Paignton Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 3 December 2024

Pupils at Paignton Academy learn on one of two sites for their journey through school. Leaders create a strong feeling of community, despite being physically separated. Pupils make use of sporting facilities on both sites, take part in shared school productions and attend trips and visits together. Pupils have mixed views on their enjoyment of school. Although the school, with the support of the trust, has established high expectations of pupils, weaknesses remain in the quality of education that the school provides. The published data shows that, typically, pupils' attainment is below the national average. Most pupils show positive attitudes towards their learning in lessons. If low-level disruption occurs, staff apply the behaviour policy well. However, there is more work to be done to improve how pupils treat each other outside of lessons. Some pupils use derogatory language or show unkind behaviour towards their peers. This is not consistently challenged by staff. Despite this, most pupils say they feel safe in school. Pupils benefit from a range of enrichment opportunities. An increasing number of pupils take part in The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, developing their experience of outdoor adventure. Pupils enjoy taking on leadership responsibilities such as being sports leaders, mental health ambassadors or translators supporting pupils who speak English as an additional language.

What the school should improve

• Some staff do not use the school's agreed learning strategies effectively. As a result, pupils do not learn as well as they should and are not as positive about their learning in these subjects. The trust should ensure that staff are supported to implement the curriculum successfully.
• Some pupils show disrespectful behaviours and use derogatory language around the school site. This means that other pupils can experience a negative and uncomfortable atmosphere at social times. The trust should work with leaders and staff to ensure that pupils are taught to contribute to, and value, a positive and respectful school culture.
• Some pupils do not attend school frequently enough, particularly disadvantaged pupils. Consequently, a significant number of pupils do not learn the full curriculum and are therefore not well prepared for their next steps. The trust should embed the approaches that are starting to show some success so that pupils' attendance improves rapidly.
• Until recently, the school has not had a clear enough oversight of the impact of initiatives. As a result, the speed of school improvement has been too slow. The trust should ensure that recent improvements are embedded and that they continue to drive the improvement of the school.

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