Neale-Wade Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 13 January 2026

Pupils’ achievement at this school is poor. For too many pupils, the support they receive to overcome barriers to their learning is inconsistent. As a result, the academic progress that many groups of pupils make across key stages 3 and 4 is too low. This is particularly the case for pupils who are disadvantaged, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and pupils with high prior attainment. Several other areas of the school are beginning to improve. Pupils are positive about the improvements that they can see being made to their school. Many of these changes are beginning to have a positive impact on their learning. For example, pupils appreciate the significant improvements in behaviour that have helped turn the school into a calm and welcoming environment. Pupils can focus in lessons, as their lessons are rarely disrupted. Pupils have begun to benefit from curriculum with greater ambition than was previously the case. When this is taught well, it equips them appropriately for their next stage of education or learning. However, notable variability in the quality of teaching impacts how well many pupils achieve. Many pupils have significant gaps in their knowledge and skills. This stops them achieving as well as they should. The pastoral support offered to pupils is a strength of the school. In particular, where pupils have barriers to learning which are linked to their emotional needs, these are generally addressed well. Pupils have positive relationships with staff. They trust that the staff and the systems of support in school will help them well, as and when this is needed. Pupils feel happy and safe. Relationships between pupils and their peers are positive. Incidents of bullying are increasingly rare and, when they occur, dealt with effectively. Pupils are considerate of each other. They make friends easily at school and enjoy taking part in a broad range of extra curricular clubs and trips. Many pupils take up leadership roles. For example, school prefects play a meaningful part in the school community, supporting with enrichment opportunities, engaging in charity work and mentoring academic groups. Pupils’ attendance has increased significantly over time.

What the school should improve

• Leaders, including those with responsibility for governance, should ensure that pupils’ achievement in national tests and assessments improves, so that all groups of pupils are well prepared for their next stage in education or training.
• Leaders should continue to strengthen teachers’ pedagogical knowledge through targeted professional development, so that all pupils, including those with high prior attainment, are appropriately challenged and achieve the academic standards of which they are capable.
• Leaders should ensure that pupils with vulnerabilities receive high quality and timely support in lessons, ensuring that the adaptions that staff make are appropriate and effective, and allow these pupils to go on to achieve well.
• Leaders should ensure that staff use assessment effectively, to understand the misconceptions that pupils have, and to allow them to adapt future learning to address the gaps identified in pupils’ knowledge.
• Leaders should improve the support in place to develop pupils’ foundational knowledge in reading and writing, to strengthen their readiness for the next stages of education and/or training.

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