Spalding Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The executive headteacher and other senior leaders provide clear direction and strong leadership.

The school has improved rapidly. School leaders and those responsible for governance know their school well. They are well informed about the school's strengths and areas for improvement.

However, plans for further improvement do not have clear criteria to allow them to measure success. Leaders have taken decisive and effective action to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, which is now good. The progress pupils make across the curriculum has improved and is now good, particularly in key stage 4.

Trustees are kno...wledgeable and dedicated. They provide a good balance of support and challenge. The school benefits from the opportunities provided by working as part of a trust.

The curriculum is well matched to the needs of the pupils and ensures that they are well prepared for the next stage in their education. Pupils receive good advice and support. Pupils' behaviour is a strength of the school.

They are polite and enthusiastic and display good attitudes to learning. Bullying or disruptive behaviour is very rare. These few instances are dealt with effectively by staff.

Pupils' attendance is good and contributes to their strong progress. The attendance of all groups is at least in line with the national average. Groups of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are well supported by the school and make good progress.

Leaders have developed accurate systems of assessment. Teachers use these effectively to identify the next steps in learning for pupils. Pupils feel safe in school.

Leaders and staff have created an atmosphere of care and support and are determined to do their best for each pupil. Pupils in key stage 3 do not make as much progress as pupils in key stage 4 because they are not challenged consistently well. Although pupils' literacy skills are developing, there are limited opportunities for pupils to use these across the curriculum.

Information about this school

Spalding Academy is an average-sized secondary school. The school is part of a small educational trust, the South Lincolnshire Academies Trust, which comprises Spalding Academy and Bourne Academy. The school has a local advisory board, which reports to the board of trustees.

The executive headteacher leads both schools. Most pupils are from a White British background, with a significant minority from other White backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above average.

The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above average. The proportion of pupils with SEND is broadly average. There are no pupils who have alternative arrangements for their education with external providers.