Outwood Academy Newbold

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school Outwood Newbold is an effective and improving school.

Standards have risen substantially in the past two years. Leaders at all levels have worked with passion and determination to raise the quality of teaching. Teaching is now good.

Pupils behave well and their conduct in lessons and around the school is often exemplary. Pupils' outcomes have risen consistently over the past three years. In 2017, the progress pupils in Year 11 made was significantly above the national average.

Parents, staff and pupils are positive about the changes that have been made to the school. Pupils who have been at the school for the longest time are cle...ar that things are much better now. Leaders' work to improve the 16 to 19 study programmes have been effective.

Teaching is well organised and is successfully raising outcomes. School leaders have an accurate understanding of what needs to be done in order to improve things further. They monitor and check the quality of teaching very carefully, and track the progress of individual pupils with great care.

Governors are well informed and work effectively with the trust to provide strategic direction for the school. Pupils say they feel safe and are looked after well. A comprehensive programme of support and continuous professional development, provided by the trust, has contributed significantly to the improvement in teaching over time.

Pupils' attitudes to their own learning are improving. In some classes, however, and particularly in key stage 3, pupils are not consistently motivated to learn. In a small number of lessons, teachers do not allow pupils enough time to fully understand something before moving on.

This means some learning is not progressing as well as it could. A minority of pupils, most of whom are boys, do not take sufficient pride in their work. As a result, their work is untidy and their handwriting is difficult to read.

The recent changes to the standards required by the end of Year 6 have not yet impacted the school's work in Year 7. The work for some pupils in this year is not challenging enough.

Information about this school

The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish. The school is slightly smaller than the average-sized secondary school. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above the national average.

The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is broadly in line with the national average, including those who have an education, health and care plan and those who just receive additional support. The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and pupils who speak English as an additional language are much lower than national averages. The school is sponsored by Outwood Grange Academies Trust.

The school has an Autism Resource Centre with places for 14 pupils and is currently full. Pupils in this centre travel from a range of distances to attend. At the time of this inspection, the school did not use alternative provision for any pupils.