Mounts Bay Academy

Inspection of Mounts Bay Academy Boscathnoe Lane, Heamoor, Penzance, Cornwall, TR18 3JT

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected nine years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last inspection. 1 and 2 December 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are rightly proud to attend Mounts Bay Academy. Across the curriculum, pupils have many opportunities to enrich their learning. Pupils can attend a range of clubs, such as choir, drama and sport. Leaders and staff nurture pupils’ creative responses to the world around them. As a result, pupils feel empowered to apply their learning in innovative ways. Pupils record their own music with the school’s record label and run their own festival to highlight environmental issues.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils receive a good quality of education at Mounts Bay. They develop strong knowledge of a range of subjects across the curriculum, which prepares them well for life beyond school. Pupils have high aspirations and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well, both in lessons and around the school. Pupils state that bullying is rare at the school and that staff resolve it quickly if it occurs. Staff provide pupils with carefully tailored information about careers and further education. Pupils feel very well supported in making decisions about their next steps.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn about the importance of helping others. For example, pupils fundraise to visit Uganda to teach local children. Pupils value taking on leadership roles, such as being a prefect.

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better?

Leaders have created a well-sequenced curriculum in most subjects. Leaders and staff have enriched the curriculum with opportunities for pupils to apply their learning in the world beyond school. For example, pupils studying French visit Concarneau. In physical education (PE), pupils learn a range of water sports in the local bay. Through the curriculum, pupils develop strong aspirations to achieve well. Pupils enjoy learning their subjects as well as the extra-curricular activities.

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better?

The art and PE curriculums are strengths of the school. Leaders have structured what pupils learn as well as how they learn with great care. Through the study of a range of artists and artistic mediums, pupils learn how to develop their own artistic interpretations of the world around them. In PE, pupils draw skilfully on their prior knowledge to learn new concepts. Consequently, pupils achieve well. However, leaders and staff have not ensured the same consistent approach to curriculum design across all subjects. As a result, pupils do not develop as secure a knowledge and understanding in some subjects.

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better?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have equal access to the curriculum. Pupils with SEND receive tailored support to enable them to learn confidently and successfully. Leaders use assessment information about pupils to adapt the curriculum. For example, some pupils receive additional support with their reading to enable them to learn more effectively. 1 and 2 December 2021

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Leaders have established a very well-designed careers education for pupils. The school meets the requirements of the Baker Clause, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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Leaders and staff manage behaviour well. Due to the development of positive relationships between staff and pupils, there are rarely behaviour issues. Staff use dialogue with pupils to model positive behaviour and positive relationships. As a result, most pupils are respectful, kind and empathic towards each other.

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Pupils are punctual to lessons and attend school well. Leaders monitor pupils’ attendance closely to ensure that pupils are in school and learning the curriculum.

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Leaders have planned the personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum with clear consideration for the knowledge that pupils should learn. However, the curriculum is not implemented consistently well across the year groups. As a result, some pupils do not deepen their understanding of issues that they might face in the wider world.

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Trustees and governors know the school well. Their work complements the school’s improvement priorities. Through monitoring of the curriculum and safeguarding, governors challenge and support school leaders in equal measure. Leaders and governors pay great attention to the well-being and training needs of staff, including early career teachers. Staff state that leaders are mindful of their workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are tenacious in ensuring that pupils are both physically and emotionally safe. They act speedily and appropriately when pupils are at risk of harm. Leaders liaise well with external agencies to keep pupils safe and are not afraid to challenge when they have concerns.

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Safeguarding

Staff receive up-to-date safeguarding training. They know how to refer their concerns to leaders and how to identify when a pupil is at risk. Leaders ensure that appropriate background checks are carried out on adults working within the school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The implementation of the curriculum in some subject areas does not ensure that pupils have consistent and secure knowledge and understanding. Leaders must ensure that all subject curriculums enable pupils to develop strong knowledge, which they can apply independently and successfully. 1 and 2 December 2021

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 The implementation of the PSHE curriculum is not consistent across the year groups. Leaders must ensure that all staff have the confidence and expertise to enable all pupils to learn about social issues in preparation for the world beyond school.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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. 1 and 2 December 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10202087 Type of school Secondary Comprehensive

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll 1008

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School details

Date of previous inspection 27 June 2012

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Information about this school

 Mounts Bay Academy is part of the Leading Edge Academies Trust, which formed in August 2018.  The proportion of pupils in receipt of pupil premium funding is below the national average.  The proportion of pupils with education, health and care plans is below the national average.

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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 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors held discussions with the principal and members of the leadership team. 1 and 2 December 2021

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: modern foreign languages, PE, mathematics, art and music. This meant that, in each subject, inspectors met with senior and curriculum leaders, talked to pupils, visited lessons, spoke to teachers and looked at pupils’ books.  Inspectors met with staff to consider their views.  Inspectors reviewed safeguarding records, including the single central record of recruitment checks on staff.  Inspectors considered the views of parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. They also considered the views of pupils who responded to the pupil survey. They also spoke to pupils around the school. They evaluated the views of staff from the Ofsted online questionnaire.  Inspectors held discussions with the chief executive officer, the chair of the Leading Edge Academies Trust, the chair of governors and the governor for safeguarding.  Inspectors held discussions with single-sex groups of pupils to gather their views

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on the culture of the school.  Inspectors met with the special educational need coordinators and spoke to pupils with SEND in lessons. Pupils with SEND were included in group discussions about the quality of education in different subjects.

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Inspection team

Susan Aykin, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Sarah Favager-Dalton Her Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Donna Briggs Her Majesty's Inspector 1 and 2 December 2021

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