Manor Croft Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 November 2022

Leaders and staff know that every pupil has only one chance at education. Staff are united in their commitment that every pupil will succeed. This ambition is realised. Pupils are supported at every turn in this inclusive school. They are ready for their next steps. Pupils benefit from a broad and knowledge-rich curriculum. This is enhanced by the extra-curricular activities that are available. Staff thoughtfully link trips and visits to different subjects. This helps pupils to build meaningful connections between the subjects they study and their relevance to the wider world. Leaders' high ambitions for academic excellence are reflected in their universally high expectations for behaviour and attendance. There are warm and supportive relationships between staff and pupils. The great majority of pupils behave well in lessons and around school. Staff act swiftly to address any concerns that pupils may have. Staff take effective action on the rare occasions that bullying occurs. Leaders know the importance of developing pupils' knowledge, confidence and skills. The 'Pledges' scheme enables pupils to benefit from wider experiences within school and in the wider community. Pupil leaders are proud of the work they have done to improve the school. They have helped to organise fundraising events for different charities. These pupils know that they are important role models for others.

What the school should improve

• The support for pupils at the earliest stages of learning to read is not sufficiently effective. This means that some pupils are not learning to read as well as they should. Leaders should ensure that the planned staff training enables teachers to better support pupils at the earliest stages of reading to become confident and fluent readers.
• Some pupils struggle to remember the important knowledge that they have been taught from the EPC curriculum. They do not have sufficiently secure knowledge of different religions or of important concepts, such as fundamental British values. Leaders should ensure that teachers enable pupils to remember important knowledge in the EPC curriculum in the way that they do in the other subjects they study. This will help pupils to be even better prepared for life in modern Britain.

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