The Shoreline Academy

Inspection of The Shoreline Academy Fishleigh Road, Roundswell, Devon EX31 3UD

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Inspection dates: 18 and 19 January 2023

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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 18 and 19 January 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils and want them to achieve well. However, the quality of education pupils receive is not yet good. Some aspects of the curriculum are not implemented well enough across all subjects and phases. Pupils’ learning and experiences in some subjects are not good enough.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many pupils who attend the school have had very negative experiences of education previously. Staff quickly get to know pupils and families well. Pastoral support is a strength. Pupils feel happy and cared for in school. They develop strong and trusting relationships with all adults in school. One parent stated, ‘Shoreline has given my son a second chance to learn again.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Staff model these expectations, so pupils develop belief in themselves. Most pupils have positive attitudes toward learning. Pupils say bullying rarely happens. When it does, adults deal with it well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders give careful consideration to pupils’ emotional and personal development. They provide pupils with a wide range of experiences outside of the classroom, including forest school opportunities. This helps pupils develop their confidence and resilience. Pupils debate moral and social issues both formally and informally and engage in discussion and debate.

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better?

Leaders have worked hard alongside staff to create a trusting and happy environment. Staff and pupils work as part of an inclusive community. All staff value the teamwork approach in school. Staff recognise and appreciate the importance leaders place on everyone’s well-being.

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better?

Leaders have rightly focused on improving the quality of reading. They recently implemented a new programme for the teaching of phonics in the primary phase. Staff teach phonics systematically. Pupils read books that match the sounds they are learning. Adults focus on developing pupils’ reading skills across other aspects of the literacy curriculum. Pupils in the primary phase say they enjoy reading. However, this positive view of reading is not reflected in pupils’ attitudes in the secondary phase. Secondary pupils do not read widely and often. Many say they do not like reading. They do not receive enough encouragement or opportunities to read a wide range of texts for pleasure.

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better?

Leaders organise wider curriculum subjects in key stage 4 well. This enables pupils to gain the skills they need for work or further education in the future. Here, pupils learn what leaders intend.

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better?

At key stage 3, leaders have not considered how the curriculum is broken down into smaller steps of learning. As a result, pupils’ learning is often disjointed and unconnected. In some subjects, pupils do not build on what they know and can do. 18 and 19 January 2023

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Subject leaders do not monitor effectively how well pupils learn the curriculum. Consequently, they are unsure of what is working well for pupils and what needs to improve.

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All pupils in the school have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders carefully identify pupils’ needs when they arrive at school. However, teachers do not plan learning precisely to ensure that all pupils make the progress of which they are capable. This slows their learning.

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Pupils show positive behaviours. At times, some pupils can fluctuate in mood. Staff manage this well. They are not afraid to challenge poor behaviour. Staff successfully re-engage pupils in learning. They know the triggers that may cause increased anxiety for pupils. Staff manage these situations appropriately.

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Leaders prioritise pupils’ personal development. They develop pupils’ character through outdoor learning activities, including paddle boarding, visits to the beach, fishing and challenges such as entering competitive events. Pupils learn about fundamental British values. They understand the importance of being respectful and tolerant of difference. Leaders have established an effective careers programme that raises pupils’ aspirations. Pupils appreciate the support in finding appropriate college places and apprenticeships.

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Trust leaders have an accurate understanding of the school. They know the school curriculum is not yet good enough. Pupils’ attendance remains of concern, although improving because of leaders’ determined actions.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders act in the best interest of pupils to keep them safe. They understand the needs of their pupils well. Staff receive up-to-date safeguarding training. Regular briefings on local issues raise staff’s awareness of challenges in the community. Leaders actively engage with external agencies to support vulnerable children. Systems for reporting concerns are effective. Staff know what to do if they are worried about a child.

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Safeguarding

Checks on staff’s suitability to work with children are thorough. Pupils feel safe in school. They know who they can talk to if they have a concern. Pupils learn how to stay safe through the curriculum, including staying safe online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some curriculum subjects are not coherently organised or sequenced, particularly in key stage 3. As a result, pupils do not build on what they already know and can do. Subject leaders need to identify the order in which pupils learn important 18 and 19 January 2023

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knowledge in all subjects, so they know more and remember more over time.  Leaders have not yet found ways to encourage reading for pleasure for pupils in the secondary phase. As a result, these pupils do not read widely or often. Leaders need to ensure that the curriculum for reading is effective across all phases. They need to ensure all secondary pupils have access to good reading material and read regularly.  Subject leaders do not have full oversight of the development and implementation of their curriculum area. They do not routinely check how effectively pupils learn the curriculum. Leaders need to ensure that subject leaders know how well their subject is implemented across the school.  Staff do not use leaders’ assessments effectively enough when planning learning for pupils with SEND. As a result, some pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable. Leaders need to ensure outcomes from assessment focus

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precisely on what pupils need to be able to do next.

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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. 18 and 19 January 2023

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School details

School category Academy alternative provision sponsor- led Age range of pupils 5 to 16

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School details

Website www.wavemat.org/shoreline-academy

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The Shoreline Academy is part of WAVE Multi-Academy Trust. It is an alternative provider split across two sites in North Devon. The secondary site is in Barnstaple and the primary site is in Bideford.  The current principal took up his post in September 2022. Before this, he was the vice-principal of the academy. A new head of primary was appointed in September 2022.  All pupils have SEND. Six pupils have an education, health and care plan. The majority of pupils on the roll are single-registered. Many have been permanently excluded from their previous setting.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 7 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.  The school uses one registered and three unregistered alternative provisions. 18 and 19 January 2023

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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.  Inspectors met with the principal and other senior leaders, including the head of the primary phase, the special educational needs coordinator, the designated safeguarding leads and groups of staff. Inspectors also met representatives from the multi-academy trust, including the executive principal, the director of education, the curriculum lead and the safeguarding compliance officer, a trustee and a member of the governance monitoring hub.  Inspectors held telephone calls with a representative from the local authority, an alternative provision provider and the area education commissioning officer from the Devon SEN 0 to 25 team.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, science

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Information about this inspection

and personal, social and health education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited samples of lessons, spoke to teachers, looked at samples of pupils’ work and spoke to pupils about their learning.  The lead inspector listened to pupils in Years 4 and 11 read to an adult.  Inspectors considered how well the school protects pupils and keeps them safe. They reviewed how well the designated safeguarding leads act on concerns about pupils’ welfare. Inspectors talked to pupils, staff and those responsible for governance about how the school keeps everyone safe.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school sites. Additionally, inspectors spoke to pupils to discuss their views on the school.  Inspectors considered the four free-text responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and 11 responses to the staff survey. The lead inspector also spoke

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Inspection team

Heather Barraclough, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Paula Marsh Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 January 2023

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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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