Tregonwell Academy

Inspection of an outstanding school: Tregonwell Academy Petersfield Road, Bournemouth, Dorset BH7 6QP

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Outcome

Tregonwell Academy continues to be an outstanding school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff at this academy care deeply for the pupils. They are united in ensuring pupils get the very best possible care and education. The academy’s core values ‘developing resilient, safe and respectful learners’ shines through. ‘My child receives kindness, compassion and support’ and ‘develops extended life skills’ are comments from parents that exemplify what it is like to be a pupil attending Tregonwell. Staff create a calm and productive atmosphere. Pupils get the care, support and guidance they need to overcome their challenges. Staff have high expectations of all pupils and, as a result, pupils achieve extremely well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders expect pupils to behave exceptionally well. Therapeutic provision is integral to the work of the academy. This gives pupils the strategies to manage their anxious behaviours superbly well. Pupils are happy. They enjoy warm and trusting relationships with staff, and at times of heightened anxiety, pupils know that staff will support them. This helps them to feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils relish the range of wider opportunities afforded to them. These help to develop skills and interests in areas, such as art, music and technology. All pupils have access to these activities. Pupils develop high levels of independence, which makes them well prepared for the future.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The quality of education and care pupils receive is of the highest quality. Leaders ensure that pupils learn an ambitious curriculum that meets their needs extremely well. As a result, pupils gain the knowledge and skills they need as they move through the academy. By the time pupils leave, they are well prepared to move on to the next stage of their lives.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Academy and trust leaders are not complacent. Together with the staff, they relentlessly reflect and tweak areas of the curriculum, so that it continues to improve to meet the 10 and 11 May 2023

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precise needs of pupils. Therefore, pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning and achieve well.

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Staff at Tregonwell do not put a ceiling on what pupils can achieve or the success they can experience. Pupils have high aspirations for their futures and go on to attend college, university or employment with success.

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Adults know pupils exceptionally well. They use this knowledge, along with their subject expertise, to explain information clearly, so that pupils can understand and remember what is being taught. For example, pupils apply their knowledge of number in their work on shape, space and measures confidently. Staff ensure pupils can use their knowledge across other subjects. For example, pupils can apply their mathematical knowledge when studying engineering. Teachers use assessment effectively to check what pupils remember and enable them to plan the next steps in learning.

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Leaders are determined that every pupil will become, at the very least, a functional reader. Pupils understand the importance of being able to read. They read daily. ‘Drop everything and read’ sessions are an important fixture in the timetable. These daily sessions enable pupils to select books they enjoy from a wide range of authors and genres. These increase pupils’ love of reading. The library is well stocked to appeal to a wide range of interests. Pupils also read newspapers, which support their wider development of current and cultural affairs.

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Pupils’ wider personal development is pivotal to the academy’s work. Leaders plan and sequence the curriculum for personal, social and health education (PSHE) with care, according to pupils’ needs. Pupils build knowledge of how to keep themselves healthy and lead safe active lives. For example, they are taught how to keep safe within the community and the importance of reducing harmful habits, such as smoking. Through their personal development, staff teach pupils the importance of respect and tolerance.

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Staff enjoy working at Tregonwell. Staff comment on how there is a camaraderie among staff, leaders and trust leaders. Staff, including those early in their careers, feel well supported. They value what leaders do to help them manage their workload and support well-being. Leaders are ably supported by the academy advisory committee and trustees, who provide support and challenge.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have created a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff are well trained to notice and report any signs of concern. Leaders respond swiftly to support pupils and families in need of help. They do not hesitate to escalate concerns when needed. Leaders carry out the required checks on the suitability of staff to work with pupils.

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Safeguarding

Leaders provide a curriculum that teaches pupils to understand age-appropriate risks, including personal safety and healthy relationships. Pupils know that adults will listen to them and take appropriate action if they have any concerns. 10 and 11 May 2023

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Background

When we have judged a school to be outstanding, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains outstanding. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding in April 2013.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 10 and 11 May 2023

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School details

Local authority Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole

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School details

School category Academy special converter

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School details

Principals Leigh Bailey-Pearce Steve Jackson Website www.tregonwell-academy.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection December 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Tregonwell Academy is part of Ambitions Academies Trust.  Tregonwell Academy operates from three sites, Nigel Bowes for pupils aged between 5 to 11, Iford for pupils aged between 11 and 16 and the Throop learning centre.  This school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the principals, vice principals, senior leaders, academy staff and a member of the board of trustees.  Inspectors spoke with the chief executive officer and the director of education for special educational needs and/or disabilities for the trust.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and PSHE. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject 10 and 11 May 2023

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leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector listened to a selection of pupils read to an adult and during the lesson visits.  An inspector visited Throop learning centre to view the quality of provision.  Inspectors reviewed the academy’s safeguarding documentation, including the safeguarding checks carried out on staff working at the academy. They considered how well the designated safeguarding leaders act on concerns about pupils’ welfare and safety. Inspectors talked to pupils, staff and a trustee about how the school keeps everyone safe.  The lead inspector considered key documentation, including the raising achievement plans.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  Inspectors considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including

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free-text replies and responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Jen Southall, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Richard Vaughan Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 May 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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