Admiral Lord Nelson School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school Leaders have taken rapid action to tackle the dip in pupils' progress seen in 2016.

As a result, current pupils are achieving well across the school. Vulnerable pupils, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, are making good progress from their starting points. Teaching has improved rapidly because leaders at all levels have made good use of guidance and advice.

As a result, staff are well supported to improve their practice. Leaders make very good use of achievement information to check on the progress of individuals and groups of pupils. Consequently, those pupils who need extra help receive additional su...pport and catch up quickly.

The membership of the local governing body has changed considerably since the school became part of a multi-academy trust. Governors are not yet scrutinising the work of leaders in enough depth. Pupils appreciate the extensive range of additional activities, trips and visits.

In some cases, such as the school play, pupils organise and lead the activities themselves. Pupils enjoy school. They are proud of the school and they model the values of respect and responsibility well.

Pupils feel well supported and safe. In the past, the curriculum did not meet all of the pupils' needs. Leaders have introduced a new curriculum this year that is now more suitable and meets pupils' needs more closely.

In a minority of subjects, including mathematics, teaching does not challenge the most able pupils effectively. As a result, these pupils make less progress than in other subjects. Leaders have refreshed and updated their approach to supporting pupils who are disadvantaged.

Consequently, these pupils are now achieving well and in some cases making more progress than their peers. Parents are positive about the school, especially the support for pupils who struggle to settle in or who have had less positive experiences of education elsewhere. The support from the multi-academy trust is developing.

However, there remains a lack of clarity over the exact role trustees have in holding leaders to account. Pupils make a very positive contribution to their community. They raise money for local and national charities as well as sponsoring two schools in The Gambia.

There are increasingly effective links with the other schools in the trust and local schools. As a result, leaders benefit from the additional expertise available to them.

Information about this school

Admiral Lord Nelson School is an average-sized secondary school.

The school converted to an academy in April 2014. In April 2015, the school joined the Saltern's Academy Trust. The vast majority of pupils are white British.

The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged and eligible for the pupil premium funding is just below the national average. There is a higher proportion in the school of children looked after than is found in other schools. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is just above the national average.

The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website. The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress.