South Lakes Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 2 July 2024

Pupils are happy at this friendly and welcoming school. They appreciate the warm and supportive relationships that they have with adults in the school. Staff help them to feel safe and accepted. This helps pupils to settle into the school day and to be ready for learning. Pupils behave in a considerate and empathetic manner. They are respectful and understanding of how people are different. Bullying and discrimination are not tolerated and are addressed quickly by the school should they occur. The school has high expectations for pupils' achievement. This is reflected in pupils' positive attitudes to learning. Pupils, all of whom have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and an education, health and care (EHC) plan, achieve well. They are successful in gaining the qualifications that they need for the next stage of their education, training and employment. Pupils benefit greatly from a range of sporting experiences. For example, they enjoy playing golf, snooker, squash and chess. They also value the opportunity to go swimming, bowling and to the cinema. The school has acquired an allotment. Pupils participate in gardening and art and craft activities in this nurturing space. These experiences help pupils to develop new talents and interests.

What the school should improve

• The school's systems to hold leaders to account are underdeveloped. This has contributed to some weaknesses in the curriculum that have not been addressed. The proprietor must ensure that there are clear lines of accountability to hold leaders to account. It should also ensure that it provides effective challenge and support to school leaders.
• The school has not ensured that the curriculum is broad enough for all pupils. This means that some pupils do not acquire knowledge across a sufficiently wide range of subjects or within some subjects. The school must ensure that pupils learn a broad curriculum so that they can gain the knowledge that they need for their future lives.
• The school has not implemented an effective strategy to identify pupils who are in the early stages of reading or have gaps in their reading knowledge. This means that reading support is not as effective as it could be. The school should ensure that it identifies and supports weaker readers to help them to catch up quickly.

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