Ark Burlington Danes Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

From early years to the sixth form, pupils at Ark Burlington Danes treat each other with care and respect. Pupils are polite, friendly, and engage with adults well. This is a school where leaders develop pupils' character and prepare them well for the next stage of their education.

Teachers seek to know and understand every pupil, and pupils have adults who are always there to help them. Pupils are safe here.

Leaders have high expectations of pupils' behaviour.

Pupils meet these expectations most of the time. They behave well. Bullying is quite rare and, when it does happen, leaders deal with it effectively.

Pupils mix with each other happily and enj...oy socialising at lunch and break times. This is a calm and purposeful school.Children in early years are enthusiastic about their learning and older pupils work hard in lessons.

Teachers help pupils to develop their knowledge and understanding. They give pupils the individual support they need. Pupils welcome this.

Leaders want to provide pupils with new and enriching experiences. There are trips to museums and many opportunities to develop leadership qualities. These include roles as anti-bullying ambassadors, student council representatives and sixth-form reading buddies.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

School leaders and governors share a vision of an inclusive, high-quality education for all pupils. They have high aspirations for pupils and want to give them every opportunity to succeed. School leaders have been supported by the trust to sustain improvement over recent years.

Leaders have prioritised professional development, and this is developing teachers' practice. Leaders engage well with parents, carers and pupils, seeking their views when planning improvements. Most staff feel valued and well supported.

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum. Pupils develop subject-specific knowledge and skills in increasing depth and complexity. They work towards the same learning goals.

This includes pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Teachers adapt the curriculum to support pupils with SEND to achieve these goals. Leaders have developed a curriculum that builds logically on what pupils have learned before.

In early years, the curriculum goes beyond national expectations, preparing children well for Year 1. In the sixth form, leaders have established different course pathways. This allows students with a wide range of needs and interests to continue with their studies at the school.

Teachers use their subject knowledge well to help pupils' learning. They explain new ideas and information clearly. This means that pupils are confident in completing independent work.

In early years, teachers have high expectations of the vocabulary they want children to use. They model language for children and use resources that support children's development. For example, children use the climbing frames in the Year 1 and 2 area to help their physical development.

Leaders have trained teachers in checking pupils' understanding and securing pupils' knowledge. They have also introduced regular feedback on pupils' work. Teachers use some of these strategies well, for example starter activities and targeted questioning of pupils.

However, some teachers are less confident in some of the other agreed strategies. In the sixth form, teachers use these strategies effectively. For example, A level geography students receive regular individual feedback.

This helps them to develop their work to a high level, for example on tectonic hazards to communities.

In early years and Years 1 and 2, trained staff teach phonics. Pupils read books that match the sounds they have learned.

This means that pupils learn to read with fluency at an early age. Pupils also take books home so that a family member can read to them. This helps pupils to develop a love of reading and a curiosity for learning.

Phonics is also taught to older pupils if they need to develop their fluency in reading. Leaders prioritise reading. They know its importance as a foundation for future learning.

Pupils' attitudes to learning are positive in all phases of the school. They are attentive to their teachers and focus on their work. Leaders do not tolerate any disruption to learning.

When low-level disruption does occur, teachers use the school's behaviour policy to deal with it. In early years, pupils learn how to describe their feelings. Adults support them to find resolutions to any disagreements.

Leaders identify the needs of pupils with SEND well. They train staff in how to adapt their teaching for individual pupils. This ensures that teachers can meet the needs of these pupils.

Teaching assistants support individual pupils with high needs in lessons. Pupils with SEND complete the same work as other pupils and achieve well.

Leaders have developed a well-designed programme for pupils' personal development.

Pupils regularly revisit issues such as relationships and equality and diversity. They learn about key issues and topics in a variety of ways. For example, in the primary phase, teachers choose stories that help pupils to understand difference.

In the secondary phase, national organisations lead mental health workshops for pupils. Secondary pupils receive careers information, education and guidance from Year 7 to the sixth form. This helps them to make well-informed choices about their future.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have established a strong culture of safeguarding. They train staff in all aspects of safeguarding and give weekly updates to maintain staff knowledge.

Staff know how to report concerns and who they must report them to. Leaders identify risks to pupils well. They are quick to secure the help pupils need and work well with other organisations to achieve this.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe through a well-designed curriculum. They revisit key topics frequently at an age-appropriate level. Leaders also work with parents to raise their awareness of local safeguarding risks.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some teachers do not use a wide enough range of strategies to check pupils' understanding and provide feedback. This results in some pupils not securing essential knowledge in their long-term memory. Leaders should ensure that they build on the training already provided for teachers, to embed the school's approach to assessment.