Branston Community Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 4 March 2025

Most pupils enjoy attending this school. Relationships between staff and pupils are strong. There are high expectations in the school. However, over time, pupils at the end of Year 11 have not achieved as well as they should in public examinations. That said, students in the sixth form do typically achieve well. The school has established clear routines that pupils understand. This has improved pupils' behaviour and reduced low-level disruption. As a result, pupils are more able to focus on their learning. Bullying does happen occasionally. Staff usually deal with this effectively. Most pupils say they feel safe in the school. However, a few pupils are not confident that all staff deal with bullying well. Pupils understand the school's values of 'kindness, respect, aspiration, resilience and community'. Most pupils abide by these values. On occasions though, pupils experience derogatory language. The school is passionate about ensuring that pupils develop into confident young people. There are many opportunities for pupils and students to be positive role models and support their peers, for example as trained well-being ambassadors. Pupils and students enjoy a wide range of experiences that support the curriculum, including trips abroad, performing arts trips to London, and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) events supported by the Royal Air Force.

What the school should improve

• The school's approach to supporting pupils with SEND is not as thorough and effective as it should be. As a result, too many pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should. The school should ensure there are robust systems in place to identify pupils' individual needs and consequently provide effective support to meet their bespoke needs so that they can routinely achieve well.
• In some subjects, teachers do not consistently check pupils' understanding and so do not adapt what they teach to meet the needs of pupils. This means that some teaching does not build on what pupils know and understand well, and gaps and misconceptions are not addressed effectively. This hinders progress. The school should ensure that staff are confident in checking learning so that teaching enables pupils to secure the detailed knowledge they need to achieve well across the full range of subjects.
• The systems and processes in place to quality assure the school's provision do not give leaders a clear picture of what is happening in all areas of the school. This means areas of the school's work that need developing are not identified well enough. As a result, progress in some school improvement matters is not as effective as it could be. The school should ensure that quality assurance processes enable leaders to develop a clear understanding of the strengths and improvement priorities.

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