Lodge Park Academy

Inspection of Lodge Park Academy Shetland Way, Corby, Northamptonshire NN17 2JH

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Inspection dates: 30 June and 1 July 2021

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision Good Previous inspection grade Inadequate 30 June–1 July 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are really proud of their school. They know that the school continues to get better all the time. They value the commitment of senior leaders to maintain these improvements. They are ambitious to succeed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Positive relationships exist between pupils and staff. There is a culture of mutual care and respect. Behaviour has improved significantly. Staff usually resolve any incidents of bullying swiftly. Most pupils behave and attend well. They understand what staff expect of them. Some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not attend as well as they should and are excluded from school too often.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In some subjects, pupils benefit from a curriculum that is designed to help them build on what they know already. However, in some subjects pupils cannot remember important knowledge because the curriculum is not planned and delivered well enough.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy experiences such as sports and musical activities and the Combined Cadet Force. Sixth-form students provide positive role models for younger pupils as house captains and prefects. The weekly ‘#LPA spirit’ awards celebrate pupils’ positive contributions to the school community and beyond.

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better?

In some subjects, the curriculum is well planned and coherent. Leaders identify the important knowledge that pupils must know and arrange it in a logical order. This helps pupils remember what they learn. In history, for instance, we saw pupils use their knowledge of the Second World War to answer an examination question on the challenges to the Weimar Republic.

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better?

Leaders have not ensured that the curriculum is planned and delivered consistently well in every subject. The key stage 3 design and technology curriculum plans do not focus closely enough on important knowledge. Pupils do not learn about the properties of materials. They do not consistently learn well enough how to design or evaluate the products they make. They are not prepared effectively to study this subject at key stage 4.

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better?

Teachers are proud to work at the school and want pupils to be successful. Many use their subject knowledge to good effect. In French, teachers emphasise the importance of using accurate grammar and pronunciation. In Year 12 sociology, teachers ask probing questions to deepen pupils’ understanding of ideas such as structuralism. However, this is not the case in all subjects. In science, teachers do not check carefully that pupils understand what they have learned before they move on to new content. They do not encourage pupils to ask questions to clarify any 30 June–1 July 2021 misunderstandings. This means that some pupils have gaps in their scientific knowledge.

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better?

Pupils with SEND are supported well in most subjects. Teachers use information about these pupils to plan learning that is appropriate to their needs. Most parents and carers of children with SEND who responded to the online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, are positive about the support that their children receive. Typically, one parent explained how leaders ‘invest time to understand my child and find strategies that are inclusive and work’.

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better?

The school’s reading culture is developing. Leaders identify pupils who struggle to read well. Trained staff help these pupils improve their use of phonics and reading fluency. Pupils are guided to choose appropriate books from the school’s well- stocked library. They read these during daily DEAR (drop everything and read) sessions. Pupils also enjoy hearing staff read aloud from books that reflect different cultures and authors.

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better?

Pupils follow well-established routines throughout the day. Most have positive attitudes to learning and want to succeed. Leaders support any pupils whose behaviour is more challenging, for example to build their self-esteem. The ‘Project 21’ initiative is helping some pupils to improve their behaviour and avoid exclusion. Few lessons are disrupted by poor behaviour.

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better?

Promoting pupils’ personal development is fundamental to the school’s values. Pupils learn about important issues such as changing attitudes to disabilities. They have opportunities to explore their own spirituality and value visits from a local chaplain. Many experiences continued virtually during the most recent national lockdown. Careers advice and guidance is well developed, supporting pupils in their next steps.

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better?

Sixth-form students are overwhelmingly positive about how the school has improved. They attend well and study courses that closely match their interests and aspirations. Teachers help students to develop their independent learning and study skills. Students receive appropriate advice and guidance about their future plans. Many aim to be the first in their family to attend university.

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better?

Trustees and governors provide leaders with essential support and challenge. Teachers engage readily with networks in the trust to improve their practice. Governors are mindful of staff’s workload and well-being. They make sure that staff have the help that they need.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders know the pupils extremely well, particularly those who are vulnerable. They teach pupils how to reduce the risks they may face locally and in wider society. For example, pupils learn about the risks of knife crime. Sixth-form students consider how to drive safely. Pupils feel well supported. 30 June–1 July 2021 Leaders and staff are well trained and receive frequent safeguarding updates. Staff make timely referrals to leaders if they have a concern about a pupil. Leaders keep detailed records. They make sure that pupils get the right help, including from external agencies.

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Safeguarding

Leaders provide governors and trustees with detailed updates about safeguarding arrangements.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The attendance of pupils with SEND remains too low. A disproportionate number of these pupils are excluded from school for a fixed period. Leaders’ actions to reduce absences and fixed-term exclusions for these pupils are beginning to have some impact. Leaders must continue to work with parents of pupils with SEND to ensure that the attendance of these pupils continues to improve and that they are excluded from school less often.  The curriculum is planned and implemented well in some subjects. This helps pupils to build on their knowledge and to deepen their understanding of the subject. This is not the case in all subjects, including science and design and technology. Senior leaders, including those from the trust, should make sure that subject leaders in these subjects have the training and support they need to design and implement an effective curriculum. Leaders must ensure that all curriculum plans identify the important knowledge that pupils must learn and the

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

order in which they should learn it. Leaders must check that these plans are implemented consistently well across all subjects. 30 June–1 July 2021

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school here .

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 30 June–1 July 2021

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sixth form

Chair of trust David Ross Principal Robert Sloan (Executive principal), Carly Waterman (Principal) Website www.lodgeparkacademy.co.uk Date of previous inspection 3 and 4 February 2021 under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The school uses two alternative providers. These are the CE Academy and Nisai. A very small number of pupils attend these provisions full time.

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Information about this inspection

Ofsted carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We deemed the inspection a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Information about this inspection

In accordance with section 13(4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors met with the executive principal, the principal, the head of sixth form, the special educational needs coordinator and other senior leaders. 30 June–1 July 2021  The inspectors met with the designated safeguarding lead to discuss safeguarding. They looked at documentation relating to safeguarding, the school’s system for recruiting staff and the school’s single central record. They also spoke with staff and pupils about safeguarding.  The inspectors did deep dives in four subjects: science, history, French and design and technology. They met with curriculum leaders, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ workbooks, spoke with pupils and met with teachers of the lessons they visited. On the second day of the inspection, the inspectors visited lessons and reviewed curriculum plans in a wider range of subjects. They observed pupils reading to members of staff. They also reviewed a sample of work from pupils

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Information about this inspection

with SEND.  The inspectors met with groups of pupils from Years 8 and 10. They also spoke with a group of sixth-form students. They spoke with pupils informally and observed the behaviour of pupils during social times.  The inspectors met with the chair of governors, who is also a trustee, as well as another trustee and a governor. They also met with trust representatives, including the deputy chief executive officer and two regional directors.  The inspectors spoke on the telephone to representatives of the school’s two alternative providers.  The inspectors met with teachers who are new to the teaching profession.  The inspectors took into account the 72 responses to the online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, including 38 free-text responses. They also considered the 44 responses to the staff questionnaire.  The inspection team reviewed a range of documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation, curriculum plans and information about pupils’ attendance,

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Inspection team

Rachel Tordoff, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Stephen Long Ofsted Inspector 30 June–1 July 2021 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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