Urmston Grammar Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 24 May 2022

Pupils, including students in the sixth form, are happy and proud to be part of this welcoming school community. Pupils and students work hard and are highly motivated. Their behaviour matches the high expectations that their teachers have of them. In lessons, pupils relish the academic rigour that teachers expect from them. As a result, most pupils and students in the sixth form, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well across a range of subjects. Pupils and students in the sixth form are polite and respectful. Bullying incidents are rare and pupils told inspectors that they felt safe in school. Sixth-form students act as positive role models for younger pupils, for example through the peer-mentoring schemes and peer-to-peer reading programmes. These are part of the sixth-form enrichment programme, which successfully allows students to support younger pupils both academically as well as personally. Pupils benefit from an extensive range of extra-curricular activities. Examples include: clubs for debating and public speaking; drama; music and the arts; sports; regular trips and visits and the opportunity to take part in The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme. Pupils respect each other's differences. They spoke highly of the opportunities that they have to support their understanding of diversity.

What the school should improve

• In a small number of subjects, leaders are still in the process of refining what pupils and students must learn. They are also establishing the order in which new subject content should be learned. Consequently, some pupils do not build upon their prior learning as well as they could. Leaders should finalise their curriculum thinking so that all teachers know exactly what pupils and students must learn and in what order.
• Leaders' systems to assess how well pupils have learned key knowledge are not consistently implemented in a small number of subjects, particularly in key stage 3. This means that subject leaders and teachers in these subjects do not have the most pertinent information to address pupils' misconceptions. Leaders should continue to refine and embed their approaches to assessment. This is so that all teachers routinely check that pupils have learned the essential knowledge and concepts that they need. It is also so that teachers address any misconceptions.

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