Mount Hawke Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at this school flourish. The school meticulously considers the education pupils receive to ensure it is the best it can be. Nothing is left to chance.

Highly skilled staff ensure that these ambitious intentions become reality.

The school has the highest expectations of its pupils in all areas of school life. Pupils rise to these.

They have a love for learning. Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, achieve highly academically. Consequently, they are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of their education.

From the moment children start in the early years, staff demonstrate high levels of warmth and care. Staff ensure that pup...ils with SEND play a full part in the life of the school, including participation in extra-curricular activities. Staff make precise adaptations to support pupils with SEND.

This helps them to learn well and thrive.

The 'Mount Hawke child can..

.' ethos develops pupils' character in exemplary fashion. The school supports pupils to achieve their 'personal best'.

As a result, pupils have a thirst for learning. In lessons, they are self-motivated and learn well independently. Their excellent behaviour continues at social times.

Pupils learn to help each other. Some take on the role of mental health ambassadors who sensitively and empathetically help those who need some emotional support.

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

The school relentlessly continues its pursuit for excellence, evaluating its work to check that no limits are put on what pupils can achieve.

This can be seen in the quality of the curriculum. It is highly ambitious and detailed. The school regularly reviews and makes changes to the curriculum to ensure consistently high-quality content that is relevant to pupils.

It has used pupil voice as part of this process. For example, the school changed the physical education curriculum to broaden pupils' experiences of different sports. This develops a sense of a shared vision.

The school's single- and mixed-age class structure has changed as the school roll has fallen. This has presented challenges for the order in which pupils learn new content. However, the school has mitigated these through carefully planned changes to the curriculum.

As a result, pupils' learning builds upon what they already know.

Pupils' recall of what they have learned in the long-term across the curriculum is exceptional. They connect what they have learned in the past to current topics.

The trust and school ensure staff have the expertise to implement the curriculum well. They continuously check what pupils already know and can remember. This helps to quickly address any gaps in pupils' knowledge.

Staff comprehensively review the targets of pupils with SEND. This ensures they get the right support.

Teachers set pupils tasks that match the high ambition of the curriculum.

They develop pupils' thinking through 'Digging Deeper' questions so that pupils build deep and sophisticated knowledge. As pupils move through the school, they are able to articulate their thinking and produce high-quality pieces of writing.

The school places a high priority on reading.

It has a well-established and systematic approach to the teaching of early reading. Pupils display confidence in their ability to decode and blend unknown words. The school's success in this area is reflected in its outcomes.

Results in the phonics screening check are significantly above national averages. Staff quickly spot those pupils who fall behind. They give precise support to help them catch up and keep up.

In the early years, children learn a rich range of stories, rhymes and songs. This helps to develop a love of reading.

Pupils have a wealth of roles to develop their leadership skills.

For example, pupils create and run their own clubs, such as cheerleading, rugby and coding. Through personal, social and health education lessons, pupils learn about moral issues. They display great maturity when discussing these.

For example, pupils can talk about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Pupils learn about other faiths and cultures through the curriculum and themed events. Consequently, they are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Pupils contribute to the wider community through events, such as choir singing.

Pupils reflect their enjoyment of school in their high attendance. The school keeps a close eye on absence rates.

It swiftly works with families where there are concerns.

The trust knows the school well. However, it has not been complacent.

It has drawn upon external support in addition to its own checks. Any weaknesses are addressed promptly. As a result, it has an accurate view of the school's performance.

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They praise how pupils are cared for and how well they learn.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.