Unity Academy Blackpool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum at Unity Academy does not help pupils from Year 1 through to Year 11 to build the knowledge they need to achieve well.

This is especially true for disadvantaged pupils. While the school has suitable ambitions for pupils' achievement, these are not currently realised. There are considerable weaknesses in how well teachers deliver the curriculum.

In contrast, most children in the early years benefit from a stronger curriculum. They make a positive start to their time at the school.

Most pupils are polite and respectful.

However, some pupils do not uphold the expectations the school has of their conduct. At times, the behaviour of some pu...pils prevents others from learning all that they should.

Pupils are typically happy at school.

They enjoy the respectful relationships they have with staff, who care for them well. Many pupils make the most of the wide range of clubs available to them. For example, pupils participate in sports, art and music.

Pupils appreciate trips to the theatre and residential visits to take part in outdoor and adventurous activities. Pupils learn to make a positive contribution to their community. For example, they raise money for local charities.

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

Trustees and members of the local governing body have overseen a decline in the quality of education pupils receive. They do not have a clear oversight of the impact of the curriculum on pupils' achievement. The school has been too slow to address the issues linked to the delivery of the curriculum identified at the time of the last inspection.

There have been some improvements to the curriculum. It is now broad and ambitious. Staff are clear about what they should teach and when subject content should be taught.

They appreciate the time they have been given to think about the design of the subject curriculums. This has supported their workload. In the early years, staff have fully embraced this refreshed curriculum.

The activities they provide for children, including those who access the provision for two-year-olds, make a positive contribution to their early development and learning. Typically, by the end of the early years, children are well prepared for the demands of Year 1.

Beyond the early years, the improved curriculum has not raised pupils' achievement.

This is because its delivery is weak. The school has provided a range of training opportunities for staff to improve their teaching strategies. However, the impact of this training is not fully embedded and has not led to improvements in how the curriculum is delivered or in pupils' achievement.

Staff lack expertise in how to deliver the curriculum successfully.

The activities that teachers design do not enable pupils to develop sufficient depth of understanding of the subjects they study. Many of the tasks that pupils are given limit their ability to build more complex knowledge.

Furthermore, these activities mean that pupils fail to grasp more difficult concepts. As a result, pupils do not achieve well.

Most staff make regular checks on what pupils know and remember.

However, these checks rarely go beyond the recall of facts. They do not help staff make sure pupils' deeper learning is secure. Moreover, assessment information is not used well enough by staff to address gaps and misunderstandings in pupils' learning.

This prevents pupils from building on what they know and can do. Consequently, pupils move on to new learning before they are ready. This hinders their progress through the curriculum.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully included in the life of the school. Their additional needs are identified accurately. The school provides staff with clear guidance about how to assist pupils with SEND effectively.

Typically, staff ensure that these pupils can learn alongside their peers. However, the learning of pupils with SEND is hampered by the same curriculum weaknesses that adversely affect the achievement of others.

In the Nursery class, children benefit from joining in with stories, songs and rhymes.

They quickly become confident communicators. They are ready to start the phonics programme when they join the Reception class. The school accurately identifies and addresses the reading needs of pupils.

This includes pupils in Year 7 to Year 11. Pupils with gaps in their phonics knowledge receive the help they need to catch up quickly. Beyond phonics, pupils receive the support they need to develop a deeper understanding of the texts they read.

The books that pupils read from are well matched to each pupil's stage in their reading development. Pupils become confident and fluent readers.

The school provides support to those pupils who struggle to manage their own behaviour.

Most pupils respond well to this help. They want to learn and to do well. Nevertheless, in lessons, some pupils are not motivated by their learning.

These pupils do not engage positively with staff about the work that they are given. There are times when the behaviour of some pupils adversely affects the learning of others. The school helps those pupils who may need to improve their attendance.

For example, the school has successfully addressed some of the barriers that have prevented pupils from attending regularly. This has reduced the number of pupils that are severely absent from school.

The school's provision for pupils' personal development prepares them well for life in modern Britain.

Pupils know how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy. They know how to keep themselves safe, including online. They value the differences that may exist between people.

Pupils enjoy taking on positions of responsibility at the school. For example, they become anti-bullying ambassadors and school counsellors. The school's strong programme of careers education enables pupils to make informed decisions about their futures.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Trustees and members of the local governing body have not held the school to account for the decline in the quality of education pupils receive. They have acted too slowly to secure much-needed improvements.

As a result, pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, from Years 1 to 11 do not achieve well. Those responsible for governance must develop a detailed oversight of the performance of the school and secure rapid improvements to the quality of education. ? The delivery of the curriculum is weak.

The activities staff design to teach the curriculum do not help pupils develop sufficient depth of knowledge about the subjects they study. This prevents pupils, including those with SEND, from achieving well. The school should ensure that staff are equipped to deliver the curriculum successfully so pupils can build on what they know and deepen their learning over time.

• Staff are not quick enough to rectify gaps and misconceptions in pupils' knowledge. This means that pupils move on to new learning before they are ready. This hinders their progress through the curriculum.

The school should ensure that staff address pupils' misunderstandings in a timely manner so pupils build their knowledge securely over time. ? In some lessons, pupils do not demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning. When this happens, the behaviour of these pupils hinders the learning of others.

The school should provide these pupils with the support they need so they are motivated by their studies and achieve well.HMCI strongly recommends that the school does not seek to appoint early career teachers. The position regarding the appointment of early career teachers will be considered again during any monitoring inspection we carry out.