Endeavour Co-Operative Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending the Endeavour Co-Operative Academy. It is a happy school, where pupils benefit from strong relationships with staff. Pupils describe the school as being a family.

Pupils trust adults in school to look after them and prioritise their best interests. They are supported with both their learning and with socialising during breaktimes. There are organised opportunities for pupils to play in team games and sports during the school day.

These are sometimes led by the sixth-form students.

Classrooms are calm and settled, and pupils focus on their learning. Pupils are tolerant of each other and respectful of differences in others.

They ...say their school is a safe space. Pupils trust that, were bullying to occur, staff would keep them safe. Important issues for their safety are regularly discussed in assemblies, and pupils appreciate the regular reminders.

Pupils enjoy many opportunities to develop personal skills and prepare for adult life. Pupils use public transport to visit local voluntary organisations and use local sporting facilities. The school welcomes visitors to speak to the pupils.

A travelling librarian has been organised by the local Headteachers' Association, and pupils engage in discussions about books shared.

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

There are many aims for the school curriculum. These include providing pupils with knowledge and skills, but also opportunities to develop their personal and social skills.

The curriculum offer is broad and includes subjects such as horticulture, life skills and employability skills. The aim for pupils in key stages 4 and 5 is to leave education equipped for the next stages of life, including a range of suitable qualifications. Preparation for adulthood is a priority in the sixth form.

The curriculum is usually well planned and sequenced across all year groups, including the sixth form. Leaders have thought about the journey through learning for pupils. For example, in physical education (PE), progress is made in throwing skills, which prepares pupils for shotput.

In some subjects, component knowledge needs further consideration, to clearly define what pupils will learn and when, so that knowledge can build over time.

Teachers use assessment to shape pupils' future learning. They track the progress pupils make with their education, health and care (EHC) plan outcomes.

Leaders take action if pupils underachieve. Leaders also use mathematics and phonics assessments to ensure that pupils have the basic literacy and numeracy skills needed to access the curriculum.

Reading has a high priority across the school.

Phonics is taught to all year groups, including the sixth form. In the younger year groups, the teaching of phonics follows a set programme. In upper years, the focus is on using phonic knowledge to improve spelling skills when writing.

Teachers differentiate the teaching of phonics to match the ability of the pupils within their classes. Staff are well trained to deliver the phonics programme. Pupils engage well and learn the skills covered within the sessions.

There are many opportunities for pupils to engage in reading and listen to stories to develop a love of reading. A travelling librarian and teacher-led daily story time enhance the pupils' experience of stories. There is a wide variety of books and resources to support reading, including reading schemes and an online library.

However, books are not always well matched to the phonics pupils are learning. In the primary classes, there is a small number of pupils who still struggle to apply their phonic knowledge to reading. These pupils require further practice to become fluent readers.

Pupils behave well in lessons. They listen to their teachers and try hard. Pupils are supported by a large staff team.

Therefore, pupils receive support swiftly and rarely need to ask for help. Staff frequently praise pupils. Pupils are motivated to learn.

Teachers provide pupils with a lot of supportive materials to use when completing tasks. This means that pupils rarely fail.

Leaders prioritise pupils' personal development.

Pupils benefit from a variety of experiences to enrich their learning, prepare them for adult life and teach them how to keep safe. Pupils learn, in an age-appropriate way, about relationships and sex education in line with guidance from the Department for Education. They receive careers education across the school, starting with primary pupils learning about different jobs.

Pupils in the sixth form have lessons in writing CVs and interview techniques, but they also learn about voluntary work to ensure that all can be active citizens.

Pupils value the school council. They are consulted on important decisions, such as the design for the new school building.

Pupils learn about their own and other religions. They know the protected characteristics and speak of how their school is a safe space. When speaking about British values, some pupils' understanding of certain aspects, such as democracy, was not as secure.

Leaders are ambitious for pupils. Governors receive detailed information from school leaders to ensure they are well briefed. Leaders care about staff workload.

Teachers spoke about the support they receive to manage the annual review process. Governors and trustees have a new relationship, which goes beyond the scheme of delegation, using the expertise of the two teams to ensure the best possible support for the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have recently expanded the safeguarding team. As such, the designated safeguarding lead (DSL) is supported by a well-trained team, confident to identify and help pupils when needed. This has ensured that appropriate concerns are brought swiftly to the attention of the DSL and that pupils receive timely support for low-level concerns.

New reporting software has recently been introduced, so all staff can report safeguarding concerns promptly.

Recruitment processes are robust and ensure that safeguarding is a priority from the outset. All necessary checks on staff, governors and visitors are completed to ensure that pupils are kept safe.

Staff receive regular training to keep their knowledge up to date.

Staff are aware that policies are available to guide them in taking action about, for example, who to contact should a concern about a colleague arise. As such, staff feel confident in managing all safeguarding concerns.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, including personal, social and health education, the curriculum lacks detail on the component knowledge to be taught. This means that pupils may not build a suitable depth of knowledge, such as their understanding of democracy. Leaders need to ensure that the component knowledge to be taught is specified so that pupils can learn well across the curriculum.

• Some pupils in key stage 2 lack the phonic knowledge to read with fluency, and they do not get as many opportunities as they should to read phonetically decodable books. These pupils therefore lack the reading skills needed to access the wider curriculum. Leaders should ensure that pupils learning phonics get books to read that match the sounds they know.