Bishop Young Church of England Academy

Inspection of Bishop Young Church of England Academy Bishops Way, Seacroft, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS14 6NU

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 September 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 Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 21–22 September 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend this school. They are eager to learn. They speak to each other, and to members of staff, openly and with respect. They are supported in and out of lessons, and always have adults to speak to when they need help or advice.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Almost all pupils would recommend Bishop Young to a friend. They feel safe at this school. Many pupils attend regularly, but some do not. On the rare occasion that bullying happens, staff act quickly to address it. Most pupils behave well in and out of lessons. Where incidents of poor behaviour do occur, leaders intervene quickly to make sure disruption to others is minimised.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The work pupils do in lessons does not always challenge them as much as it could. Pupils often want to learn more. This is particularly the case in Year 9, where pupils currently do not study all of the subjects in the national curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils regularly attend extra-curricular trips and clubs. They are well supported in becoming well-rounded citizens. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) engage fully with all aspects of school life. Leaders help teachers to ensure that lessons meet the needs of these pupils.

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better?

The executive headteacher, and the head of school, are well respected by the local community. Supported by other senior leaders, they have introduced a range of changes to address the challenges they faced when appointed. Pupils, parents, carers and members of staff all speak highly of these improvements.

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better?

Staff morale is high at this school. Almost all staff who responded to an inspection survey said they enjoyed working at the school. They are particularly grateful for the way leaders are mindful of their well-being and workload. They also recognise the work leaders do to keep the school environment calm and organised.

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better?

Subject leaders have started to consider the ways pupils learn and remember important topics. The use of low stakes assessments at the start of lessons, for example, helps teachers to check that pupils can recall prior learning. However, the ambition that teachers have of pupils needs raising. Not all pupils are challenged within the sequence of lessons that cover individual topics. This is limiting the progress made by some pupils, not least the higher attainers.

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better?

The amount of time pupils spend studying different subjects also needs further consideration. Pupils currently stop studying some subjects from the national curriculum at the end of Year 8. Although pupils access ‘taster’ lessons for new subjects such as sociology when they begin Year 9, this process happens too soon. 21–22 September 2021

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Aside from more traditional subjects, teachers also deliver enrichment lessons and activities linked to the ‘Bishop character curriculum’. They have recently taught pupils about healthy relationships, covering important topics such as consent and staying safe online. Pupils benefit greatly from these opportunities. Pupils are also encouraged to read, and those who are not confident in reading fluently get the support they need.

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Teachers have carefully considered ways to help pupils express themselves in a fluent and articulate way. During the inspection, pupils were seen debating and sharing ideas linked to their own well-being as part of a form time session. The school’s work to develop pupils’ oracy has been externally recognised. All pupils are encouraged to discuss topics, share their thoughts and contribute to the life of the school. The school’s student leadership team is involved in many aspects of school. The pupils in the team are highly regarded and are seen as role models to younger pupils.

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Within lessons, and across all areas of school, pupils behave well. They understand the school rules. The purposeful atmosphere in school is often dependent on the presence of members of staff, who ensure that the environment is calm and orderly. Logs of poor behaviour have fallen over time, and the number of exclusions has reduced significantly. Although attendance is improving over time, there is more work to do to ensure that all pupils attend school on a regular basis.

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Pupils with SEND are well supported at Bishop Young. Leaders, including the special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCo), have created a culture of inclusivity. Support staff make effective contributions in and out of lessons. The systems in place to nurture and support all pupils, but especially those with SEND, are of a high quality. The school’s commitment to pupils with SEND has been strengthened by the creation of a new integrated resource for pupils with autism spectrum disorder.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have a secure awareness of the needs of pupils in this school. Where additional support is needed, leaders do not hesitate in engaging with external organisations. If staff have any concerns about pupils, they report these quickly and leaders take rapid action. Pupils know who to speak to if they have any concerns and feel confident that any issues will be addressed.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that all appropriate checks are made before staff start working at the school. However, the processes in place to coordinate this could be tightened. 21–22 September 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some aspects of the school’s curriculum have not been thought through well enough. The plans that subject leaders have in place do not ensure that all pupils are challenged well enough in lessons. In addition, pupils in Year 9 do not have access to a broad curriculum for as long as they might. Senior leaders and subject leaders must revisit their approach to these aspects of the school’s curriculum.  Pupils’ attendance has risen because of leaders’ effective work to ensure that increasing numbers of pupils attend every day and enjoy doing so. However, some pupils are still absent from school too often. Leaders must build on the work done before, and during, the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic to improve pupils’ attendance further.  Leaders ensure that the necessary checks are made when recruiting new members of staff. All statutory requirements are met. However, the systems that leaders have in place to check this process are not as effective as they could be.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Further challenge is needed from governors and trust leaders to support leaders in addressing this.

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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.

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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. 21–22 September 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10200753 Type of school Secondary

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School details

Appropriate authority Governing Advisory Board

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school has been part of the Abbey Multi Academy Trust since May 2017.  This was the first inspection of this school since reopening as part of this trust.  The proportion of pupils at this school who are disadvantaged is above the national average.  The school is smaller than the average-sized secondary school.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school, and have taken that into account in their evaluation.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with members of the senior leadership team, including those with responsibility for behaviour and attendance, and the designated safeguarding 21–22 September 2021

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leader. We scrutinised the school’s safeguarding records, and the systems in place at the school to keep pupils safe. As part of this, we met with a leader from the local authority’s safeguarding team.  We evaluated the quality of education by looking in detail at the teaching of English, mathematics, science and physical education. We discussed the curriculum with leaders, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ workbooks and talked to teachers and pupils. We also met with several other subject leaders.  We met with those with responsibility for pupils’ personal development. We met with the SENCo and reviewed the school’s records for pupils with SEND. We also met with the school’s reading leader and observed reading lessons.  We met with the co-chief executive officers of the trust, and with the chair and members of the governing body, known locally as the ‘advisory board’. We also met with a representative from the Diocese of Leeds.

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 We took into account the 60 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and the 20 responses from parents to Parent View. We met with several groups of pupils to discuss their views about the school, including representatives from the school’s senior student leadership team. We looked at the 29 responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey.

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Inspection team

James Duncan, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Gordon Watts Ofsted Inspector 21–22 September 2021

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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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