George Salter Academy Davey Road, West Bromwich, West Midlands B70 9UW
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School report George Salter Academy Davey Road, West Bromwich, West Midlands B70 9UW Inspection dates 2–3 March 2016 Overall effectiveness Inadequate Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate Outcomes for pupils Good 16 to 19 study programmes Inadequate Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good Summary of key findings for parents and pupils This is an inadequate school Safeguarding is ineffective. Leaders, governors Governors are unclear about their roles and and Ormiston Academies Trust (OAT), the responsibilities and have failed to hold senior academy sponsor, have not ensured that the leaders to account with sufficient rigour. For school’s safeguarding policies and procedures example, they have not evaluated the impact of meet current government guidelines and are the Year 7 catch-up funding. routinely, consistently and rigorously applied. The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal Leaders have not ensured that all staff have development and welfare is inadequate because received appropriate safeguarding training. As a pupils are not safe. result, some staff are unaware of the procedures The school’s curriculum in key stages 3 and 4 to ensure pupils are safe from potential risks and does not fully prepare pupils for the potential risks harm, such as those presented by extremism or and dangers they may face. radicalisation. Pupils’ behaviour requires improvement because a The school’s leaders have an inaccurate view of its few pupils disrupt the learning of others and do strengths and weaknesses. not present their work to the standards expected Leadership is weak at all levels. Some leaders do by the school. not evaluate the impact of their work sharply The sixth form is inadequate because enough. As a consequence, leaders and staff are safeguarding is ineffective. The 16 to 19 study unable to intervene quickly when issues arise. programmes are very well led. Learners benefit Senior leaders have not held pastoral leaders to from good-quality provision, enabling them to account for the weaknesses in how they monitor make good progress both socially and and evaluate the impact of their work. academically. The most-able pupils do not always do well, particularly in mathematics. The school has the following strengths There are examples of effective practice. The Pupils make good academic progress due to the systems for monitoring the quality of teaching, good teaching they receive. Pupils’ spiritual, learning and assessment are secure. moral, social and cultural understanding and skills Pupils’ reading skills are developed well. are well developed. Full report In accordance with the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. What does the school need to do to improve further? As a matter of urgency, ensure all safeguarding policies and practices meet current government guidelines and statutory requirements. Improve safeguarding by: – securing effective leadership for safeguarding and pupils’ welfare – providing training for all staff in safeguarding, child protection and the potential risks of radicalisation and extremism – ensuring that all staff know and understand the procedures to follow and who to go to when they have a concern about a pupil’s well-being or safety – ensuring governors know and understand their safeguarding roles and responsibilities as outlined in the latest version of the Department for Education’s document ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ – making sure that pupils’ non-attendance is always followed up swiftly, that very prompt action is taken when a pupil’s whereabouts are not known, and that all actions are routinely and clearly recorded in line with the school’s policy – making sure all pupils have the necessary knowledge, skills and understanding to avoid or deal with the potential risks and dangers associated with radicalisation, extremism, female genital mutilation, child sexual exploitation and the carrying and use of offensive weapons. Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management, including governance, by: – making sure leaders work with pace and urgency to bring about rapid improvements in safeguarding procedures – checking the effectiveness of safeguarding procedures, including those for following up non- attendance – making sure that the school complies with all statutory requirements – ensuring leaders and governors have the necessary knowledge, skills and understanding to carry out their roles and responsibilities efficiently and successfully – ensuring the academy sponsor and governors routinely and rigorously hold leaders to account for their actions – ensuring governors robustly evaluate the impact that the Year 7 catch-up funding is having on helping eligible pupils catch up with their classmates in English and mathematics – making sure the progress of pupils attending off-site courses is carefully tracked, checked and evaluated – ensuring all school leaders routinely analyse the information they have about pupils’ progress, behaviour and welfare in order to have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and to implement appropriate action plans. Improve the quality of learning, teaching and assessment by: – making sure that lessons are appropriately paced and that all pupils are fully engaged in their learning, avoid disrupting the work of others and produce and present work that truly reflects their ability – making sure the most-able pupils are challenged more consistently in all subjects so that they make better progress, particularly in mathematics. Inspection report: George Salter Academy, 2–3 March 2016 2 of 10 An external review of governance, including the school’s use of the Year 7 catch-up fund, should be undertaken in order to assess how these aspects of leadership and management may be improved. It is recommended that the school does not appoint newly qualified teachers. Inspection report: George Salter Academy, 2–3 March 2016 3 of 10 Inspection judgements Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate The school’s arrangements for safeguarding pupils do not meet statutory requirements, giving serious cause for concern. Leaders cannot be sure that pupils are kept safe. Leaders with responsibility for safeguarding and pupils’ welfare do not have the necessary knowledge, skills and understanding to make sure pupils are safe from potential risks and dangers. Teachers have not had the necessary safeguarding and child protection training. The school’s safeguarding policy is not fit for purpose. It does not make clear the procedures that should be followed in order to keep pupils and learners safe. As a consequence, a large number of staff are unclear about what to do to ensure pupils are safe. For example, staff do not have a consistent view on how incidents should be recorded and reported. In addition, a very small minority of staff have behaved inappropriately as they are unclear about school procedures. Leaders’ self-evaluation is weak. They do not routinely and rigorously check and evaluate the impact of their work. They do not have an accurate picture of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and their views of their effectiveness are overgenerous. As a result, they are slow to respond to emerging concerns and issues. The school’s monitoring of attendance is disorganised. When pupils do not arrive at the school, parents or carers are texted and if no response is received pastoral managers telephone parents. However, the outcomes of these telephone calls are not recorded properly, either on a daily basis or over time. This means that leaders are unable to check if absence is being followed up properly or if appropriate action is being taken when a pupil’s absence raises a concern. This is a serious safeguarding issue. The school records behaviour-related incidents electronically, which allows information about the number of incidents of different types to be collated as required. However, the analysis of this information is inadequate. Consequently, leaders do not know whether different aspects of behaviour, such as disruption in lessons, are getting better or worse over time. The school’s curriculum is imaginative, well balanced and features a broad range of subjects that support the needs and aspirations of the pupils and learners. Pupils’ understanding and appreciation of British values is well developed. The growth of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural knowledge, skills and understanding is a strength of the school’s work. However, while pupils receive information about some aspects of keeping safe, there are significant gaps in what they are taught. For example, a very large majority of pupils are unclear about the risks posed by individuals or groups who might try to persuade them to act in an antisocial or unlawful way. Pupils greatly appreciate the range of extra-curricular activities that include educational visits and clubs for drama, dance, art and sport. Pupils are given clear guidance and helpful careers information which prepares them for the next stage of their education, training or employment. As a result, the vast majority of pupils leaving the school