Seahaven Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from an academic and challenging curriculum and strong pastoral care to help them achieve positive outcomes. The curriculum is designed to provide all pupils with skills and experiences that prepare them well for life in modern Britain.

Pupils like school.

They are happy to be part of an ambitious and determined community. They value the broad extra-curricular offer. Visits to Tide Mills and Glyndebourne Opera have helped them better value their local community.

The school provides a calm and welcoming learning environment. Pupils appreciate it when their tutors read to them. They eagerly discuss social and moral issues arising from these stori...es.

Year 11 pupils relish their weekly poetry workshops.

Pupils feel safe and they are safe. They respect themselves and other people.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully integrated. The school is committed to raising aspirations and bringing out 'the best in everyone'.

Behaviour in class and around school is good.

Bullying is rare and, when it does happen, it is dealt with quickly. Pupils' career aspirations are well supported. Links with post-16 providers are very strong.

This ensures that nearly all pupils continue their education when they leave school.

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

Leaders and governors have high expectations. The curriculum is well planned and sequenced.

Focused professional development ensures teachers' subject knowledge is strong. Teachers have a wide range of effective teaching approaches. Trust leaders provide extensive support to develop the curriculum and facilitate ongoing training for staff.

The curriculum is aspirational and echoes the national curriculum. It is personalised to take account of the COVID-19 pandemic. Statutory requirements are fully met.

Option choices are suitably considered. The opportunity to study towards the English Baccalaureate is well supported. The school has seen a dramatic increase in the number of pupils taking a language.

The curriculum is designed to support all pupils. This includes disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. These pupils are well known to staff and additional funding has been well targeted.

Higher attaining pupils are also identified. Their aspirations are encouraged through well-focused careers education.

Literacy is very well supported across the school.

Reading is actively promoted through English lessons and tutorial time. Books are carefully chosen to promote diversity, inclusivity and pupils' personal development. The morning poetry workshops have proved particularly popular with Year 11 pupils.

The personal, social and health education (PSHE) programme offered considerable support for pupils' welfare and well-being during local and national restrictions. The programme is highly responsive and quickly adapted where appropriate. However, in key stage 4, it is not easy to identify what should be taught and where.

PSHE is usefully mapped across English but less evident across other subjects.

Teachers make use of a range of assessment. This is used well to support planning and modify the curriculum.

Teachers have a good idea of how their pupils are achieving. However, pupils tell us that they are not always sure of how to use assessment information to develop their understanding more fully.

Relationships between teachers and pupils are supportive.

Routines are well known and behaviour expectations are followed. Pupils say that low-level disruption is unusual, and none was seen in lessons during this inspection. Pupils also report that bullying is rare and quickly dealt with when it does occur.

The school is addressing pupils' attendance to recover lost ground since restricted opening. Exclusions are reducing and there were no permanent exclusions last year. The school is constantly seeking alternatives to exclusion.

This includes a responsive curriculum and the effective use of personalised alternative provision.

Pupils are actively encouraged to understand their rights, responsibilities and personal freedoms. They understand sexual exploitation and how to keep themselves safe.

Pupils are confident about their future. They have benefited from a well-organised careers programme.

Staff are very positive about the leadership and management of the school.

They say their workload is well supported through sharing resources and working cooperatively. Staff feel their professional needs are addressed very well. They are proud to work at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The welfare and safety of all pupils are a high priority. Staff receive regular safeguarding training and frequent updates.

Staff know how to identify risks and what to do if they have any concerns.

The single central record is efficiently maintained. The 'Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy' is detailed, informative and meets all requirements.

Safeguarding leaders know their roles and responsibilities. Staff appointments follow safer recruitment procedures.

Pupils are taught how to keep safe.

This includes learning about online risks, peer-on-peer abuse and knife crime. Pupils are also aware of the damaging effects of inappropriate sexual language and attitudes.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The key stage 4 PSHE curriculum lacks clarity in terms of planning and sequencing, so it is unclear how the content builds cumulatively to support pupils' knowledge.

Leaders should ensure that the PSHE curriculum is organised sequentially and develops pupils' knowledge during assemblies, tutorials, subject teaching and drop-down days. ? Pupils say that they are not always clear exactly how they can use assessment information to embed their knowledge and develop their understanding further. Senior leaders should ensure that the successful assessment practice already in place is used more effectively to help pupils embed and deepen their knowledge.