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

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Darren Turner Executive Principal Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst Cooks Lane Solihull Birmingham B37 6NU

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst

This letter sets out the findings from the monitoring inspection that took place on 4 and 5 March 2025, 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 Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst

The purpose of a monitoring inspection is not to grade the school’s key and provision judgements, 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 Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst

During the inspection, Tim Hill, His Majesty’s Inspector (HMI) and Nicola Walters, Ofsted Inspector (OI), and I discussed with you and other senior leaders, trust leaders, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the trust, and chair of the trust board 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. We also visited lessons, observed pupils at different points of the school day, met with staff, spoke with pupils 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 no longer be judged as requiring special measures.

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

HMCI is of the opinion that the school may appoint early career teachers.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The leadership changes noted in the previous monitoring inspection have brought greater stability to the school. You and your team have rightly continued to focus on the same key priorities as at the previous monitoring inspection. Progress is being made in all areas. Due to staff leave, there have been a few changes to responsibilities, including the trust leader with oversight of the school. An additional local governor has been appointed to add more business and careers expertise to the local board.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The school recently experienced significant storm damage that resulted in closure while the school site was made safe. School and trust leaders managed the challenge well and ensured pupils’ safety was at the forefront of decisions made. However, the closure has had some short-term impact on your work around behaviour and attendance, and you have needed to revisit expectations with a few pupils.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Improving the quality of education is your number one priority. Senior leaders are clear as to what is expected in terms of the teaching and learning approaches staff should use. The school has continued to share these strategies through several professional development sessions, and staff have a growing understanding of how to apply them to their practice. Subject leaders have successfully completed national leadership qualifications and talk with conviction about the role they play, and will continue to play, in school improvement. You are providing effective support for those teachers who are early in their careers, or new to teaching in this country, to help them become more confident, skilled practitioners.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Although this work is continuing to make a positive difference to lesson delivery, there are still significant inconsistencies in the quality of learning within and between subjects, including during the morning reading sessions. For example, ‘The big question’ is a feature in some lessons that gives pupils and teachers a focal point for moving the learning forward. What is less successful is the ‘in-the-moment’ questioning and checks that help teachers steer the course of the lesson as it progresses. The quality of pupils’ learning in books is of mixed quality. Few are able to explain their learning verbally. You are working to address this as you know how important it is that pupils’ outcomes improve.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

As behaviour is now less of a barrier to learning in most lessons, you have identified that now is the time to make the shift to build in more learning activities that demand greater collaboration or discussion from pupils. You are helping staff design lessons that build opportunities for pupils to develop oracy skills and deepen their subject understanding. This work is in its infancy.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is effective, including the Years 7 and 8 enhanced pathway groups. Leaders of SEND have implemented a more strategic approach to their work since the last monitoring inspection, including keeping a closer eye on the quality of support in lessons. Effective practice is shared with other staff. Teaching assistants are now better deployed, so they can offer more specific support to pupils based on a stronger understanding of individual needs.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

You have continued to focus on improving pupils’ behaviour. Behaviour is improving, and both pupils and staff recognise this. The ‘right way’ approach is well on the way to being embedded. The number of lessons disrupted by poor behaviour is continuing to fall. However, too many pupils still engage in repeated disruptive behaviour. This is because teachers’ implementation of the behaviour policy is not yet consistent across the school. Pupils know this and say that some teachers give too many chances or are too strict.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The need for suspensions and exclusions has significantly reduced as behaviour has improved. However, there is still a way to go. The use of internal suspension has risen and is high, meaning that some pupils are missing learning, which negatively impacts their outcomes. Many pupils experience detentions because they are not yet meeting your high expectations.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Pupils are clear that bullying is not acceptable. More of them have confidence that it would be dealt with effectively if they report it. However, some pupils still use discriminatory language towards others. This is upsetting and offensive to many who experience it. Your team are in the early days of implementing a plan to address this, so it is yet to make a difference to the language used by these pupils.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

You are working hard to create a strong sense of belonging for pupils at the school. There have been moments that have really strengthened that sense of community. For example, the many pupils and staff involved in the school pantomime ‘Cinderella’ and the buzz around World Book Day. Pupils now benefit from a wider offer of trips and curriculum enrichment activities. Some were able to visit Paris and New York at half term. You are determined to offer more and ensure that all pupils benefit from a range of experiences.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Since the last monitoring visit, your team has continued the school’s renewed strategy to improve levels of pupils’ attendance. This work is paying off. Pupils’ attendance, while still below the national average, has risen significantly this year. This improvement includes the attendance of both severely absent and persistently absent pupils. The team use effective tools to identify the barriers to poor attendance. The work with families has been particularly successful, helping parents and carers to understand the importance of attending school. There is a sharper understanding of individual pupils’ needs and how the school can better support them.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The trust has ensured that there is appropriate support in place for school improvement, making use of external support where appropriate. Trust leaders know the school well, helped by the rigour of the fortnightly scrutiny and reporting process. There is a clear structure that enables those responsible for governance to have an accurate understanding of the progress the school is making. There is a shared commitment across the school and the trust to ensuring that school improvement at Kingshurst is sustainable in the longer term. You are carefully tracking the progress against the areas for improvement identified at the graded inspection and are giving careful thought to future priorities. You are continuing to work on the right things that will bring about lasting change for the school, but some of this work still needs time to have the necessary impact.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of trustees, and the CEO or equivalent of the Tudor Grange Academies Trust, the Department for Education’s regional director and the director of children’s services for Solihull. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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