Thomas Deacon Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 12 November 2024

At Thomas Deacon Academy, pupils benefit from a welcoming environment where diversity is celebrated. Across all years, pupils learn about different views and beliefs. They enjoy celebrating each other's differences. During culture days, they attend school in cultural dress. They enjoy participating in cultural activities, including trying food from different countries and a range of traditional dancing. Pupils have the knowledge and confidence to discuss different viewpoints sensitively. They demonstrate a high level of understanding and respect towards others. Across all years, the school is ambitious for pupils. Pupils benefit from work that builds on what they know. This allows pupils to deepen their understanding of important concepts over time. Pupils are well supported to meet the demands of the curriculum. As a result, most pupils achieve well. They are well prepared for their next stage of education or employment. In the main, pupils behave well. They have a clear understanding of the school expectations. Lunchtime, and movement between lessons, is calm and sensible. Pupils are safe. They are confident that adults would help them if they had any concerns. In lessons, pupils work well. Adults quickly address any disruptive behaviour. This means pupils can concentrate on their learning.

What the school should improve

• A minority of teachers are not sufficiently well trained to use assessment in the most effective manner. As a result, some pupils do not benefit from lessons that are well designed to build on their prior learning. The school needs to ensure all staff consistently receive high-quality training, so they have the skills to deliver lessons that help pupils to achieve well.
• The school does not thoroughly evaluate the effectiveness of its use of suspensions. Consequently, some pupils experience repeated suspensions without the desired improvement in their behaviour. The school should identify any underlying academic or emotional factors contributing to pupils' behaviour. They should then provide targeted support to help pupils manage their behaviour and engage positively with school life.
• The school's systems for communicating with parents are not robust enough to ensure all families feel confident in engaging effectively with the school. As a result, some parents are unsure about how to share their views. The school should enhance its communication strategies to provide families with clear and accessible opportunities to express their perspectives.

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