Spalding Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 1 April 2025

The school is caring and welcoming. It has high expectations of what pupils can achieve and how they should behave. Everything the school does is underpinned by its values of 'aspire, challenge and achieve'. Pupils say these values help them to understand what staff expect of them. Most pupils progress very well through the curriculum and achieve highly. Pupils have excellent attitudes to learning. They engage well with learning activities and show resilience when work is more demanding. There are positive, respectful relationships between staff and pupils. Pupils say that staff support them well. The school has established clear routines that pupils understand and follow. Pupils socialise well with each other during breaks and lunchtimes. They feel safe in school and know that there are many staff they can talk to if they have any worries or concerns. The school provides many well-thought-out opportunities for pupils' broader development. Many pupils take part in the 'aspire' challenges, which support pupils in trying new activities so that they develop their independence and character. Many pupils also take part in a range of extra-curricular activities. For example, pupils enjoy attending the debate club, the reading group and the games club.

What the school should improve

• On occasion, the curriculum is not delivered as well as it could be. For example, some teachers in some subjects do not check pupils' understanding well enough or explain new learning clearly. This means that some pupils do not learn as well as they could in these subjects. The school should ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to deliver the curriculum effectively, in particular how well they explain new learning and how checks on pupils' learning inform future teaching.

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