11 January 2015 Dear Parent, On behalf of the Academy, its governors and sponsors, I am writing to update you on the outcome of our recent Ofsted inspection that took place on 12 th and 13th November 2014. The conclusions drawn from the inspection agreed with those already made by myself and that of our sponsor ECMAT (Education Central Multi Academy Trust, part of the University of Wolverhampton) early after being appointed as The ACE Academy’s Headteacher. The overall outcome of the Ofsted Inspection placed the school in to ‘Special Measures’. Whilst this can initially invite huge disappointment, it does allow for the right support and resources to be provided for our Academy in making rapid and sustained improvement. There are many good things that happen on a daily basis at our Academy and it was pleasing to see that these were noticed by the inspectors. They recognised that the majority of our students were polite, courteous and wearing their uniform well, and with pride. The inspectors noted that there was good teaching in the academy and that this needed to be shared across the academy in order to secure the consistency of student progress that is needed for our students to be successful. In previous years the Academy simply was not good enough. However, since September Inspectors acknowledged that there are ‘green shoots’ of improvement in teaching and learning, student attitudes, behaviour, attendance and progress. They also recognised the huge amount of recent work that has happened to improve standards and experiences in our Sixth Form. In this last term, the Academy has improved significantly. To accelerate this we will continue to be uncompromising in the expectations and standards required of our staff, students and parents. This is for one reason only - the successful education of our students, your children. We are sure that with your support and that of our students, staff, sponsors and governors that the improvement journey that this Academy has embarked upon will lead to greater success, ultimately improving our students’ achievement and life chances. Access to the full report can be gained by clicking on the ‘Ofsted’ section of our website. Please contact us if you would like a hard copy of the report. Please be assured that my team and I are fully committed to securing an outstanding education for all of our students immediately and in the future with your continued support and challenge. Yours sincerely,
Robin Grover Head teacher
Sir Geoff Hampton Chief Executive ECMAT