Aston Manor Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school Pupils at this school do significantly better than other pupils nationally with similar starting points. Leaders prepare pupils exceptionally well for the next stage of their education, employment or training.

The headteacher is an inspiring leader. She has become a champion for the community. Pupils and staff hold the headteacher in high regard.

The headteacher is an exceptional professional. The Equitas Academy Trust is an exceptionally talented team. It holds the school to account and supports the school with rigour and imagination.

Leaders throughout the school are very skilled. Leaders understand the needs of their p...upils in detail and have planned a highly effective curriculum. Leaders have built a track record of success since the last inspection in 2013.

The school has maintained exceptionally high standards of pupils' progress every year. Pupils currently at the school are making outstanding progress from their different starting points. Most pupils at the school are supported by pupil premium funding.

Leaders ensure that the funding is used to good effect. As a result, these pupils make much better progress than other pupils nationally. Teachers give highly effective support to pupils who speak English as an additional language.

As a result, these pupils make very strong progress. Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make strong progress. The special educational needs coordinator has planned a range of high-quality learning and support.

Teachers plan learning that engages, challenges and motivates pupils of all abilities. Pupils learn skills and acquire knowledge in depth and with breadth. Pupils behave impeccably in lessons and throughout the school.

They are polite, thoughtful and determined to do well. Pupils in the sixth form make rapid progress in their academic studies and on vocational courses. The leadership of the sixth form is imaginative and resourceful.

Safeguarding is at the heart of everything the school does. Pupils do well because they are safe and well cared for in a community that celebrates diversity.

Information about this school

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 is part of a multi-academy trust called the Equitas Academy Trust. There is one other school in the trust and this is the local primary school, Chillwell Park Academy.

The school is approximately average in size compared with other schools nationally. The very great majority of pupils are from minority ethnic groups, the largest of which are Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Black African ethnicity. The school has a lower than national average proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

The school has a higher than national average proportion of pupils who are supported by pupil premium funding. The proportion of pupils at the school whose first language is not or is not believed to be English is much higher than the national average. The proportion of pupils who come from deprived socio-economic backgrounds is much higher than the national average.

The school uses an alternative provider called St George's Academy, which was graded good for overall effectiveness at its most recent inspection in 2013. Pupils' ability on entry to the school is significantly lower than national averages. The school meets the current government floor standards.