Outwood Academy Ormesby Ofsted Report

Full report

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

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve pupils’ behaviour and attendance by:
  • developing pupils’ ability to manage their own behaviour and take responsibility for their actions
  • ensuring that all parents, pupils and staff understand their role in securing good attendance.
  • Improve the quality of teaching and learning by:
    • developing, in all pupils, a deep love of learning
    • raising the expectations of staff and the most able pupils about what can be achieved in lessons
    • monitoring carefully the progress of the most able in lessons and then moving them quickly on to more challenging work.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The executive principal and associate principal lead a strong, dynamic and effective senior team. They are relentless in their ambition to bring about rapid, transformational improvements to the school. This team is tearing down barriers to learning successfully, at a remarkable and breathtaking speed.
• The full support of regional experts and leaders, including the chief executive officer of the Outwood Grange Academies Trust, brings great additional strength to the overall leadership of the school. They bring wise counsel and experience, and make a significant contribution to the swift transformation that is taking place in pupils’ behaviour, attitudes and progress. They ensure that appropriate material resources are in place to meet the needs of the pupils.
• In a remarkably short time since becoming a part of the Outwood family of schools, the pervasive poor leadership of the past has been eradicated at every level. Leaders throughout the organisation are committed fully to improving the life chances of their pupils. They are increasingly successful in their efforts to enable older pupils to overcome the many years of learning that have been lost.
• The performance of teachers is thoughtfully managed. Teachers appreciate the weekly professional development they receive, tailored to the school’s priorities and also to their own stage of career development.
• The curriculum is now well designed, broad and balanced. It offers a wide range of both academic and vocational courses. In the past, pupils had few opportunities to study academic courses. Humanities and languages were not taught. Pupils were not prepared for academic science qualifications. The new curriculum significantly enhances the life chances and opportunities for all pupils, including the most able.
• Leaders have designed a comprehensive range of enrichment activities which benefit many pupils and widen their experiences. Year 11 pupils report that they value the additional help available after school to prepare for examinations.
• Leaders are proactive in ensuring that pupils are taught to appreciate and understand fundamental British values. All subjects embed opportunities for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Inspection evidence shows that pupils are developing understanding of some complex issues, are respectful of others and can work effectively together.
• Leaders recently welcomed many parents to ‘afternoon tea’ and shared strategies to help them support their teenagers through the examination period. Staff work closely with many families to improve attendance and although it is below average, it is steadily improving. With this in mind, health professionals also provide support and will see pupils on the school site so that additional time out of school is not needed.
• Pupil premium and Year 7 catch-up funding are used effectively. They support the substantial range of initiatives within school that help pupils to become engaged, effective learners. Much of the funding is used to provide individual and small-group tuition as well as additional classes in English and mathematics. Additional ‘intervention’ sessions enable some pupils to make impressive progress. School assessment information and pupils’ work endorses this view.
• Every possible appropriate support is provided for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. As a result, pupils are beginning to thrive. Their attendance and progress are improving rapidly and the additional funding is well used.
• Leaders carefully monitor pupils’ progress. They intervene swiftly where needed and routinely identify and address the root causes of underperformance. Many older pupils have substantial gaps in their learning due to the historical poor performance of the school and a wholly inadequate curriculum. Teachers take every opportunity to address this deficit in their learning and they are catching up quickly.
• Leaders are acutely aware of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They are moving quickly to address remaining weaknesses in middle leadership. Recent changes in science have already resulted in improved progress as a result of interesting, challenging lessons and a greater emphasis on practical work. The pockets of weakness remaining are now few, and firm plans are in place to address them.

Governance of the school

• Governors are passionate about education and are determined to bring about deep and lasting change. They fully support the leadership of the school and they also provide real, substantial challenge.
• Governors are knowledgeable, astute and well informed. They have a clear, accurate understanding of the quality of teaching and its impact on learning. They understand exactly what needs to be done to transform the culture of the school to one of high aspiration, characterised by a deep love of learning.
• Governors receive regular updates on the impact of the pupil premium funding and the Year 7 catch-up funding, and ask plentiful questions to be absolutely sure that money is well spent. They undertake their statutory duties with care.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• There is a culture of safeguarding that permeates the school. A high staff presence everywhere ensures that pupils feel safe. Leaders ensure that all staff have received recent updates and training.
• Clear policies and procedures ensure that when concerns are raised they are quickly and appropriately managed. The school works closely with outside agencies, including the police, to ensure that pupils understand how to keep themselves safe in the face of risk locally.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers know their pupils well and carefully plan lessons to engage and capture their interest. They are highly aware of pupils’ learning needs and also of their prior knowledge. For example, in history, Year 8 pupils worked with interest as they learned about the causes of civil war. They showed good attitudes to their learning and enjoyed well-planned activities which provided just the right level of challenge. Opportunities for literacy development were clearly woven into the lesson.
• Teachers and teaching assistants work well together to develop pupils’ knowledge and deepen their understanding. Pupils were observed working on problems relating to the ‘y intercept’ of a straight-line graph. Teaching assistants quickly assessed where some were struggling. They then provided just the right amount of support to enable individuals to make good progress.
• Many teachers use good questioning to check for understanding and deepen learning. In computing in Year 10 for example, challenging questions required pupils to think deeply and use key vocabulary. Rapid progress was made, because pupils were eager to do well. They worked with interest and completed tasks to a high standard.
• Pupils’ books demonstrate secure learning over time. They are well presented and carefully organised. Pupils are clearly proud of their work. Often, pupils’ misconceptions are identified and opportunities are given to sort out problems and secure learning.
• Pupils benefit from very high-quality resources to enhance learning, developed for them by experts within the academy trust. In both English and mathematics, these are used well to help pupils refine, practise, consolidate and extend their skills in preparation for GCSE examinations.
• The school is proactive and successful in encouraging pupils to read regularly. Pupils who struggle to read confidently and fluently improve rapidly because they receive good-quality support.
• Sometimes, pupils are given opportunities to think deeply about problems, to evaluate and then to improve their work. As a result, pupils are beginning to develop resilience and, increasingly, the capacity to learn from their mistakes.
• There are not enough opportunities for the most able pupils to work purposefully at a higher level of difficulty and challenge. This is beginning to change. In mathematics, for example, most-able pupils enjoyed choosing additional tasks to extend their learning.
• Teachers use the behaviour systems carefully to maintain high expectations of conduct. Increasingly, pupils choose to behave well and are keen to learn. Some pupils are compliant in lessons because of the systems in place but they are not yet interested in learning.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.
• Some pupils, as yet, lack confidence in themselves and in their own capacity to learn. As a result, their attitudes to learning are not always positive. They give up on tasks very quickly or become easily distracted and disengaged.
• Some pupils do not value the importance of education and do not respond positively and constructively to the school’s culture of high expectation and aspiration. They are still learning how to learn effectively in a classroom situation.
• Inspection evidence also shows, however, that some pupils are quickly developing into confident and self-assured learners. They are beginning to understand the importance of their education. This transformation is taking place across the whole school and is rapidly accelerating.
• Pupils’ books show that they have real pride in their work. Work is neatly presented and pupils are increasingly acting on advice from their teachers regarding how to improve.
• Leaders work hard to support the physical, mental and emotional health of pupils, and this includes providing counselling services. A high focus is maintained throughout tutorial lessons, assemblies and ‘life’ lessons regarding all aspects of personal development including teaching pupils how to keep themselves safe.
• Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe. They talk knowledgably about how to keep themselves safe when using mobile technology. Pupils say there is little prejudice-based bullying. They feel very safe within the school and value the high staff presence that pervades lessons and social times. They are very clear and confident that they would seek out their ‘learning managers’ if they had concerns or worries.
• All pupils receive individual and impartial careers advice. This is helping to raise their aspirations. As one Year 11 pupil said: ‘We know what we have to do now to get on the courses we need for our futures.’
• The school is attentive to the needs of the small number of pupils in alternative provision. Their attitudes to learning are improving and they are making good progress.
• Leaders are determined to give all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, real opportunities to widen their life experiences through participation in sports, music and the arts. Pupils are encouraged to take part and collect ‘pledges’ which celebrate their achievements.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• Overall levels of attendance are too low and the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent is too high. Leaders work relentlessly and closely with families to improve attendance. They are working to win hearts and minds regarding the value and importance of education. Leaders’ good impact can be seen in the steady improvement in attendance rates compared with last year.
• Some pupils still find it difficult to comply with leaders’ high expectations of conduct in lessons. When pupils do not follow appropriate rules, sanctions are routinely applied to enable them to modify their behaviour. The impact is that fixed-term exclusions are also too high, although they are now reducing.
• Leaders provide a comprehensive programme of support to ensure that when pupils return from fixed-term exclusion, they are reintegrated into school successfully.
• The rate of permanent exclusions is reducing, as is the proportion of pupils who were educated off-site prior to the school becoming part of the Outwood Grange Academies Trust.
• Many pupils are beginning to develop strong learning habits and, increasingly, they are able to manage their own behaviour. Leaders are gradually increasing the demand on pupils so that they become more independent, resilient and responsible. Enjoyment in learning is increasingly evident in classrooms.
• The school environment is calm and orderly. Most classrooms are calm and low-level disruption is kept to a minimum. Those who refuse to stop disrupting the learning of others are removed swiftly from the lesson. They work elsewhere for the duration of the lesson so that the majority of pupils, who do want to learn, can do so without interruption.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils join the school with starting points that are significantly below average. In most year groups, pupils now make good progress across a wide range of subjects. This is increasingly strong for younger pupils where, in some subjects, they are studying work at the same level of difficulty as their older peers.
• Older pupils are making good progress given the significant gaps in their learning. Staff are working with them to secure knowledge, understanding and skills that should have been in place from earlier years.
• The progress of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is strong and rapidly improving. This is because great care and attention are given to overcoming each individual’s barriers to learning. One parent whose child has additional learning needs wrote: ‘The additional support my child has received from school has been excellent.’
• Additional funding to support the learning of disadvantaged pupils is used well. All pupils take part in regular, standardised assessments which are shared across the academy trust. Analysis of data, observations of learning and pupils’ books show that disadvantaged pupils make good progress across a wide range of subjects.
• School data shows that low-attaining pupils in all years make strong progress. They are catching up with their peers. The progress made by the most able pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, is broadly average. Leaders are aware of this and are already taking determined steps to ensure that pupils are stretched and challenged.
• The school carefully monitors the progress of pupils in off-site alternative provision. Most are making good progress and have been given valuable opportunities to study vocational, practical subjects that are well suited to their learning needs.
• In the GCSE examinations in 2016, the proportion of pupils achieving GCSE A* to C grades in both English and mathematics, although still below average, rose significantly from the previous year. In science, languages and humanities, progress was below that found nationally. However, this group of pupils had been taught these subjects in a very short space of time. Leaders placed these subjects in the curriculum for older pupils when the school became an academy in order to improve pupils’ life chances and access to further education.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 138711 Middlesbrough 10031924 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Secondary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy sponsor-led 11 to 16 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 684 Appropriate authority Outwood Grange Academies Trust Chair Principal Sue Maidens Mark Hassack (executive principal) Alex Howe (associate principal) Telephone number 01642 452 191 Website Email address www.ormesby.outwood.com ormesby@ormesby.outwood.com Date of previous inspection 4 5 March 2015

Information about this school

• Ormesby School joined the Outwood Grange Academies Trust in September 2015 and became Outwood Academy Ormesby.
• The school is smaller than the average-sized secondary school.
• Almost all pupils are White British.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium is well above average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average.
• The school has a specially resourced provision for 20 pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and, more specifically, for those with speech, language and communication needs. Currently, 13 pupils access this provision. All are educated in mainstream classes with their peers.
• The executive principal of Outwood Academy Ormesby is a national leader of education who provides support and expertise to academies within the trust.
• The school uses the following external providers for a small number of pupils: Lingfield Choosing Pathways, NACRO, Redcar and Cleveland Training, Keys and the CLC-Hub.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• The schools meets the government’s current floor standards by the end of key stage 4.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning across a wide range of lessons and learning activities. Senior leaders accompanied inspectors on a number of these observations.
• Inspectors examined the quality of work in a wide range of pupils’ books and folders.
• Meetings were held with the chief executive officer, the regional chief executive officer, the executive principal, the associate principal, senior and middle leaders and a group of recently qualified staff. The lead inspector also met with members of the board of trustees and the chair of the academy council.
• Inspectors spoke with pupils from all year groups, both formally and informally, and listened to pupils read. They observed pupils’ behaviour between lessons, during breaks and lunchtimes.
• The low number of parents’ and pupils’ responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaires meant that these could not be viewed. Online questionnaire returns from 38 members of staff were taken into account.
• A wide range of documentation was scrutinised including the school’s own evaluation of how well it is doing, plans for development, performance management documents, information about the work of the governing body, records of the monitoring of teaching and data relating to pupils’ achievement. Safeguarding and child protection documentation, attendance data and records relating to behaviour were also examined.

Inspection team

Janice Gorlach, lead inspector Lee Elliott Michael Cook John Paddick

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector