Waterhead Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils are happy to be part of this very welcoming school community. Pupils from a wide range of backgrounds mix well with each other.

Staff care for pupils' well-being and safety. Pupils know who to speak to if they are worried or upset.

The school is ambitious for all pupils to succeed, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who are disadvantaged.

Pupils benefit from the recent improvements that the school has made to the quality of education it provides. However, pupils learn better in some lessons than in others. This is because the curriculum is not delivered consistently well.

As a result, pupil...s do not achieve as well as they should.

The school has raised its expectations of how pupils should behave in school. Although a minority of pupils struggle to live up to the school's expectations, the majority behave well in lessons and as they move around the school during social times.

Pupils appreciate how behaviour incidents are dealt with consistently and fairly by staff. However, a small group of pupils do not attend school often enough and do not benefit from these raised expectations.

Pupils enjoy a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities provided by the school, with sports and performing arts among the most popular.

Many pupils relish the chance to demonstrate their leadership skills across different areas of school life.

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

This school has improved considerably since the previous inspection. As a result, pupils' day-to-day experiences are much better than they were in the past.

Leaders at all levels, the staff, trustees and members of the local academy board are united and effective in their desire to ensure that all pupils have access to a high-quality, broad and ambitious curriculum. The school has made adjustments to what was previously an inadequate curriculum to enable pupils to study each subject in greater depth. Furthermore, with the support of the trust, it has begun to take effective action to address a legacy of poor curriculum delivery.

The school has considered carefully what pupils need to know and when this content should be taught. Each subject curriculum sets out clearly for staff the essential knowledge that pupils need to learn. Subject teachers have been trained to deliver this content effectively.

Consequently, current pupils know and retain more knowledge than they did previously.

Teachers know their subjects well. In many lessons, they provide clear explanations confidently and regularly check that pupils understand what is being taught.

However, this is not the case across all subjects and year groups. This leads to variation in the way that the curriculum is delivered. Sometimes, teachers do not choose the most appropriate methods to help pupils understand key knowledge.

Some teachers do not check carefully that pupils understand what they have learned before introducing new learning. As a result, gaps in pupils' learning are not consistently identified and addressed. This disproportionately affects pupils who have the biggest gaps in their learning.

The school identifies pupils with SEND accurately. It has provided teachers with guidance on how to support pupils with SEND in the classroom. However, some teachers do not use the strategies they have been given to the best effect, or they do not use specialist resources as well as they could.

Consequently, the achievement of pupils with SEND is variable.

The school has made reading a priority. It has developed effective systems to identify pupils who have gaps in their reading knowledge.

These systems enable staff to pinpoint and remedy the specific problems that individual pupils face with reading. However, the reading of a small minority of pupils in key stage 4 is still weak. This is because, in the past, the school's actions to support these pupils with their reading were ineffective.

The vast majority of pupils benefit from positive relationships with staff and their peers. Typically, they behave well and enjoy learning and socialising together. They understand and follow well-established routines.

Older pupils recognise that behaviour in the school has improved. However, there remains a small minority of pupils who do not conform to the expectations set by the school. This means that, occasionally, pupils' education or other experiences are spoiled by the poor conduct of this minority.

Recently, there has been a significant reduction in the number of pupils who are regularly absent from school. This improvement in attendance rates is a result of the school setting high expectations for attendance. It has also created effective processes to explore the reasons for pupils' absence.

The school works thoughtfully with many pupils and their families to improve attendance. However, the number of school days missed by some disadvantaged pupils and some pupils with SEND remains high. This means that these pupils miss out on important opportunities for their education and personal development.

Pupils follow a very well-designed programme to promote their personal development. Pupils are knowledgeable about a wide range of matters, including relationships and sex education. They learn about different faiths and cultures.

Many are active citizens through involvement in their local community by supporting charity work and food banks. All pupils receive age-appropriate careers education, including independent advice about future careers and further education opportunities.

The trust has supported the school by appointing experienced leaders to key positions.

Staff have confidence in the leadership of the school. Recent changes have strengthened the school's capacity for further improvement. Members of the local academy board support the school through their expertise in educational matters.

Leaders at all levels are considerate of staff's workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Teachers do not consistently use suitable techniques to help pupils understand subject content.

As a result, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge and understanding, which hinders their progress through the curriculum. The school should ensure that teachers are equipped to deliver curriculum content consistently well so pupils know and remember essential knowledge. ? Some teachers do not check that pupils have understood what has been taught before introducing new learning.

This means staff do not gain a clear picture of pupils' understanding and what they are ready to learn next. The school should ensure that staff use assessment strategies more effectively to identify and then address gaps in pupils' learning. ? Some staff do not ensure that pupils with SEND receive the support they need in lessons.

This means that pupils are not able to overcome barriers to learning. This affects the progress they make through the curriculum. The school should ensure that staff are suitably equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to support pupils with SEND effectively.

• A minority of pupils struggle to live up to the school's expectations of behaviour. This means that, occasionally, pupils' education or other experiences are interrupted by the poor conduct of this minority. The school should further enhance its strategies to challenge and support the behaviour of these pupils.

• The attendance of some disadvantaged pupils and some pupils with SEND is low. As a result, these pupils miss out on important education and opportunities for their personal development. The school should further refine and sharpen its strategies to improve the persistent absence of this minority of pupils.

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