Alleyne's Academy

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Alleyne’s Academy Oulton Road, Stone, Staffordshire ST15 8DT

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Outcome

Alleyne’s Academy has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Lindsay Tibbs. The school is a standalone academy trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The chair of governors is Susan Crookshank.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at Alleyne’s Academy. This is because pupils have many opportunities to enjoy memorable experiences. The school has high expectations for the achievement of all pupils and students. Leaders and staff are committed to the school and help pupils to realise these expectations. Thanks to strong and respectful relationships, pupils and students achieve increasingly well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils typically behave well at Alleyne’s Academy, both in lessons and at social times. They understand that teachers or other adults will support them skilfully. The school works extensively in the local community to help pupils to thrive and stay safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils speak very highly of the range of opportunities and trips which the school organises. They especially appreciate the many sporting activities, and educational trips both locally and abroad. These include a battlefields trip to research former pupils who fought in past wars, trips to Iceland and New York, visits to Chester and to a local theme park. Through all this, the school lives its values: inclusion and opportunity; respect and tolerance.

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

The school has reviewed its curriculum carefully across the school, including in the sixth form. It has identified key improvements to continue to enhance its provision. Pupils now start their GCSE courses in Year 10, which helps to give them a secure grounding in the 13 and 14 May 2025

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key knowledge they need before they embark on more complex learning. The school is working, alongside its feeder middle schools, to increase the number of pupils taking the EBacc suite of qualifications. Recent and successful actions include a more coordinated approach to the provision for pupils to learn modern languages. There is an ongoing review of the courses offered in the sixth form to ensure they meet students’ needs and aspirations.

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The school provides staff with clear information about pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Their needs are identified with precision. When this information is followed by staff, which is typically the case, teaching helps these pupils to achieve in line with their peers. The school identifies pupils who need support in their reading and ensures they have prompt and effective support.

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Most of the time, the school ensures that teaching includes effective checks to see if pupils are secure in their learning of the curriculum. This is not always the case, however, and sometimes teaching is less well matched to pupils’ understanding. This means that, on occasions, pupils or students have gaps in their learning or misconceptions which are not identified and addressed. This means that while some pupils or students learn the curriculum well, there remain inconsistencies for others.

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Pupils attend school regularly. If their attendance is not at the high levels expected by the school, it acts promptly to support pupils. The school has reviewed its approach to behaviour to ensure that its high expectations are consistently met. This is having a positive impact, as pupils typically try hard in lessons, and respectful and harmonious relationships are the norm. However, the school does not ensure that some staff follow the policy as effectively as other staff. This affects how well the school supports some pupils’ behaviour. The school is working to track the impact of this new policy. The school has put in place a range of support for pupils who struggle to meet their high expectations. This is having an impact as, for example, pupils speak highly of the ‘Headspace’ provision.

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The school is proud of its provision for pupils’ personal development. Its ‘Connect Programme’ means that pupils have the information they need to keep themselves healthy and are well prepared for life in modern Britain. The school ensures that all pupils have access to high-quality support and are well informed about the choices they make about their next steps. Students in the sixth form are supported well to access high- quality destinations. Students have the information they need to thrive as they reach adulthood. The school places considerable emphasis on pupils’ wider experiences. There are a significant range of trips and visits, both locally and abroad. In addition, there is a wide choice of other activities, including the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, opportunities to work on racing cars, a sustainable fashion project and a number of clubs.

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Governors and leaders share a renewed ambition for the school. Thanks to a review of roles and increasingly evaluative reporting from the school, governors can now offer appropriate support and challenge. The school’s evaluation, however, still lacks precision in a number of areas. Staff are positive about recent developments in the school’s provision. Leaders engage with them and are mindful of their workload. 13 and 14 May 2025

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the school has not ensured that assessment is used precisely enough to identify when pupils have fully understood their learning. As a result, misconceptions or gaps in learning are not consistently identified and closed. The school should ensure that assessment is used effectively in order to check pupils’ understanding, and that teaching closes the gaps in pupils’ learning.  The school’s new behaviour policy is inconsistently applied, and further work is needed to track its impact. This means there are inconsistencies in how the school’s high expectations for pupil behaviour are upheld, and the school’s tracking of this does not yet give leaders a clear enough picture of impact. The school must ensure that the new policy is consistently understood and applied by staff, and that it is evaluated for impact.  The school’s self-evaluation has not been sufficiently focused on the impact of its work.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

This means that the school is sometimes unclear on the effectiveness of its actions. The school should ensure that it evaluates the impact of its work effectively, so it can plan and drive further improvements.

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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.

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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. 13 and 14 May 2025

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This is the third ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school to be good for overall effectiveness in December 2011.

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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). 13 and 14 May 2025

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form

Appropriate authority The governing body

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form

Chair of governing body Susan Crookshank

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form

Dates of previous inspection 5 and 6 December 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a standalone academy trust.  The headteacher was appointed in January 2025.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  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. 13 and 14 May 2025

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Information about this inspection

 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.  Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  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.  As part of this inspection, the inspectors met with senior leaders, subject leaders, teaching staff and other employees in the school. Inspectors also talked informally to pupils to gather general information about school life. The lead inspector also met the directors. Director minutes were scrutinised.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors discussed with leaders and pupils the school’s extra-curricular activities, enrichment programme and their careers and personal development programmes.  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 Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Andrew Madden, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Richard Winzor Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 May 2025

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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 looked-after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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