Old Trafford Community Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 1 October 2024

The rules of 'be ready, respectful and safe' are at the heart of this welcoming school. They are woven through the curriculum and school life. Pupils learn about differences and being respectful to others. This contributes to the sense of unity and partnership that is felt throughout the school. Pupils are happy in school. They are ready to learn and learning is rarely disrupted. The school has high expectations for all pupils. Pupils achieve with increasing success at this improving school. Recent work to improve the curriculum, supported by the trust, is having a positive impact. However, the quality of education in essential areas such as reading, writing and mathematics requires improvement as reflected in the published low outcomes for pupils. Positive relationships between pupils and staff mean that pupils trust adults to help keep them safe. They know that they can talk to adults if they are ever worried. Pupils feel they are listened to. They know that their views and ideas will be taken seriously and that they can make a difference to their school. For example, the pupil parliament has secured new basketball equipment for playtimes. Pupils value the roles of responsibility available to them, such as being a class ambassador.

What the school should improve

• Some subjects in the wider curriculum are at an early stage of implementation. Pupils have not learned the important knowledge that they need to prepare them for their future learning. This means that they have gaps in their knowledge. The school should work with teachers to ensure that these subject curriculums are implemented effectively and enable pupils to achieve well across these subjects.
• In some subjects, the checks that the school makes on teaching and learning are not sharply focused. As a result, learning is not consistent. This affects how well pupils build their knowledge over time. The school should ensure that its checks focus on the consistency and precision of pedagogy and its impact on pupils' learning.
• The school has not ensured that there is a rigorous and consistent approach to the development of pupils' reading, beyond phonics, across the school. This means that some pupils do not show a love of reading or talk confidently about stories they enjoy or would recommend. The school should implement and embed the intended reading curriculum so that all pupils read widely and foster a love of reading

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