West Lakes Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 17 June 2025

The curriculum at West Lakes Academy does not help pupils to build the knowledge that they need to achieve well. This is especially true for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils. The school's expectations of pupils' achievement are low. There are considerable weaknesses in how well teachers deliver the curriculum. Pupils' behaviour makes a positive contribution to the calm atmosphere that exists at the school. They enjoy the respectful relationships that they have with staff, who care for them well. Nevertheless, in lessons, some pupils are not motivated by their learning. Pupils are typically happy at school. In the past, pupils lacked confidence in the school's approach to resolving the concerns that they reported. This has improved. The school now takes swift and appropriate action in response to any issues that pupils share. Pupils feel safe. Pupils have a limited range of wider opportunities available to them to develop their talents, interests and leadership skills. Some pupils enjoy sports, art and music clubs. As school counsellors, a small group of pupils have begun to shape improvements at the school. Some students in the sixth form act as buddies to younger pupils. Even so, the activities that the school provides do not routinely ensure that pupils become confident and independent young people.

What the school should improve

• The trust has not held the school to account for the decline in the quality of education that pupils receive. As a result, pupils, including pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils and some students in the sixth form, do not achieve well. The trust must ensure that it gains an accurate insight into the school's effectiveness so that it can provide the necessary support and challenge to secure its improvement.
• Teaching is not successfully adapted to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. As a result, these pupils do not progress through the curriculum as well as they should. The school should ensure that all staff are equipped with effective strategies for supporting pupils with SEND and apply these approaches consistently in their teaching, so that pupils with SEND achieve well.
• The activities that staff design to teach the curriculum do not help pupils to develop sufficient depth of knowledge about the subjects that they study. These activities reflect the low aspirations that the school has about what pupils should achieve. This prevents pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, from achieving well. The school must equip staff to deliver the curriculum successfully, so that pupils can build on what they know and develop a deeper understanding of important concepts in the subjects that they study.
• Staff do not routinely address gaps and misconceptions in pupils' knowledge and understanding. They lack clarity about what important knowledge pupils should know or how to make checks on what pupils remember with accuracy. This means that pupils move on to new learning before they have the necessary foundations to succeed. Pupils are not prepared sufficiently well for each year or stage of their education. The school must help staff to address pupils' errors and misunderstandings promptly, so that pupils build their knowledge securely.
• The school has not established consistently high expectations of pupils' attitudes to learning. In lessons, staff do not ensure that pupils make the most of the activities that they design for them. This is because the school has not provided pupils with the support that they need to become resilient learners. The school should clarify the expectations that it has about pupils' attitudes to their learning and ensure that staff receive the support that they need to ensure that all pupils learn successfully.
• The school's provision for pupils' personal development, including for some students in the sixth form, does not prepare them sufficiently well for life in modern Britain. The school's limited range of opportunities to take on responsibilities, or to develop pupils' talents and interests, prevents pupils from becoming confident and independent young people. The school should ensure that pupils make the most of a broad range of opportunities, so that they are well prepared to make a positive contribution to their community. HMCI strongly recommends that the school does not seek to appoint early career teachers. The position regarding the appointment of early career teachers will be considered again during any monitoring inspection we carry out.

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