Rodillian Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Rodillian Academy has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

The interim principal of this school is Joe Birkbeck. This school is part of the Resilience Multi Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Saira Luffman, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Annette Hall.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and friendly. They form positive, trusting relationships with their peers and with staff. There is a true spirit of community at the school.

The school values all pupils and works in... their best interests.

The school has high expectations of what pupils can achieve, both at school and in their future careers. Staff give pupils the help they need to improve the quality of their work.

The school works with care and diligence to address the significant barriers to success that some pupils face. Many pupils achieve highly.

Pupils take responsibility for their own behaviour.

They behave in a sensible and orderly manner, showing kindness and respect to all. In lessons, pupils show a commitment to their learning. They work hard and respond well to teachers' instructions.

The school has created a positive environment in which pupils can focus on their learning.

Pupils enjoy a wide range of activities that develop their talents and broaden their interests. These include various sports, music and drama.

Pupils also give back to the school and wider community. Sixth-form students act as reading buddies to younger pupils. Pupils take part in charity work and hold events for members of the local community.

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

The school has developed an ambitious curriculum. The curriculum is well-sequenced so that pupils can build their knowledge in a logical and coherent way. At key stage 3, the curriculum provides pupils with the essential subject knowledge they need.

This prepares pupils well for their key stage 4 studies. At key stage 4, a high proportion of pupils study the group of subjects that make up the English Baccalaureate (EBacc). The majority of pupils achieve well.

Some pupils progress into the sixth form where they can continue their academic and vocational studies.

The school teaches pupils how to be resilient and independent learners. At key stage 3, pupils study a resilience curriculum.

This develops pupils' self-belief and teaches pupils how to learn effectively. In Years 8 and 9, pupils take part in resilience projects, such as robotics, dance and fashion design. Pupils enjoy this aspect of their education.

It broadens their knowledge and allows them to apply their knowledge and skills in a practical way.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the same curriculum as their peers. The school identifies pupils' needs well.

It meets those needs by adapting teaching and by providing the additional support pupils with SEND require. Pupils with SEND achieve well from their different starting points.

The school also meets the needs of those pupils who start school at an early stage of reading.

It checks how well pupils read and provides extra help in phonics and reading comprehension. This helps pupils to catch up with their peers and become confident and fluent readers.

Teachers have secure subject knowledge.

They use this well to present new information to pupils. They also revisit what pupils have learned before and check pupils' understanding systematically. This helps pupils to build a coherent body of knowledge.

The school provides teachers with ongoing professional development in teaching and learning. This has a positive impact on teachers' practice and pupils' achievement.

The school has a well-established approach to behaviour.

It has high expectations of pupils and rewards pupils for their positive behaviour. Pupils know and understand the school's expectations of them. Staff use the behaviour system with consistency and fairness.

This results in a calm and orderly school in which pupils can learn free from disruption.

The school takes a rigorous approach to attendance. It takes swift and appropriate action to address absence.

It also works with pupils and families to address barriers to good attendance. School attendance is above the national level of attendance. However, levels of persistent absence for disadvantaged pupils are high.

From Year 7 to the sixth form, pupils experience a broad and age-appropriate personal development programme. They learn about important issues such as relationships, equality and diversity and online safety. Pupils have a fluent understanding of fundamental British values and the protected characteristics.

They also receive high-quality careers education and guidance. This helps them to make well-informed choices about their next steps.

The school has taken appropriate and effective action to sustain and improve the quality of provision.

The trust has supported the school well through recent changes in school leadership. Trustees perform their roles and responsibilities with rigour and intelligence. They hold the school to account effectively.

Staff enjoy working at the school. The school ensures that their workload is manageable and it prioritises staff well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Levels of persistence absence for disadvantaged pupils are high. This means that several disadvantaged pupils miss too much of their education and do not acquire the knowledge they need to achieve well in their GCSE examinations. The school should ensure that it sustains and further develops its rigorous approach to improving the attendance of disadvantaged pupils.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in January 2016.

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