Colchester Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 March 2023

Colchester Academy is a friendly and inclusive school. Pupils are happy and are safe. The majority of pupils meet the high expectations that leaders set. There is a supportive and caring culture in the school. Pupils appreciate the relationships that they develop with staff. Pupils learn to respect one another. Pupils benefit from a broad and ambitious curriculum. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils particularly enjoy studying Spanish, following leaders' development of the curriculum. In addition to learning a language, this helps pupils to develop their cultural capital. The school is generally calm and purposeful. On occasions, there is disruption to lessons by a small number of pupils who do not behave well. Teachers address poor behaviour consistently. Bullying occasionally takes place. Pupils are largely confident that when it does happen, leaders deal with it straight away. Pupils support others as anti-bullying ambassadors. Year 10 pupils enjoy developing their communication skills through taking part in the 'Jack Petchey' challenge. Pupils deliver speeches linked to their own beliefs and interests to younger year groups in assemblies. Topics include awareness of mental health, ambition, and developing resilience in the context of learning to play a musical instrument.

What the school should improve

• In a few instances, teachers do not use assessment information well enough to plan the teaching that pupils need precisely. This includes for pupils with SEND. This is more common in lessons taught by less-experienced or temporary staff. As a result, a small number of pupils, including some pupils with SEND, develop gaps in their learning and do not build their knowledge well enough over time. Leaders must provide effective training to ensure that there is greater consistency in how teachers use information to plan and adapt their teaching precisely, to ensure that all pupils, including pupils with SEND, know and remember the important information that they need.
• Systems to monitor absence are used to support and challenge effectively parents whose children are frequently absent. However, persistent absence is still too high for some pupils. These pupils miss valuable learning. Leaders should continue to further refine and strengthen their approach to improving attendance, to ensure that pupils attend school more regularly.

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