Heath Lane Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The principal, with the support of senior leaders, has taken swift and decisive action to improve the quality of teaching. Teachers have secure subject knowledge and a firm understanding of what effective classroom practice is.

This has ensured that teaching is now consistently good. Senior leaders and subject leaders regularly visit lessons to check on the quality of teaching and the effectiveness with which the curriculum is taught. Pupils' outcomes require improvement because : pupils do not make consistently good progress.

Until recently, attainment at GCSE has been too low. Pupils currently studying towards their GCSEs are attaining ...more highly than pupils have previously. Pupils in Years 7 and 8 are making good progress due to the significant improvement in teaching that has taken place.

Senior leaders have reviewed the curriculum. It now provides pupils with regular opportunities to become secure in their knowledge and understanding across the full range of subjects they study. This has helped to improve the progress pupils make.

Pupils behave well in lessons and conduct themselves well around the school site. Pupils learn about diversity and the need to respect people who are different to them. Well-targeted support and good teaching in the sixth form enable students to achieve well and move on successfully to their next steps.

All staff are highly vigilant of pupils' welfare. They work effectively to keep pupils safe. Senior leaders have worked well with professionals from other schools to develop the curriculum, provide high-quality training to staff, and improve the quality of teaching.

Members of the multi-academy trust board provide high levels of support and challenge to the senior leaders. They have a precise understanding of the quality of the provision. Attendance is improving.

However, disadvantaged pupils' attendance is too low. Pupils of average ability in key stage 4 are not making sufficient progress, particularly in mathematics and science. Senior leaders have not ensured that all parents and carers know the significant improvements that have taken place to the provision, particularly in relation to pupils' behaviour and the quality of teaching.

Information about this school

Heath Lane is smaller than the average-sized secondary school. It is located in Earl Shilton. The school was formed from the merger of The Heathfield Academy, which was an 11–14 school, with William Bradford Community College, which was a 14–19 school.

The merger took place in August 2016. The school is part of the Midlands Academies Trust. The trust is made up of four secondary schools, of which Heath Lane Academy is one.

The headteachers of each of the four schools work in close partnership across the trust. The trust has a board of trustees, members of which sit on the RABs for each of the four schools. There is an executive team that consists of the chief executive officer and an executive headteacher, who has oversight of the trust's four schools.

The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is well above average. The proportion of pupils with SEND is well above average. The proportion of pupils who have an education, health and care plan is average.

The school works with seven alternative providers to provide pupils at the school with education off site. These providers are: TECK, in Coalville; Si Sports, in Leicester; Enstruct, in Leicester; E2, in Leicester; Glenfield, in Leicester; Melton Hub, in Leicester; and UNEEK, in Hinckley. The principal took up her post in September 2017.

The vice-principal took up his post at the same time. The trust has decided to close the sixth-from provision at the end of this academic year, due to the low number of students who attend the provision. At the time of the inspection, there were no sixth-form students at the school for inspectors to meet and no lessons for inspectors to observe.