Stockingford Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 23 January 2024

Pupils love their school. They know that the adults care about them and will listen to them. Pupils thrive in the caring environment. The school's values of excellence, resilience, nurturing, fairness and partnership are evident in how pupils and adults treat each other. The school has high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). In the past, expectations were not high enough, and pupils did not achieve as well as they should. However, there has been significant improvement since the school became an academy, and now pupils are learning and remembering more, which is helping them to achieve well. Pupils behave well at Stockingford Academy. There are warm, respectful relationships between staff and pupils. Pupils learn to understand and talk about emotions in themselves and others. They recognise that, at times, some pupils find it hard to manage their own behaviour but know that adults will deal with this well. Pupils learn to be responsible by taking on leadership roles, such as those of school councillors, eco-councillors, and house and sports captains. They learn about recycling, raise money for charity and support local food banks. Pupils enjoy meeting visitors, such as authors, theatre companies and firefighters, to enrich their learning.

What the school should improve

• In some foundation subjects, it is not always clear exactly what pupils are learning because the precise knowledge pupils need to know is not explicit in the curriculum. This means that pupils do not always build their learning securely over time. The school should continue to refine the curriculum in some subjects, so that teachers know exactly what pupils need to learn.
• Pupils do not experience enough opportunities to learn about fundamental British values or to raise their aspirations for future careers and education. This means that some pupils are not as well prepared to make the most of their future life in modern Britain as they could be. The school should ensure that opportunities to raise aspirations and to develop pupils' understanding of British values are purposefully planned and delivered.
• Some pupils are absent from school too often. These pupils miss important learning. The school should continue to extend and develop the strategies that it uses to improve attendance, including its work with parents and carers.

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