Haywood Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve pupils’ progress further by:
  • setting suitably challenging work for pupils, including higher-attaining pupils, in all lessons
  • providing more opportunities for pupils to work things out for themselves
  • extending the new initiative that helps parents to support pupils’ learning.
• Increase opportunities for sixth-form students to extend their learning outside the classroom by offering a greater variety of educational visits and extra-curricular activities.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher and other senior leaders are very ambitious for the school. Leaders have established a clear sense of direction. Staff and governors share their determination to inspire creativity and achievement in pursuit of a world-class education for all pupils.
• Skilful and thoughtful leadership by the headteacher has ensured that the school maintains its strengths while responding well to the challenge of the new GCSE examinations. In particular, the introduction of new approaches to teaching is helping to ensure that pupils continue to make good or better progress in all subjects.
• Strategic leadership is strong. Since the last inspection, a sixth form has been created to better meet the needs of pupils in the local area and to raise aspirations in the school and in the wider local community.
• The headteacher and the senior leadership team are well supported by an effective and experienced executive headteacher, who is also the chief executive of the City Learning Trust. Senior leaders bring a lively mix of energy, enthusiasm and experience to the school.
• Senior leaders work hard to ensure that new ideas and initiatives are translated into classroom practice. Regular visits to classrooms and scrutiny around the school usually ensure that any weaknesses are detected early. Action is taken to tackle weaker teaching and gaps in pupils’ progress when they emerge.
• Middle leaders play an increasing role in checking on teaching and pupils’ progress in their faculty areas. Senior leaders intend to extend this further. New leaders have been appointed to those faculties where any recent public examination results have been less successful.
• The school is very well organised. Well-established systems, and highly effective administrative staff, support the smooth day-to-day running of the school.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced. It gives pupils a good grounding in national curriculum subjects. Pupils are given opportunities throughout the curriculum to develop basic skills, as well as pursue their interest in a particular subject. Where relevant, pupils can choose to follow some vocational courses. This prepares them well for the next step in their education.
• Teaching and other staff at the school are supported very well. A culture of care is well established in the school. Leaders in the school place considerable emphasis on the well-being of staff.
• An effective induction and training programme helps new staff settle in quickly and develop professionally. The arrangements for setting and reviewing performance targets for staff are well established.
• Parents support the ambitions of the school. The school checks regularly on their views. A new initiative for parents of Year 11 pupils, known as the ‘parent learning community’, involves parents more closely in supporting individual pupils’ progress. Its success so far indicates that pupils would benefit were this initiative more widespread.

Governance of the school

• Governance is good. The governing body is very well led. It has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. It organises its work well and holds the school to account for its performance.
• Governors are keen to attend training and improve their own effectiveness. They keep a careful watch on where they may need to develop their skills. Their enthusiasm for the school and its pupils is palpable.
• They discharge their statutory responsibilities well. They are insightful and have a keen understanding of the strengths of the school and its leaders, and where areas for improvement lie.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leadership of safeguarding is very strong. It ensures that pupils are safeguarded well. All safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and records are detailed and of high quality.
• Pupils feel safe in school. Instances of bullying are uncommon. When it does occur, it is dealt with swiftly and sensitively.
• Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe at school and in their own time, including when online, and know who to speak to if they have any concerns. Their understanding of safeguarding is developed through assemblies, personal, social and health education, and other curricular opportunities. Displays around the school alert them to possible risks to their safety and explain where relevant support can be found. Pupils receive clear guidance in their lessons about the importance of staying healthy.
• There is a strong culture of vigilance around safeguarding in the school. Any issues raised are taken seriously and followed up well, including with outside agencies.
• Staff support any pupils known to be at risk, including by drawing on information from the local community and liaising with the police and social services. Safeguarding training for staff is detailed and covers, for example, bullying, e-safety, mental health, child protection and radicalisation. Checks on all adults working with pupils, including drivers of school transport, are regular and thorough.
• Governors are well informed about the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements. They organise regular checks on key policies, such as how well vetting is carried out during the recruitment of new staff.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching is good. Teachers are hardworking and think carefully about how to organise lessons. Lessons usually give pupils enough hard work to do. All this helps to foster positive attitudes to learning in pupils and makes sure that they progress well.
• Pupils are generally keen to learn. They value their teachers and say that they often go the extra mile for them. Many commented that teachers inject fun and enjoyment into lessons and that ‘you can tell they have put time into their planning’.
• Subject teachers have worked hard in recent years to ensure that pupils leave school with good passes at GCSE, often by providing them with substantial support. The new-style GCSE examinations require pupils to think more for themselves in order to get the highest grades. In many lessons, such as English and religious studies, pupils are being encouraged to do this.
• In a few lessons, and in some subjects such as science, humanities and mathematics, levels of challenge are more uneven. In these instances, higher-attaining pupils are not always expected to do enough difficult work or work things out for themselves.
• A recently introduced initiative to improve teaching is well led. It is creating a climate of higher expectations and more adventurous teaching. It is establishing itself quicker in some areas, for example in English, music and dance, than it is in others.
• Assessment is used well on a day-to-day basis. Teachers follow the school’s policy on marking. They use assessment information about how well pupils are doing to adjust their lessons. Middle and senior leaders use this information to check on pupils’ progress and to review the impact of teaching.
• Teachers benefit from a well-tailored programme of induction when they join the school. Teachers are very positive about the support and regular training opportunities they receive. The school makes good use of some shared resources and available expertise from across the City Learning Trust.
• Classrooms and teaching areas are spacious, well equipped and attractive. New technology and other learning resources are used well.
• A large number of teaching assistants support pupils. Their work is well organised and they are deployed thoughtfully. Teaching assistants are very clear about what their role is.
• Strategies to develop literacy and numeracy in lower-attaining pupils are under review. Pupils who struggle with basic skills are supported well and make good progress. Not all teachers consistently take opportunities to support the development of pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills.
• A small number of Year 10 and Year 11 pupils attend well-monitored and local alternative provision. These pupils are safeguarded and taught well.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils wear their uniform smartly and are well equipped for lessons. They are generally proud of their school and the work that they do. A few lower-attaining pupils do not take enough care in presenting their work.
• A varied programme of personal, social, health and careers education complements the other subjects of the curriculum. It is largely taught through ‘drop down’ days and in tutor time.
• An innovative approach to helping pupils develop resilience by encouraging them to find new ways of tackling things they find difficult permeates the school. Pupils are taught that success usually requires effort but that everyone is capable of this.
• Well-trained support staff provide pastoral assistance to pupils where needed, including those who have SEN and/or disabilities. Close liaison with external agencies helps to ensure that tailored and specific support is readily available, for example in relation to mental health. Leaders and other staff demonstrate notable concern for the welfare of pupils. It is regarded as a priority and leaders act regularly to improve the care that pupils receive.
• Extra-curricular trips and visits enrich pupils’ experience of school, broadening their horizons beyond the immediate locality and offering cultural, sporting, artistic and volunteering opportunities. Pupils are supported well in their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• The school is a calm and orderly environment. Pupils follow instructions without fuss and their conduct nearly always conforms to the high expectations of the school. They show care and respect for others as they move around the school. They often regulate their own behaviour at breaktimes and lunchtimes.
• An effective system of rewards and sanctions is applied evenly by staff to pupils. This promotes good or better behaviour systematically and deters any unwanted behaviour quickly. Most pupils respond well to praise and believe that the system of rewards helps them to do well. In a small number of instances, minor misbehaviour in lessons disrupts learning for other pupils. A few pupils can be a little noisy at breaktimes and lunchtimes. Leaders are aware of these issues and are taking action to tackle them.
• Pupils’ attendance is good. Pupils arrive at school on time. They are punctual to lessons and often arrive early.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils achieve well during their time at the school. Their examination results at the end of Year 11 show that they make the progress expected overall. GCSE examination results since the last inspection broadly reflect or exceed the levels expected, given pupils’ prior attainment. In English, pupils achieve particularly well.
• In mathematics, provisional GCSE results in 2017 are further away from the national averages than the results in 2016. However, this represents satisfactory progress for these pupils. In most other subjects, provisional GCSE examination results in 2017 indicate that pupils make good or better progress.
• Current pupils make good progress from their different starting points. Across the school, and in most subjects, pupils work at or above the level expected for their age.
• Disadvantaged pupils make good progress. As with other pupils, they are taught well, but they are also given extra support where it is needed.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are supported effectively and achieve well. These pupils make good progress and their results have risen notably since 2015.
• GCSE results for higher-attaining pupils do not always reflect the effort that pupils make. This is because they are not always stretched enough in lessons. At times, they rely too much on teacher support and guidance, which then prevents them exercising their own independent thought. In turn, this limits their capacity to tackle the trickier examination questions that require pupils to think deeply for themselves.
• Pupils are given timely and detailed careers guidance. They develop confidence during their time at school and have a sound understanding of their role as citizens in the wider world. They understand the importance of British values of democracy, respect for others, tolerance and the rule of law in today’s society.
• Pupils leave school as responsible and resilient young people. As such, they are well prepared for life after school, including work and training. Nearly all go on to follow suitable educational courses or find relevant work with training. An increasing proportion of pupils choose to continue their education in the sixth form.
• Higher-attaining pupils are enrolled into the Excellence Academy, which offers exceptional enrichment opportunities. Pupils can study different languages, such as Latin, and take part in a variety of challenging academic activities. Although these experiences do not usually lead to formal qualifications, they encourage a wider interest in learning and help to develop intellectual curiosity.

16 to 19 study programmes Good

• The new sixth form provides a good education for its students. It is small but offers a wide range of academic and vocational courses, including A level, BTEC level 2 and 3 courses, and a level 1 employability and life skills course.
• Teaching in the sixth form is strong. It is lively, well organised and engages students well. This results in students making good progress. Students speak very highly of their teachers.
• Strategic leadership of the sixth form, and its oversight by a vice-principal from the school, are effective. It has been instrumental in ensuring that standards improve and that sixth-form teachers are held to account for the extent of the progress of their students.
• Students following the employability and life skills programme do exceptionally well. They make rapid progress from their starting points. Nearly all progress on to suitable level 2 courses. Students on vocational courses have access to good-quality work experience placements. Suitable care is given to developing English and mathematical skills, particularly where students have not already achieved a good standard at GCSE. They do well when they resit GCSE qualifications.
• Retention of students between Years 12 and 13 is good. Nearly all students progress to study at the next level or complete two-year A level study programmes.
• Students’ progression to positive destinations, including higher education, employment and self-employment, is good. All students who applied for university courses in 2016/17 achieved a place at their university of choice. Good support and advice is given to students, which includes specialist mentoring when applying to Oxford and Cambridge universities.
• Students’ attendance and punctuality are good. They are encouraged to adopt positions of responsibility and to contribute to the local community. They mentor younger pupils, work as volunteers, raise funds for food for local homeless people, and work with a nearby church. Students regularly offer views on their experiences in the sixth form. This is used to improve the sixth form. Extra-curricular visits and trips provide some opportunities to develop personally and socially but they are rather limited.
• The learning environment in the sixth form is inspiring. The sixth form is located in architecturally and historically significant buildings away from the main school site. It is very well resourced and provides an inspiring environment for students.

In a

School details

Unique reference number 138549 Local authority Stoke-on-Trent Inspection number 10037151 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Secondary School category Academy converter Age range of pupils 11 to 19 Gender of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils in 16 to 19 study programmes Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1,131 Of which, number on roll in 16 to 19 study programmes 128 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Mrs Dawn Clewes Headteacher Mr Dilesh Parmar Telephone number 01782 853535 Website www.haywoodacademy.coop/

Email address info@haywoodacademy.coop

Date of previous inspection 15–16 January 2014

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website. The school complies with DfE guidance on what academies should publish on its website.
• Haywood Academy is one of four schools in the City Learning Trust. A local governing body oversees the school and its work is supported by a group of trustees. It is an average-sized secondary school. It uses alternative provision run by the local education authority for a small number of Year 10 and Year 11 pupils.
• The large majority of pupils come from White British backgrounds with a slightly smaller than average proportion coming from minority ethnic backgrounds. The proportion of students who speak English as an additional language is average.
• The proportion of students known to be eligible for the pupil premium is above average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is well above average.
• The school meets the current government floor standards, which are the minimum levels expected for pupils’ attainment and progress.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited lessons across the school, including in the sixth form. Many of these visits to lessons were conducted with senior leaders from the school. Inspectors held meetings with leaders, staff, governors, pupils and a representative from the City Learning Trust. Inspectors also met and spoke with pupils during breaktimes and lunchtimes. They observed pupils’ behaviour inside and outside of lessons. Inspectors looked at a range of key documents, including information about safeguarding, examination results, progress of pupils, attendance and behaviour. Inspectors took account of the 21 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, including the 16 accompanying free-text comments. Inspectors also took account of the 100 responses to the staff questionnaire.

Inspection team

Mike Cladingbowl, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Andrew Fisher Ofsted Inspector Wendy Tomes Ofsted Inspector Michelle Newman Ofsted Inspector Graeme Rudland Ofsted Inspector