Branthwaite Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are welcomed to this school with a warm smile and a friendly greeting. They know that staff care for them deeply and that there is always an adult there for them when needed.

Consequently, pupils feel happy and know that they are in safe hands here.

The school expects all pupils, all of whom have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to achieve well. However, there are weaknesses in how well the curriculum for pupils across school, including students in the sixth form, is designed, and delivered, in several subjects.

This means that some pupils do not achieve as well as they should.

Pupils are respectful of others. They conduct... themselves well around school.

Older students are positive role models for their peers. Pupils are clear about the behaviours expected of them. Staff respond swiftly and sensitively to their emotional needs.

Pupils talk enthusiastically about the interesting and varied 'enterprise' activities that they are involved in. There is a broad range of opportunities to develop their confidence and independence through creating companies and designing and making products. Older pupils act as a board of trustees, overseeing all aspects of these activities.

Pupils gain a wealth of skills and understanding about the world of work through activities that include research, finance, and marketing.

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

This school has been through a period of turmoil. This had affected how safe pupils felt in school, as well as their behaviour.

The new leadership team, including the trust, have acted rapidly to make improvements. The school is again a stable and caring place to be. However, this recent instability has meant that the school has not been able to develop the curriculum as much as it would have liked.

In the subjects that are designed well, the school has given careful thought to the important knowledge that pupils should learn. However, curriculum thinking in other subjects, including in the sixth form, is less well developed. In these subjects, the school has not set out the order of knowledge that it wants pupils to learn as clearly as it should.

This means that teachers are not always clear about what to teach and when. As a result, in these subjects, some pupils do not learn as well as they could. Nevertheless, by the time that pupils leave school at the end of the sixth form, many are well prepared for their next steps in education, with some achieving qualifications, including GCSEs.

Teachers are knowledgeable about their subjects. They explain things clearly to pupils and design activities that capture their interests. Teachers provide pupils with many opportunities to revisit and recap important learning.

In the main, this helps pupils to remember their learning well.

In subjects where the school is clear about what pupils should learn, staff routinely check that pupils have understood their learning. However, in other subjects, staff do not make checks carefully enough on what pupils have learned.

This means that staff do not consistently identify gaps in pupils' knowledge or what pupils need to learn next.

Reading is a priority for the school. Pupils who struggle to read benefit from revisiting early reading strategies, including phonics.

Reading books are well matched to pupils' abilities. Staff seek to foster a love of reading among pupils at every opportunity. They provide them with a wide range of books and reading materials, such as magazines, to complement their interests.

All pupils have education, health, and care (EHC) plans. Staff offer a range of support to help pupils achieve academically and to build their social, communication and independence skills. However, the information gathered about pupils' individual needs is not precise enough.

For these pupils, their next steps are not as accurate as they should be. At times, this affects teachers' ability to meet pupils' needs as well as they could.

Pupils behave well in lessons.

They listen carefully and are motivated to learn. As pupils get older, they are increasingly able to self-regulate and enjoy friendships, socialising and participating in all that the school has to offer. The school prioritises pupils' attendance.

The school's analysis of absence is frequent and thorough. Sensitive support is put in place to re-engage pupils who struggle to attend school. Staff do all that they can to ensure pupils attend regularly.

Pupils' wider development is at the forefront of the school's work. Pupils have a strong voice in school. For example, they develop their own class rules and charters.

Additionally, pupils were central to the decision to change the school's name and school uniform.

The school makes sure that pupils, including those in the sixth form, benefit from comprehensive careers advice and guidance. Older pupils are offered work experience and other practical experiences.

These experiences develop pupils' confidence, resilience, and independence.

The local advisory board, and board of trustees, share the school's ambition and commitment to provide a high-quality education for pupils. However, this is not fully realised.

For example, the curriculum, in a number of subjects, including personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, remains underdeveloped. Staff value the support that they receive for their well-being and workload. For example, they appreciate the time that the school gives them to focus on their subject leadership roles.

Staff are proud to work at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In several subjects, across all key stages and including the sixth form, the school has not considered exactly what pupils should learn and in what order.

This hinders some pupils from achieving as highly as they could. The school should finalise the curriculum content in these subjects to ensure that teachers know exactly what knowledge pupils must learn and when they should learn it. ? In several subjects, assessment strategies are not used effectively.

Where this happens, teachers are not clear about what pupils have learned and where there might be gaps in pupils' knowledge. The school should ensure that teachers have a clear understanding of exactly what pupils know and can remember and use this information to shape future learning. ? For some pupils, the information the school has about their SEND needs is not used effectively.

Where this is the case, teachers are not setting targets that are precise enough. Consequently, pupils do not learn all that they could. The school should ensure that targets set from the SEND information available to the school are precise enough to accurately identify pupils' next steps in learning.