Nene Park Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Nene Park Academy continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

The vast majority of pupils are happy at Nene Park Academy. Well-tailored support helps them succeed. For example, those pupils who need it benefit from 'SOCA' or 'ACE' provisions, where their specific needs are well met.

Pupils value the house system. This ensures they have regular points of contact in terms of their form tutor and student support assistant. This helps them to be confident they will be listened to if they have worries.

Pupils know there are high expectations for their achievement and attendance. They benefit from an interesting and engaging curriculum. They achieve wel...l overall.

Occasionally, the quality of pupils' work does not reflect this. Trips and visits help to bring the curriculum to life for pupils. They value comprehensive careers guidance that supports them to be well prepared for their next steps.

Pupils behave well. Pupils like the new approach to managing behaviour because their views are better heard. Pupils learn to treat each other with tolerance and respect.

They value that this is celebrated and rewarded through the 'PLEDGES' system. Pupils typically feel bullying is not an issue. The vast majority feel the school's new anti-bullying alliance 'STOP' approach addresses this effectively, where it does ever happen.

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

The trust has devised high-quality curriculum plans. These clearly identify the important knowledge that pupils need to learn. School leaders have ensured that these plans are taught effectively, so that pupils learn this intended knowledge well.

The school has ensured that trips and wider experiences deepen pupils' knowledge of the curriculum. For example, pupils go on trips abroad, so they can experience languages in a native context. The curriculum is broad and balanced.

For almost all subjects, the school has ensured that pupils develop the depth and breadth of knowledge they need. Consequently, pupils achieve well.

The trust has ensured that teachers have a high-quality programme of professional development.

Teachers have the subject knowledge and skills they need. Teachers skilfully enable pupils to retain important knowledge, by tailoring their teaching to meet pupils' learning needs. However, teachers do not always ensure that this translates to pupils producing high-quality work.

Consequently, some pupils' work does not reflect the depth of what they have learned within lessons.

Sixth-form students benefit from a suitable range of vocational and academic courses. They receive bespoke guidance and support.

This helps them choose the most appropriate pathways to support their future plans. Teachers in the sixth form are subject experts and regularly assess what pupils know. They tailor and personalise support so that any gaps in students' understanding are quickly addressed.

Students in the sixth form are tolerant and respectful.

Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is carefully personalised. The pupil, parent and teacher voice is heard and translated into clear, agreed strategies to support pupils.

Staff use these strategies effectively, so that pupils with SEND can access the curriculum and achieve well.

There is a sharp focus on pupils at the earlier stages of learning to read. Pupils' reading ability is accurately assessed and appropriate support put in place.

The school checks that this help is making the difference intended and helps pupils to get better at reading.

The school has focused on raising behaviour and attendance expectations. Little learning time is lost.

Pupils attend well. The school environment is calm and orderly. The school has recently introduced a more therapeutic approach to managing behaviour.

It has done this to ensure that there is more support for pupils to address the causes of behaviour issues and to improve communication with parents. This has included reviewing anti-bullying procedures, to ensure that they work effectively. However, for a minority of parents, this has not had enough impact.

They still have frustrations about how well concerns, including bullying, are resolved.

The school offers a rich range of personal development opportunities. These include Disney club, train club and cadets, which allow pupils to explore their interests.

Pupils who have particular sporting talents benefit from a rich partnership with the local professional club. This involves undertaking the educational side of their scholarship on site. A well-planned programme of personal social and health education (PSHE) ensures that pupils are accepting of differences and have a well-developed understanding of different cultures and beliefs.

The trust has a well-developed system of school governance that works. The local academy council challenges and supports leaders effectively. Trust leaders work proactively with school leaders to provide additional guidance and expertise.

Staff are positive about leaders' consideration for their workload and well-being, as this supports them to be able to focus on pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some teachers do not check the quality of work that pupils have produced well enough.

As a result, the work some pupils produce does not reflect the depth of what they have learned within lessons and is inconsistent. The school needs to ensure that teachers have consistently high expectations for pupils' work and that they support pupils to produce work that reflects the depth of their learning within lessons. ? The school has not ensured that all parents understand how perceived issues of bullying are resolved.

As a result, a minority of parents remain unhappy about how the school addresses and resolves these issues. The school needs to work to engage and communicate further with parents to ensure that parents have more confidence in how issues they raise are resolved.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually, this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2013.

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