Blackwater Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 11 February 2025

Pupils enjoy coming to this very welcoming school. They appreciate that staff take time to listen to them. Pupils feel safe and they quickly improve their attendance. For some pupils, this is the first time they have attended a school regularly for many years. The school treats pupils as individuals and values their contributions to keeping the school a safe place to learn. The school aims to ensure that pupils achieve well. The curriculum sets out what pupils will learn. However, some staff do not have the subject knowledge and training they need to deliver the curriculum effectively. As a result, pupils do not receive an education that helps them achieve well across all subjects. The school successfully helps pupils who are at risk of exclusion from their mainstream school to learn more positive ways of behaving. These changes in behaviour happen quickly because staff form positive relationships with pupils and have clear expectations about how they expect pupils to behave. Pupils try hard to behave well in class and are respectful of each other. Pupils value school trips and well-being walks. Some pupils recount that this is the first school to let them go on trips. These trips help to enrich the curriculum.

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