Lord Derby Academy

Inspection of Lord Derby Academy Seel Road, Huyton, Liverpool, Merseyside L36 6DG

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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 27 and 28 June 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know that they must be ready to learn when they step over the green line at the school entrance at the start of each day. This physical marker is an effective reminder to pupils to conduct themselves in line with leaders’ high expectations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have redesigned the curriculum for pupils. It is now suitably broad and ambitious. While the impact of leaders’ curriculum changes were not reflected in pupils’ GCSE examination results in 2022, current pupils are achieving well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel happy and well cared for at Lord Derby Academy. They said that there are staff who they can talk to about their worries. This helps pupils to feel safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn about the importance of treating each other with kindness and respect. They said that it is easy to make friends in this school. Leaders deal with any incidents of bullying swiftly and effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders encourage pupils to be active in the school community. For example, pupils can share ideas for change through a ‘positive action’ suggestions box. Leaders consult the pupil parliament about many aspects of school life. Pupils said that leaders respond to their suggestions, for example they provided table tennis equipment for use during breaktimes.

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better?

Leaders are aspirational for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). For example, most pupils in key stage 4 study the English Baccalaureate suite of subjects.

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better?

Leaders have taken appropriate action to improve the curriculum. They have been successful in ensuring that the curriculum better meets pupils’ learning needs. Leaders have provided effective support for subject leaders. Subject leaders have organised their curriculums carefully so that teachers know what important information pupils must learn and when they should learn it. Pupils typically learn well.

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better?

Subject teachers work well together to design effective learning activities. Most act swiftly to address pupils’ misconceptions in lessons when they arise. However, in some subjects, teachers do not carefully check how well pupils remember important information over time. This means that some pupils develop gaps in their knowledge that teachers do not identify as quickly as they should.

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better?

Leaders have strengthened their processes for identifying pupils who struggle with their reading knowledge. Leaders have made sure that staff have the skills to help 27 and 28 June 2023

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these pupils to read accurately and fluently. Pupils spoke very positively about how getting better at reading has helped them to learn more effectively. However, some of the oldest pupils who find reading difficult have not benefited from this reading programme over their time in school. This hinders how well these pupils can access the curriculum.

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Leaders act swiftly to identify the needs of pupils with SEND. Teachers receive detailed information about the adjustments to the delivery of the curriculum required by these pupils. Teachers use this information effectively to help these pupils to learn well.

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Leaders have made sure that most pupils understand the link between behaving well and achieving highly. Leaders have established routines that promote positive behaviour. Pupils are attentive and respectful to staff. Learning is not usually disrupted by poor behaviour. However, leaders have identified that behaviour remains a barrier to learning for a small number of pupils. Leaders are determined to ensure that these pupils still have access to their education. Leaders provide well- thought-out support to these pupils, which helps them to learn to manage their own behaviour. This means that, whenever possible, they can learn alongside their peers.

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Leaders are committed to broadening pupils’ awareness of the wider world. Pupils learn about the different types of families, as well as different faiths and cultures. Pupils in the pupil parliament helped to write an equality charter for everyone to follow. Leaders ensure that pupils are well prepared for their lives in modern Britain.

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Pupils experience a strong careers programme, which begins in Year 7. Leaders ensure that pupils receive the information that they need to make appropriate choices about their next steps in education or employment.

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Leaders at all levels are sharply focused on improving pupils’ outcomes. Added to this, leaders recognise that pupils’ achievement in the 2022 GCSE examinations was weak. This is attributable to weaknesses in the predecessor curriculum.

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Trustees and governors provide support and challenge to school leaders to help them to improve the quality of education that they provide for pupils. Staff are immensely proud to work at this school. They appreciate the consideration that leaders have for their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that pupils’ welfare is a high priority. Staff are trained well to recognise changes in pupils’ demeanour or behaviour which might suggest that they are at risk of harm. Leaders carefully monitor vulnerable pupils. Leaders work effectively with external agencies to secure appropriate and timely help for these pupils and their families. 27 and 28 June 2023

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Pupils learn important information about how to keep themselves safe through the wider curriculum. Leaders are proactive about consulting pupils to better understand their perspectives on their safety and well-being. For example, they meet with groups of girls to talk about their understanding of sexual harassment.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, teachers do not carefully check that pupils know and remember important information over time. As a result, some pupils develop gaps in their knowledge which are not addressed as swiftly as they should be. Leaders should ensure that teachers check that pupils remember what they have learned previously so that new learning builds securely on what pupils already know.  Some older pupils who struggle with their reading have not received the help that they need in a timely way. This affects how well they can access the wider curriculum and prevents them from achieving as well as they should. Leaders should accelerate their plans to ensure that appropriate support is in place for those pupils who need it the most so that they learn to read well.

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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. 27 and 28 June 2023

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School details

Local authority Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council

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School details

Inspection number 10244613 Type of school Secondary comprehensive

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,078

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School details

Date of previous inspection 24 and 25 April 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school is part of The Dean Trust.  Leaders use four registered alternative providers for a very small number of pupils.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement 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.  Inspectors spoke with the headteacher and other leaders. 27 and 28 June 2023

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 Inspectors spoke with representatives of the trust and the local governing body.  Inspectors completed deep dives in these subjects: mathematics, science, history, modern foreign languages and physical education. They met with subject leaders, visited lessons, reviewed pupils’ work and spoke with staff and pupils.  Inspectors checked the school’s safeguarding policies and procedures, including the school’s single central record. They met with leaders, staff and pupils to check on the effectiveness of safeguarding in the school.  Inspectors met with pupils to ask about their experience of school. They considered the responses from pupils to an Ofsted survey.  Inspectors met with groups of staff. They considered responses from staff to an Ofsted survey.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, including the free-text responses.  Inspectors reviewed a wide range of documents, including those relating to

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Inspection team

Sally Rix, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sanjay Patel 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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