Great Yarmouth Charter Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Great Yarmouth Charter Academy continues to be a good school.

The principal of this school is Dean Rosembert. This school is part of Inspiration Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school.

The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Gareth Stevens, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Lord Theodore Agnew. There is also a secondary director, Louise Jackson, who is responsible for the school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Great Yarmouth Charter Academy are proud to attend the school.

It provides them with a safe and structured environment. It is a place where pupils can thrive... and achieve their potential. Receiving 'golden tickets' for achievement is something pupils value.

The relationships between staff and pupils are positive. It is common to see staff eating lunch with pupils and engaging them in conversation. This culture is reflected in the rapid growth of the school, including the addition of sixth-form provision.

The school is an important part of the community in every sense.

The most disadvantaged pupils are provided with a range of opportunities to ensure they can succeed. From breakfast club to subsidised activities, the school takes its role in ensuring pupils have the chance to thrive very seriously.

Pupils are expected to work hard, and the overwhelming majority do so. In some subjects they perform exceptionally well. The quality of their work is typically high.

Pupils understand it is important to behave well, and most pupils do so. Sometimes, pupils do not make the right choices and they accept the consequences of this.

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

The quality of education provided by Charter is good.

There is typically a sharp focus on developing pupils' core knowledge and skills. This knowledge is routinely and systematically checked by staff. Pupils also take a responsibility for the ongoing self-assessment of their own work.

This enables them to be confident in their learning as any errors or misconceptions are picked up quickly. While the sixth form is still relatively new, there is a strong and clear ambition from leaders to provide high-quality programmes of study. Subject leaders and their teams are well supported and receive regular professional development to ensure that they can implement and deliver the planned curriculum effectively.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported effectively. Appropriate adaptations are made to ensure they access the curriculum in line with their peers.

The programme for supporting pupils who struggle to read is a real strength of the school.

Pupils' needs are identified quickly, and the reading provision enables them to make rapid and sustained progress. This not only has positive impacts on their academic achievement but also enables pupils to engage more fully in the school community.

Behaviour in lessons is typically good, pupils almost always respond well to the school's rules.

During unstructured times, pupils chat happily together, they interact with staff, and play games together. Pupils in the canteen enjoy 'roast lunch Wednesday'. Most pupils make the right decisions in terms of their behaviour.

Where this is not the case, the school takes appropriate action. The school recognises that levels of suspension are high and are working closely and effectively with external agencies to address this. Equally, not all pupils are attending school often enough.

The school provides a safe and structured environment that pupils miss out on when they do not attend. Significant additional staffing resources have been allocated to address this.

The school's personal development curriculum is growing and evolving rapidly.

Pupils and students can participate in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme, and large numbers take up this offer. Pupils also have the opportunity to take part in 'activities week'. This includes visits to the British museum and theatres in the West End of London.

The school also provides appropriate education for pupils through its programme of personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education. This includes promoting the emotional and physical health of the pupils.

Students in the sixth form receive weekly PSHE input that is well planned and age-appropriate.

They also receive independent careers advice and guidance. This includes the opportunity for work experience through a wide range of employer links. Students are very well supported with their next steps, including university and apprenticeship applications.

Staff enjoy working at the school and are proud to do so. They understand the importance of their role. Leaders are acutely aware of the significance of providing a high-quality education to a rapidly increasing number of pupils.

The school recognises that the pace of change sometimes means that systems for supporting pupil behaviour, and changes in policy, are not always communicated sufficiently effectively to all staff. As a result, the action needed to respond to poor behaviour is not always clear.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• School systems and leaders' expectations for improving behaviour are not always communicated effectively to staff. As a result, staff are not always able to implement these strategies as effectively as they would want. Leaders must ensure that expectations, and any changes in behaviour policy, are shared explicitly to ensure a consistent and unified approach by all staff.

• While the school has taken action to address pupil absence this has not yet had the impact they intend. As a result, too many pupils continue not to attend school often enough. This includes the most vulnerable pupils.

This has an impact on their ability to catch up and keep up with their work, and benefit from the structure of school. Leaders must redouble their efforts to ensure all pupils attend school as regularly as possible.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in July 2019.