De Lacy Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 16 June 2026

Pupils enjoy their time at school. They value the support that they receive and how this helps them to be successful. Relationships between pupils and staff are positive and respectful. This creates a welcoming and purposeful school environment. Pupils form secure friendships with their peers. They are considerate of one another and treat others with kindness. Incidents of bullying and discrimination are rare. Staff challenge these effectively and never tolerate such behaviours. The school provides support for those pupils involved, helping them to learn how to resolve differences with peers independently. The school has experienced a significant amount of change in recent years. This includes the appointment of a new principal and wider senior leadership team since September 2025. Leaders, including from the trust, have ensured that this transition is managed well. New leaders have made a number of improvements, such as to the school’s attendance strategy, since coming into post. These are increasingly strengthening the educational experiences of pupils. For example, lessons are taught with greater consistency, misbehaviour is infrequent and absence is declining. Leaders have prioritised pupils’ personal development and providing them with help to overcome barriers through the school's approach to inclusion. Consequently, pupils consistently benefit from personalised support that enables them to better access their learning. Well-chosen enrichment activities deepen pupils’ knowledge of their local community and broaden their experience of the wider world. These combine to raise pupils’ aspirations. Pupils receive the help that they need to realise these aspirations. Pupils typically engage with learning positively. Well-taught lessons help them to build their knowledge and confidence securely. Pupils respond well to teachers’ high expectations. Largely, pupils achieve well. Results in public examinations are similar to the national average. Pupils ate generally well prepared for their next steps in education and training.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that teaching is consistently as skilled and impactful as the most effective practice in school, enabling all pupils to achieve highly across subjects and phases.
• Leaders should continue to develop the school's attendance strategy in order to raise rates of attendance further, including through strengthening partnerships with parents and carers.

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