Academy goes from failing to outstanding in just 2 years
14 Apr 2014 10:42 AM
How Outwood Academy
Portland has taken advantage of academy freedoms and used extra-curricular
activities to improve pupils' attainment.
A school ranked among the worst
in the country just over 2 years ago is now rated outstanding by Ofsted - one
of the quickest turnarounds ever achieved.
Outwood Academy Portland’s
principal, Dr Phillip Smith, says that while a renewed focus on attainment in
core subjects since the school became an academy has been crucial, the
school’s success was only possible thanks to the numerous
extra-curricular activities now provided because they turned the school into a
place where children wanted to be.
Dr Smith added that high-quality
extra-curricular activities are a feature of all academies in the Outwood
family of schools.
When the school, in Worksop,
Nottinghamshire, was council run, only a handful of activities were available.
But now the school uses its academy freedoms to offer pupils more than 100
after-school classes - with everything from extra English and maths classes, to
an orchestra, a choir, a debating club, Minecraft club and circus skills on
offer.
The school has seen sharp
improvements in results and behaviour since they first started working with
Outwood Academies Trust in May 2011, a year after being placed in special
measures:
- in 2011, while a council-run
school, the proportion of pupils achieving five GCSEs at A* to C including
English and maths was just 41%
- in 2013, that figure had jumped
to 75% of pupils
- in the ‘value added’
league tables - which measure pupils’ progress from the start of
secondary school to their GCSE results - the school is ranked 39th out of all
secondary schools across England
The school officially became an
academy in June 2012, having been classed as ‘requires
improvement’, and the change culminated in their outstanding rating from
Ofsted this month.
Since becoming an academy, the
school has taken advantage of being able to change the length of its school day
- starting lessons earlier than normal at 8.25am and finishing formal schooling
at 2.30pm.
That means pupils have extra
time to take part in ‘enrichment’ - an extra hour after school
which includes traditional catch-up classes in maths and English alongside more
unusual activities such as rock music club and table-top fantasy game
Warhammer, with the majority of pupils staying on to take
part.
Examples of enrichment classes
offered by Portland include:
- building an electric
car
- philosophy and ethics debating
society
- astronomy
- film club
- cooking
Dr Smith praised the work of
teachers and pupils for turning around the school so quickly.
He added that the enrichment
classes were a crucial part of their success. Dr Smith said:
Extra-curricular classes are a
key part of life at our school and they would not be possible if we
weren’t an academy and had to follow a set school day.
The classes give pupils the
chance to learn a wide range of life skills and helps build the confidence they
need to face challenges with enthusiasm.
They have helped change the
ethos at Outwood Academy Portland - pupils see the school as somewhere they
want to be not somewhere they can’t wait to leave.
Dr Smith says starting the
school day earlier has helped improve pupils’ concentration and means
they are more willing to get involved in activities once classes have
ended.
He said:
Research shows that children
study better in the morning. That is why we only have 1 lesson after the lunch
break.
The earlier start also means
pupils and their parents are happy to stay in school to pick up extra skills or
catch up on subjects they are struggling with.
Earlier this year, Education
Secretary Michael Gove said he wanted state schools to rival the best
independents by offering a wide range of extra-curricular activities as
standard.
Education Secretary Michael Gove
said in his speech:
I have never visited a school
that excelled academically, which didn’t also excel in extra-curricular
activities.
As top heads and teachers
already know, sports clubs, orchestras and choirs, school plays, cadets,
debating competitions, all help to build character and instil grit, to give
children’s talents an opportunity to grow and to allow them to discover
new talents they never knew they had.
Notes to
editors
- Portland School was found to be
in special measures in March 2010 and came out of special measures (graded 3)
on 8 March 2012. Ofsted’s latest inspection was published on 3 April
2014.