Monkwearmouth Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Monkwearmouth Academy is a rapidly improving school. The school has included a programme of 'ME time' into the curriculum each week to enable all pupils to access a wide range of opportunities.

Pupils can take part in clubs such as community club, pet club and environment club, as well as sea cadets, the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme and the school's football academy.

Pupils follow a 'curriculum for life'. This ensures that pupils know how to stay healthy and safe.

Pupils have many opportunities to develop their leadership skills. They enjoy being peer mentors, house captains, head students and members of the school council.

Most pupils behave wel...l in the school.

Pupils are courteous, and they treat each other with respect. There is a culture of tolerance, and all pupils and staff have made a 'commit pledge' to challenge and report prejudicial behaviour if they see it. Pupils appreciate this commitment.

The school is calm and orderly. Staff know pupils very well. As a result, pupils receive high levels of care and support.

The school has recently developed its curriculum. The impact of these recent developments has not been fully realised through published examination results. Some pupils, including the most disadvantaged, do not attend school as often as they should.

This is limiting their progress.

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

In most subjects, leaders have planned an ambitious, carefully sequenced curriculum. This helps pupils build their knowledge over time.

In a small number of subjects, curriculum plans do not always identify in enough detail the core knowledge that pupils should learn. Most curriculum plans cover the subject in detail. In a minority of subjects, curriculum content does not go into sufficient depth.

Where this is the case, pupils are not supported to learn as much as they should.

Pupils benefit from their teachers' secure subject knowledge. Pupils have regular opportunities in lessons to apply their knowledge and develop their skills during 'purple zone'.

This is time in every lesson dedicated to independent learning. Teachers use this time to check pupils' understanding. In many lessons, teachers make appropriate adaptations to support pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Some pupils do not consistently remember the knowledge they have been taught over time. This is limiting the progress that these pupils are making.

The school has put in place a programme to support the weakest readers.

This includes a phonics programme for those pupils in the early stages of reading. The school has recently invested in the library. This is well stocked with a wide range of books from different genres for pupils to read.

Pupils are given regular opportunities to read for pleasure. The school has begun to develop a reading mentor scheme in order to provide younger pupils with more opportunities to read aloud and to improve their reading fluency.

The school has high expectations for pupils' behaviour, and the majority of pupils behave well.

Pupils are polite. Most pupils concentrate in lessons. The school has recently introduced a new behaviour policy, with an emphasis on rewards.

This is helping to motivate pupils. The school prioritises attendance. However, some pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, do not attend school often enough.

This is limiting what these pupils know. Some pupils do not achieve as well as they could in public examinations because they do not attend school often enough.

Personal, social and health education (PSHE) and pupils' personal development are strengths of the school.

The PSHE curriculum is well planned. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe and healthy. They also learn about tolerance and respecting those who are different to themselves.

Pupils are keen to help in their community. For example, pupils have recently taken part in events to raise money for LGBTQ+ charities.

Pupils are prepared for the next stage in their education and employment.

The school has a clearly planned careers programme, which includes impartial careers advice. Pupils are given opportunities to develop their talents and interests in the 'ME time' programme and further extra-curricular clubs that take place after school.

Leaders, including trustees, are ambitious and have a shared determination for the school's ongoing improvement.

Trustees and the local governing board check on the school's progress regularly. They fulfil their statutory duties. The school has benefited significantly from the support of the trust.

Staff, including early career teachers, say that the school is considerate of their workload and well-being. Staff are proud to work at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, are not attending school as often as they should. This means that these pupils have gaps in their knowledge and, for older pupils, this is preventing them from doing as well as they could in their public examinations. The school must continue to develop its strategies to support attendance, particularly for pupils who are more disadvantaged.

• In a minority of subjects, aspects of curriculum planning lack detail. This is limiting the quality and consistency of what pupils are taught in these subjects. The school must ensure that all subjects have a planned curriculum that covers the subject in depth and identifies precisely the important knowledge that pupils need to learn.

• As a result of previous curriculum limitations, there is variation in the extent to which pupils remember the most important content in some lessons. As a result, some pupils struggle to learn new content. The school must continue to develop strategies to help pupils remember important knowledge in the long term.

• Some parents, including parents of pupils with SEND, have expressed some concerns about the levels of communication with the school. This is causing some parents to feel frustrated. The school must continue to improve the ways it communicates with parents.

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