Northgate School Academy Trust

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 17 June 2025

Students feel safe, supported and valued at this school. Staff are kind and ready to help when someone struggles. Clear routines help everyone know what is expected, creating a calm and respectful environment. Teachers have high expectations of pupils. Many achieve well, especially in subjects like English and mathematics. Sixth-form students at 'The Bee Hive' gain skills that prepare them extremely well for independence, work and adult life. Some areas of the curriculum like the 'STEPs' programme are still developing to ensure that all pupils get the same quality experience. Behaviour is positive. Pupils treat each other with respect and respond well to praise. When needed, they are supported to manage their emotions, including taking a short break with a 'lap card'. The school takes personal development seriously. Pupils learn how to stay healthy and to keep themselves safe. Over time, their confidence builds. They explore future careers through lessons and work experience and take part in community projects. Pupils are proud of who they are and learn how to explain their needs to others. Enrichment activities are developing again after the pandemic. Pupils particularly enjoy their involvement with the local theatre and attending the annual pantomime, as well as joining in with live performances.

What the school should improve

• The quality of the curriculum design and delivery varies in some areas of the school. Sometimes, the sequence of learning lacks clarity or ambition. Assessment is sometimes not used effectively to check pupils' learning. This means that some pupils do not achieve as well as they could. The school should ensure that the curriculum in each area is sequenced coherently, ambitious and assessed appropriately so that all pupils achieve well.
• Targets on each pupil's EHC plan are sometimes not used well enough to inform the teaching and provision that these pupils receive. Some pupils are not supported well enough to be as successful as they could be. The school should ensure that clear approaches are in place to provide meaningful, small-steps guidance, so that teachers can match learning activities and resources carefully to the individual needs of each pupil.
• The school does not monitor or evaluate the effectiveness of its actions consistently across key areas. As a result, leaders are not able to identify clearly which actions are having the intended impact. The school should adopt a systematic and thorough approach to evaluation, so that resources and improvement work are targeted well.
• The school takes appropriate action to keep pupils safe. However, the quality of pupils' safeguarding records lack rigour. This sometimes makes it difficult for the school to track its work to support pupils and make sure that it is having the desired impact. The school should ensure that all staff follow the school's safeguarding systems and procedures to record and track its actions to support pupils.

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