Woodkirk Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 13 March 2023

Pupils are happy and feel safe at Woodkirk Academy. Pupils and staff are committed to the school ethos of 'be kind, work hard and take responsibility'. This shines through in all aspects of school life. Respectful, positive relationships are at the heart of this school. Pupils know that staff value them and care about their education. They feel comfortable asking for extra help or support if needed. Leaders are ambitious for all pupils to achieve academic success. Pupils study a broad curriculum in key stages 3 and 4, which gives them a strong foundation for further study or training post-16. Leaders are equally ambitious for pupils to experience a range of opportunities outside the classroom. They take steps to make sure each pupil can take part in a residential experience, a university visit and the Duke of Edinburgh scheme in key stage 3. There are many other extra-curricular clubs and visits. Leaders and staff have high expectations of pupils' behaviour. They have created a behaviour system that pupils understand, and staff use consistently. The majority of pupils at Woodkirk Academy behave sensibly and meet the high standards teachers expect of them. Pupils respond to staff instructions. Learning is not often disrupted in the classroom. Bullying rarely happens. When it does, leaders take swift action.

What the school should improve

• The school's approach to checking what pupils know and remember is inconsistent. In some subjects, teachers do not use this information to inform future learning. This prevents pupils from building on secure prior knowledge. Leaders should develop consistent and purposeful assessment systems to ensure pupils retain important knowledge.
• A significant minority of pupils spend time out of lessons due to poor behaviour. This means that they are missing valuable learning. Leaders should further refine the work they are doing with these pupils in order to support them to self-regulate and manage their own behaviour in order to ensure these pupils access their full learning entitlement.

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