Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst is a school where poor behaviour disrupts learning.

Leaders have not taken effective steps to secure positive behaviour from pupils. Staff do not apply the behaviour policy consistently and pupils frequently ignore the staff's instructions. Behaviour at social times is chaotic and disorderly.

Some pupils show a lack of respect to their peers and to staff. Pupils expressed to inspectors that they were generally unhappy at school.

Many teachers do not structure lessons, so that pupils can learn effectively.

Often, pupils do not understand the work. This means that many pupils do not progress as well as they could. In man...y lessons, staff ignore disruptive behaviour.

This leads to disorder in the classroom. Many pupils often lack motivation and have negative attitudes to learning.

Pupils are encouraged to report bullying, but many pupils do not do this because they feel it will worsen the situation.

These pupils also have little confidence in staff to deal with issues that arise. Leaders acknowledge there is more work to be done.

It is a different picture in the sixth form.

Here, the curriculum is delivered well. Students are passionate about their learning and have positive behaviours and attitudes to learning. Students are well prepared for their next steps.

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

Leaders have planned a detailed curriculum that sets out the knowledge that pupils are expected to know. Despite this, pupils do not have a positive experience in lessons. Typically, pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), experience a disconnected series of lessons that do not build their knowledge.

Pupils' work indicates that they have been receiving a poor education over a long period of time. This is because leaders have not ensured that teachers know how to teach their subjects well enough. All of this means that pupils struggle to grasp the basics of each subject.

This results in them not making the progress they should over time.

Too often, teachers do not check what pupils have learned before they move on to new learning. When misconceptions or gaps in knowledge arise, these are not always addressed.

Pupils do not ask for help when they need it because they do not think they will get the necessary support. This means that gaps in knowledge widen, and pupils do not understand the work.

In the sixth form, reading is prioritised well and students enjoy reading.

In the rest of the school, all pupils have opportunities to read every morning. In these sessions, pupils read age-appropriate texts and are developing confidence to read aloud. However, pupils who have fallen behind with their reading do not receive the help they need to catch up.

This is because leaders are not aware of what the pupils' specific needs are. This hinders these pupils from becoming fluent readers.

Behaviour is a real weakness.

Leaders have not ensured that staff consistently apply the school's behaviour policy. As a result, some pupils feel they are treated unfairly. Many lessons are disrupted by poor behaviour, so pupils cannot learn.

Although leaders have made amendments to the behaviour policy, the impact of this has been too slow.

The number of sanctions given to pupils is rising. This includes suspensions.

The number of pupils who are suspended repeatedly is also rising. It is unclear what impact these sanctions are having on improving pupils' behaviour.

The curriculum for relationship and sex education, and personal, social and health education is not sequenced well.

As a result, pupils cannot make connections between learning. If pupils are absent, they miss this education and there are no plans in place to help them to catch up.

Pupils receive a well-planned careers programme that is delivered during tutor time.

Pupils have the chance to meet over fifty employers at the school's careers fair. Pupils in Year 10 and the sixth form benefit from virtual work experience. This opportunity allows pupils to complete virtual work-related tasks to find out which careers are suited to them.

Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of education, employment, or training. The number of pupils participating in extra-curricular activities is high and this includes pupils with SEND.

Leaders and those responsible for governance have taken a range of steps to improve the school.

However, these changes made have been implemented too slowly. Those responsible for governance have not checked leaders' work well enough.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All staff are trained and are given regular updates on safeguarding. Staff know how to use the school's system to report a concern. Safeguarding leaders have knowledge of the wider risks that pupils face and inform staff accordingly.

Where necessary, leaders make appropriate referrals to children's services. The school effectively manages safer recruitment.

Although pupils know where to get help if they need it, they do not always have the confidence to report their concerns.

The designated safeguarding lead is working with pupils to give them the support and confidence they need to report issues.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The improvements that leaders and those responsible for governance have made have been implemented too slowly. This has resulted in pupils making poor progress in their learning as well as staff not managing pupils' behaviour effectively.

Those responsible for governance should hold leaders to account and deal with the weaknesses across the school systematically and with urgency. ? The curriculum across many subjects is implemented weakly. This means that pupils are not receiving a good quality of education so do not make the progress they should.

Leaders should ensure that lessons are well structured and that teachers have the subject knowledge they need to teach the curriculum as intended. ? Too many lessons are disrupted by poor behaviour. This means that classrooms are too often not a place where pupils can learn.

Leaders should ensure that all staff have high expectations of pupils' behaviour and of what they can achieve, are helped to develop the skills they need to manage behaviour effectively and understand and consistently follow the school's behaviour policy. ? Pupils show a lack of respect for each other and staff, and frequently ignore requests from staff. This results in poor behaviour across the school.

Leaders should ensure that pupils are taught what is expected of them and are challenged and supported to develop the necessary respect and self-discipline. ? Some pupils think that staff do not always respond appropriately when they have concerns about bullying. Others feel that reporting bullying will worsen the situation for them or others.

This means that some pupils do not report bullying incidents. Leaders need to ensure that pupils have the confidence to report bullying to them or to staff and are given clear feedback about actions that have been taken as a result.

Having considered the evidence, we strongly recommend that leaders and those responsible for governance do not seek to appoint early career teachers.

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