Longley Park Sixth Form Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings

This is a good provider Staff and governors successfully raise students' aspirations. Most leavers progress to higher education. Leaders, managers and college staff model and celebrate diversity very well.

Students from a wide range of cultures behave well, work diligently together and respect the views of others. Staff identify quickly students who need extra help with their studies. They support them very effectively, both in and out of the classroom, and help them achieve.

Leaders and governors are passionate about ensuring that students can access higher level academic and vocational courses at the college. Students enjoy their learning and most make fast progress. A high propor...tion of students achieve their vocational qualifications.

Students take pride in their work and develop the confidence, knowledge and skills that they need to progress to further and higher education, training or employment. Teachers plan and teach GCSE English effectively. Students make good progress with their studies and achieve high grades.

Senior staff do not analyse and evaluate information effectively enough. As a result, they do not identify all the strengths and weaknesses of the college. A small minority of teachers do not plan or use sufficiently challenging activities for the most able students.

Consequently, these students do not make the progress that they should. Not enough of the small number of students following A-level courses achieve the grades of which they are capable. A number of specific groups of students perform less well than their peers.

Information about the provider

Longley Park Sixth Form College is situated in the north of Sheffield on one purpose-built campus. In summer 2017, the college joined the academy trust, Brigantia Learning Trust, joining five schools located nearby. The area served by the college has very high levels of social disadvantage.

Around 1,100 students enrol each year, the vast majority of whom are aged 16 to 18. Most students take vocational courses, choosing from a wide range of subjects, with the large majority studying at level 3. The number of students studying A-level programmes has decreased in the last two years.

Just over half of all students at the college have low attainment on entry in English and mathematics. Nearly two thirds of students are from minority ethnic backgrounds, which is a higher proportion than that among local residents. Unemployment locally is higher than the national average and GCSE achievement for schools in Sheffield is at national rates.