College is making good progress says Ofsted
A HINCKLEY school in special measures showed marked improvements in its latest Ofsted report.
Hinckley Academy and John Cleveland Sixth Form Centre was commended for “taking effective action” towards leaving the procedure after a two-day visit in December 2018.
The report said that head teacher Richard Cahill had wasted no time in addressing the issues raised in the previous inspection in May 2018, which found the centre to be Inadequate.
Inspectors said: “Leaders, including trustees, have rightly prioritised the safeguarding of pupils, the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and the behaviour of pupils. “The whole-school plan is ambitious, comprehensive and addresses all the areas for improvement identified in the previous inspection.” The two inspectors said that teachers’ planning was particularly effective in getting pupils to question their understanding of ideas and concepts. The report said: “Inspectors also noted that pupils have responded positively to higher expectations about the overall presentation of their work. “The quality of teaching is improving.” Mr Cahill said: “I would like to say thank you for the support I have had from parents and their faith and trust in us to deliver the education their children deserve. “It’s been an ongoing journey of consistent improvement, however the inspection last summer didn’t fully see the developments that we had already put in place.
“It’s reassuring to see that this has now been recognised by Ofsted, although we always knew that we were on the right track.”
Trustees were said to have a clearer understanding of their responsibilities, making links with subject leaders and other key aspect of the school’s work.
The report said: “Teachers have a good subject knowledge, which they use well in sequencing learning activities and in identifying ‘enquiry questions’.
“Relationships between staff and pupils are generally positive and pupils say that their lessons are now better organised. “Pupils also say that their lessons now make them think more independently.”
Students were commended for their good conduct throughout the school day and for wearing their uniform smartly.
Incidence of bullying was said to be low and youngsters said they were confident any instances would be dealt with by staff.
Mr Cahill said: “Students and their parents have been telling us all along that they value the care and quality of education that they have been getting.
“This recent affirmation by Ofsted helps us to grow in confidence and continue to do the very best for all our students.”
The academy now expects a further monitoring visit in the Summer term where the few remaining areas for improvement will be assessed.
The full report is available on the Ofsted website.