1. OfSTED Inspection 7th and 8th December 2016 Feedback to Parents
Bower Park Academy
A SPECIALIST MEDIA ARTS COLLEGE
OfSTED Inspection 7th and 8th December 2016
Feedback to Parents

2. My Vision
No matter what their starting point or personal circumstances, every student can achieve success at Bower Park Academy
Our moral purpose is to the make a difference to the life chances of every student attending the Academy. We will do this by:
Maximise achievement
Developing valued citizen
Building learning power
Our vision is built on high expectations and high aspirations.
Success depends on building a strong learning community with a strong culture of learning – students, staff and parents.

3. Getting to Good in Two Years
5 Fundamental Strands of Development:
High-quality teaching and learning
Strong culture of learning – high expectations and aspirations
Outstanding leadership – challenge and support
Effective tracking of student progress and appropriate intervention
Consistency, consistency, consistency
Both previous schools – rapid improvement in results - 24 to 60% in 4 years
Understand what is needed
5 key strands – already started

4. Context for the Inspection
Inspections are historic - based on trends over the last three years of results
Bower’s results over the past three years show a huge amount of underachievement
Hence, only 3 options in terms of judgements:
Requires Improvement
Serious Weaknesses
Special Measures

5. Main Findings – Weaknesses
Leaders and governors have been far too slow to improve outcomes for pupils.
Performance management is weak.
Leaders are not rigorous in their use of self- evaluation
The school improvement plan is not focused on the key activities needed to raise standards.
Teachers are not consistently using the school’s feedback policy.
Disadvantaged pupils, including the most able, make inadequate progress.
Teaching lacks challenge, particularly for the most able.
Assessment processes, particularly at key stage 3, are not accurately evaluating the quality of teaching.
There is a wide variability in the quality of leadership at all levels.
There is too much inconsistency across the school.

6. Main Findings – Positives
Staff know pupils well, particularly those who are vulnerable. As a result, pupils benefit from early help when needed.
The curriculum is improving. Pupils now benefit from studying appropriate courses relative to their different abilities.
Strategies to improve pupils’ reading skills are showing impact.
There are pockets of effective teaching in some subjects, including art and design, drama, physical education and religious education
Pupils are polite, courteous and friendly. They report that bullying is rare and that they feel safe at the school.
Pupils are confident in talking about how to keep themselves safe, including when online and using new technologies
Pupils are respectful to each other and they integrate well.
Uniform standards are high.

7. Areas for Improvements - Leadership
What Ofsted said:
Ensuring that the school improvement plan focuses on specific activities and includes measurable outcomes
Improving how pupil progress is monitored, particularly at key stage 3
Ensuring that senior and middle leaders are consistently effective in their roles
Ensuring that leaders and governors routinely evaluate pupil premium expenditure
Ensuring that systems for managing attendance and behaviour provide information so that leaders can identify any emerging trends and patterns for different groups of pupils
Refining how teachers’ performance is evaluated
Actions:
ITB – stronger governance and holding senior leaders accountable
ELAT – building leadership capacity
ELAT system for monitoring student progress in KS3
ELAT - New systems for monitoring attendance and behaviour
A new Post Ofsted Action Plan – judged fit for purpose by HMI
New leadership structure – clarity of roles and responsibilities - higher levels of accountability
More effective monitoring of teaching and learning
New Pupil Premium plan focusing on outcomes
New performance management process

8. Areas for Improvement – Teaching:
What Ofsted said:
Rapidly improve the quality of teaching so that outcomes for pupils significantly increase, particularly in mathematics and science, by:
To plan lessons that challenge pupils, including the most able, to achieve the grades of which they are capable
To give high-quality feedback to pupils so that they are clear about what they have to do to improve their learning
To have the highest expectations of what pupils should be learning
For pupils to practise and deepen their mathematical skills across the curriculum.
Actions:
ELAT
sharing best practice
Expertise and support
Teaching School – excellent training opportunities
Intensive CPD for all teachers (TEEP)
Weekly training sessions – sharing best practice
Recruitment of Lead Practitioners
Recruitment of new staff in science and maths
Recruitment of Maths tutors
Revised marking and feedback policy
10 non-negotiables for teachers
Tighter scrutiny of teaching, learning and assessment – teachers receive regular feedback
Coaching plans to support teachers
Maths across the curriculum coordinator and champions

9. Finally… I am determined to lead this school to be highly successful
I have been here before and know what is required
We have staff who are committed to our succeed
We have fantastic students
We have supportive parents who care
Together we will show Ofsted how fast we are improving:
March – DFE
April – Ofsted

10. Questions?