Buttershaw Business & Enterprise College Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Over time, pupils have not achieved as well as they should. The school has made some changes to improve the learning and behaviour that pupils experience at the school. There remains more to do.

Pupils recognise that the climate for learning has improved in lessons. There is less disruption to their learning. As a result, pupils are more able to meet the high expectations the school has for their achievement.

Many pupils are rising to the high expectations the school has for their behaviour. Pupils who have had suspensions recognise the support school gives them to improve their behaviour. This helps pupils to make changes so that they can access their learning.
<...br/>However, there is still further work to do to improve behaviour. This is particularly the case during social times.

Pupils say that bullying can occur.

They say when this happens, the school takes it seriously and helps resolve it. As a result, most pupils feel safe in the school.

Pupil leaders take pride in their roles.

The school parliament is enthusiastic about the contribution it makes to the school. These pupils help to collect the views of other pupils and feed this back to the school leaders. For example, this group gathered views that informed changes to the behaviour policy.

Such responsibilities help pupils to develop valuable leadership and communication skills.

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

The school has made significant changes to the curriculum in all areas. This has brought increasing consistency to the learning that pupils experience in lessons.

Regular opportunities to revisit prior learning are now embedded in most lessons. This is helping pupils to remember their learning over time. Teachers check pupils' understanding.

This helps teachers to identify and address any misconceptions pupils may have.

The school has developed very clear approaches to the structure of lessons. Pupils are benefiting from this.

For example, adults show pupils how to approach the tasks that they set them. This helps pupils understand how to successfully apply their learning.

There is inconsistency in how well the school identifies the support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) need.

The quality of information that teachers receive to support pupils with SEND varies. This means that adults are not as informed as they should be in how to best help some pupils with SEND. As a result, pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they could.

The school is quick to gain an understanding of pupils' reading abilities. For those in the early stages of reading, support is provided to help them build their knowledge and skills. This is particularly well embedded in key stage 3.

Some pupils receive phonics support to help pupils close gaps in their reading abilities. This, in turn, helps them access the wider curriculum.

Pupils learn about important aspects of personal, social and health education.

The carefully designed curriculum helps pupils to understand local and national affairs. However, the curriculum is less successful in enabling some pupils to remember their learning about protected characteristics. On occasions, some pupils do not show respect for each other or other diverse groups.

Their understanding of these important aspects of life in modern Britain have not been fully developed by the school.

Careers guidance is helping pupils develop aspirations for their future. Pupils have a range of progression routes they would like to follow.

The school provides various clubs, these include fitness, music and the arts. Many pupils have taken up the opportunity to attend these. These opportunities are helping pupils to develop their talents and interests more widely.

The school has put in place new strategies to improve the behaviour and attendance of pupils. There have been improvements made in behaviour in lessons in particular. However, there is still work to do to support pupils' positive behaviour during social times.

The attendance of pupils remains too low. As a result, they miss out on the improved learning opportunities that the school provides.

Leaders at all levels, including those responsible for governance, recognise that further work needs to be done to improve the school.

They have made some significant changes at pace that have had impact. For example, there is a much-improved oversight of the use of alternative provision. There still remains much to do.

Staff at the school recognise the support they get for their workload and well-being. They know they are valued.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Sometimes, the school does not accurately identify the support that would best meet the needs of some pupils with SEND. When this happens, staff do not put appropriate support in place for these pupils. The school should ensure that it develops effective strategies to accurately identify pupils' needs and guide staff on how to meet these needs.

• The school's strategy to improve attendance is not reaching some pupils, especially those with SEND or in receipt of the pupil premium. Pupils miss vital learning, develop gaps in their knowledge and do not achieve as well as they could. The school should intensify its actions to improve attendance.

• The school is still implementing its new behaviour policy. This policy has not impacted on the poor behaviour of a small, but significant, cohort of pupils. The school should intensify actions to ensure that the behaviour policy is applied consistently well, particularly social time.

• The school's personal development programme does not provide pupils with sufficient knowledge of protected characteristics. This limits pupils' ability to show respect for difference in school and in wider society. The school should ensure that they develop strategies to help pupils engage with, value and remember their learning so that they are prepared for life in modern Britain.

• The significant changes that school has made are still yet to impact fully. There is variability in the experience of pupils at the school. The school should rapidly review the impact of changes made so that adaptations can be made and the pace of change intensified in some areas.