The Rydal Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 6 December 2022

All staff aim to make Rydal Academy a haven for all who attend. There are high expectations for what pupils can achieve. Leaders do everything they can to protect, guide and support the pupils in their care. This extends beyond the school day and beyond the school gates. A rich extra-curricular offer is available to all school-age pupils. At least three free clubs are available each evening. 'Pasties and pullovers' is a new club open to parents, offering cost-of-living support for the wider family. A greater proportion of pupils enter and leave the school at times other than those expected. Such is the strength of care received that those pupils new to the school settle quickly and make friends. Pupils understand systems to manage behaviour. At times, a small minority of pupils need an extra layer of support. Regulation zones provide this. Here, pupils use mindfulness techniques to regulate their emotions. A seamless re-introduction back to class follows. This allows the learning of others to continue uninterrupted. Pupils know that bullying can happen anywhere. They know about the different types of bullying and what to do if it happens. Pupils also know that to see it and say nothing is unacceptable. Pupils say that they love school and their teachers and that they 'learn lots'.

What the school should improve

• Some aspects of the curriculum for personal development are not well sequenced to ensure sufficient coverage of important knowledge. This means pupils have a limited understanding of some aspects of the curriculum linked to relationships education and cultural diversity. Leaders should review the sequencing of the curriculum for relationships education and cultural diversity to ensure there is sufficient coverage of important knowledge to support pupils' understanding further.
• There is some variability in the effectiveness with which some teachers adhere to curriculum schemes of work. This impacts on some pupils' confidence to talk about their learning and to remember essential knowledge. Leaders need to embed further their schemes of work to iron out any remaining variability in implementation, so that all pupils can make the gains in the subject-specific knowledge, skills and understanding intended.

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