Ormiston Maritime Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment so that pupils make consistently good progress by making sure that:
  • teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are consistently high
  • the work set for pupils is appropriately challenging
  • pupils are provided with the opportunities that they need to consolidate their learning
  • teachers question pupils effectively to check that they understand their learning
  • pupils’ written work is of a good standard across all subjects
  • pupils have appropriate opportunities to develop their mathematical problem-solving and reasoning skills
  • pupils are provided with opportunities to improve their literacy skills across a range of subjects.
• Improve pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare by:
  • eradicating the poor behaviour of a small minority of pupils so that learning is not disrupted
  • reducing the number of fixed-term and permanent exclusions
  • improving pupils’ attitudes to learning so that they are consistently positive
  • improving pupils’ attendance and reducing persistent absenteeism, particularly for those attending alternative provision.
• Improve the quality and impact of leadership and management, including governance, by:
  • making sure that the school’s improvement plans and self-evaluation documents indicate clearly how leaders intend to measure the impact of their actions
  • developing effective systems to assess pupils’ achievement in key stage 3
  • improving the communication with parents and carers regarding pupils’ progress
  • making sure that governors hold leaders effectively to account for pupils’ performance across key stage 3
  • making sure that leaders at all levels check and review the progress of pupils so that they can evaluate the impact of actions to improve pupils’ outcomes.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• As a result of limited capacity, leaders were not able to take the necessary actions to make improvements as quickly as they would have liked following the previous inspection. However, leaders have, more recently, taken the appropriate actions required to make some of the necessary improvements to the school. The weakest teaching has been eradicated and leadership at all levels has been strengthened. During this period of change, leaders worked hard to minimise any disruption to pupils’ learning. However, because of the turbulence in staffing and remaining inconsistencies in the quality of teaching, pupils do not achieve consistently well.
• Leaders have worked hard to establish their high expectations with pupils and staff. Staff are highly motivated and speak positively about their roles in the school. The relationships between staff and pupils are largely positive. However, there remains a small minority of pupils who are reluctant to cooperate with staff and who display less positive attitudes. Where this poor behaviour occurs, it is sometimes detrimental to the progress of the pupils themselves and those around them.
• The recruitment of high-quality staff has presented leaders with a significant challenge since the last inspection. More recently, they have been successful in attracting applicants for vacant posts and have now been able to appoint successfully to key roles.
• Most leaders, across the school and at all levels, monitor the quality of teaching and learning effectively. They use this information to quickly identify weaker aspects of teaching and provide appropriate professional development for teachers. Staff report that they feel well supported and receive the resources and guidance they need to improve their performance in their respective roles.
• Leaders’ self-evaluation lacks the required evaluation of the impact of the actions they are taking. Leaders’ actions have resulted in some significant improvements; however, these improvements, in many cases, have occurred from low starting points. Leaders’ evaluations do not always reflect the considerable extent of further improvements that need to be made. The leader for special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) does not have sufficient opportunity to access the information on the academic progress of pupils with SEND in order to evaluate the impact of the school’s strategies to support these pupils.
• The progress of those pupils who are disadvantaged, and those pupils with SEND, is improving. However, these improvements are less evident for older pupils than they are for those pupils lower down the school.
• Leaders have reviewed and revised curriculum planning so that the curriculum meets the needs of all pupils with appropriate choices of pathways. For example, leaders have recently introduced a wider range of vocational subjects.
• The school is making use of the support from the multi-academy trust. The impact of this support is clear in the strengthening of leadership at all levels.

Governance of the school

• Governors have an accurate view of the strengths and areas of weakness in the school. They are ambitious to ensure that all pupils make the progress they are capable of and that they receive a high-quality experience during their time at Ormiston Maritime Academy.
• Governors have systems in place which help them to hold leaders to account. However, in some areas, governors’ knowledge is superficial and lacks some of the depth required. For example, they are less well informed about the progress of pupils in key stage 3 than they are about the progress of pupils in key stage 4. Governors recognise that their knowledge in this area requires further improvement.
• Governors hold leaders effectively to account for the use of the additional funding that the school receives for those pupils eligible for pupil premium, and those pupils with SEND.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders take the safeguarding of pupils seriously, ensuring that systems are in place to monitor closely pupils’ attendance, behaviour, progress and well-being.
• Staff are clear about their responsibilities to keep pupils safe. Staff are trained regularly and appropriately. The arrangements for recruiting staff are in line with statutory requirements.
• There are effective systems for checking on those pupils who are vulnerable, with regular meetings to assess the support they require. Inspection evidence indicates that leaders act in a timely manner and with due diligence where concerns about pupils arise.
• Leaders have established a caring and supportive environment in the school. Pupils regard school as a place of safety. Pupils know who to go to if they have concerns, and they are confident that staff will support them with appropriate actions.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• When teachers plan activities which take account of pupils’ starting points, pupils make stronger progress. However, there is inconsistency in the quality of teachers’ planning. In some cases, teachers do not provide opportunities for pupils to consolidate their learning and develop it further so that they make good progress.
• When challenging tasks are set, and teachers’ expectations are high, pupils have positive attitudes towards their learning and are willing participants in activities and discussions. Where tasks are not sufficiently challenging and expectations are lower, pupils’ attitudes to learning are more variable and some pupils do not focus well on their learning.
• In many subjects, teachers have strong subject knowledge and they use this knowledge to skilfully question pupils to develop their understanding, clarify any misconceptions and extend pupils’ learning. However, in some subject areas, pupils’ learning is not deepened skilfully. Where this is the case, teachers do not ensure that pupils have fully grasped and understood concepts before they move on.
• Inspectors observed few examples of extended writing in pupils’ work, other than in English. Leaders recognise that this is an area for development, as some pupils lack confidence in their own abilities when confronted with extended written questions which are outside of their experience. This is the case in mathematics, where the progress of some pupils is limited by pupils’ own confidence to read and interpret longer written questions correctly.
• In a significant minority of classrooms, inspectors observed a small minority of pupils displaying off-task behaviour. In some cases, this low-level disruption hinders the progress which pupils make. Pupils’ books also demonstrate that a minority of pupils do not have positive attitudes to learning and do not complete their written work to a good enough standard.
• Pupils’ work evidences that pupils’ progress is improving over time. In English for example, inspectors observed stronger progress in the books of younger pupils. In other subjects, inspectors could see that older pupils and those who are most able, were making accelerated progress to catch up on the ‘lost ground’ from previous years. However, the progress pupils make remains variable across the school.
• In mathematics, pupils are acquiring a number of skills which they practise with regularity. However, pupils are not given sufficient opportunities to apply their skills and knowledge to solve problems, to explore mathematical reasoning and to develop their mastery of the subject.
• The school’s assessment policy is applied inconsistently, both across subjects and within subjects. Most pupils are keen to improve their work and learn from their mistakes. However, in some subjects, pupils’ misconceptions are not clearly identified and addressed and, as a result, pupils do not make the progress they should.
• Pupils with SEND are supported well by additional adults in classrooms. Teachers have access to the information they require to provide pupils with the additional support they need for learning.
• Well-developed systems enable teachers to assess pupils’ learning in Years 10 and 11. In other year groups, the assessment of what pupils can do is less effective. Leaders are working closely with other schools in the multi-academy trust to make the improvements required. Inspectors agree with several parents who made comments that they feel that the communication about the progress of pupils between the school and parents could be improved. This is particularly the case for the younger pupils.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development requires improvement.
• The majority of pupils take pride in their work, their school and in how they wear their school uniform. However, there is a small minority of pupils who are more reluctant to cooperate with school staff, exhibiting less positive attitudes and wearing their uniform in such a way that it does not meet the standards expected of them.
• The majority of pupils are punctual to lessons and have positive attitudes to learning. However, in many cases teachers have to work hard, using skilful classroom management techniques, to maintain a calm and purposeful learning environment. A minority of pupils do not demonstrate good attitudes to learning and make limited progress, despite the best efforts of their teachers.
• The school has an effective personal development programme which is delivered to all pupils through tutor-group sessions and assemblies and to Year 7 and 8 pupils in personal, social, health and economics (PSHE) lessons. These sessions help pupils to develop an appropriate understanding of subjects such as British values, staying safe online, community issues which may negatively impact on pupils’ lives and bullying. However, pupils are less knowledgeable about the dangers of extremism and radicalisation, particularly within the context of their own community.
• The school offers pupils a wide range of opportunities to participate in activities outside the classroom, including educational visits abroad, theatre visits and community projects. The school also has an on-site combined cadet force which pupils participate in enthusiastically.
• Generally, pupils are confident and self-assured. They report that there is a school council which gives them a voice. Pupils told inspectors that they would like to make more use of it, but to do so, they believe the meetings of the council need to be more frequent.
• The impartial careers guidance which pupils receive, enabling them to make choices about the next stage in their education, employment or training, is a strong feature of the curriculum. Pupils report that they find it a useful and valuable aspect of their school experience.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• Pupils and staff report that behaviour in the school has improved considerably since the previous inspection. However, pupils also report that their lessons are disrupted by the poor behaviour of a small minority of pupils who do not respond positively to the school’s behaviour policy.
• Both fixed-term and permanent exclusions have reduced significantly, when compared to previous academic years. However, levels of these exclusions remain above national averages.
• Although the school gives very clear messages to the pupils about bullying and that it will not be tolerated, pupils’ views on bullying vary. While all pupils agree that physical bullying is not common, some pupils believe that verbal bullying, although rare, is more of an issue and that the school could do more when any such bullying incidents occur.
• Pupils report they feel safe in the school and that they feel part of the school ‘family’. They report that the school is caring and welcoming to all, regardless of beliefs, backgrounds or characteristics.
• The attendance of pupils has improved since the last inspection because of the actions of leaders and a dedicated team of staff who work with pupils, families and outside agencies to encourage pupils to attend regularly. However, both pupils’ absence and the proportion of those pupils who are persistently absent remain above national averages.
• A number of pupils are educated in a local alternative provision which has several sites. Pupils who attend this provision experience high-quality programmes of learning which meet their needs. However, the school is not doing enough to address the low attendance of some pupils in these provisions. As a result, these pupils are not making the progress they could if they attended more regularly.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Typically, pupils enter the school with standards of attainment that are below the national average. Historically, most pupils made significantly less progress than other pupils nationally, across a broad range of subjects, from the same starting points.
• The provisional information for pupils who left the school in the summer of 2018 shows that there has been some improvement in GCSE outcomes. In science and in modern foreign languages there has been most improvement, although progress in modern foreign languages remains below that of other pupils nationally with similar starting points. In English, on average, pupils’ GCSE grades improved by half a grade. However, leaders recognise that these improvements are nowhere near sufficient. Pupils’ progress by the end of Year 11 remains below national expectations when comparisons are made with those pupils nationally with similar starting points.
• Strengthened leadership and the recruitment of strong teachers across all subject areas is beginning to improve pupils’ progress. The progress made by pupils in English, mathematics and science is now improving. Pupils in later year groups are beginning to make the accelerated progress that is necessary to recover from the weaker progress they made in previous years at the school. Inspectors saw evidence of good progress in the workbooks of younger pupils, particularly in English.
• Historically, those pupils who are disadvantaged and those with SEND made much weaker progress than other pupils with similar starting points. Disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND are now beginning to make better progress, in line with other pupils in the school.
• A significant number of pupils follow learning programmes at local alternative provision. These programmes are successful in engaging pupils in learning because they are matched appropriately to their needs and interests. However, not all pupils are making the progress they are capable of due to their low attendance.
• School information shows that there has been an improvement in how pupils are using the qualifications they obtain at the end of their school career to access the education, training or apprenticeships they require to support their career plans.

School details

Unique reference number 137196 Local authority North East Lincolnshire Inspection number 10059058 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Secondary comprehensive School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy sponsor-led 11 to 16 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 610 Appropriate authority The board of trustees Chair Principal Telephone number Website Email address Sue Wallis Kevin Gallacher 01472 310015 www.omacademy.co.uk office@omacademy.co.uk Date of previous inspection 22–23 November 2016

Information about this school

• The school is smaller than the average-sized secondary school.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is higher than average.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is above average. The proportion who have an education, health and care plan is above average.
• Most pupils are White British.
• A number of pupils attend Wellspring alternative provision, which has several sites in the local area.
• The school is a member of the Ormiston Academies Trust.
• The school receives support from the trust and has begun working in partnership with other local schools as part of the Department for Education’s ‘Transforming Schools’ pilot project.
• Responsibility for the school rests with trustees, who delegate some powers to the local governing board. The academy trust website and scheme of delegation can be found at http://www.ormistonacademiestrust.co.uk.
• Since the previous inspection, there have been substantial changes in leadership and staffing in the areas of senior and middle leadership and across a wide range of subjects, including English, mathematics and science.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in a wide range of lessons and tutor sessions, some jointly with senior leaders.
• Discussions were held with senior and middle leaders, other staff and representatives from the trust.
• Inspectors looked at pupils’ work in lessons and a sample of pupils’ workbooks.
• Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour before school, during lessons, around school, in registration sessions, at breaktime and at lunchtime.
• Inspectors visited two local alternative provision sites to meet with leaders and observe the provision.
• Inspectors spoke with pupils in discussion groups and informally around school.
• Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of documents, including the school self-evaluation, improvement plans, minutes of meetings of the governing body, information about the attainment and progress of pupils, records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding, and information on the school’s website.
• Inspectors considered 25 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, including 18 free-text responses. Inspectors also considered 40 responses to the pupil survey, alongside 48 responses to the staff survey.

Inspection team

Barry Found, lead inspector Julian Appleyard Michael Cook Erica Hiorns

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector