Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst

Inspection of Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst Cooks Lane, Solihull, Birmingham B37 6NU

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Inspection dates: 23 and 24 September 2025

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

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The principal of this school is Darren Turner. This school is part of the Tudor Grange Academies Trust, which means that other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Claire Maclean, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Peter Rock.

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When Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst school was inspected in January 2023, it was judged to require special measures. Subsequently, the school was inspected on four occasions. At the last monitoring inspection, leaders were judged to have made progress to improve the school, but more work was necessary for the category of concern to be removed. 23 and 24 September 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school that has improved considerably since its previous graded inspection. Pupils and staff talk positively about the improvements and are keen to see the school improve further.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The improvements are evident in pupils’ behaviour. Most apply themselves to their learning. Behaviour in lessons has strengthened, with fewer disruptions, because the school’s expectations are clear. However, some pupils behave inappropriately at social times. Some are overly physical with each other or use inappropriate language. Sometimes staff do not challenge this.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Despite the positive changes to the curriculum and how it is delivered, many pupils still have gaps in their knowledge from previous years. This has contributed to some Year 11 pupils not achieving well in key qualifications. Outcomes are improving, but not securely for all groups of pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) feel well supported by staff and praise the way they belong to a ‘SEND family’ at the school. Students in the sixth form also value the ways in which they are supported and encouraged.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is an impressive range of clubs for pupils to choose from, including for sports, cooking and a tabletop role-playing game. Pupils are excited by the trips on offer, for example the Year 7 trip to London.

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

The school has a broad, well-sequenced curriculum in place. It has been designed to be accessible to all pupils and includes a mix of academic and vocational qualifications. Although pupils are now progressing well through the curriculum, this has not always been the case. This impacts on how well pupils have achieved at the end of key stage 4. Outcomes, including for disadvantaged pupils, remain below national expectations.

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

There has been considerable turnover in staffing since the previous graded inspection. Although the school is fully staffed, many teachers are new to the curriculum and do not know where changes have been made to improve it. This makes it more difficult for them to know where pupils may have gaps or misconceptions about things that they have learned in the past. Staff appreciate the useful professional development programme, which is helping them to become more knowledgeable practitioners.

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

Leaders have an accurate understanding of where they need to make improvements to classroom practice. The school has put appropriate structures and teaching approaches in place to improve the quality of education pupils receive. Some of this work is still in its infancy so is not of a consistent quality across and within subjects. For example, staff have received training about the importance of checking how well pupils have understood their current learning. Some staff do this effectively, asking pertinent questions and quickly adapting their teaching when they spot a misunderstanding. However, some staff 23 and 24 September 2025

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are not yet skilled or confident enough to do this effectively. This impacts on how well pupils learn. These inconsistencies are not evident in lessons in the sixth form.

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The school knows its pupils well. Pupils with SEND have their needs identified. The school provides staff with user-friendly ‘one-page profiles’ that help them to know how to best support these pupils. The school identifies early on which pupils do not read confidently and/or fluently and puts appropriate support in place to help them read at an age- appropriate level. The school has recently refined its focus on disadvantaged pupils and how they can be supported to achieve well. The school’s strong pastoral and safeguarding teams help pupils with any other barriers to learning that they may face. Through this cohesive approach, attendance is improving, including for disadvantaged pupils.

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Pupils’ behaviour is improving. The need to use more serious consequences, such as suspensions, is reducing. However, not all pupils behave appropriately at social times and lesson changeovers. Inconsistencies in how staff apply the school’s behaviour policy mean that some pupils are unclear about expectations. As a result, they know that inappropriate behaviour may be overlooked and take advantage of this.

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The school’s personal development programme is broad and considers the pupils, their lives and the context of the school in its design. Over the last year, the school has taken a strategic approach to addressing discriminatory attitudes and behaviours. This has made a difference to the day-to-day experience of many pupils. There is a growing culture of respect for all. As part of its determination to provide pupils with opportunities to build a sense of self and their place in the world, there has been a notable increase in the number of clubs and trips. Students in the sixth form lead the way in role modelling positive attitudes through their work as peer mentors.

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Improvements across many aspects of the school’s work have been made, but their impact is not secure. Many strategies are still in the early days of implementation. Trustees, trust leaders and school leaders are clear about what still needs to be improved. There is a shared commitment to seeing Kingshurst and its pupils thrive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has not identified the gaps in key knowledge that pupils may have due to disrupted learning in the past. As a result, some pupils lack the secure foundations needed to build their current and future learning. The school should ensure that staff are able to identify and address effectively any key gaps in pupils’ prior knowledge.  Some staff do not check pupils’ understanding effectively during lessons. As a result, misconceptions go unnoticed, learning is not always adapted and some pupils are not 23 and 24 September 2025

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challenged to deepen their learning when they are ready. The school should ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to assess pupils’ learning ‘in the moment’ and adapt their teaching appropriately.  There is not a shared understanding of what behaviour at social and transition times should look like. Some pupils behave inappropriately and do not think about the impact of their actions on other pupils. Staff respond to such behaviour in different ways. The school should ensure that everyone understands what is and is not acceptable behaviour at these times, and that staff are able to support these expectations consistently.  Outcomes at the end of key stage 4 are not improving quickly enough. Some pupils do not achieve the qualifications that they will need in the future. The school should ensure that its improvement work has significant impact on how well pupils achieve.

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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). 23 and 24 September 2025

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,150

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form

Principal Darren Turner (Executive principal)

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form

Dates of previous inspection 25 and 26 June 2025, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The executive principal took on substantive responsibility for the school in May 2024. Several senior leaders have taken up their roles since the previous graded inspection.  The school makes use of six registered providers of alternative provision.  The school is one of 13 academies in the Tudor Grange Academies Trust.  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. 23 and 24 September 2025

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We deemed the inspection a graded (section 5) inspection under the same Act. 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

In accordance with section 13(4) of the Education Act 2005, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors evaluated the quality of education across different subjects. They held discussions about the curriculum, visited lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. They also visited lessons in the sixth form.  Inspectors met with the executive principal, associate principals, other school leaders and staff. They also met with the CEO, other trust leaders and trustees.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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

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Information about this inspection

safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. Inspectors met with school leaders to discuss and review how they respond to behaviour incidents and pupils’ attendance.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys. They considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, including parents’ free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Nicola Beech, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrew Washbourne His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Dan Owen His Majesty’s Inspector 23 and 24 September 2025

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