THE ‘GOOD’ TIMES RETURN TO SCHOOL!
Ofsted praise for academy
A HIGH school where students are ‘enthusiastic about their learning’ and behave well has been praised for its improvements.
Ofsted inspectors have now rated Sir Thomas Boughey Academy, in Halmerend, as good in all areas.
They visited the school virtually five years to the day since its previous inspection, which took place before it converted to academy status.
Back in 2017, it was classed as ‘requiring improvement’.
The latest report says pupils are ‘happy to come to this welcoming, inclusive school’ and ‘know they are well cared for’ by staff.
“Staff get to know individual pupils and their families well. Leaders have
high expectations for what they want pupils to achieve,” add inspectors.
“Pupils behave well. They are respectful in lessons, and listen carefully to their teachers. Pupils said that they feel safe.”
The Station Road school, which is now part of the United Endeavour Trust, also has a ‘clear vision’ for its ‘ambitious’ curriculum.
Sir Thomas Boughey recently switched from a two-year to three-year key
stage three, which means pupils have more time to study a broader range of subjects before their GCSES.
But Ofsted said the provision for modern foreign languages has ‘not been good enough’ in the past.
Too few students still carry on with French.
Yet the inspectors note that the teaching of French has now ‘greatly improved’.
Across the school, teachers use different strategies to help pupils build on their learning. “Lessons begin with an activity to recap on previously taught content. Pupils like this and said that it helps them to remember more,” adds the report.
The ‘pastoral’ curriculum has also been thought through carefully and is well planned.
While relationships and sex education involves input from specialist agencies and students discuss topics ‘openly and sensibly’.
For careers guidance, there is a ‘comprehensive’ programme, with discussions about careers threaded through different subjects. Yet younger pupils don’t always understand how the school is ‘preparing them for their future’.
Staff also have a strong focus on improving attendance. The report says: “Even though attendance has remained broadly in line with the national average, they are determined to increase it back to the levels it was at before the Covid-19 pandemic.”
The school has been approached for comment.