Blackpool Aspire Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 5 June 2024

Pupils are at the centre of every decision that the school makes. They develop warm and caring relationships with staff, who want pupils to have the best start in life. This helps most pupils to feel happy in school. The school has raised its expectations of pupils' behaviour. Well-established routines help to ensure that the school is calm and orderly. For example, each morning, pupils line up to listen to a welcome from a senior member of staff. This helps to get pupils ready for the day ahead. Most pupils conduct themselves sensibly and respectfully around the building. Pupils welcome opportunities to take on responsibilities. For instance, some train as well-being warriors or anti-bullying ambassadors to support their peers. Members of the junior leadership team described the pride that they feel when their ideas are put into action. The trust has supported the school to prioritise improving the curriculum so that pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), can achieve well. However, weaknesses in the previous curriculum, together with pupils' low rates of attendance and the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, mean that some pupils do not achieve as well as they should.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, the school has not clarified the important knowledge that pupils should remember over time. This hinders teachers from designing learning that builds securely on what pupils already know. The school should ensure that teachers are clear about the knowledge that pupils require in readiness for subsequent learning.
• In some subjects, teachers do not use assessment strategies effectively to check how well pupils have remembered their learning in the long term. This means that gaps in pupils' knowledge are sometimes not addressed swiftly. The school should support teachers to use assessment strategies effectively to identify and remedy gaps in pupils' learning, so that pupils embed their knowledge securely over time.
• Some pupils, particularly some disadvantaged pupils, do not attend school as often as they should. This means that they miss out on essential learning and they do not fully experience all that the school has to offer. The school should take effective action to improve the attendance of these pupils.

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