North Cornwall Alternative Provision Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 5 June 2024

Relationships are at the heart of the offer that pupils who attend North Cornwall Alternative Provision Academy receive. The strength of the care for and understanding of pupils' individual needs is clear across the school. Pupils come to the school with significant negative experiences of school and life in general. They describe a 'sense of connection' that they have not experienced previously. This enables them to feel that they belong and are valued. Pupils experience success. They are able to build ambitious aspirations for the future because the education offer is bespoke to their academic, social and emotional needs. There is an exceptional range of high-quality enrichment opportunities. These broaden pupils' experiences of the world around them. It helps pupils to understand themselves, their difficulties and their strengths. Pupils feel safe in meeting the expectations staff have of them because there is a culture of trust and fresh starts. This is not always successful but challenging behaviour is managed through de-escalation and precise knowledge of each individual's 'triggers' and 'calmers'. As a result, the school is a calm and purposeful place to learn. This is despite the majority of pupils having a history, in previous settings, of exhibiting high risk, challenging behaviour.

What the school should improve

• Some aspects of the school are under development or new in their implementation. As a result, the impact these areas have on how well pupils learn is not fully evident or not as successful as it is elsewhere. The trust needs to strengthen and embed new or developing practice and provision, so that it is as strong as it is in the more established areas. The trust should ensure that staff have the support they need to develop and hone their skills and expertise to make the best possible impact on pupils.

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