School report Ark Kings Academy Shannon Road, Kings Norton, Birmingham, West Midlands B38 9DE Inspection dates 4–5 October 2016 Overall effectiveness Good Effectiveness of leadership and management Good Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good Outcomes for pupils Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement Summary of key findings for parents and pupils This is a good school Leaders’ actions have had a positive impact on Pupils have good attitudes to learning. They strategies to improve pupils’ progress so that it are punctual to lessons and bring the right is now good. equipment. Pupils’ work in books is mostly neat Leaders ensure that disadvantaged pupils are and well organised. well supported. Disadvantaged pupils make Pupils’ personal development and welfare are similar rates of progress to other pupils promoted well. The school offers a good range nationally. of enrichment activities which help to prepare Pupils who have special educational needs pupils for later life. and/or disabilities are well supported and The school is a well-ordered and calm learning achieve well. community. Pupils’ behaviour around the Though subject leadership has improved, some school is good and their attendance is subject leaders are new to the school and the improving. impact of their work is at an early stage. New The spiritual, moral, social and cultural subject leaders are being effectively supported education for pupils is good. This reflects the by senior leaders. school’s welcoming and caring ethos and Teaching, learning and assessment are promotes pupils’ positive attitudes to learning. improving rapidly because of purposeful Governors know and understand the school’s leadership. However, teaching is not strengths and the areas that still need more sufficiently challenging across the whole work. They challenge leaders effectively and curriculum. This is particularly so for most-able hold them to account. pupils. The support of Ark Schools has contributed Teachers have good subject knowledge and significantly to improvements at the school and are keen to learn from one another. ensures that it has the capacity to continue to Pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills are drive these forward. improving securely because of well-planned Careers advice and guidance support pupils provision to develop these skills in all subject well in preparing them for the next stage of areas. their education, training or employment. Relationships between pupils and teachers are Pupils are happy at school and are safe. good. This reflects pupils’ enjoyment of the Parents believe that the school serves their learning experiences they have in school. children well. Full report What does the school need to do to improve further? Continue to improve teaching and learning by: making sure that teaching is challenging across all subject areas, especially for the most able pupils strengthening the impact of new subject leadership with the best practice that is already apparent in the school. Inspection report: Ark Kings Academy, 4–5 October 2016 Page 2 of 12 Inspection judgements Effectiveness of leadership and management Good The principal, senior leaders and governors share a vision to deliver high-quality teaching and learning for all pupils in the school. They are ambitious and aspirational to provide pupils with the best learning opportunities and experiences. They are very experienced, and most staff and parents who responded to the Ofsted online questionnaire agree that the school is well led. Changes in leadership since the last inspection have skilfully realigned a knowledgeable, determined and enthusiastic team led by a principal who is totally inclusive and committed to the achievement of the pupils in his care. Leaders focus on improving the progress of all groups of pupils and the school has invested heavily in developing teachers’ skills, subject leadership and in building capacity across the school to improve pupils’ outcomes. This has been very effective and is reflected in the progress that all groups of pupils now make. Pupils are progressing more rapidly than in the past because senior leaders check frequently on the quality of teaching and learning. They regularly visit lessons, look at work in pupils’ books and have a structured process to identify the strengths of teaching and how it can be improved further. Senior leaders have a secure understanding of the school’s strengths and what else needs to be done. They know and understand the challenges they face, are undaunted in the task and have taken decisive action to deal with the weaknesses identified in the last inspection. These actions have led to the improved quality of education pupils now receive. Subject leadership is now stronger. This has sharpened teaching and learning and enabled all groups of pupils to make good and better progress. Subject leaders share good practice and have a clear focus on improving pupils’ progress. Some of these leaders are new to the school and the impact of their work is at an early stage. However, senior leaders support all of them to ensure that their work in subject areas is increasingly effective and contributes to the good progress pupils are now making. Subject leaders and pastoral leaders work closely together to make sure that academic progress, behaviour, care and guidance are checked alongside each other, so that any issues are quickly noticed and all pupils have the best chance to do well. The school’s curriculum is broad and balanced, and includes a range of academic subjects at key stage 4 that meets the needs of pupils currently at the school. Pupils receive effective guidance so that they choose subjects that interest them and help them to make progress. The development of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is delivered across the curriculum and through the specific ‘Virtue’ programme. This is very strongly underpinned by the school’s vision, ethos and values and the school’s ambition to raise the aspirations of pupils and their place within the local community. It is based on fundamental British values and the promotion of equality and opportunity within a culture of diversity. The programme also raises pupils’ awareness of the potential dangers of extremism and radicalisation. Inspection report: Ark Kings Academy, 4–5 October 2016 Page 3 of 12 Extra-curricular opportunities in school are plentiful and designed to develop individual character and self-esteem. Participation in these activities is good. Extra funding for disadvantaged pupils is being used effectively to improve their outcomes. The support given to disadvantaged pupils is very effective in increasing their rates of progress, which are now in line with or above national levels. The gap in achievement at GCSE between these pupils and others has closed since the last inspection and is closing for those in school now. Funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is also used effectively and, as a result, progress is good for this group of pupils. All pupils in the school begin their school day with a specific time allocated to reading and developing literacy skills. However, pupils in Year 7 who receive additional funding to catch up to the expected level of literacy and numeracy are also given extra help. Pupils were very enthusiastic about this, and inspectors saw evidence in lessons to show that these pupils make significant gains in improving their reading ability. This work contributes well to the improving progress being made by pupils in Years 7 and 8 now. The school promotes strong relationships within its community and this helps to prevent any kind of discriminatory behaviour. The school’s behaviour policy has a very positive impact on pupils’ attitudes and conduct. Pupils were very clear about the improvement that has happened since the last inspection and parents who responded to the Ofsted online questionnaire agree. Governance of the school Governors and the Ark Schools board are very effective and challenge the school to constantly improve. Governors provide effective oversight. They are well trained and informed, and visit the school regularly. They bring a good range of experience and skills to strengthen the leadership of the school. Governors ensure that outcomes for pupils are a central focus for their work and inform their decision making. Link governors report frequently on the school’s progress. The governing body has a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and makes sure that improvement priorities are acted upon quickly. Governors take their statutory duties seriously and put in place rigorous processes to review the principal’s performance. Governors know how the pupil premium funding is spent and have rightly challenged leaders on the impact it has on eligible pupils. Safeguarding The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff and governors are aware of the published requirements for keeping children safe in education and the culture of safeguarding is promoted throughout the curriculum, with issues covered also in religious education and the ‘Virtue’ programme of study. Procedures for checking visitors to the school and staff recruitment are robust. School leaders quickly identify any pupil at risk of harm. Training to keep pupils safe is effective, including in safer recruitment and the ‘Prevent’ duty, and has been received by staff and governors. Inspection report: Ark Kings Academy, 4–5 October 2016 Page 4 of 12 The school engages appropriately with partners, agencies and parents as necessary within the school and the local community. Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good Leaders’ work to strengthen teaching is having a positive impact on its quality. The evidence secured from the inspection, information on the progress pupils make and the quality of work in pupils’ books since the last inspection all show that teaching has improved and is now good. Teachers show strong subject knowledge and enthusiasm.