South Kirkby Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are determined that pupils gain the knowledge and experiences they need to succeed at school. They have high expectations of pupils.

Pupils achieve well. Staff know pupils and their families well. They look after pupils and ensure that they feel safe.

This includes how to stay safe when using technology. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe while online.

Pupils behave well in school.

Staff support them to make the right choices. Pupils say that there are trusted adults they can talk to if they have a problem. They value the positive relationships they have with adults in the school.

Pupils say that bullying does happen, but that a...dults in school always sort it out.

Pupils attend a wide range of clubs and activities. These enable pupils to develop their talents and interests.

Pupils participate in 'Waterton's Got Talent', 'Waterton Chef of the Year' and a variety of sporting competitions, including The Waterton Trust games. Pupils value opportunities to take on roles of responsibility. These include reading ambassadors and eco-warriors.

Leaders make sure that everyone is valued. They ensure that pupils' achievements are recognised and celebrated.

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

Leaders have high ambitions for pupils.

They have made improvements to the curriculum. Lessons are well mapped out. Staff are well developed to be effective in their roles.

Teachers assess and make adaptations that help pupils to access lessons. Pupils have opportunities to revisit prior learning, with recap questions at the beginning of each lesson. This helps them to remember what they have been taught and strengthen what they know.

In some subjects, the important knowledge that pupils must learn has not been clearly identified. Pupils do not make strong links between lesson topics to build new knowledge in these subjects.

Leaders prioritise reading throughout the school.

They ensure that all staff receive training to deliver the reading curriculum effectively. Staff ensure that books are well matched to the sounds pupils are learning. They carefully identify the phonic knowledge pupils know and remember.

Staff generally ensure that pupils get the support they need to improve their reading fluency.

Leaders support staff to ensure the school is calm and orderly. Pupils learn to make the right choices.

Pupils manage their behaviour well. They learn self-regulation. This means they are ready to learn.

However, some pupils do not attend school as regularly as they should.

Leaders ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Teachers swiftly identify pupils' needs.

Teachers make adaptations to how they deliver the curriculum. This ensures that pupils with SEND develop knowledge and understanding well. Some pupils receive interventions outside of the classroom.

Missed learning is not revisited effectively. This means that a small number of pupils have gaps in their knowledge.

Leaders prioritise pupils' personal development.

They provide well-thought-out opportunities for pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is well mapped out. PSHE covers a range of relevant topics, including learning to value different family structures.

Pupils confidently talk about different faiths and cultures. They can identify similarities between places of worship and cultural celebrations effectively.

Governance is a strength of the school.

Governors have clear and ambitious aims for pupils, which is evident in their meetings. Governors are challenging. They hold leaders to account effectively for the actions they take to further improve the school.

Staff are highly positive about leaders' efforts to manage their workload. Staff say that leaders are supportive and that assessment is manageable. They feel their welfare is well supported.

Leaders regularly check on their well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff understand that safeguarding is everyone's responsibility.

Leaders ensure that safeguarding has a high profile in the school through weekly quizzes and updates. Leaders ensure that staff receive regular safeguarding training and can recognise the signs that a pupil may be suffering from harm. Leaders take appropriate action in a thorough and timely manner.

They work well with a range of agencies to support pupils and their families. Pupils know who to go to if they have a concern. They know that staff take their concerns seriously.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils do not attend school regularly and often. They miss important learning. Leaders should continue their work with parents and carers to overcome any barriers to attendance to ensure their children attend school regularly.

• Some pupils miss lessons to access learning interventions. This means that some pupils develop gaps in their learning. Learning interventions should be organised to ensure that significant gaps in pupils' knowledge in other subjects do not develop.

• In some subjects, leaders have not clearly identified the important knowledge that pupils will learn. Where the curriculum is less clear, pupils do not develop their knowledge securely. Leaders should ensure that important knowledge is clearly identified across all subjects.