Campsmount Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 19 September 2023

Pupils feel happy and safe at this rapidly improving school. A new culture of respect, tolerance and ambition has been established. Pupils consistently behave well and show pride in their appearance and in their work. Pupils have good relationships with staff, and they are keen to learn. Bullying is rare and dealt with swiftly if it occurs. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe and about local themes such as road safety. Pupils are taught to think critically through 'aspire' sessions and to use their voice to influence others. Sixth-form students play an active role in school leadership and support younger pupils in the school. Pupils are taught to have high expectations. They are taught a well-planned curriculum that prepares them for life in modern Britain. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported to study the same curriculum as their peers. Parts of the school curriculum are new, however, and the impact of more recent curriculum developments has yet to be fully realised through published examination results. Most pupils attend regularly, but some do not, and this hinders their progress. Pupils are benefitting from the new leadership at the school and the investments that the trust has provided. They receive a good quality of education.

What the school should improve

• Intervention and support for pupils who are weaker readers does not happen frequently enough and is limited in scale. This means that some pupils struggle to access parts of the curriculum. It also impacts on the progress they make. Leaders, including those from the trust, should ensure that there is capacity within the school to provide the intervention that is needed to ensure that the weakest readers rapidly improve their ability to read.
• Some pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged, do not attend the school regularly enough. As a result, these pupils miss too many lessons and do not make enough progress. The school should continue to employ strategies that build relationships with families and address rates of poor attendance.
• The number of disadvantaged pupils who are suspended from school is not reducing quickly enough. This means that some of the more vulnerable pupils miss too many lessons and opportunities to develop their character. The school should continue to develop positive attitudes and behaviour among all pupils and deploy strategies to reduce the number of disadvantaged pupils who are suspended.

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