Tregolls Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

There has been significant instability in the school since the previous inspection. This, coupled with a weak curriculum, has led to a decline in the quality of education.

Pupils leave the school without the knowledge they need for their secondary education.

Respect, unity, determination and kindness are key values the school is developing. However, not all pupils live up to these.

Some pupils do not behave well. At times, low-level behaviour disrupts learning. On occasion where bullying happens, the school deals with it swiftly but it does not stop completely.

This causes some pupils to be unhappy.Pupils enjoy after-school clubs such as netball, foo...tball and French. Pupils also have opportunities to take part in residential visits to support their learning.

This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils learn about leadership and helping others, proudly taking on roles such as librarians and members of the pupil parliament.

Over half the parents responding to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted's online survey, would not recommend the school.

A significant number of parents do not have faith in the school's or trust's ability to tackle issues and to deal with their concerns quickly and effectively.

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

The trust and school have not identified, or sequenced, the important knowledge that pupils need to learn. Frequent staff absences and changes in leadership have further exacerbated the school's development of the curriculum.

The trust's and school's actions to improve the quality of education and behaviour have not been swift enough or effective.

Staff do not use assessment information well enough to resolve pupils' misconceptions quickly or to adapt future learning. This means that pupils develop large gaps in their knowledge.

As a result, pupils' skills in reading, writing and mathematics have been significantly below that of their peers nationally at the end of key stage 1 and key stage 2.

A small number of pupils with SEND, who are part of the school's resource base, receive a curriculum that is meeting their needs. In addition, the school supports those who attend alternative provision well.

However, for some pupils with SEND, targets are often broad and lack precision. The school does not adapt learning sufficiently well. As a result, like their classmates, many pupils with SEND do not achieve well.

While the school has introduced a new behaviour policy, it is very new and has not had enough impact on pupils' behaviour. Lessons are sometimes disrupted by persistent low-level misbehaviour. This has a negative impact on pupils' learning.

The school recognises that improving attendance and reducing persistent absence are priorities. Staff work with families with low attendance. While there has been some improvement for individuals, the impact of the work to improve whole-school attendance is at an early stage and is yet to be fully seen.

In the early years, there are examples of effective curriculum practice. For example, in Reception, children develop their understanding of communication and language through listening to well-chosen texts that relate to their learning.

Children learn phonics as soon as they start in Reception.

They learn how to segment words and blend sounds accurately. Pupils read books that match the sounds they know, which helps them become more fluent and accurate. Pupils who fall behind in their reading are quickly identified and supported effectively to catch up.

Older pupils, who are secure in their phonics, continue to develop their reading. However, the books that they use are not always ambitious enough. The reading curriculum is new and has not built on pupils' learning from the early years and key stage 1.

Pupils learn about healthy eating and how to keep fit as part of the personal, social, health and economic programme. However, pupils do not understand fundamental British values well.

The school and the trust have attempted to engage with parents and the wider community.

While some parents comment positively about the school, too many parents feel that the school and the trust do not deal with their concerns well. These parents are worried about behaviour, changes in staffing, communication and bullying.

Staff are happy to work at the school.

They feel supported to manage their workload. Staff are positive about the trust and the leadership team.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• There is not enough capacity to improve the many weaknesses in the curriculum at the speed that is needed. Frequent changes in leadership and the impact of staff absence have hampered attempts to improve provision. The trust should strengthen leadership and management so that their impact is effective.

• The reading curriculum is not having the intended impact. As a result, pupils are not able to learn the wider curriculum. Many pupils leave Tregolls Academy lacking the knowledge and skills required for the next stage of their education.

The school and the trust need to strengthen the teaching and monitoring of the reading curriculum, so that pupils can read key knowledge across subjects to know more and remember more of their learning. ? The trust and the school have not planned or implemented a well-sequenced curriculum. Pupils do not remember what they have been taught and so are not ready for new learning.

The trust and the school should identify, and sequence, the key knowledge they want pupils to learn in each subject. ? Assessment is not used effectively. Staff do not check well enough how well pupils remember the knowledge they have been taught.

This means that pupils develop gaps in their learning that are not addressed. The trust and school should strengthen how pupils are assessed so that any gaps in knowledge are identified and filled. ? Some parents raise concerns about how the school communicates with them.

As a result, parents do not know or understand changes in the school. Leaders need to ensure that they communicate effectively with all stakeholders. ? Some pupils' behaviour disrupts learning.

Bullying is not tackled consistently. This shows the current approaches to managing behaviour do not create a culture where pupils understand the right way to treat each other. The school and trust should develop policies that manage pupils' behaviour effectively so that low-level disruption is eradicated and bullying is dealt with consistently.

• The school does not support pupils with SEND consistently well. Therefore, some pupils do not have their needs met. The trust and school should improve the systems for identifying and meeting the needs of pupils with SEND to ensure they learn the curriculum well.