Progress to improve the Neale-Wade Academy in March is recognised but there is still more to do

Progress to improve standards at a Fenland school has been recognised by a Government watchdog in a letter to the principal published this week.

The Neale-Wade Academy in March underwent a monitoring visit from Ofsted inspector Charlie Fordham on January 8 to see what, if any progress had been made since the school’s last full inspection in October 2023 when it was rated as “Requires Improvement” across all areas.

Mr Fordham put his findings in a letter to the academy’s principal Graham Horn and said he had found the school has made improvement and said one of the key aspects of that was staffing.

He said: “This is now more settled. Consequently, pupils experience far fewer substitute teachers than they used to. This helps them develop greater confidence in their education.”

The school’s curriculum has been developed and Mr Fordham said which meant there was now clarity about what pupils should learn, including in the sixth form.

Staff were now better able to teach the curriculum, he said.

As a result Mr Fordham said: “Mostly, pupils have begun to learn more successfully than at the time of the previous inspection. They often apply their knowledge well in tasks, such as using similes in extended writing in English.

“While this is the case, there is not yet sufficient depth of learning. Pupils have not developed the connected web of knowledge they need, such as to demonstrate their knowledge in rich discussion.”

Mr Fordham recognised the support given by the Active Learning Trust, which runs the school, and said “the oversight of the areas the school needs to improve is regular and focused.

He found principal Graham Horn and the trust leaders have introduced change in a well-planned and measured manner.

He said: “This has helped staff to buy into it. The trust has put in place effective training to help staff implement improvements. As a result, the school has begun to provide pupils with a more positive experience of education.”

Mr Fordham felt there was an improvement in the school’s culture with leaders raising expectations for behaviour.

The behaviour policy has been reviewed and a simpler and more effective one has been put in place.

Mr Fordham said: “Staff apply this with more consistency. Pupils now know where they stand. As a result, behaviour is more orderly. Breaktimes are calmer. There are now fewer examples of inappropriate language than at the time of the previous inspection. This has helped learning in the classroom, as there is less disruption.”

However, Mr Fordham said there is still some problems and pupils who have received sanctions for their behaviour do repeat their “poor choices”.

This means there is more to address the “underlying causes of misbehaviour” so pupils learn to conduct themselves well without regular sanctions.

Attendance has also improved with fewer pupils having having high levels of absence.

An area identified by Mr Fordham requiring further improvement was around teaching special needs children.

Mr Fordham said: “The school needs to ensure staff know how to adapt learning for pupils with SEND so that pupils confidently understand new content and successfully build up what they know.”

Mr Horn said: “We are pleased that this report reflects the progress made and I want to thank all our staff, students, parents and carers and the whole school community for their support in helping us to make meaningful changes across many areas of school life.

“We will use this report to build on our progress, always striving to ensure that we are providing the best learning experience possible for every student.”

Lynsey Holzer, CEO at Active Learning Trust, said: “This is a very encouraging report and I want to thank Mr. Horn, the leadership team and all staff for working so diligently to make significant improvements.

“We look forward to supporting Neale-Wade Academy to continue to progress, together with the support of the whole school community.”