Delce Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 May 2024

Pupils are openly proud of their school and what they describe as the 'massive' progress it has made of late. Their own progress in classrooms is also now clearly much better than it was in the past. Older pupils in particular have positive views about the many changes for the better in recent times. Expectations of pupils' behaviour and engagement in learning have been raised considerably. The school now expects much more of all learners, no matter what their backgrounds or barriers. As a result, pupils are stepping up to the mark and most are forging ahead, including those who attend the school's specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (specially resourced provision). There is no doubt that the behaviour of some pupils got in the way of learning in the past. However, the current situation is quite different, and incidents of poor behaviour or bullying have reduced dramatically. If bullying, aggression, discrimination or derogatory language occur, they are dealt with quickly and effectively and are not allowed to spread. Pupils feel safe, are learning well and disapprove of what they describe as 'small dramas'. The tide has turned at Delce, and the school is moving forward at a great rate of knots.

What the school should improve

• Outcomes in reading at the end of Year 6 are not as good as they could be. The trust needs to redouble the focus on ensuring that the school's work to support pupils to read is as strong as it can be. The impact of this will enable pupils to access the wider curriculum with increasing confidence, as well as develop a love of reading and the written word.
• Leadership of the curriculum is developing. Oversight of some subjects is well established, but some leaders are less clear about how well their subjects are being taught across the school. This means that they are less certain about what is working well and what could be better. The trust should continue to prioritise the development of subject leadership so that the curriculum continues to improve and pupils are better prepared for their next steps in education.
• The number of pupils who are persistently absent is too high. This is particularly the case for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. While there have been welcome improvements in overall attendance figures in recent times, more needs to be done to reduce persistent absence so that more pupils benefit from the good and improving quality of education the school now offers.

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