise in developing pupil’s knowledge. In addition to this, in some areas teachers do not identify and address misconceptions or gaps in pupils’ knowledge. As a result, pupils struggle to build successfully on their prior knowledge.

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better?

Pupils who have weaker reading skills have been correctly identified. The school has very recently changed the approach to supporting them. However, the staff who support these have not had training to enable them to effectively support the pupils. As a result, gaps in some pupils’ reading skills are not closed as quickly as they should be.

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better?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have their needs appropriately identified across the school. However, some teachers do not use the information about pupils’ additional needs to adapt tasks appropriately for the pupils. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not make the progress they should.

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better?

At social times, pupils play happily with each other. They are welcoming to visitors. In lessons, many pupils concentrate on their work and complete the tasks given to them. In some classes, there are pupils who find it challenging to do this and this can distract others. This is not consistently managed and some staff do not apply 25 and 26 June 2024

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the behaviour policy consistently. Leaders do not have a clear view of when other pupils are not meeting the behaviour expectations. The school works effectively to secure good attendance and supports those who do not attend as regularly as they should well.

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The school has recently reviewed its personal development curriculum. However, it is yet to be consistently delivered and so some pupils are unclear about some of the key knowledge they need to remember, including aspects of life in modern Britain. For example, pupils learn about different religions and cultures, but some have limited understanding of them. Pupils appreciate the wider curriculum opportunities, trips and visits. Leaders track who takes part in these opportunities, but do not use this information to ensure that all pupils consistently benefit.

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Leaders have been too imprecise in how they evaluate the school’s provision and how well their actions are improving the school. This means there are inconsistencies across the school, that have not been identified and addressed. The trust recognises the rate of improvement at the school has been too variable. They are supporting leaders in securing improvements to teaching. Staff report they are consulted about workload, and they appreciate the professional development opportunities. Governors have worked with leaders to refine the information they receive, so they are more clearly informed about improvements at the school and can hold leaders to account. They are ambitious for the school and discharge their duties appropriately.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s evaluation of the impact of its work is imprecise and has been too generous over time. This means that the school is unclear about areas of priority and the steps required to secure sustained improvements. The school should ensure that the impact of its work is systemically measured and evaluated across all areas, and realistic steps are identified to secure improvements.  There are inconsistencies in how well some staff support pupils in the reading catch-up groups. As a result, these pupils do not make sufficient progress to help them to achieve in line with expectations. Leaders should ensure that pupils who have fallen behind in their reading get effective support to enable them to become confident and fluent readers.  There is variability in how well teachers deliver the curriculum, including selecting learning tasks and checking pupils’ understanding. As a result, some pupils do not

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

achieve as well as they should, including some pupils with SEND. Leaders should ensure that teachers receive further support to enable them to deliver the planned curriculum effectively for all pupils, including those with SEND. 25 and 26 June 2024

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 Some staff do not apply the agreed behaviour expectations. Consequently, off- task and inconsistent behaviour occurs in some areas of the school. Leaders should make sure that all staff are supported to apply the behaviour principles and expectations consistently.  There are inconsistencies in how well the new personal development curriculum is taught and how pupils are supported to access wider personal development opportunities. As a result, some pupils are unclear about aspects of life in modern Britain, and have limited wider personal development experiences. Leaders should ensure that the personal development curriculum is consistently implemented, and all pupils benefit from the uptake of a wider range of opportunities to support this.

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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). 25 and 26 June 2024

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School details

Website www.wilnecotejnrandheathfieldsinf.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school converted to an academy and joined Fierté Multi-Academy Trust in March 2020.  The school uses one unregistered alternative provider.

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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.  The inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and 25 and 26 June 2024

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considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  As a part of this inspection, the inspectors met with governors, employees of the trust, senior leaders, subject leaders, teaching staff and other employees in the school. An inspector also talked informally to pupils to gather general information about school life. The lead inspector also met with the chief executive officer who is also a trustee and spoke to the vice chair of the trust board by phone. Governing body minutes were scrutinised.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in: early reading, mathematics, history and music. For each deep dive, the 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 in these subjects and others.  The inspectors reviewed the school’s extra-curricular activities, enrichment

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programme and their careers and personal development programmes with leaders and pupils.  The inspectors reviewed the school’s behaviour and attendance records with school leaders.  A range of documentation was scrutinised, including plans to improve the school.  The inspectors met with members of staff and spoke to pupils, both formally and informally, at various points in the inspection. They took account of responses to a staff survey, a pupil survey, Ofsted Parent View and the free-text responses as well as other communication from parents.

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Inspection team

Andrew Madden, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Janice Wood Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 June 2024

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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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