Skerne Park Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 18 June 2024

Skerne Park Academy is a rapidly improving school. Pupils are proud to attend the school. Staff know the pupils and the community very well. They care deeply for the welfare of pupils. Staff often go to great lengths to support pupils and their families. Pupils trust their teachers. They are safe. Although bullying sometimes happens, the school deals with issues effectively. The school aspires to provide a high-quality education for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children in the early years get off to a very positive start. However, the school's ambition for the quality of education that pupils receive in key stages 1 and 2 is not yet realised. Pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable. There is work to do to ensure pupils learn the curriculum well and remember it, so that they are ready for the next stage of their learning. Pupils are given a wide range of opportunities to support their personal development. Pupils experience a range of educational visits. Pupils take on positions of responsibility in school. They can be members of the school council, the eco-committee and sports leaders. The school works effectively in order to raise pupils' aspirations. Pupils enjoy learning about different careers, such as in engineering and medicine.

What the school should improve

• Teachers do not systematically check what pupils know and remember. This means they do not routinely identify gaps in pupils' knowledge or adapt the curriculum to support pupils' understanding. The school should ensure that there is greater consistency in the use of assessment so that teachers systematically check what pupils know and remember and then adapt the curriculum appropriately.
• The implementation of the curriculum is inconsistent. Pupils do not secure their knowledge of the curriculum or make the progress through the curriculum of which they are capable. The school should ensure that there is greater consistency in the implementation of the curriculum and that pupils are set work that is closely matched to learning intentions and adapted where necessary, so that pupils make the progress of which they are capable.
• There are aspects of the curriculum that have been recently developed to increase levels of ambition or are under review. These subjects are not fully embedded and are not yet having the intended impact on pupils. The school should ensure that new or recently developed aspects of the curriculum are fully embedded so that they have a positive impact on pupils' learning.
• There is some variation in the effectiveness of the school's work to secure pupils' understanding of fundamental British values and protected characteristics. This means that some pupils are not as prepared for life in modern Britain as they could be. The school should develop its work to ensure that pupils have a secure understanding of fundamental British values and protected characteristics.

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