Evergreen Academy

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Evergreen Academy Valley Park Campus, Cromer Gardens, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV6 0UA

p.1

Inspection dates: 11 and 12 February 2025

p.1

Outcome

Evergreen Academy has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

p.1

Outcome

The executive headteacher is Daniel Hartley. The head of school is Dickon Taylor. This school is part of Shaw Education Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Jo Heard-Jones, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Andrew Meehan. The executive headteacher is responsible for this school and Pine Green Academy.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils go on a journey of self-discovery during their time at Evergreen. The school sets and achieves high expectations for all who join. These begin with developing positive relationships and move on to pupils engaging in their learning journey. Pupils start at the school being either at risk of exclusion or having been excluded. They leave here believing in themselves as learners and as individuals who can contribute positively to society.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Staff use the school’s ‘behaviour pathway’ documents, combined with a range of additional support, sensitively and well. Pupils speak highly of the difference that the school makes to them. They feel safe and cared for. Most importantly to them, they feel listened to. Over time, pupils develop effective ways to manage their behaviour and emotions. They learn to know which strategy to use and when. This helps them to learn in class, to know when and how to take a break, and how to return to class with the minimum of fuss.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

The school helps pupils to know that they are trusted to take part in a range of wider activities and opportunities. Art with a resident artist is a firm favourite. Pupils share proudly how they learn to express themselves in different ways. 11 and 12 February 2025

p.1

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

Since the previous inspection, a new leadership team has brought stability and many strengths to a range of areas in the school. Each decision made by the school is focused on the pupils because every person within the trust and the school is a staunch advocate for these vulnerable pupils. These factors combine to make a positive and powerful difference to pupils’ experience, enjoyment and achievement. Whether it be twelve weeks, twelve months or any time in between and beyond, pupils are given the skills, self-belief and strategies to support their highly successful move to their next setting.

p.2

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

The school has thought carefully about the needs and experiences of pupils while putting its curriculum together. This works well in phonics, reading and mathematics. Staff help pupils to learn to read very well. The checks that are in place ensure that pupils get the right help to fill the many gaps that they have on entry in phonics and basic reading skills. Pupils gain confidence in seeing themselves as successful readers. They transfer these reading skills into their time in the library and in other curriculum subjects. Staff are supported well to teach mathematics in a progressive way that works for most pupils.

p.2

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

Pupils enjoy an interesting range of activities that are part of their learning in wider subjects across the curriculum. For example, they explore icebergs through investigating ice blocks in a water tray. The curriculum hooks pupils in. It engages and motivates them in their learning. Their learning is also enriched through cinema visits, building shelters in the woods, enterprise days and challenges such as ‘egg drops’ and ‘balloon cars’. These are critical ‘changemakers’ in a positive way for many of these pupils, who have spent time out of their class or their school previously.

p.2

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

Staff value the support they receive to deliver the school’s curriculum. It helps them to consider and design creative ideas and to reduce their workload. Pupils cover the full range of the national curriculum. This, combined with accurate identification and continual review of any additional needs, provides a clear starting point of the learning journey for pupils. However, the school has not considered carefully enough the specific and key knowledge that pupils should know and when. This means that pupils learn many things but have some key gaps in the basic stepping stones across subjects, which hinders them in their next steps of learning.

p.2

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

A real strength of the school is its use of the daily reflection sessions held at the end of the day with pupils. Relationships and respect underpin these reflection circles. Pupils learn through the ‘red and green’ marks on their class chart how to come back from making a mistake and how to earn and value rewards. Pupils grow in their skill of knowing right from wrong, not just in their behaviour and learning but also with their personal safety. Parents and carers see and appreciate the positive difference that the school makes to their child and their future.

p.2

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 11 and 12 February 2025

p.2

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the key knowledge of the curriculum is not defined well enough. This means that pupils do not have the secure foundational knowledge that allows them to build on what they know over time. The school should further refine the key content in each of these subjects so that pupils are well prepared for the next steps of their learning.

p.3

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

p.3

Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

p.3

Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in July 2019.

p.3

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.

p.3

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school. 11 and 12 February 2025

p.3

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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). 11 and 12 February 2025

p.4

School details

School category Academy alternative provision sponsor-led

p.5

School details

Dates of previous inspection 3 and 4 July 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 The school is part of the Shaw Education Trust.  The school shares its site with a special school, which is also part of the trust.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  A new executive headteacher and head of school have been appointed since the previous inspection.

p.5

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. 11 and 12 February 2025

p.5

6

 Inspectors held meetings with the executive headteacher, the head of school, other leaders in the school and staff.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector met with the CEO and the deputy CEO of the trust and spoke with the vice-chair of the trust.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the lead inspector: 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 considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, including parents’ free-text responses. Inspectors reviewed responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey and talked informally to parents during the inspection.  The lead inspector reviewed a range of documentation, including the school’s

p.6

6

evaluation and improvement plans, a range of policies and information on the school’s website.

p.6

Inspection team

Kirsty Foulkes, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Amjid Zaman Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 February 2025

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7