E-Act Parkwood Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The academy has improved its effectiveness significantly since the previous inspection and now provides students with a good quality of education. This has been achieved through the combined efforts of: effective leaders, governors and sponsors; committed and capable staff and the students own positive attitudes to learning.

Students' achievement, the quality of teaching and behaviour and safety have all improved from satisfactory to good over the past 20 months. Elements, such as senior leadership are outstanding. The academy's latest academic tracking data indicates that the rising trend in students' attainments and achievements apparent over th...e past three years is set to continue.

Key areas for improvement highlighted at the previous inspection, have been effectively addressed. For example, there has been a major improvement in students' achievement in mathematics and the provision for students new to the English language. Students' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is effectively promoted.

Students with special educational needs and those who are supported by the pupil premium, and the different groups of students from minority ethnic heritages, invariably make progress that is better than their peers in other schools nationally. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Inconsistencies in the effectiveness of some subjects and rates of progress of groups of students remain. Students' attainments in mathematics and English, and the progress made by the most able students, for example, require improvement.

The progress made by students in subjects, such as geography, drama and technology, has been too inconsistent. The academy needs to narrow the in-school gap between the attainment and progress of students eligible for the pupil premium and other students in the academy, particularly in mathematics and English.

Information about this school

Parkwood Academy is a smaller than average-sized secondary school.

It converted to become an academy in September 2009. It is sponsored by E-ACT. Students at the academy originate from a range of ethnic heritages.

There has been a big influx of Roma-Slovak students in recent years. The proportion of students who are believed to speak English as an additional language is well above the national average for secondary schools. The proportion of students eligible for the pupil premium is well above average.

The pupil premium is additional funding to support those students who are known to be eligible for free school meals, those whose parents are in the armed forces and those who are looked after by the local authority. The proportions of students supported at school action, school action plus or through a statement of special educational needs are much higher than in most schools nationally. Their needs range from speech, language and communication needs, physical disability and visual impairment to autistic spectrum disorder and behaviour, emotional and social difficulties.

Student mobility is high and the proportion of students joining and leaving the academy other than at the usual times is much higher than average. Six Year 10 and Year 11 students attend alternative provision at a range of local providers including: Sheffield College, In2Change, Sheaf, dimensional hair salon, Doncaster group training association and a local authority provision. They offer accredited courses, such as motor vehicle maintenance, hair and beauty, life skills and social and emotional development.

Generally, students attend these courses twice a week and are taught in the academy the rest of the time. The academy provides extended services such as adult learning classes, study support and community access to its facilities. The academy also runs a breakfast club.

The academy meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for students' attainment and progress at the end of Key Stage 4. The executive principal of this academy also has leadership responsibility for Trent Valley Academy in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire and splits his time between the two sites. Each academy has a head of school, who assume day-to-day responsibility in the executive principal's absence.