North Gosforth Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 26 November 2024

Pupils enjoy a much improved experience at North Gosforth Academy. They report feeling safe and happy. Their improved rates of attendance reflect the increasing sense of community that is being built. Staff create a calm and purposeful atmosphere that spreads throughout the school. Pupils behave well and show respect to others. They are proud of their academic achievements. At 'praise' events, pupils show off their best work. In return, staff provide them with thoughtful praise and rewards. The school has high expectations for pupils' achievement. In recent years, while the quality of education has improved, this has not shown significant impact on pupils' outcomes in external examinations. Too many pupils leave the school without an appropriate range of suitable qualifications. Pupils learn through a well-designed curriculum. However, teaching does not consistently help them to apply this knowledge over time. Pupils show enthusiasm about the school's 'yellow weeks'. Here, pupils take part in a range of exciting trips and experiences. These experiences broaden their horizons well. In form time, pupils engage in 'knowledge champion' quizzes. These enhance their understanding of the wider world. Pupils have a say in their wider curriculum. The school listens to their views and puts their suggestions in place. Pupils appreciate this collaborative approach.

What the school should improve

• Teaching does not consistently enable pupils to apply and demonstrate their understanding in independent ways. Too many pupils require significant support to reach the ambitious end points of the curriculum. The school should work with staff to help pupils to apply their knowledge with increasing independence in a range of different contexts.
• On occasions, teaching does not provide pupils with enough opportunities to articulate and discuss the subject matter being taught. This makes it difficult for teachers to gauge pupils' understanding. The school should work with staff to better develop pupils' oracy so that they can articulate their views and demonstrate the extent of their understanding.
• Improvements to the quality of education have not led to significant improvements in pupils' current outcomes. Too many pupils are not prepared as well as they should be for their next steps in learning, training or employment. The school should continue its work to implement and improve the revised curriculum so that pupils achieve well over time.

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