Weatherfield Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Weatherfield Academy is a caring and happy place.

Pupils are warmly greeted each morning. They settle quickly to the tasks adults have prepared for them. Adults take time to check whether pupils are ready to learn.

They make timely interventions if pupils require any support. Pupils appreciate the help they receive. Nurturing relationships between pupils and staff ensure a calm and productive start to the day.

The school has high expectations for pupils' achievements, both academic and personal. Pupils are eager to learn and find out new things. All pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Knowledgeable staff ensure that pupi...ls' barriers to learning are overcome. Everyone commits to helping pupils become, 'the best person they can be'.

Pupils relish the variety of opportunities on offer.

Staff help pupils to find their place in the community. For example, they provide opportunities for pupils to work on the school farm or allotments. Pupils can become members of the signing choir and perform to local organisations.

The school helps pupils to foster friendships. Pupils value the relationships they form and there is a palpable family feel to the school. Many parents agree.

They use words such as 'flourish' and 'thrive' to describe their child's experiences of school. Pupils willingly cooperate and share their learning with one another.

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

Since the previous inspection, the school has continued to develop the curriculum in all subjects.

The school has ensured that the growing range of pupils' needs has been carefully catered for in the design of the curriculum. The curriculum lays out clearly the knowledge and skills that develop pupils' learning over time. Preparation for adulthood and life beyond the school threads through pupils' experiences.

Teaching is tailored for each pupil. To achieve this, pupils follow different curriculum pathways. These include opportunities to study subjects which develop their practical skills.

For example, horticulture, cooking and childcare. Working with multi-disciplinary teams, pupils' individual targets carefully inform how the curriculum is adapted. This means pupils build the skills they need for success in later life.

They are well prepared for their next steps.

Teachers generally have a secure knowledge of the curriculum content. They make skilful use of revisiting key knowledge.

From key stage 3 through to the sixth form, teachers question pupils to check that important knowledge is remembered. They ensure that pupils secure their knowledge by building on what they have learned before. However, in a few subjects, teachers are less secure in what pupils need to know and remember.

This means sometimes, planned activities do not build on what pupils already know. On these occasions pupils do not progress through the curriculum as well as they could.

Reading is a high priority.

The school ensures that pupils at an early stage of learning to read develop their phonics knowledge and use their phonics skills. Staff teach the school's phonics programme skilfully. Pupils read books that help them to practise the sounds they know.

The school promotes reading for pleasure successfully. Pupils enjoy access to a wide range of books and reading material. Many pupils develop well as fluent and confident readers.

Pupils behave well around the school, whether in class or at playtimes. The school has established a safe and respectful culture. Staff and pupils have warm and trusting relationships.

Staff know their pupils well. They respond sensitively should anyone require closer attention and help. Pupils enjoy coming to school.

This is reflected in their regular attendance.

Pupils benefit from wider experiences to support their personal development. These experiences are central to building pupils' life skills.

Roles within the school provide opportunities for pupils to be leaders and members of teams. Pupils use their voice through the school council or working as a fairtrade monitor. They participate in community activities that helps to develop pupils' confidence and independence.

Pupils receive guidance and information about the world of work. In the sixth form, there are increasing opportunities to visit local colleges and business groups to make informed decisions about their future. The school provides opportunities for students to gain functional skills and vocational qualifications to help them achieve their aspirations.

The trustees take responsibility for the governance of the school. They receive information from school leaders informing them about actions to improve the school. However, sometimes, trustees have not ensured that they have all of the information they need to check the impact of the effectiveness of the curriculum.

This means they do not have a strong enough grasp or oversight of the school's performance.

Safeguarding

The inspection was suspended to give the school an opportunity to resolve issues with safeguarding. Inspectors returned to gather additional evidence and judged arrangements for safeguarding to be effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, teachers do not have a confident understanding of the key knowledge that pupils need to know. This means the activities they prepare are not fully effective in building pupils' knowledge step by step. The school should ensure that staff develop the expertise they require to deliver the curriculum, ensuring that pupils make the strongest progress across all subjects.

• Trustees do not have a secure enough understanding about the impact of leaders' decisions to improve the school. This means that sometimes, they are not able to hold leaders to account for the improvement of the school. The trust should ensure that those in governance positions develop further their knowledge and skills to consistently ensure that the school's work is highly effective.