Outwood Academy Bishopsgarth

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 7 January 2025

Pupils are well cared for, and they are safe at Outwood Academy Bishopsgarth. The school puts pupils' best interests first, and staff know pupils well. The school often goes to great lengths to support pupils and their families, especially at times of great need. The school has raised its expectations of pupils' behaviour, and most pupils conduct themselves well. The school is routinely calm and orderly. At social times, pupils mix cooperatively. They move sensibly through the school between lessons. Although bullying is a concern for some pupils, incidents are reducing, and the school takes effective action to resolve issues. The school is committed to pupils' wider development. Pupils enjoy the opportunities to develop their interests in a range of clubs such as music, drama and photography, as well as in a wide range of sports. Some of the school's work to secure a high-quality education has been impacted by the disruption caused by the pandemic. Improving the curriculum is a priority that the school has begun to address, and there are some early signs that this work is having a positive impact. However, there is more to do. Some pupils do not consistently achieve as well as they should.

What the school should improve

• The teaching of the curriculum is not consistently strong across all subjects. This is often because teachers do not consistently check for pupils' understanding and check for misconceptions. As a result, pupils have significant gaps in their knowledge and do not achieve as well as they should. The school should ensure that the curriculum is implemented consistently well, including checking pupils' understanding and adapting the curriculum where necessary, so all pupils' needs are met and they make the progress through the curriculum that they are capable of.
• Some aspects of the curriculum, including in some subjects and in reading, are new or are being developed. They are not fully embedded or yet having the impact they might. The school should embed recent curriculum changes, such as with the reading curriculum and subject curriculums, ensuring that leaders, including governors, evaluate these developments thoroughly so they have a positive impact on pupils' achievement.
• Some pupils' resilience and skills to learn independently are not as developed as they could be. To an extent, this is limiting these pupils' academic and social development. The school should further develop ways to build pupils' resilience and skills to learn independently, ensuring this positively impacts pupils' academic and social development.

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