The City Academy, Hackney

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 28 March 2023

Pupils at The City Academy, Hackney are kept safe. Leaders and staff promote a 'warm but strict' approach that creates a calm and purposeful learning environment. Behaviour is typically calm and orderly, and leaders have high expectations of behaviour, both inside and outside the classroom. Incidents of bullying are rare. However, pupils know whom to tell when it does occur, and leaders deal with it quickly and effectively. Leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum with clearly defined goals for what pupils should learn and remember. Through the curriculum, pupils also learn to understand, appreciate and respect differences. For example, in English, the texts chosen help pupils to learn about and reflect on the experiences of others. All pupils follow a broad curriculum and achieve well, especially in the sixth form. Leaders provide pupils with a wide range of enrichment opportunities through a compulsory additional studies programme and extended school days. For example, in Year 7, all pupils learn a musical instrument of their choice, and in Year 12, all students take part in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme. Students in the sixth form play an active role in the school and wider community. They are given leadership opportunities and work with younger pupils through mentoring roles and in-class support.

What the school should improve

• At times, the support provided to some pupils with SEND is not tailored closely to their individual needs. When this happens, it reduces how well pupils are helped to learn the intended curriculum. Leaders should ensure that all staff have the knowledge, skills and expertise to support pupils with SEND appropriately. They should focus on ensuring that all pupils with SEND build their knowledge and skills across the curriculum.
• Leaders' work to support weaker readers to catch up is not fully established. Some support for weaker readers is not sufficiently focused on helping pupils to overcome their specific difficulties, which in turn affects how confidently these pupils access reading materials across the curriculum. Leaders need to ensure that they establish and embed a thorough approach to assessing and supporting pupils with their reading, so that pupils who require support can learn to read well and access the full curriculum.

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