A once-struggling Nuneaton secondary school is ‘rapidly improving’, Ofsted inspectors said.
They carried out an inspection at the Nuneaton Academy, its first since it was taken over by United Learning.
It revealed the Radnor Drive-base school was ‘rapidly improving,’ a far cry from 2021, when it was given an ‘inadequate’ Ofsted report as part of the Midland Academies Trust.
Ofsted inspections no longer give single-word judgments with a new five-point grading scale now in place.
The report for the Nuneaton Academy said the school had ‘strong standard’ for leadership and governance, the second highest grade, and ‘expected standard’ for achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, personal development and well being.
‘Expected standard’ is when a school fulfils the expected standard of education and/or care. This the the third highest grade, and above ‘needs attention’ and ‘urgent improvement’.
For leadership and governance, the report said: “Leaders at this school have brought about rapid and lasting improvement.
“Since joining the Trust, in December 2023, the school has acted with renewed purpose and high ambition.
“Leaders understand the school well and have chosen the right priorities. They are highly ambitious for pupils and the positive impact of their actions is evident across the school.
“Leaders identify appropriate priorities and take swift, effective action to continuously improve aspects of the school’s work, this includes improving outcomes for vulnerable pupils.”
‘Increasingly successful’
It recognised efforts being made to improve attendance and behaviour.
The report said: “Over a short space of time and since the new school opened, pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, increasingly achieve well.”
It also said: “Teachers, uniformly, have a deep knowledge of their subjects.”
On pupils, the report said: “Nuneaton Academy is rapidly improving. The school is increasingly successful in reducing the barriers that pupils face so that they receive an inclusive, high-quality education that improves their life chances.
“Pupils say they learn more effectively as they understand what teachers are asking them to do. Pupils also attend more regularly because they enjoy the improved experiences of school. Where pupils do not achieve or attend school as consistently well as they should, staff work with families to consider any barriers to learning and provide effective support.”
The report continued: “Pupils receive careful guidance and information that helps them to make informed choices about their future careers. This has helped to increase significantly the number of pupils stay in education, employment and/or training after school. However, leaders are aware that raising pupils’ aspirations continues to be a priority for the school. For example, strengthening the careers programme for all pupils will enhance pupils’ experiences and support them in attending and achieving more consistently for life beyond school.”
The steps inspectors said the school needed to take included securing and maintaining high levels of attendance over time, for all pupils, by further strengthening their work with families and external partners.
Nuneaton now has its own WhatsApp community where you get the latest news from Nuneaton and Bedworth straight to your phone. Find out more here by following the link
Want to keep up with the latest news from across Nuneaton and Bedworth? You can get all the latest dedicated Nuneaton and Bedworth stories in our newsletter which goes straight to your inbox once a day. Sign up here .