The Clarendon Academy

Inspection of a good school: The Clarendon Academy Frome Road, Trowbridge, Wiltshire BA14 0DJ

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Outcome

The Clarendon Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and cared for as part of this welcoming and friendly school. The school’s core values of ‘respect, determination and excellence’ are evident throughout the school. Pupils are kind and respectful to others, including new arrivals to the school. Sixth-form students act as role models for their younger peers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff know pupils well and have high expectations of them. The atmosphere in school is calm and purposeful. Pupils benefit from clearly communicated learning routines that promote appropriate behaviour and conduct. As a result, pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to learning in lessons and achieve well in many subjects. Pupils learn to treat everyone equally and with respect. Incidents of bullying are rare. However, pupils know whom to tell when it does occur, and leaders deal with it quickly and effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including sixth-form students, are well prepared for life beyond school and are provided with a wide range of suitable careers information. Parents and pupils value the opportunities to take part in a wide range of extra-curricular clubs and sports, such as gardening club, netball and STEM club. Pupils across a range of year groups also enjoyed being involved in the production of ‘Mary Poppins’.

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

Leaders have prioritised the development of the curriculum with care and precision. They have designed a broad and ambitious curriculum for all pupils. Leaders work together effectively to review the school’s curriculum. As a result, they have a clear sense of what is working well and have identified appropriate areas for further development.

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

Curriculum leaders have carefully considered the important knowledge that pupils need to learn and remember. The curriculum is logically sequenced to allow pupils to build their knowledge over time. For example, in geography at key stage 3, pupils explain complex theories, such as the Malthusian theory, and how this fits in with their learning. 27 and 28 June 2023

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Teachers have good subject knowledge and present this to pupils with precision. This deepens pupils’ learning effectively, particularly when delivering the curriculum in the sixth form. However, teaching does not always check pupils’ understanding accurately. This leaves some pupils unclear about what has been taught. As a result, pupils do not consistently build the knowledge and understanding that they need in these subjects to tackle more challenging ideas.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported effectively to follow the same ambitious curriculum as their peers. Leaders identify pupils’ needs accurately. They liaise with pupils and their parents to ensure appropriate information and strategies are shared with staff. Pupils benefit from additional tailored support that helps them with specific behavioural or mental health needs. They speak positively about the school’s provision, such as ‘the Link’ which has a transformative impact.

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Leaders have prioritised reading for all pupils. There is an effective system for identifying struggling readers. Pupils benefit from targeted support from well-informed staff. This is effective in building pupils’ confidence and fluency in reading.

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Leaders’ expectations for behaviour are implemented by most staff. Low-level disruption is usually dealt with swiftly and fairly. Pupils appreciate this. As a result, pupils participate well in lessons and behave appropriately around the school site.

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The personal, social and health education curriculum is carefully planned to support pupils’ wider development and respond to local and national issues. For example, during the inspection, pupils took part in activities celebrating Pride Day. Much of this was arranged by sixth-form students. There are a range of clubs and extra-curricular enrichment activities available for pupils to attend. However, participation in these opportunities is not monitored well and a significant number of pupils do not access these opportunities. As a result, not all pupils develop their talents and interests.

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Pupils, and students in the sixth form, have multiple opportunities to prepare for their next stage of education, employment or training. They are supported to learn about and engage positively with a range of employers, particularly during work experience placements. Sixth-form students have been successful in gaining places on outreach programmes, such as the Sutton Trust Summer School.

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Leaders provide a high-quality education and make decisions considering first and foremost the impact on disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. Trustees and governors challenge and support school leaders with rigour and insight. Leaders ensure that shared values inform the school’s development. Staff and pupils are proud of the school. Leaders listen to staff, including over matters such as workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are clear about their safeguarding responsibilities. They are kept up to date with regular training that provides contextually relevant information and purposeful reminders. 27 and 28 June 2023

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Systems and processes are clear and responsive to the needs of the community. Record- keeping is comprehensive, and actions taken by leaders are clear, concise and timely. Leaders work well with external agencies and organisations to support vulnerable pupils, and they have clear pathways for regular and appropriate information sharing. Appropriate checks are carried out on adults who work at the school.

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Pupils have a secure and age-appropriate awareness of how to stay safe, both online and offline.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teaching does not routinely check pupils’ understanding or address misconceptions before moving on to new learning. This means that some pupils do not have a secure understanding of what has been taught. Leaders need to ensure that there are regular checks on pupils’ understanding and that any gaps in learning that are identified are addressed swiftly.  Even though a wide range of extra-curricular activities are available, many pupils do not access these. As a result, some pupils’ interests and talents are not nurtured and stretched. Leaders should ensure these rich experiences are coherently planned and participation carefully monitored.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. 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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2017.

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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. 27 and 28 June 2023

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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. 27 and 28 June 2023

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form

Date of previous inspection 28 and 29 November 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Acorn Education Trust.  The school currently uses 12 alternative provisions, three of which are registered.  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.  Robert Price is the executive headteacher and Craig Turze is the headteacher.

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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. 27 and 28 June 2023

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 Inspectors met with senior leaders, trust leaders and a representative of the board of trustees.  Inspectors met with the designated safeguarding lead and reviewed documentation related to safeguarding and referrals to the local authority. They also spoke to staff about how they keep pupils safe.  Inspectors met with the special educational needs coordinator and reviewed plans that support pupils with SEND.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: science, English and geography.  For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work  Inspectors spoke with representatives from a sample of the alternative provisions used by the school.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, and the views of staff and pupils in Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Frances Bywater, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mike Foley Ofsted Inspector 27 and 28 June 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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