Sevenhills Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 3 October 2023

Pupils at Sevenhills Academy enjoy life at the school. When inspectors visited, the site was calm and settled. Relationships between teachers and pupils are positive. Pupils are not concerned about bullying. Regular routines provide stability and familiarity. For example, the nurture breakfast creates an informal start to the day which helps pupils to prepare for the subjects to come. When poor behaviour occurs, as it sometimes does, leaders have clear systems to support pupils. Adults take the time to help pupils understand their emotions and feelings. They use the information they collect to make constant adaptations to the running of the school. Some of this work is in its early stages, but pupils know their teachers want to help them. The school's approach is underpinned by unconditional positive regard for pupils. Leaders constantly collect and use information to help them support pupils to meet their expectations. The curriculum which pupils experience is designed to take account of their specific circumstances. The different pathways in the school help to build positive attitudes for pupils who have previously had mixed school experiences. The checks that leaders conduct to find out what pupils know need further refinement so that the curriculum becomes even more tailored to the needs of specific pupils.

What the school should improve

• The enquiry assessment at the beginning of subject topics is not used with enough precision to identify what pupils know and can do. This means that learning activities and interventions for pupils may not help to develop the most sophisticated subject knowledge of which a pupil is capable. Leaders should ensure that they refine the assessments they use so they provide clear information to staff and allow for more precise learning activities to be planned for pupils.
• There has been a rise in incidents of poor behaviour in recent months. This means that learning time is lost as staff deal with these incidents. It also affects pupils' attitudes to school. Leaders should continue to take steps to tackle this issue, including developing and embedding the new foundational pathway designed to improve pupils' attitudes to school, encourage better attendance and reduce instances of poor behaviour.

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