SIAMS Report June 2016

National Society Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools Report Samworth Church Academy Sherwood Hall Road Mansfield NG18 2DY Previous SIAMS grade: Satisfactory Current inspection grade: Inadequate Diocese: Southwell and Nottingham Local authority: N/A Dates of inspection: 15 and 16 June 2016 Date of last inspection: 6 July 2011 School’s unique reference number: 135583 Headteacher: Barry Found Inspector’s name and number: Jo Fageant 104 School context Samworth Church Academy is an 11-18 academy co-sponsored by Samworth Brothers and the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham. It has a business and enterprise specialism. The principal has been in post since September 2014. A new chaplain was appointed in April 2016. Two experienced religious education (RE) teachers, including the head of department, left during the current academic year. New staff have been appointed but at the time of the inspection there is only one RE specialist teacher. The number of students eligible for free school meals reflects the national average. Most students are of White British heritage with fewer than the national average from ethnic minorities or speaking English as an additional language. A greater proportion than the national average have special educational needs.

The distinctiveness and effectiveness of Samworth Church Academy as a Church of England school are inadequate  Expressed in documentation as an aspect of Christian mission, the commitment to provide high quality education for all has established a trend of improving academic results.  Values including service, sustainability, and respect, together with rich international opportunities, have a positive impact on students’ personal development though they are not routinely promoted from a distinctively Christian perspective.  The appointment of a new chaplain and a recent review of the significance of the academy’s Christian foundation demonstrate a commitment to strengthening the Christian distinctiveness of the school.

Areas to improve  Clarify, articulate and share a vision for the academy which reflects in equal measure the interests and motivations of both sponsors. Ensure it is used to inform all policy and practice so that it truly characterises the day to day life of the academy and shapes the learning opportunities of students.  In partnership with the chaplain and local clergy, review and improve arrangements for collective worship so that it meets the requirements of the funding agreement in context-appropriate ways and creates more opportunities for student leadership.  Establish strategies for monitoring and evaluating the impact of the school’s Christian character and the collective worship provided so the views of adults and students throughout the academy community inform planning and positive development.

The school, through its distinctive Christian character, is good at meeting the needs of all learners This is a school which, through its many initiatives, works tirelessly to provide the best educational opportunities for all students. One document declares this to be its Christian mission. Some staff explicitly understand this to be the outworking of their Christian faith. Students are aware that the school is a church school and they recognise the five Christian values displayed prominently around the building. They develop an understanding of these through a Year 7 RE unit. This provides the clearest evidence that students have some understanding of a Christian perspective on these values.

Restructuring and refocusing in the last two years has brought about a trend of improving results.

Detailed tracking of students’ progress indicates this pattern will return even better results this year.

Students are confident that they are well supported in their learning, one saying, ‘They won’t let you fail. They want you to do the best you can.’ The academy’s passionate commitment to every student is richly illustrated through the improved ways in which vulnerable students are supported. Successful individualised provision is now available through the ‘bridge’ and the ‘progress learning centre’.

Vocational courses in bricklaying, hair and animal management provide appropriate learning opportunities and qualifications for some students. This commitment is also manifest in the academy’s approach to issues of attendance and exclusions. Exclusions have been reduced through managed moves and, for some students, carefully selected alternative provision. Tireless support for students and families is improving attendance. Although there is a strong focus on values, there is a greater awareness of those which arise from the academy’s involvement with Round Square than with the chosen Christian values. The promotion of values makes a positive impact on the achievements, personal development and wellbeing of students as well as behaviour and relationships. Not only, but especially, through the involvement with Round Square, they have access to extraordinarily rich opportunities. An endowment fund makes it possible for students to take up opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach. It has enabled some to travel to India, Morocco and many more locations to mix with a wide variety of people from around the world. They describe their experiences as ‘eye-opening’. They transform understanding of and respect for diversity and difference: in the words of one student, ‘Even though we were from all over the world we still have the same sort of problems.’ These opportunities, together with what is covered in the RE curriculum, mean that students have, to varying degrees, an awareness of different expressions of Christianity.

Survey results show that even students who are unenthusiastic about RE readily recognise its value in helping them to understand others. The impact of the curriculum and other experiences result in good spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development. This is also supported through the ‘thought for the week’ which develops tolerance and mutual respect through the sharing of ideas in a circle. Students respond well to the academy’s promotion of service and this results in generous social and charitable action.

The impact of collective worship on the school community is inadequate The academy is unable to provide any evidence of an organised system of monitoring and evaluating the impact of collective worship. As a consequence, there is no reliable means of making a secure judgement about the difference it makes. This was identified as an area to develop in the last inspection report. Collective worship is provided for each ‘school’ within the academy on one day per week. During the first tutor time session of each week students engage with the ‘thought for the week’. These themes are planned to be relevant and thought-provoking, providing opportunities for students’ SMSC development. Resources support tutors in the delivery and/or facilitation of these sessions. They include Christian teachings and a prayer. There is no clear and convincing evidence to indicate the extent to which the Christian focus plays a central role. What limited evidence could be gathered during the inspection revealed it is at least sometimes given only cursory attention. Major Christian festivals are celebrated in a local church, often without the involvement of church personnel.

The academy is unable to provide evidence of the extent to which these occasions enrich students’ understanding of Christian beliefs and Anglican traditions. Other than in these contexts, no evidence exists to suggest that engagement with prayer is a significant factor in the day to day life of the academy. The new chaplain is already addressing this issue with the introduction of staff prayer NS 03 2015

SIAMS Inspection School Report

meetings and a facility to email prayer requests. Tutor groups of students are required to take responsibility for leading collective worship a few times each year. The academy does not gather evidence about the willingness of students to have a greater involvement in the planning and leading of worship.

The effectiveness of the religious education is good Good teaching has resulted in students making at least expected progress from their starting points.

As a consequence, standards in GCSE have risen year on year for the last four years and are amongst the best in the school. Tasks matched to different abilities, effective assessment and improved marking help students understand how well they are doing and what they need to do to do even better. The carefully planned curriculum means students develop a good understanding of Christian values, different expressions of Christianity and other religions. They also learn to use skills such as enquiry, analysis and reflection. Visits to places of worship such as Southwell Minster, a mosque in Leicester and the synagogue in Nottingham have enriched students’ understanding of religious diversity and how religion influences the lives of believers. For these reasons they say the subject is important. It has a positive impact on their SMSC development. All students follow a full GCSE course and a small number go on to study for A level. The subject has benefitted from having a team of specialist teachers with a highly respected and innovative head of department. However, two left very recently leaving one remaining at the time of the inspection. Students value the expertise of their specialist teachers and the way in which they make/made lessons accessible and engaging.

Resources have been developed to support non-specialist teachers of whom there are currently more than would normally be the case. They have confidence in and are very appreciative of the specialist support they receive. This helps to sustain the RE course across the school. However, currently with the significant number of teachers who are each teaching very few lessons, there is inconsistency in the quality of lessons. New specialist staff have been appointed for September.

The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the school as a church school is inadequate Whilst the academy’s vision statement claims a distinctive feature is its Christian values, it does not identify what these are. The statement contains ideals which reflect those of Christianity but there is no explicit reference to them as such. It does not offer a clear and coherent vision, drawing on the powerful potential of the co-sponsorship, against which policy and practice can easily be evaluated.

There is no common understanding shared by all staff of the significance of the Church’s involvement in the academy. In response to the last inspection, five values, understood to be Christian, were identified and linked with biblical texts and Round Square values. They are displayed around the building, on the website and in the prospectus. However, no explanation is given about how they influence the life of the academy and they are not referenced in any policies or other documentation.

There is no evidence available to suggest they are used to inform the work and decisions of leaders.

Leaders have no adequate self-evaluation of the impact of a distinctively Christian vision or Christian values. Many staff have undertaken leadership training with several different organisations. This has not specifically focused on the leadership of Church schools. However, along with internally provided, well targeted, professional development opportunities, these courses have enabled staff to develop their skills in ways which benefit them and the academy as a whole. Leaders have not adequately addressed the areas for improvement set out in the last inspection report. However, a senior leader, prompted by this inspection, is now reviewing how the academy could redefine itself as a church school. This, together with the work of the new chaplain, indicates a convincing capacity for rapid improvement building on the academy’s many existing strengths. Parents, students and staff speak appreciatively of the caring, supportive and aspirational ethos. The emphasis on service results in active engagement with the local community and beyond. Close relationships with local churches are less well developed. Leaders have sustained a commitment to the importance and value of RE evidenced by the appointment of specialist staff and all students in Key Stage 4 following a full GCSE course. However, they do not ensure that the statutory requirements for collective worship are met.

SIAMS report June 2016, Samworth Church Academy, Mansfield, NG18 2DY NS 03 2015

SIAMS Inspection School Report