City Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 10 February 2026

Pupils are made to feel welcome here, whatever their background or whenever they join the school. They are proud of the rich diversity of their community. Pupils are cared for and feel safe in school. They know that any concerns or bullying will be dealt with effectively. The school day starts with warm interactions between pupils and staff at the school gate. These continue throughout the day until pupils are on their way home. The school’s high expectations of respectful behaviour, the ‘City Way’, are supported by clear routines. These expectations are well understood by pupils, and most reach this standard with little prompting needed. Pupils talk about how behaviour has improved and is much less likely to disrupt their learning now. Furthermore, the actions of leaders have ensured that pupils typically attend school regularly. Pupils do not benefit from a consistent quality of education. Their learning experience varies across the day, and so they learn better in some lessons than others. This is why some pupils do not achieve the outcomes they are capable of in all subjects. However, disadvantaged pupils achieve in line with others nationally. Those who are new to the country are supported very well and make rapid progress in learning English. Year 11 pupils feel well supported in preparing for their upcoming examinations, including through the ‘impress the examiner’ sessions. They make informed choices about their next steps in education, training or employment. There are many opportunities for pupils to attend clubs, including retro video gaming, baking, choir and various sports. Pupils appreciate the trips they can go on, for example the Year 7 residential. Many are keen to take on roles of responsibility, including as student leaders. They wear their high-visibility vests with great pride and support their peers well.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is implemented more consistently so that pupils build the knowledge and skills they need to achieve successful outcomes across the curriculum.
• Leaders should ensure that all teaching staff have the skills to check how much pupils understand at the point of learning and to make appropriate adaptations in response.
• Leaders should ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from greater consistency between lessons in how well learning is adapted to meet their needs.

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