Tamworth Enterprise College and AET Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Tamworth Enterprise College say they have a trusted adult they can talk to if they are upset.

They say they feel safe in school. If pupils report bullying, they know staff will deal with it quickly. However, some pupils say that this does not always resolve the problem fully and it can happen again.

Most pupils enjoy school. They say, 'It is okay to be different.' But some pupils say that other pupils' poor behaviour disrupts their learning.

This is usually in lessons that have cover teachers.

Leaders want pupils to achieve the best they can in all aspects of school life. They provide pupils with a wide range of experiences, including visit...s to universities and visitors coming into school to talk to pupils about college, jobs and apprenticeships.

The school provides pupils with a range of clubs and activities. This includes sports, drama, art and modern foreign languages (MFL). Pupils go on geography field trips.

They have also been involved in a writing scheme which resulted in pupils writing three novels. Pupils value these experiences.

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

Leaders have thought carefully about the subjects that pupils study.

They are ambitious for what pupils can achieve. This includes those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils follow a wide range of subjects at key stage 3.

This prepares pupils well for the choices they make at key stage 4.

Leaders plan the curriculum well and topics are taught in a logical order. Teachers have good subject knowledge.

However, their use of assessment is inconsistent. This means pupils can remember what they have been taught better in some subjects than others. When assessment is used well, for example in English, teachers' use of questioning helps pupils to develop a deeper understanding of their work.

However, when teachers do not check what pupils know and understand in lessons or in their work, mistakes go unnoticed and persist. For example, work in pupils' books shows that pupils often misspell key words, and this is not picked up or addressed consistently well. This hinders pupils' progress in punctuation, spelling and grammar.

Leaders give the development of pupils' reading high priority. Pupils read regularly in tutor time. Leaders check how well pupils are doing with their reading.

Extra help is given to those who need it. Leaders' information shows that this is beginning to make a difference in improving pupils' reading ability. However, leaders recognise that they need to continue to do more to make sure that all pupils read widely and often.

The school provides good care for pupils with SEND. Pupils say they enjoy school. All pupils with SEND have an individual learning plan (IEP).

However, some plans include too much detail and are therefore not specific enough about how staff can best support the pupils. The means that the plans are not as effective as they could be in supporting pupils to make good progress.

Leaders set high expectations for behaviour.

As a result, the number of incidents of inappropriate behaviour is reducing. Staff say leaders support them well to manage behaviour. However, pupils' views about behaviour are mixed.

Some say it is good, but others say poor behaviour stops them from learning. This can be when the lesson has a cover teacher. Pupils say, and inspectors agree, that it depends on the subject.

The school provides pupils with good careers advice and guidance. This starts in Year 7. As a result, pupils make well-informed decisions about their next steps.

All Year 11 pupils have an offer of education, employment or training secured for when they leave at the end of the year.

All staff speak highly of the support they get from leaders. This includes those new to teaching.

Staff morale is high.

Trustees and members of the governing body have high expectations for what the school and its pupils can achieve. They provide leaders with an appropriate balance of support and challenge.

For example, they ask leaders what interventions they are using to support pupils' reading. This ensures that leaders evaluate the support being given to pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All staff receive regular training. They report concerns confident in the knowledge that leaders will deal with them effectively. Leaders have developed good links with external agencies.

This includes with the social worker who works on the school site. As a result, pupils and their families get the right help they need quickly.

The school completes all the appropriate checks on all adults who work at, or visit, the school.

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe through the curriculum and pastoral programme. This includes online safety. As a result, pupils say they feel safe.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Assessment is not used effectively in all subjects in order to identify gaps in pupils' knowledge and understanding. As a result, some misconceptions go unnoticed and persist. Leaders need to ensure that assessment is used well in all subjects to identify different starting points and gaps in knowledge.

In addition, leaders must make sure teachers use this information to address pupils' misconceptions and the gaps in their knowledge. ? IEPs are not as effective as they could be in supporting the learning of pupils with SEND. Information about what support will look like for individual pupils is not precise enough.

This means that pupils may not get the specific support they need to achieve well. Leaders need to ensure that staff are provided with the precise information they need to enable them to plan and deliver effective additional support for pupils with SEND so that they fulfil their potential. ? Leaders' high expectations for pupils' behaviour and conduct are not always realised.

Learning in some lessons is hindered by poor behaviour. This hinders pupils' progress and pupils' enjoyment of school. Leaders need to ensure that well-established routines for behaviour are embedded in all lessons so that pupils can learn well in every subject.

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