Alleyne’s Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

Alleyne's has improved since its last inspection and is now a good school. There has been a steady improvement in the standards achieved at GCSE for all groups of students.

In particular, the underachievement evident in previous years in mathematics has been robustly tackled. Here, results have improved due to the effective strategies implemented, including improved leadership of the subject. However, the senior leadership team is ambitious for greater success in the core subjects, particularly in mathematics as progress levels do not yet match those achieved in English.

The headteacher is passionate about the school's ongoing improvement and leads a strong staff team with purpose. There is a... shared vision that places raising the achievement of all students at the heart of the school's work. Considerable attention has been paid to improving teaching across the school; consequently, this is now at a consistently good level.

In particular, the improvement work undertaken on using assessment activities in lessons has resulted in outstanding work across the school; teachers routinely use assessment information effectively to help students understand their next steps in learning. Another key feature is the school's systematic use of performance data, which is rigorous in identifying underperformance and highlighting where interventions are needed. This careful tracking is one of the contributory factors in the consistently good progress made by all groups of students, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and others whose circumstances make them potentially vulnerable or disadvantaged.

The school maintains a sharp focus on these students at an individual level to ensure that any barriers to learning are minimised. Students consistently behave well and enjoy positive relationships with their teachers; the vast majority of students express enthusiasm for school activities. Their attendance is well above the national average.

Similarly, the vast majority of parents and carers are supportive of the school. Several commented positively about the good quality care and support in school, a feature that was endorsed at inspection. Teaching is predominantly good with, increasingly, outstanding teaching emerging across the school.

Occasionally, when teaching is less successful, the expectations of what students might achieve are not high enough and the learning activities selected are not suitably matched to the different abilities of students within the group. Although much marking is of a good quality, some inconsistencies remain. There is potential to share the best teaching in the school more widely.

Whilst the attainment and progress made by sixth form students is steadily improving, this remains satisfactory overall at present. Given the improvements at GCSE in the past three years, the good level of teaching across the school and the strengths evident in the leadership team, including accurate self-evaluation, there is good capacity for further improvement.

Information about the school

Alleyne's High School is a comprehensive school of average size, drawing its students from the area around the Stone district in Staffordshire.

The vast majority of students are from White British backgrounds, with a very small number from minority ethnic backgrounds. The proportion of students with special educational needs and/or disabilities is around the national average, as is the percentage with a statement of special educational needs. The proportion of students known to be eligible for free school meals is well below average.

The school population is very stable, with little movement in or out of the school other than at the usual transfer points. The school was re-designated as a technology college in 2009. It also holds Arts Mark Gold, Investors in People and the full International School Award.