Wigston Academy

Inspection of Wigston Academy Station Road, Wigston, Leicestershire LE18 2DT

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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 Requires improvement 7 and 8 June 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a good school that serves its community well. Teachers have high expectations of what all pupils can achieve. They want them to aspire and to work hard. The school’s ‘RARER’ (resilience, ambition, responsibility, engagement and respect) values are evident throughout the school and understood by pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are positive relationships between staff and pupils. Staff care about their pupils’ education and well-being. Pupils feel safe and say that they are happy at school. Leaders model the high expectations they have of pupils. There is a calm and positive atmosphere around the school site. Pupils concentrate well in their lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that if they have any worries they can approach a member of staff. When rare incidents of poor behaviour or bullying happen, leaders act quickly to resolve these.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the wide range of activities available to them. They can pursue interests or develop talents in sport, music, dance, yoga and STEM club. Pupils appreciate that the school is open early to allow pupils to attend a free breakfast club. Pupils value the range of leadership responsibilities available to them, including being on the school council, being ambassadors and being sports leaders. Pupils spoke about how these opportunities have given them confidence, resilience and a sense of responsibility.

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better?

Leaders have made significant improvements to the curriculum. They have built an ambitious curriculum. Leaders and staff have thought carefully about what pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), should know and be able to do. Leaders want all pupils to be well prepared for their adult lives. Leaders have considered the local context and made sure that the curriculum addresses these needs. Pupils learn about real-life matters, such as debt management.

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better?

Most subject curriculums are well planned and sequenced, enabling pupils to build on prior knowledge. Teaching provides opportunities for pupils to revisit knowledge, so that they know and remember more. Lessons start with ‘do now’ activities to enable pupils to retrieve their prior knowledge. In geography, teachers often ask questions about what pupils learned last lesson, last week and last term. In most subjects, teachers carefully check that pupils have learned the important knowledge. In subjects where this happens consistently, pupils are more able to remember what they have learned. However, in some subjects and after assessments, teachers do not consistently check that pupils remember the content sufficiently well.

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better?

Many teachers are enthusiastic about the subjects that they teach. In some subjects, particularly English, pupils have the opportunity to discuss and debate. 7 and 8 June 2022

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Pupils spoke positively about this. However, in some other areas of the curriculum, teachers do not encourage discussion of the subject matter.

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Pupils with SEND follow the same curriculum as their peers. Teachers make effective use of ‘pupil profiles’ when planning and delivering the curriculum. Pupils with SEND are well supported in lessons, and spoke positively about the care and support they receive.

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Leaders promote a love of reading across the school. Ensuring that all pupils can read is a priority. Pupils who have fallen behind in reading are identified quickly. They receive a well-structured programme of support. They are helped to become more confident and fluent readers.

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Leaders promote pupils’ personal development well. This helps them to learn how to keep themselves healthy and safe. Leaders place considerable emphasis on developing pupils’ resilience. This permeates all aspects of the school’s work. For example, in lessons teachers highlight the academy’s core values and rewards are given to pupils who demonstrate them. Leaders have introduced a ‘passport for success’ as part of ‘the Wigston way’. Pupils value these rewards and are keen to accumulate them. However, some pupils lack the confidence to discuss and debate in some areas of the personal development programme. Pupils receive appropriate careers advice and guidance about their next steps.

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Those responsible for governance understand the vision of the school. They support and challenge senior leaders well. Staff are proud to work at this school. They say they are well supported by leaders and the trust.

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Leaders’ actions have made a significantly positive difference to pupils and staff. This is a school of which the whole community can be proud.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders responsible for safeguarding are highly knowledgeable. They maintain good oversight of any issues that arise. All staff have been well trained in safeguarding and understand their responsibility to keep pupils safe. Staff pass on any concerns they have. Leaders ensure that pupils get the support they need in a timely manner. Records relating to child protection are detailed, well organised and stored securely.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have developed a strategy for assessment that enables teachers to check for misconceptions and embed knowledge. However, the implementation of this is still variable in some subjects and classes. There are occasions when teachers do not check pupils’ responses to tasks or check that the assessments are correctly 7 and 8 June 2022

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matched to the needs of the pupils. Leaders must ensure that assessments are well matched, and misconceptions are identified and quickly addressed.

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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. 7 and 8 June 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10227383 Type of school Secondary

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll 1332

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School details

Date of previous inspection 25 and 26 September 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Wigston Academies Trust.  The school uses four unregistered providers.  The school meets the requirements of the Baker Clause, which requires schools to provide students in Years 8 to 11 with information about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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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 this into account in their evaluation.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in English, geography, science, modern foreign languages and physical education. For each deep dive, the inspectors 7 and 8 June 2022

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discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils, and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also visited a range of lessons in other subjects. For these subjects, they checked the work that pupils had produced in lessons and spoke to pupils in the class.  Inspectors met with leaders responsible for behaviour, personal development, and the provision for pupils with SEND.  Inspectors met with groups of pupils from key stages 3 and 4.  The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding leader to discuss the actions taken to keep pupils safe. She reviewed a range of documents and the single central record.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans.  The lead inspector met with governors and trustees.  Inspectors observed pupils around the school at break and lunchtime. An inspector held telephone conversations with staff who work with pupils at an

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alternative provision.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, and considered the results of the Ofsted staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Dawn Ashbolt, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lisa Harrison Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 June 2022

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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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