Lynch Hill Enterprise Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Lynch Hill Enterprise Academy is a happy and welcoming community. Teachers know pupils and their families very well.

Relationships between pupils and staff are strong and supportive. Leaders have high expectations regarding pupils' behaviour and they ensure that responses to incidents are measured and fair. This leads to pupils behaving very well.

They are courteous and respectful. Lessons and the atmosphere around the site are calm and purposeful. Pupils say that any instances of bullying or harassment are rare and always followed up.

This helps pupils to feel very safe and happy at this school.

Pupils are proud of how accepting and inclusive of oth...ers the school is. They speak enthusiastically of pupil leadership groups such as 'Agents For Change'.

They are also keenly preparing a cultural day to celebrate their diverse backgrounds.

Leaders have reviewed the curriculum, so that it is ambitious and relevant. All pupils study a broad range of subjects.

However, the most effective teaching approaches are not yet fully consistent. Consequently, pupils do not achieve equally well in all classes. This includes some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and some who need support with reading.

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

Leaders have established an ambitious curriculum. Leaders' plans to implement a strengthened curriculum have been disrupted by COVID-19 and growth in the school. This situation is now stabilising.

Leaders have improved the range of academic and vocational options in key stage 4. They have carefully considered where options lead to after Year 11.For each subject, leaders have mapped out what pupils must learn at each point.

There are examples of positive practice across the school in terms of the delivery of the curriculum. In these areas, new learning is presented and practised effectively. Teachers often make links to the wider world to bring the content to life.

In particular, they carefully check pupils' understanding before moving on. In these lessons, pupils achieve highly. However, this is variable across the curriculum.

The special educational needs coordinator ensures that teachers receive accurate information about pupils' needs. Teachers use this increasingly well but also not yet consistently. Consequently, some pupils, including some pupils with SEND, cannot routinely remember what they have learned or apply it confidently and accurately.

Leaders understand that reading is important. They have invested in training and staff to support the teaching of reading, but the school's strategy is in its early stages. Some elements are further along, such as approaches to vocabulary development.

However, reading across the curriculum is not securely in place. Furthermore, too many pupils who need help with reading do not receive the support they need early enough.Leaders prioritise pupils' personal development.

The programme is well organised and supports pupils to learn about healthy relationships and life in modern Britain. Specialist and industry partners support the personal development and careers programmes well. Pupils explore their interests and talents through the many extracurricular opportunities on offer, which are fully inclusive.

Leaders have closely aligned the main curriculum with the school's strong careers and enterprise programme from Year 7. This programme supports pupils to develop a range of transferable skills that support their aspirations. Pupils, including those with SEND, go on to varied and interesting courses and establishments when they leave.

Staff model and nurture positive character traits to help pupils to develop enthusiastic attitudes towards learning. Pupils are encouraged to be kind, confident and respectful. This enables them to focus successfully on their work during lessons and to contribute to the positive atmosphere around the school.

Those responsible for governance take their statutory responsibilities seriously. Governors and trust leaders know the school's strengths and development areas. They have established strong systems to hold leaders to account.

The working environment in school is collaborative and very supportive. Staff appreciate leaders' actions to help them to manage their workload and to provide more time for curriculum development.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Safeguarding is a strength of the school. Leaders and those responsible for governance ensure that robust safeguarding policies and procedures are in place. They complete rigorous checks to ensure that staff are fit to work with pupils.

The knowledgeable designated safeguarding lead provides regular, high-quality training for staff. A strong culture of vigilance ensures that staff act swiftly if they have concerns. Safeguarding staff work diligently to secure support for vulnerable pupils.

Pupils are taught how to manage risks. They know where to get help and they trust that staff will take their concerns seriously. Parents and carers say that their children feel safe in school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• There is a variable approach to supporting pupils with reading. As a result, pupils do not read widely across the curriculum, and not all weaker readers are supported sufficiently well. Leaders should continue their work to strengthen reading across the curriculum and ensure that staff identify and support pupils in the early stages of reading.

• Teaching is inconsistent across the curriculum. This means that some pupils are not achieving as well as they could in some subjects. Leaders should continue their work with staff to ensure that teaching approaches support pupils to learn the curriculum and that the delivery of the curriculum in all lessons matches that seen in the best examples.

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