Kingsmead Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

After a period of leadership turbulence, the school now has a clear vision of how it will provide a broad and ambitious education for pupils.

Leaders have begun to make improvements, but some of these changes are recent and are not fully embedded. Currently, pupils do not achieve as well as they should in all areas of the curriculum. The school is focused on providing pupils with the support they need to reach their potential and further raise examination outcomes.

The school has significantly raised expectations for pupils' behaviour. There are clear rewards and consequences that are used fairly to reinforce what is acceptable. While suspensions have been high, they ...are falling dramatically as pupils are better supported to manage their behaviour.

Pupils appreciate that their lessons now take place without disruption. They have positive relationships with adults and feel happy and safe.

Pupils are keen to take on additional responsibilities.

They work alongside staff to run 'The Old Railway Farm' at the school. Pupils enjoy attending clubs and visits. They take part in sport, drama and music performances to showcase their talents.

Older pupils act as role models through the subject ambassador scheme and by reading with younger pupils. The student council shares pupils' views with leaders so that they can work together to improve the school.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has revised the curriculum to make sure that pupils study a broad range of subjects.

However, in some subjects, the school has not set out precisely what knowledge pupils will gain and in which order. Sometimes pupils are repeating work that they have already covered rather than deepening their understanding further.

The checks that teachers make to see if pupils understand what they have learned do not accurately identify what pupils know and can do.

This means that the work pupils are given is not closely matched to their starting points. Sometimes pupils do not understand what is being asked of them which means that they find it difficult to engage positively with their work. However, when adults have high expectations of what pupils can do, pupils rise to meet these expectations.

The school has increased the importance of reading within the curriculum. The weakest readers are quickly identified. They receive the support they need to improve their fluency and comprehension.

Pupils share stories as a class and this is beginning to encourage more pupils to enjoy reading.

The school accurately identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These pupils learn the full curriculum while also accessing additional support as appropriate.

However, pupils with SEND experience the same weaknesses in the curriculum as their peers. This hinders how successfully they learn.

The school actively promotes the importance of high attendance.

It closely monitors and tracks pupils' attendance. Support is provided to pupils and their families to reduce absence levels. For example, through the 're-engagement room' and well-being support.

Consequently, the number of pupils who are persistently absent from school is falling.

The school's personal development programme has been carefully designed to prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils value tolerance and have many opportunities to discuss moral dilemmas.

They are prepared to report incidents of bullying because they understand that 'it's not ok@kingsmead' to behave in that way. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe and healthy, both physically and mentally.

The careers programme includes events for pupils to engage with the world of work through guest speakers and visits.

The school is particularly committed to providing support for Year 11 pupils to make informed choices for their next steps in education or training.

Recently, the school has accurately highlighted priorities for improvement. It has sought the views of staff, pupils and parents to guide decisions.

This includes being considerate of staff workload and well-being. The impact of changes in some areas, such as behaviour, are clear. In other areas, changes are only just beginning to secure improvements.

There are limited systems in place to provide the school with a clear understanding of what is working well and where further improvements will be needed. This hinders the ability of those responsible for governance to maintain a clear oversight of the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects the school has not considered with sufficient precision what pupils will learn and in what order. This leads to inconsistencies in how well the curriculum is delivered. The school should ensure that the curriculum is clearly defined in all subjects so that it is ambitious for all learners.

• Assessment within the classroom does not help adults accurately identify pupils' starting points or gaps in their knowledge and understanding. This hampers teachers in designing learning activities that take pupils' starting points into account. The school should make sure that routine checks for understanding inform adaptations to the curriculum to help pupils achieve more highly.

• The school currently does not have sufficient systems in place to accurately monitor and review the quality of education it provides. This means that this school is unclear of what is working well and where further improvements may be needed. The school should ensure that leaders at all levels, including governance, can accurately evaluate the quality of education provided so that appropriate support and challenge can be given to improve.