Longspee Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 21 May 2024

Longspee Academy provides a calm and nurturing environment for pupils to learn in. Many pupils arrive from failed placements elsewhere. Pupils receive the care and support they need to help them overcome the challenges they face and to learn. As a result, pupils gain confidence and self-esteem, which helps them to progress well through the curriculum. The school has high expectations of pupils' behaviour. Pupils know what is expected of them. When pupils are anxious, staff take effective and supportive action to enable pupils to re-engage with their learning. However, some pupils do not attend school regularly enough. This means that they miss crucial learning and have gaps in their knowledge. Pupils are confident they have a voice. High-quality pastoral support and positive relationships with adults enable pupils to feel valued. Pupils have the opportunity to express their views on a range of local and national issues. They understand healthy lifestyles and keeping safe. Pupils relish the extra responsibilities the school offers, such as being members of the school council. In addition, pupils support the community through, for example, the local food bank and acting as park rangers. These responsibilities develop pupils' social and leadership skills well.

What the school should improve

• Some pupils do not attend school often enough. As a result, they do not build their knowledge well over time and have gaps in their learning. The trust needs to ensure that the attendance strategy and work with parents are effective in ensuring that pupils attend regularly so they learn more successfully over time.
• There remains a legacy where older pupils have gaps in their knowledge. This means they are not able to access more complex learning to support future aspirations. The trust needs to ensure that learning is adapted to close any remaining gaps securely.

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