Thornhill Community Academy, A Share Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 22 February 2023

Leaders have an ambitious vision for education at Thornhill Community Academy. A simple message, 'Work hard, be nice', permeates throughout the school. Staff have high expectations for pupils' achievement and behaviour. Pupils have positive relationships with staff and one another. Bullying is rare. There are high levels of mutual respect and tolerance among pupils and staff. Pupils enjoy coming to school and say that staff are committed to helping them succeed. Inspectors agree. Staff adapt lessons to meet the needs of all pupils well. They have a good understanding of how to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Behaviour is excellent in the majority of lessons. Occasionally, pupils make the wrong choices about their behaviour. However, this happens rarely and, when it does, staff deal with it swiftly and effectively. Leaders have created a school that serves the community well. An established ethnic minority achievement hub provides language lessons, life skills sessions and support for families. This provision has been transformational for many pupils and parents who have accessed it. Leaders continually seek the views of all stakeholders and act on the feedback they receive. The commitment of leaders and staff to improving the ambitions and life chances for all pupils is a strength of the school.

What the school should improve

• Some pupils' knowledge of other faiths and cultures is weak. This is because teaching of some aspects in the personal development curriculum is too variable. As a result, pupils are not as well prepared for life in modern Britain as they might be. Leaders should ensure that ongoing quality assurance accurately identifies variability in teaching the curriculum and that targeted professional development is provided to ensure the curriculum is taught consistently well by all staff.

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