Shireland Collegiate Academy

Inspection of Shireland Collegiate Academy Waterloo Road, Smethwick, West Midlands B66 4ND

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Inspection dates: 15 and 16 October 2024

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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The principal of the school is Moira Green. This school is part of the Shireland Collegiate 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, Sir Mark Grundy, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Michael Conway-Jones .

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding for overall effectiveness at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since March 2013. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 15 and 16 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Respectful, caring and supportive relationships are at the heart of this school. An overwhelming sense of community and mutual respect greets you as you arrive. Pupils say that they are happy in school and value the opportunities to support each other. Pupils understand and follow the school’s mission to ‘aim higher, see further, be concerned’. Pupils are safe and say that poor behaviour is rare.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school sets very high expectations for pupils’ academic achievements and their wider development. Staff focus well on helping pupils to meet these high standards. Pupils appreciate their teachers and know that they want them to be successful in their learning. As a result, in most subjects, pupils achieve well, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school works exceptionally hard to give all pupils an extensive range of employment, cultural and leadership experiences. This includes sixth-form work experience in Dubai. As a ‘school of sanctuary’, it has opened its doors to young people who arrive new to the area. The support from all pupils and staff towards these new arrivals is exceptional. Pupils extend their talents through a range of clubs and activities, such as sports and the performing arts as well as debating and coding clubs.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has undergone a significant period of change and development since the last inspection. This includes a new principal and changes to staff in senior, subject and pastoral leadership roles. The school has taken effective actions to review how pupils learn and achieve their potential. These actions have developed a highly ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum. While most pupils achieve well in many subjects, there are a small number of subjects where recent developments are still to show improvements in outcomes by the end of key stage 4.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils appreciate the broad range of subjects they can choose from. For example, pupils say they welcome the introduction of a third modern foreign language. Students in the sixth form are positive about their exceptional learning and enrichment opportunities. Sixth-form teachers engage students in highly ambitious, challenging and independent learning. This enables students to achieve well and reflects the wide range of high-quality destinations students move on to. Students make an exceptional contribution to supporting younger pupils, for example by joining classes in Years 7 to 9 to assist pupils’ learning.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school identifies the important things that pupils need to know to succeed. Teachers generally present new subject matter clearly and consistently. Teachers use activities at the start of lessons to help pupils recall and build on their learning. Pupils welcome this and say it helps them to remember the most important information. However, sometimes teachers do not routinely check pupils’ understanding carefully enough. They do not have a sufficiently detailed understanding of whether pupils remember what they have learned 15 and 16 October 2024

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before. This means they do not consistently address any wrong ideas or missing knowledge and may miss opportunities to address pupils’ gaps or misconceptions.

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The school quickly identifies pupils with SEND. Pupil passports outline their needs and teachers use these effectively to support pupils and to adapt the learning. The school identifies pupils who are not confident readers. Specialist teachers support these pupils to address weaknesses in phonics, grammar and comprehension. However, the school has not yet fully implemented an extensive range of strategies to support these pupils. It is taking effective action to address this. The school also continues to develop pupils’ wider reading in and outside school.

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Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. Pupils show high levels of focus and engagement in their learning and respect for each other during breaktime and lunchtime. The school offers many opportunities for pupils to talk with older students, such as when students support them in lessons. Pupils welcome the opportunity to talk about their future ambitions with older students. Overall, school attendance is exceptionally high. The school takes effective and robust action to support the small number of pupils who are absent and need to catch up on their work quickly.

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Personal development is a strength of this school. All pupils are exceptionally well prepared for life beyond school. They receive appropriate, comprehensive and timely advice about the next stages of their education and career opportunities. The extensive personal, social, health and economic education programme allows pupils to learn about personal safety, healthy relationships and independence. Pupils meet many external speakers. These speakers talk about local and national concerns that can affect the pupils in school. Pupils value these opportunities to talk about how the local area impacts on themselves and their families.

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All leaders, including those responsible for governance, understand deeply how the school’s local context impacts pupils’ learning and attendance. The trust holds the school to account well for all aspects of provision, including exceptional safeguarding and the quality of personal development. The school has implemented a comprehensive and well- thought-out professional development programme for staff, which staff welcome. Recent changes to school policies and expectations have supported the commitment to staff’s workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 15 and 16 October 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers do not consistently check that all pupils understand and remember what they have learned in some subjects. As a result, they do not always address misconceptions, so some pupils have gaps in their learning in those subjects. The school should ensure that teachers’ checks on pupils’ understanding are effective across all subjects, so that they can support pupils to learn as well as the school intends them to.

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How can I feed back my views?

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 October 2024

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,519

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form

Dates of previous inspection 13 and 14 March 2013, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust. There are five secondary academies, six primary academies and two nurseries in the trust.  The principal joined the school in November 2023.  The school uses one registered alternative provider.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. 15 and 16 October 2024

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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 carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, geography, history, science, design and performing arts. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspectors also looked at the curriculum, lessons and pupils’ work in other subjects.  The inspectors reviewed a range of school documents. These included information about pupils’ behaviour, attendance, the school’s curriculum and improvement planning. The school’s website was also checked.

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Information about this inspection

 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.  The inspectors observed informal times of the day as part of their evaluation of safeguarding and pupils’ behaviour.  Inspectors held meetings with: the chair of the trust and the CEO; the principal and other senior leaders; and subject leaders, teachers, support staff and pupils. Inspectors also talked informally to pupils and staff to gather information about school life.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View and the free-text comments. Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Stuart Clarkson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Ezran Little Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 October 2024

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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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