Burnage Academy for Boys

Inspection of an outstanding school: Burnage Academy for Boys Burnage Lane, Burnage, Manchester M19 1ER

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Inspection dates: 30 and 31 January 2024

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Outcome

Burnage Academy for Boys continues to be an outstanding school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Karl Harrison. This school is the only school in a single- academy trust. The headteacher also acts as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the trust. The trust is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Alan Scott.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils consider their school to be a haven where they can concentrate on their learning. Despite the challenges that many face in their lives, pupils benefit from an exceptional education here. Staff give them every opportunity to be successful. In turn, pupils rise to meet the school’s high expectations. They learn exceptionally well, typically achieving far above national averages in external examinations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know that the school holds their conduct to the highest standard. They understand that this helps everyone to feel safe. Pupils behave sensibly and respond well to staff, with whom they build positive relationships. Pupils have faith in staff to help them if they are concerned about anything.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils celebrate their differences and learn to share their views considerately. They recognise that learning about different religions and cultures helps them to treat each other with kindness and respect. Bullying is rare. If it happens, it is dealt with swiftly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils embrace rich opportunities to take on positions of responsibility. This helps them to grow their self-confidence. Many told inspectors how the school helps them to become responsible young men. Older pupils value the independence that staff give to them. They build many happy memories of the experiences that they have at school.

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

The school has constructed a broad and rich curriculum of the highest quality. It connects ambitious knowledge to a range of cultural and social experiences that are designed to enrich pupils’ academic learning. The school has meticulously identified the information that pupils should learn. This ensures that staff know exactly what to teach and when. 30 and 31 January 2024

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Across subjects, staff deliver the curriculum with expertise and passion. They skilfully layer new learning on top of what pupils already know. Staff are adept at using a range of assessment strategies to identify and revisit any prior learning that pupils have missed or forgotten. This ensures that pupils learn and remember an extraordinary wealth of knowledge.

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The school thoroughly identifies any additional needs that pupils may have. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and those who speak English as an additional language. Staff use detailed information about each pupil to ensure that they receive the support that they need to learn well. Pupils with SEND thrive here.

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Reading has a high priority in the school. Pupils encounter a broad canon of carefully chosen texts. They have frequent opportunities to read together. Staff immerse pupils in rich subject-specific language. As pupils move through the curriculum, this helps them to describe their learning in ever-greater depth. This is also true for pupils who speak English as an additional language. They absorb this vocabulary and soon become proficient at using it themselves. Pupils who struggle with reading catch up quickly due to the effective support that they receive.

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Pupils’ polite and respectful conduct creates a calm atmosphere in lessons. Pupils learn without disruption. At social times, pupils interact cheerfully with their peers and with staff. On the few occasions when pupils struggle to regulate their behaviour, the support that they receive from staff is admirable. Pupils told inspectors how this support helps them to make better choices next time.

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Pupils attend well. If any patterns of absence develop, staff do all that they can to support those pupils back to regular attendance.

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The school’s wide-ranging programme for pupils’ personal development is noteworthy. Pupils learn exceedingly well about the important issues that they may face in modern society. For example, they learn about democracy, harmful gender stereotypes and how to identify misinformation online.

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Pupils access a thorough careers programme that helps them to make informed decisions about their future lives. This, together with their academic achievement, equips pupils extremely well in taking their next steps in education.

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The trust and the school are united in their vision for the education that pupils receive. Trustees are well informed about the challenges that the school faces. They support the school to successfully overcome them. Staff are tremendously proud to be part of a strong team. Many told inspectors how leaders genuinely listen to their views and have taken marked steps to reduce their workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 30 and 31 January 2024

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding in October 2018.

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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’ 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 social 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). 30 and 31 January 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 2 and 3 October 2018 under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school is the only school in a single-academy trust. The headteacher also acts as the CEO of the trust.  The school operates an off-site educational provision from nearby premises. This is located at Broadhill Road, Manchester M19 1AR. At the time of the inspection, no pupils from the school were attending this provision.  The school does not make use of any other alternative provision.  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

 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. 30 and 31 January 2024

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 Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, other leaders and members of staff. The lead inspector also met with members of the board of trustees, including the chair of trustees.  Inspectors completed deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences of school and their views on behaviour and bullying. Inspectors also observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons, at lunchtime and at the end of the school day.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation document, leaders’ improvement plans, minutes of trust board meetings and records of

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pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  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.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for pupils and staff.

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Inspection team

Ben Hill, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Dean Logan Ofsted Inspector 30 and 31 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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