Accrington Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils enjoy attending Accrington Academy.

They are beginning to benefit from recent improvements to the school. For example, the school has recently revised the behaviour policy to ensure that rules are clear and understood. Pupils say that behaviour is better than before and they attend school regularly.

The school has increased both the ambition in the curriculum and its expectations of all pupils. However, improvements to the quality of education that pupils receive are still at an early stage. There is considerable variability in how the curriculum is delivered.

As a result, pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities ...(SEND) and students in the sixth form, do not learn as well as they should.

Pupils are kind and considerate. They forge positive relationships with staff.

Most pupils, including students in the sixth form, feel safe and report having a trusted adult to speak with. Staff respond promptly and effectively when pupils share their concerns.

There are many opportunities for personal development.

The school offers a wide range of extra-curricular activities and visits, including trips abroad to Malawi and New York. Pupils enjoy opportunities to contribute to the development of the school through taking on leadership roles, for example on the school council.

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

The school has recently strengthened the curriculum.

The key knowledge that pupils should learn has been identified. The school has considered how new knowledge will build on what pupils have learned before. It has led these changes with determination and drive.

However, this work has not yet had an impact. Pupils do not achieve well enough.

The delivery of the curriculum, including in the sixth form, and for pupils with SEND, is inconsistent.

In some subjects, teaching is well constructed. However, in others, teaching strategies, including the selection of resources, do not help pupils to learn the knowledge in the curriculum. Some activities that teachers select do not help pupils to deepen their understanding of earlier learning.

This means that some pupils do not understand the key information they have been taught. As a result, they develop gaps in their knowledge.

Most teachers present information clearly, using secure subject knowledge.

However, they do not consistently check pupils' existing knowledge or their understanding of new learning. Consequently, some teachers are not aware of pupils' gaps in learning, so they are unable to close these gaps. This means that sometimes pupils do not learn effectively.

Reading is a priority for the school. Pupils who are at the early stages of reading receive the support they need to become fluent readers. This support includes the school's approach to reading in form times.

The school is developing more opportunities for all pupils to read widely and often.

The school is adept at identifying the needs of pupils with SEND in a timely manner. It provides teachers with useful information about the additional needs of these pupils.

This helps staff to adapt how they deliver the curriculum for pupils with SEND. Nonetheless, weaknesses in how well the curriculum is delivered overall prevent some pupils with SEND from achieving as well as they should.

The school successfully supports pupils' wider development.

Pupils learn to appreciate and value people's differences. Pupils, and students in the sixth form, receive useful careers information and guidance. They learn about next steps in their education and about a range of future opportunities in education and employment.

Pupils' personal, social, health and economic education gives pupils the information they need to help keep themselves healthy and safe. They learn about topics such as internet safety, healthy relationships and mental health. Pupils participate in a broad range of clubs.

These range from pottery to swimming and baking.

Staff are proud to work at the school. They feel well supported with their workload and well-being.

Trustees, governors and trust leaders are beginning to provide more effective challenge and support to the school to bring about improvements. However, this work has not yet had an impact on pupils' outcomes, which are too low.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some of the learning activities that pupils experience do not build their understanding well enough. Where this is the case, pupils do not explore topics in depth or tackle more challenging work. The school should ensure that teachers are equipped to design learning activities that sufficiently cover key curriculum content, so that pupils achieve well in these subjects.

• The checks on pupils' knowledge and understanding across the curriculum are not fully effective. As a result, pupils struggle to recall previous learning and do not build their knowledge well enough. The school should ensure that teachers use assessment strategies effectively so that pupils learn and remember the curriculum successfully in all subjects.

• The school's quality assurance systems are not as effective as they should be. This hinders the school, including those responsible for governors from having a sufficiently detailed picture of the strengths and weaknesses in the quality of education provided. The school should review its approach to quality assurance to ensure that this provides the most useful information to drive further improvement of the school.

Also at this postcode