Appleton Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 16 June 2026

Pupils at Appleton Academy enjoy the sense of community that is central to the school’s values and ethos. Pupils are safe and they appreciate their warm, caring relationships with staff. Most pupils attend well. They like coming to school, and many enjoy learning. Bullying does not happen regularly. If it does, pupils are confident that staff will deal with it quickly and effectively. Over time, older pupils have not achieved as well as they should in national tests and examinations. This includes pupils who are disadvantaged. Despite changes to the school’s approach to learning, too many older pupils do not retain important knowledge, and their attainment remains low. This means that some pupils are not prepared for their next steps in education, employment or training. This is not the case for younger pupils, including children in the early years. Here, pupils typically develop knowledge and skills well across the curriculum. Behaviour around the school is generally orderly. Classrooms are calm. Pupils are positive about the recent introduction of mobile phone pouches, which stop pupils from accessing their phones during the school day. They say that this has improved their focus and wider behaviour across the school. The school provides additional support that helps pupils who struggle to regulate their behaviour. If pupils are unhappy or upset, they have trusted adults who will help them. Pupils benefit from a number of opportunities that enrich their experience across the curriculum. These include the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, visits to the theatre and the ballet, a residential trip to a local activity centre and volunteering in the local community. Many pupils take advantage of these opportunities, including pupils who are disadvantaged and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Additionally, a number of higher-attaining older pupils are included in the ‘Scholars programme’, which supports them to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to be able to access higher education.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that they identify improvement priorities precisely and that they monitor the impact of strategies to achieve these priorities rigorously.
• Leaders should ensure that teachers check pupils’ understanding and address misconceptions or misunderstanding effectively before moving on with new learning.
• Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is implemented consistently well and that this is realised in pupils’ achievement across the full curriculum and in outcomes in national tests and assessments.
• Leaders should ensure that staff understand and implement the pupil premium strategy consistently well to meet the needs of disadvantaged pupils.
• Leaders should ensure that they continue to implement the attendance strategy rigorously to further improve pupils’ attendance across the school.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)