Thorp Academy

Inspection of a good school: Thorp Academy Main Road, Ryton, Tyne and Wear NE40 3AH

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Outcome

Thorp Academy continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The principal of this school is Joanna Macaulay. This school is part of Northern Education Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Robert Tarn, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Mark Henry Sanders. There is also an executive principal, Nikki Gibb, who is responsible for this school and two other schools, and a senior executive principal, Michael Robson, who is responsible for this school and eleven other schools.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is an inclusive and ambitious school. Staff are committed to supporting and developing every pupil. They celebrate pupils’ achievements daily. This motivates pupils and strengthens their self-belief. Pupils are polite and friendly. They show a respect for others and form positive relationships with their peers and with staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for what pupils can achieve. The school’s ambitious curriculum reflects this. Pupils get the help they need to overcome any barriers to their learning. They work hard in lessons and produce work of a high quality. Pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a calm and orderly school with a positive learning environment. Pupils respond well to staff’s instructions and established routines. They behave well in lessons. The school deals effectively with any inappropriate behaviour. It is not allowed to persist.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ personal development has a high priority. Pupils enjoy visits to places of cultural interest. They have access to a wide range of clubs and extra-curricular activities. Pupils enjoy working towards the ‘iAspire’ challenge, and wear their ‘iAspire’ badges with pride. They also take on roles of responsibility, such as student councillors and well-being ambassadors. 18 and 19 June 2024

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

The school has developed a broad and ambitious curriculum. The curriculum is well sequenced. Pupils build their knowledge and subject-specific skills in a progressive manner. At key stage 4, a large majority of pupils study for the English Baccalaureate. There is also a range of vocational courses. These courses meet pupils’ needs and interests and reflect local employment opportunities. The school has ensured that there are both academic and vocational curriculum pathways, from key stage 4 into the sixth form. The school prepares pupils well for the next stage of their education, training and employment.

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

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) study the same curriculum as their peers. The school identifies pupils’ needs well. Pupils with SEND get the additional support they need. This includes specific, personalised support for pupils who access the specially resourced provision. The school is effective in meeting the needs of pupils with SEND. This enables pupils with SEND to achieve well from their individual starting points.

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

The school prioritises reading. It is quick to identify pupils who need extra help with their reading. These pupils get the specific support they need. This support includes programmes in phonics, reading fluency and reading comprehension. This helps pupils at an early stage of reading to become confident and fluent readers. Moreover, the school promotes a love for reading through a variety of initiatives. These include weekly reading lessons, reading journals, author visits and events such as World Book Day.

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

Teachers use the school’s model for teaching with great consistency. This supports pupils’ learning in all subjects. Teachers have secure subject knowledge and present new information with clarity. They revisit what pupils have learned before and build on this learning. Pupils have regular opportunities to complete independent work. Teachers provide feedback to pupils to help them improve their work. However, sometimes, teachers do not secure pupils’ knowledge with enough rigour. They do not give pupils sufficient opportunity to deepen and extend their learning.

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

Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. The school does not tolerate low-level disruption in lessons. When it does occur, the school deals with it effectively. The school’s work on attendance is exemplary. It has reduced levels of absence and persistent absence to national average levels. The school has established a positive climate for learning.

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

The school has developed a comprehensive and age-appropriate personal development programme. Pupils learn about issues such as relationships, physical and mental health, and equality and diversity. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe, both online and in the local and wider community. From Year 7, pupils begin to explore potential careers. Pupils receive the careers information, advice and guidance they need. This helps them to make well-informed decisions about their next steps.

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

The school is providing pupils with a high-quality education. The trust supports the school’s development well. Staff benefit from the professional development opportunities that the trust provides. Trustees and local governors perform their respective roles and 18 and 19 June 2024

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responsibilities with appropriate rigour. They hold school leaders to account about the quality of provision and pupil outcomes. Staff enjoy working at the school. The school ensures that staff’s workload is manageable. Leaders prioritise staff’s well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, teachers do not use retrieval activities effectively enough or give pupils sufficient opportunity to discuss and debate their ideas. This means that some pupils do not secure the essential knowledge they need, while others do not deepen and extend their learning. The school should ensure that it provides teachers with the pedagogical training and development they need to secure and deepen pupils’ knowledge and understanding with greater strength and consistency.

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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 April 2019.

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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. 18 and 19 June 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 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). 18 and 19 June 2024

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,457

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CEO of the trust

Website https://ta.northerneducationtrust.org/

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CEO of the trust

Dates of previous inspection 2 and 3 April 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The principal has been in post since September 2023.  The school is an Additionally Resourced Mainstream School (ARMS) in the local authority of Gateshead. It has additionally resourced provision for pupils with SEND who have complex needs. There are 10 pupils accessing this provision. The provision has capacity for a total of 15 pupils.  The school uses five registered alternative providers and two unregistered alternative providers.  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. 18 and 19 June 2024

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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, the executive principal, the senior executive principal, the chief executive officer of the trust, trustees and members of the local governing body.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, geography 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.  The lead inspector also held discussions about the curriculum in history and modern

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Information about this inspection

foreign languages.  The lead inspector visited sixth-form lessons in history, biology, sport and engineering.  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 pupil survey and staff survey, and the responses 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

Karen Gammack Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 June 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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