Manor Croft Academy

Inspection of Manor Croft Academy Old Bank Road, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire WF12 7DW

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Outstanding Previous inspection grade Good 8 and 9 November 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff know that every pupil has only one chance at education. Staff are united in their commitment that every pupil will succeed. This ambition is realised. Pupils are supported at every turn in this inclusive school. They are ready for their next steps.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a broad and knowledge-rich curriculum. This is enhanced by the extra-curricular activities that are available. Staff thoughtfully link trips and visits to different subjects. This helps pupils to build meaningful connections between the subjects they study and their relevance to the wider world.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders’ high ambitions for academic excellence are reflected in their universally high expectations for behaviour and attendance. There are warm and supportive relationships between staff and pupils. The great majority of pupils behave well in lessons and around school. Staff act swiftly to address any concerns that pupils may have. Staff take effective action on the rare occasions that bullying occurs.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders know the importance of developing pupils’ knowledge, confidence and skills. The ‘Pledges’ scheme enables pupils to benefit from wider experiences within school and in the wider community. Pupil leaders are proud of the work they have done to improve the school. They have helped to organise fundraising events for different charities. These pupils know that they are important role models for others.

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better?

Leaders have ensured that there is an ambitious curriculum in place for all subjects. Subject leaders have identified the important subject-specific knowledge that they want pupils to know and remember. This knowledge builds on what pupils have learned before. Teachers skilfully plan sequences of learning that help pupils to build their knowledge over time. There are regular opportunities for pupils to revisit what they have learned. As a result, many pupils are able to recall important subject knowledge over time. Pupils achieve highly. This includes disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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better?

Leaders know that many pupils and their families need additional help. Leaders work tirelessly to ensure that needs are met wherever possible. Pupils with SEND are well supported and are fully involved in every aspect of school life. Teachers and teaching assistants work well together to help pupils with SEND to get the most out of what the school can offer.

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better?

There is a focus on the importance of reading across school. All staff model the importance of reading high-quality texts. A vending machine of books is regularly restocked as pupils select books as part of the rewards scheme in place. Pupils at the earliest stages of learning to read are swiftly identified. They receive additional sessions to help them with their reading. However, these sessions are not sufficiently 8 and 9 November 2022

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effective in helping all pupils to quickly become more proficient readers. This is because staff leading these sessions are not fully trained to implement the chosen scheme effectively. Leaders have arranged for staff to receive additional training to address this.

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Leaders have worked hard to improve pupils’ behaviour and attendance. As a result of the consistently high expectations from all staff, there is generally a calm and orderly atmosphere in the school. However, a few pupils continue to disrupt the learning of others. Staff are united in their continued support to help these pupils make better choices to improve their behaviour.

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Pupils value the weekly ethics, philosophy and citizenship (EPC) lessons. These are supplemented by a range of extra-curricular activities designed to develop pupils’ understanding of the world around them. However, pupils are not consistently able to recall some of the important knowledge from EPC lessons. This includes their knowledge of some world religions and fundamental British values.

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Leaders are rightly proud of the ambitious next steps that many pupils take after leaving school. Pupils in Year 11 receive the careers information that they need to help them with their choices. In some subjects, careers are woven through the taught curriculum from Year 7 onwards. This helps pupils to understand the wider opportunities these subjects can provide.

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Staff value the support and training they have received to help them to continually refine and improve their practice. They benefit from the additional opportunities they receive from the wider trust. Staff know that leaders consider their workload and well-being. Governors are experienced and skilled strategic leaders. They know the school well and check for themselves that school leaders are taking the right decisions for the benefit of all pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There are strong safeguarding systems in place to ensure that pupils are kept safe. Leaders have ensured that staff have regular opportunities to refresh their knowledge of the safeguarding risks that pupils face. As a result, staff know the signs that suggest a pupil may be at risk of harm. Staff report any concerns promptly. Leaders take swift action to ensure that pupils receive the help and support that they need.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to manage the risks they might face. This includes through the inappropriate use of social media. Pupils know how to report any concerns that they may have. They know that staff will act to keep them safe from harm.

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 The support for pupils at the earliest stages of learning to read is not sufficiently effective. This means that some pupils are not learning to read as well as they should. Leaders should ensure that the planned staff training enables teachers to better support pupils at the earliest stages of reading to become confident and fluent readers.  Some pupils struggle to remember the important knowledge that they have been taught from the EPC curriculum. They do not have sufficiently secure knowledge of different religions or of important concepts, such as fundamental British values. Leaders should ensure that teachers enable pupils to remember important knowledge in the EPC curriculum in the way that they do in the other subjects they study. This will help pupils to be even better prepared for life in modern Britain.

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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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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. 8 and 9 November 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10240446 Type of school Secondary Comprehensive

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll 1018

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 and 14 September 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, new senior leaders have been appointed, including the current principal and the chair of governors.  The school is part of Delta Academies Trust.  The school uses four alternative providers, all of which are registered.  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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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded 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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 8 and 9 November 2022

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 Inspectors met with senior leaders, including the chief executive officer of the trust, trustees and representatives of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors met with leaders for behaviour and attendance, careers and pastoral support and with wider support staff. Inspectors spoke with teachers at the early stages of their teaching career.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in mathematics, science, history, modern foreign languages, and art and technology. They met with subject leaders to discuss their curriculum planning. Inspectors talked with pupils about what they had learned in these lessons. Inspectors visited lessons, talked with teachers and looked at pupils’ work. Inspectors listened to pupils read.  Inspectors scrutinised safeguarding records. They spoke with staff about how they keep children safe.  The views of parents were considered through the responses to Ofsted’s parents’

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survey. The views of pupils were considered through responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey, as well as though meetings held with pupils.  The views of staff were considered from meetings held with staff and from the responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Eleanor Belfield, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Bernard Clark Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 November 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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