The UCL Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 22 May 2024

This is an inclusive and welcoming school. The school has high aspirations for pupils' academic achievement, including pupils for with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The ambitious curriculum is broad and balanced. Overall, pupils achieve well in public examinations, especially in English and mathematics. Typically, pupils behave well around the school. In lessons, most pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. On occasion, however, this is not the case, and some pupils lose focus. Staff help pupils to understand the importance of equality. They do not tolerate any discriminatory language. Pupils appreciate the wide range of extra-curricular activities that are timetabled within the school curriculum. These include Latin, samba, fencing, meditation, and jewellery making. Students in the popular sixth form are very positive about their educational experience. They are well prepared for their next stage whether this is employment, education or training. Pupils feel safe at school. They have a trusted adult to turn to if they have any worries. Staff and pupils are positive about the recent improvements in behaviour around the school and at breaktimes. Leaders recognise that there is still more work to do in embedding their much higher expectations of pupil behaviour.

What the school should improve

• Sometimes, the new behaviour policy is not implemented consistently so that expectations remain high across the school. This means that during lessons pupils' behaviour is sometimes off task. In addition, some pupils' conduct during social times, including in corridors and the playground, is not calm and orderly. The school needs to ensure that all staff are fully confident in managing behaviour and build on the recent improvements that are evident since the last inspection, so that pupils consistently display positive attitudes and respect towards their learning, peers and staff.
• On occasion, teaching does not make sure that pupils' misconceptions are identified and addressed with enough rigour and accuracy. This limits pupils' knowledge and understanding and they are not as well prepared for future learning as they could be. The school should ensure that checks on pupils' learning are used routinely and purposefully to plug any gaps in knowledge so that pupils are fully ready to learn new content.

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