Parents’ Information Evening Ofsted: moving to at least good

1. Parents’ Information EveningOfsted:moving to at least good Tuesday 17th September

2. The Start of the New Year • Very positive start • Excellent Attitude to Learning • Learning Environment much improved: • Sports Hall • Art Block • 11 Classrooms • New Cards to be issued soon • Printing • Cashless catering

3. Monitoring Visit Report • The best we could have hoped for at this stage Key Highlights • There has been a big focus on ensuring lessons: are well-matched to the varying needs of students; provide suitable levels of challenge; and enable students to make strong demonstrable progress.

4. Key Highlights • careful attention is being paid to the accuracy of monitoring, assessment, marking and feedback, with more regular discussion about students’ learning and progress beginning to take place, with a view to intervening more quickly to effect improvements or nip in the bud any slower progress or regression apparent.

5. Key Highlights • predictions indicate that, Year 11 and Year 13 students’ achievement in 2013, will be similar to those in 2012 • Year 13 identical with a weaker year group • Year 11 good in Mathematics, Science and English Literature

6. Key Highlights • Members of the governing body have a wealth of relevant experiences and expertise that they are bringing to bear in holding the academy’s leaders to account for its performance • Senior leaders and governors are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection

7. Action Points • link formally with a good or better school to accelerate further the school’s improvement • make sure that all achievement targets are sufficiently challenging and represent good or better progress for all students • establish a rigorous and reliable data management system that enables staff at all levels of the academy to accurately and regularly, record, report, review, and intervene to support, all students’ progress and attainment Progress has already been made on each of these bullet points

8. Action Plan • HMI very pleased with content and plans for this year • Very detailed • Good use of external support • Need to ensure progress is maintained and is rapid

9. What differences will you see? • New marking policy; students should know • Where they are • What they need to do to progress • When they have reached the next level • 6 week learning cycle • Regular Enhanced Reporting • Intervention to support underachievers • Celebrating Good Progress • Quality of Teaching and Learning Improved

10. Other initiatives • Vertical Tutoring • Parent/tutors/student meeting to discuss progress • Year 11 – week beginning 4th November • Year 10 – week beginning 16th December • Year 9– week beginning 23rd June • Year 8– week beginning 31st March • Year 7– week beginning 10th February • Older students already supporting new/younger ones and able to focus on own progress in small groups

11. Subject Parents’ Evenings • Year 13 – 5th December • Year 12 - 27th November • Year 11 – 12th February • Year 10 – 3rd April • Year 9 – 25th February • Year 8 – 12th November • Year 7 – 1st May