Ebn Academy 2

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 16 April 2024

Pupils enjoy coming here and most attend often. Leaders work closely with parents and families to understand and meet pupils' individual need when they join the school. Consequently, despite previous disruption in their learning, most pupils quickly settle when they join the school. Overall, pupils embody the calm and purposeful atmosphere that permeates the school. Staff place pupils' well-being at the heart of their work. There is a clear culture of mutual respect between staff, pupils, and parents. Pupils feel safe here. Leaders understand that pupils have, in the past, struggled to manage their own behaviours. Leaders work smartly to support pupils to overcome these challenges. They set clear expectations for pupils, and pupils work hard to meet these. If pupils do not behave well enough, staff challenge this in a calm and caring manner. Pupils' behaviour and resilience quickly improve during their time here. Pupils benefit from a range of opportunities to strengthen their wider personal development. They take responsibility for projects such as developing a useable space for young children in the local community. Pupils are rightly proud of this work, which helps to develop their understanding of their social responsibility. There is a strong sense of community here. Pupils say that they feel part of one big family, and that they 'feel seen' here.

What the school should improve

• Leaders are at the early stages of using assessment information to inform the support they offer to some pupils with SEND, and some staff do not know how best to meet these needs. Consequently, some pupils' needs are not as well met as they could be. Leaders should ensure they use the information they receive about pupils to enhance the training for staff and provide targeted interventions as appropriate that are tightly focused on pupils' needs.
• Leaders do not have sufficient oversight over some aspects of their work. This means that the school's work is not always well connected or used strategically to drive forward some of the improvements needed. Leaders should ensure they carefully monitor and evaluate all aspects of their provisions to ensure their work is having the desired impact.
• The careers education that pupils receive is limited in its scope. Consequently, pupils are not always aware of the broad range of opportunities that are available to them in the future. Leaders should ensure they provide pupils with a broad range of meaningful encounters with the world of work to support them to develop their understanding of future career pathways.

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