Callerton Academy

Inspection of Callerton Academy Blandford Street, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 3BT

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Inspection dates: 23 and 24 January 2024

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The principal of this school is Katie Innes. This school is part of The Gosforth Federated Academies Limited, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Hugh Robinson, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by George Snaith. 23 and 24 January 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at this school are polite, friendly and respectful. They form positive relationships with each other and with staff. Staff show a genuine care for pupils. They share a commitment to provide pupils with the best possible education. Pupils thrive at this inclusive school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for what pupils can achieve. It has developed an ambitious curriculum that reflects those expectations. Reading is central to the life of the school. In lessons, pupils respond well to teachers’ questioning and focus on their work. Many are keen to engage in discussion and debate.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school adopts a trust-wide approach to behaviour. This focuses on praising pupils for doing the right thing. It also provides a clear set of sanctions for when pupils misbehave. Staff use the behaviour policy with consistency and fairness. As a result, this is a calm and orderly school. Pupils behave well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a rich and varied set of experiences. Every pupil takes part in the 7UP extra-curricular programme. Activities include Norwegian, origami, musical theatre, debating and sports. Pupils also make frequent visits to places of cultural interest. These experiences broaden pupils’ horizons and prepare them to be active citizens.

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better?

The school has developed a broad and highly ambitious key stage 3 curriculum. It provides pupils with a deep and coherent body of knowledge that is preparing them well for their future studies at key stage 4 and beyond. Pupils build their knowledge and skills in a logical and progressive manner. They also learn to think and work like subject specialists, such as historians and mathematicians. Pupils extend and deepen their learning further through cross-curricular work and homework projects.

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better?

The school has established a culture of reading. Pupils read often. They read whole class texts linked to personal development themes, such as relationships and diversity. They also read for pleasure daily. Pupils at an early stage of reading get the help they need to become confident and fluent readers. The school’s central focus on reading helps pupils both to extend their vocabulary and develop a genuine love for reading.

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better?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the same curriculum as their peers. The school identifies their needs well. It provides staff with the training and support they require to meet pupils’ specific needs. As a result, pupils with SEND complete their work successfully most of the time.

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better?

Teachers have a deep knowledge and understanding of their subjects. They select appropriate strategies and resources to secure and extend pupils’ learning. Teachers revisit what pupils have learned before and present new information with clarity. They also check pupils’ understanding systematically. This helps pupils to know and 23 and 24 January 2024

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remember more. Pupils produce work of a high quality and achieve well.

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Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning and behave well. The school acts effectively to address any behaviour that does not meet its high expectations. However, too many pupils do not attend well. They are missing out on too much of their learning. Levels of absence and persistent absence are relatively high and increasing.

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The school has developed a rich and comprehensive personal development programme. Pupils learn about healthy relationships and equality and diversity in an age-appropriate way. They are taught how to keep themselves safe, both online and in the local and wider community. The school promotes pupils’ physical and mental health. It also provides pupils with appropriate and wide-ranging information on careers. Pupils are well prepared for their next steps.

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The trust supports the school’s development. It provides additional leadership capacity in areas such as curriculum design and teaching and learning. This helps the school to manage the varied challenges of operating a new school and managing its growth. Trustees and local governors fulfil their delegated responsibilities. They hold the school to account and provide appropriate strategic direction and oversight. The school shows a commitment to engage with parents and involve them in their children’s education. Staff enjoy working at the school. The school ensures that staff workload is manageable. It gives high priority to staff well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Levels of absence and persistent absence are relatively high and increasing, particularly for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. This means that some pupils are missing a significant amount of their education and have gaps in their knowledge and understanding. The school should take further steps to improve pupils’ attendance so that pupils have the opportunity to achieve their full potential.

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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. 23 and 24 January 2024

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a so- cial worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 23 and 24 January 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 14 June 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school opened on 1 September 2021. At the time of this inspection there were pupils in Years 7 to 9.  The school is operating from a temporary site in the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne. The school is due to move to a new permanent site in the northwest of the city in September 2025.  The school is part of a multi-academy trust, The Gosforth Federated Academies Limited, also known as the Gosforth Group.  The school uses two registered alternative providers and one unregistered alternative provider.  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. 23 and 24 January 2024

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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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the principal, vice principal and assistant principal, the chair of the board of trustees and members of both the board of trustees and the academy advisory group. They also met with the chief executive officer of the trust and other members of the trust’s executive team.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, history, and art and design. For each deep dive, the inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors also discussed the curriculum in science, physical education, music and drama. They visited lessons in science, music, physical education and modern foreign languages.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for pupils and staff, and to the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Ian Rawstorne, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

John Linkins His Majesty’s Inspector 23 and 24 January 2024

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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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