Melior Community Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 21 May 2024

Pupils have an improved opinion of the school and the opportunities it provides for them. They recognise that, following a period of instability, leaders have made improvements to the school. This helps pupils to feel better supported with their studies and wider well-being. Pupils' behaviour has significantly improved over recent terms. Classrooms are calm and conducive to learning. Pupils move responsibly between lessons and are well supported by staff. Pupils feel safe. The school's expectations of them are clear and consistently applied. A minority of pupils still struggle to meet these expectations. The school provides these pupils with additional support. Bullying and other acts of unkindness happen increasingly rarely. The school does not tolerate these behaviours. Pupils have renewed confidence in the school to deal with incidents such as these well. The school provides pupils with a broad and increasing range of extra-curricular and enrichment opportunities, such as the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme. Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, make effective use of these opportunities. Leaders have strengthened the curriculum studied by pupils in recent years. It is more ambitious. Pupils now have a greater choice of which subjects to study at key stage 4. The majority of pupils achieve well at the school. Some disadvantaged pupils achieve less well than they should.

What the school should improve

• Teachers do not consistently adapt their teaching or activities to reflect the needs and prior knowledge of pupils in their class. Gaps in some pupils' understanding of the curriculum go unaddressed. The school should ensure that staff adapt their teaching to meet the needs of individual classes and pupils consistently.
• Too many pupils are absent from school too often, especially disadvantaged pupils. These pupils develop gaps in their knowledge and miss other opportunities, such as enrichment activities offered by the school. The school should build on its attendance strategy to ensure that improvements in attendance are sustained.
• The school does not use the information it collects, for example around pupils' achievement, consistently well to inform future improvements. Some areas of underperformance are not addressed as precisely or rapidly as they might be. The school should ensure that available information is used effectively to inform improvement actions and the evaluation of the impact of these.

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