Jewellery Quarter Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Strengthen leadership by ensuring that:
  • the rate of improvement is quickened across the school and strategies lead to better achievement for all pupils
  • leaders routinely analyse and monitor information they collect about pupils to be able to spot any trends or patterns quickly, particularly concerning pupils’ behaviour and rates of exclusion
  • governors are trained effectively and their skills developed so that they can fulfil their delegated duties
  • leaders routinely evaluate the impact of the pupil premium funding on pupils’ achievement, as well as on their well-being.
• Improve teaching so that pupils make consistently good or better progress by ensuring that teachers:
  • have high expectations of all pupils and what they can achieve, particularly in science, history and geography
  • take full account of pupils’ needs and abilities so that learning is neither too easy nor too difficult
  • provide tasks that stretch and challenge pupils so that they do not become disengaged or waste valuable learning time
  • plan tasks that do not only keep pupils busy but deepen their learning and knowledge.
• Improve the behaviour of pupils by ensuring that teachers consistently apply the school’s behaviour policy. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium funding should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Since the school opened in 2014, leaders have acted too slowly to stem the decline in the standard of education the school provides for its pupils. As a result, pupils’ behaviour, the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement have declined.
• In March 2018, the CORE Education Trust took on the sponsorship of this school. Since then, improvements have been made across the school. The multi-academy trust (MAT) leaders have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. In a short space of time, they have acted swiftly to bring about some urgently needed improvements. The impact of these actions, although at an early stage, is evident in the leadership of the school, in the quality of teaching and in the collaborative work between MAT schools. Further plans to improve the school are detailed and focus on improving pupils’ outcomes.
• Leaders now – with the support of the MAT – evaluate effectively the quality of teaching. They take account of a range of information when checking on how well teachers teach. Leaders are able to provide targeted training and support for teachers because leaders know where teaching is strong and where it needs improvement. Staff agree that this support helps them to improve their practice. Leaders recognise that inconsistencies in teaching remain and have appropriate plans to bring about the necessary improvements.
• Leaders do not yet routinely analyse all the information they collect about pupils. For instance, the analysis of exclusions and behavioural incidents – as well as pupils who leave the school – lacks detail and precision. Therefore, leaders are not able to spot any trends or patterns in the information they have. For example, they could not identify whether disadvantaged pupils or those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) had more exclusions than others.
• Leaders have evaluated, redesigned and implemented a new curriculum. Pupils now complete courses that are better matched to their abilities, needs and career aspirations. The key stage 3 and 4 curriculums offer a broad and appropriate range of academic and vocational courses that have the potential to support pupils well in their next steps in education.
• Pupils’ progress and attainment are now monitored and tracked effectively to ensure that any underachievement is quickly addressed. Leaders now have a more accurate picture of how well current pupils at the school are performing. As a result, leaders put interventions in place to help pupils to catch up.
• Middle leaders form a committed group of professionals. They are now fully engaged in the school’s improvement drive. They routinely monitor the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress. They now work closely with other schools across the MAT, allowing them to moderate work and ensure the accuracy of information they have collected.
• Placements in alternative provision are carefully chosen to match pupils’ interests and abilities. As a result, pupils who are at risk of leaving education complete their courses, gain suitable qualifications and move on to appropriate destinations. The monitoring of pupils at alternative provision is robust and staff liaise closely with parents.
• Leaders’ evaluation of the pupil premium funding they receive lacks sufficient detail and focus on improving pupils’ achievement. The funding is spent on strengthening the pastoral care and mental well-being of pupils. However, not enough emphasis is placed on raising pupils’ achievement.
• The vast majority of staff are supportive of senior leaders. They agree that the school is getting better, although further improvements are needed. Staff agree that pupils are safe at school and well cared for. Almost all staff say they are proud to work at the school.
• Leaders, as a matter of course, place pupils who are looked after and those who speak English as an additional language on the school’s special educational needs register. This practice is not effective because pupils do not actually have a diagnosed learning need. Leaders have recognised this during the time of the inspection and stopped this practice.

Governance of the school

• The CORE Education Trust operates a scheme of delegation whereby the board of trustees has the direct responsibility for the strategic oversight of schools within their MAT. They delegate responsibilities to a local governing board (LGB) in each school.
• The LGB in this school is not skilled enough to perform its delegated duties because governors have not been adequately trained. They lack sufficient knowledge and understanding of the information that is provided for them. They are over-reliant on leaders to evaluate and interpret any information. Consequently, they have been ineffective in holding leaders to account for the decline in standards at their school.
• Governors are dedicated and passionate about their school. They want the best for their pupils. They say that they would welcome more training to ensure that they carry out their duties effectively and bring about rapid improvement.
• In recognition of the urgent improvements needed, the trust’s chief executive officer (CEO) and other key staff have taken on a more direct role in managing the school at this time of transition. They provide effective support and guidance for senior leaders to bring about the necessary improvements.
• The MAT board of trustees has recognised the shortcomings within the LGB and has taken the necessary action to analyse the deficits within the board and address any training needs. This work has only very recently begun and the impact of these actions is yet to be seen.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• All statutory safeguarding requirements are in place, including policies and staff training underpinned by regular updates. Leaders keep accurate records and liaise well with other agencies as and when required.
• Leaders have successfully created a culture throughout the school of keeping pupils safe. Staff understand their responsibility to keep pupils safe from harm. Members of staff receive regular child protection and ‘Prevent’ duty training and updates about safeguarding and, as a result, they are confident in making referrals if they have any concerns. Leaders deal with such referrals speedily and appropriately.
• The vast majority of pupils who spoke with inspectors confirm that they feel safe and secure in school. The majority of parents who completed the Parent View questionnaire also confirmed that their child is safe in school. Pupils have a secure understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe. They have a clear understanding of issues surrounding e-safety and knife crime.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• As a result of support from the MAT, the quality of teaching is improving. However, some inconsistencies remain, especially in the teaching of science, history and geography. Leaders know where teaching is effective and where it needs further improvement. They provide appropriate training and support where needed.
• Teaching and learning in science are weak. The science curriculum is not effectively planned to ensure that pupils make strong progress. Pupils’ work lacks sufficient detail, and basic gaps in their understanding and knowledge are evident across year groups. Leaders have devised an improvement plan for science which is detailed and focused. The impact of the plan is not yet evident.
• The new assessment system is now more effective. Pupils sit a baseline test at the start of the academic year. Their progress is then checked at appropriate times throughout the year. Leaders monitor and track pupils’ progress regularly. With the exception of science, teachers are increasingly able to identify when pupils fall behind and then close the gaps in their knowledge resulting from previous ineffective teaching.
• Some teachers do not plan lessons or use resources that match pupils’ needs, abilities or interests. When this happens, pupils can become disengaged or distracted. They then engage in low-level disruption which causes learning time to be wasted and learning is slowed. At times, planned learning tasks keep pupils busy rather than deepen their understanding or knowledge. These instances are now fewer and pupils agree that teaching is improving. They feel that their teachers care about how well they are doing and more of them provide the necessary support to help pupils improve when they need it.
• Relationships between teachers and pupils are strong in most classes, but not all. Where they are evident, they contribute to effective learning and strong progress. In these lessons, pupils display good attitudes towards their studies.
• Most-able pupils do not consistently benefit from tasks that stretch and challenge their thinking or deepen their knowledge. When this happens, pupils find work too easy and their progress slows. Conversely, pupils who need extra support with their learning are not always given it to help them access their learning. In those instances, pupils’ work is left unfinished or pupils do not attempt it at all.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils, parents and staff are now overwhelmingly positive about the pastoral care the school provides. Pupils state that teachers and support staff care about them and this has a positive impact on their well-being and mental health.
• Pupils understand different types of bullying and they know what to do if they experience it. Pupils say that bullying is rare at the school and they expressed confidence in adults to deal with any that occurs. Several pupils told inspectors how much they appreciated the support from members of staff when they experienced difficulties.
• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development is a strength. Pupils benefit from an extensive programme to raise awareness of issues such as knife crime, teenage pregnancy, mental health and well-being. The school is a beacon school for Holocaust education and pupils have completed extensive work around this topic. The school shares its expertise in this area with other schools in the area and the wider community.
• Pupils at the school benefit from a wide range of leadership opportunities, for example the ‘student cabinet’, where members had a say on the new school uniform. Pupils provide feedback to staff on the quality of the teaching they receive and, during the time of the inspection, a group of most-able pupils held a staff briefing to air their views about their learning experiences at the school. Approximately 25 pupils in each year group across the school hold some leadership responsibility. Pupils are highly complimentary about the many opportunities afforded them.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• In some lessons, pupils respond with low-level disruption because lessons are not well planned and activities lack challenge and interest. Some teachers lack the necessary expertise in behaviour management or do not consistently apply the school’s new behaviour policy. As a result of these factors, learning time is occasionally wasted.
• Exclusion figures have reduced sharply this year. A very small minority of pupils lack self-discipline and teachers do not consistently apply the school’s behaviour policy. As a result, pupils are internally isolated and miss valuable time of their education. This trend is now improving and information for this academic year shows that fewer pupils have been placed in isolation.
• Attendance is broadly in line with the national average. The attendance of disadvantaged pupils has also improved and is in line with that of their peers.
• Pupils who attend alternative provision benefit from courses that are matched to their needs and interests. This ensures that pupils at risk of leaving education are reintegrated and complete their courses. Staff are diligent in checking pupils’ attendance, well-being, behaviour and progress while attending alternative placements. Leaders stay in close contact with parents, and parents attend meetings in which they are informed about how well their child is doing.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• This academic year is the first year in which the school has pupils in all year groups. The school opened in 2014 and has added a year group every academic year. Consequently, there is no published information about academic outcomes for this school.
• Pupils currently at school achieve well, especially those in Years 7, 8 and 9, although not consistently across the curriculum. Assessment information and work in pupils’ books show that pupils’ progress is improving. This is because the quality of teaching is now better, the behaviour of pupils is improving and leaders now carefully track pupils’ progress to inform intervention. Achievement in a small number of subjects – including science – remains weak and pupils do not make strong enough progress.
• In the last academic year, leaders made the decision to enter the vast majority of Year 10 pupils early for their GCSE English literature examination. Although outcomes were broadly average, this practice was not effective because pupils would have achieved even better outcomes with an additional year of teaching and because they have now fallen behind in their English language studies. Leaders have recognised this, and pupils will not be entered early for examinations this academic year.
• A small number of pupils completed the GCSE media studies course in Year 10. Pupils achieved well, with almost 90% of them achieving a grade C or above. This qualification has allowed pupils to gain an extra qualification in a subject they enjoy.
• Provision for independent careers information, advice and guidance has recently been restructured. This work is ongoing. However, pupils in key stage 4 receive a range of information about options available to them and how different courses lead to possible career pathways.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 141003 Birmingham 10032555 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 558 Appropriate authority Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Board of trustees Mr Ammo Talwar Mr Russell Bond 0121 289 3944 www.jewelleryquarter.academy Rbond@jewelleryquarter.academy Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• This school opened in 2014 and has not been previously inspected. Since May 2018, it has been sponsor-led by the CORE Education Trust.
• The school is smaller than the average-sized secondary school.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is well above average, and the proportion of pupils with SEND is average.
• Most pupils speak English as their first language.
• A small number of key stage 4 pupils attend full-time alternative provision at Arena Academy.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors reviewed a wide range of documentation. This included the school’s self-evaluation and action plans, various school policies, information about pupils’ attainment, progress, behaviour and attendance, and information about the quality of teaching, learning and assessment.
• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in lessons and parts of lessons across a wide range of subjects and key stages, and observed lessons with senior leaders. They observed pupils’ behaviour between lessons and at breaktime and lunchtime.
• Inspectors evaluated the work in pupils’ books and folders in lessons across a range of year groups and subjects.
• Inspectors held meetings with senior leaders, middle leaders and teachers. They also met with governors, including the chair of governors. The lead inspector also held a meeting with the CEO and other key staff from the trust.
• The views of parents were considered through the 10 responses to the Parent View questionnaire.
• Inspectors considered the views of 21 members of staff made to inspectors in the form of letters.
• Pupils met with inspectors informally and there was one formal meeting. Inspectors spoke with many pupils in lessons and at social times.

Inspection team

Bianka Zemke, lead inspector Jane Epton Graeme Rudland Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector