Adelaide Heath Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an inadequate school In 2016, the school reopened as part of The Adelaide Academy Trust. There has been a significant decline in all aspects of the school's performance since the predecessor school was inspected in 2013. The scale of challenge facing the school is monumental.

Leaders at all levels, including governors, have failed to take the urgent and decisive action required to reverse the decline in the school's performance. Pupils show scant regard for the impact of their behaviour on each other, staff and visitors. Pupils are verbally and physically threatening towards staff and peers.

They pay little heed to their teachers and other adults. Home...-school relationships are poor. There are too few opportunities for parents and carers to be involved in school life.

Parents do not receive information routinely about how their children are getting on. Safeguarding is ineffective. Leaders have not ensured that staff have the training and support to understand and carry out their responsibilities effectively.

Bullying is not dealt with effectively. Leaders do not carry out routine checks on alternative providers. Attendance is poor.

The overwhelming majority of pupils are persistently absent. On average, pupils are absent from school for nearly half of the school week. Pupils who do attend school are often out of lessons.

Leaders, including governors and trustees, do not have the capacity to turn the school around. The headteacher, who joined the school three months ago, has a temporary appointment. The chair of governors is also newly appointed.

The vast majority of teaching does not take into account pupils' interests, abilities or prior learning. Teachers shy away from setting work which challenges pupils. As a result, pupils find lessons dull.

The school's curriculum is not fit for purpose. It fails to enthuse pupils. Older pupils have too few choices when deciding which qualifications they wish to take.

As a result, pupils leave the school without the essential knowledge and skills to stand them in good stead for their next steps in education, employment or training. Across the school, weak teaching, poor attitudes to learning and sporadic attendance hamper pupils' progress. Outcomes at the end of Year 11 for all groups are woeful.

The school has the following strengths The recently appointed interim headteacher has an accurate view of the school's current performance. In the short time she has been in post, some improvements have been made. Pupils enjoy the opportunities to learn outdoors.

Pupils relish the challenge of the John Muir programme, which is an environmental award scheme.

Information about this school

The school converted to academy status in September 2016. The school is sponsored by The Adelaide Academy Trust, which is backed by Adelaide School, a special school for pupils who have social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

There is one other school managed by the trust, Finch Woods Academy. There is also a local governing body. There has been significant turbulence in staffing at the school since it opened.

The interim headteacher took up post in November 2017. There are a number of vacant posts on the local governing body following several recent resignations. The chair of governors was appointed in October 2017.

The school caters for pupils who have social, emotional and mental health difficulties. All pupils have an EHC plan or a statement of special educational needs. The proportion of pupils who come from minority ethnic groups is much lower than the national average.

The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is much lower than the national average. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium funding is above the national average. Currently, there are seven pupils attending the school who are looked after.

There are many more boys than girls on roll. The school works with a number of alternative providers to broaden the curriculum offer for pupils. These include Reaseheath College, the Community Volunteer Service, Total People and Climb.