School ‘requires improvement’
A ONCE failing Nuneaton secondary school is no longer ‘inadequate’ but still needs work to completely turn its fortunes around.
Following its most recent Ofsted visit, the Nuneaton Academy has been scored as ‘requires improvement,’ a marked change from being in special measures just a matter of years ago.
But education inspectors still say the Radnor Drive-based place of learning has a way to go in all four key areas including outcomes for pupils and quality of teaching and learning. In fact, according to the report:
Work is often not fully matched to pupils’ abilities, and teachers often do not plan carefully enough to meet the needs of the most able.
Lessons are rarely planned to make consistently good use of pupils’ time. In some cases, pupils are left briefly with nothing to do. Teachers do not reliably check on pupils’ progress in lessons.
Low-level disruption sometimes set in when pupils do not have appropriate work to do. Teachers’ management of pupils’ classroom behaviour has improved but remains inconsistent.
Pupils have left school with low levels of attainment, having made weak progress from their different starting points in almost all subjects. Some strategies for raising pupils’ achievement, including that of disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, have limited impact to date.
Ofsted inspectors have also noted that, following changes in governance, the pace of improvement is quickening and academic standards are rising, including in key subjects English and maths and leaders have created a ‘positive and cohesive’ school community and pupil attendance is rising and is now in line with the national average. However, progress has been made including pupils feeling safe at school, their behaviour at social times and in many lessons is ‘good’ and safeguarding procedures are also effective.
There is still work to do and an action plan has been created by the Ofsted inspectors for the school to work towards including improving the quality of teaching, raise expectations and tackle gaps in pupils’ previous learning ‘weak subjects’ such as science, IT and modern foreign languages.
There is also a need to ensure that teachers apply the school’s expectations for classroom behaviour consistently and evaluate promptly the impact of the school’s actions to raise achievement, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special needs and/or disabilities.
In the meantime, principal Simon Lomax was keen to note the work already undertaken to move from serious weaknesses to inadequate and now ‘requires improvement.’
“I am pleased that the hard work of staff and students to improve the Nuneaton Academy has been recognised by Ofsted,” he said.
“Here at the Nuneaton Academy we are fully committed to continuing this improvement and striving towards being a school of excellence. Moving forward, we will be further developing the level of stretch and challenge in lessons. In order to implement this we have appointed a progress coach to support students on a one-toone basis to ensure progress in core subjects and optional subjects at KS4.”
Marion Plan, CEO of the Midland Academies Trust, added: “The Midland Academies Trust is pleased with the progress that this report highlights. The Nuneaton Academy has demonstrated sustained improvement and is well on the way to becoming a school of choice for the local community.
“The leadership of the academy continues to be effective in focusing on key areas for improvement and ensuring the very best for our young people.”