Lift Clacton

Inspection of Clacton Coastal Academy Pathfields Road, Clacton on Sea, Essex CO15 3JL

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Good

The head of school is Marc Cologne. This school is part of The Academies Enterprise Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Rebecca Boomer-Clark, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by David Hall. 11 and 12 June 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Clacton Coastal Academy shines brightly at the heart of its community. Pupils recognise they attend an inclusive and rapidly improving school. Sixth-form students are grateful for the extensive opportunities they receive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the high expectations the school has of them. They know every minute counts. Although academic outcomes have been low in the past, the sense of ambition now is abundantly clear. Pupils now benefit from high-quality teaching and learn well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand the rules, ‘be respectful, responsible and ready’ and the consequences of not following them. This means most pupils behave well, respect each other and move calmly around the school. If bullying occurs, the school deals with it. Pupils’ attendance is improving slowly. Pupils know staff go the extra mile to ensure they are safe in school. All have a trusted adult with whom they can talk.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils enjoy the weekly enrichment programme that helps to broaden their horizons. The programme includes sports and performing arts activities. Interesting clubs, such as chess and crochet, widen pupils’ interests and extend learning . Pupils are keen to take on responsibility, for example becoming well-being ambassadors. They are guided to understand, and value, the differences between themselves and others.

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better?

The school has a carefully planned curriculum. This reflects the school’s high expectations for all learners, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Curriculum documents set out precisely what pupils will learn and the order in which it is taught.

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better?

In the past, pupils have not achieved well enough. Significant changes to the curriculum are altering this for the better. Pupils who attend regularly benefit the most. Strengths in the key stage 3 curriculum in English, mathematics and science are now reflected in other subjects. At key stage 4, the proportion of pupils studying subjects that contribute to the English Baccalaureate is increasing. This keeps pupils’ options open for further study and future careers. The school is on the up.

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better?

Teachers receive effective training that develops their strong subject knowledge and ensures high-quality teaching. Teachers present new concepts clearly. They check learning in lessons and address pupils’ misunderstandings as they arise. Checks on what pupils know result in teachers adjusting their lessons. This helps pupils to learn and remember more.

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better?

Students in the sixth form build respectful and trusting relationships with staff. They are full of praise for the personalised support they receive. They often achieve the 11 and 12 June 2024

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grades they need to follow their chosen pathway. This includes appropriate training or employment. An increasing number go on to university.

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The school works well with the parents of pupils with SEND to accurately identify their needs. Teachers receive the guidance they need to help pupils with SEND follow the same curriculum as their peers. However, sometimes, learning is not adapted well enough for pupils with SEND. In these instances, pupils can struggle to keep up.

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Reading has become a central focus of school life. Pupils read for pleasure every day in their tutor groups. Still, the school continues to tackle the need to improve pupils’ reading with urgency and to great effect. The weakest readers receive skilled support to become more confident and fluent readers. This helps them to access the rest of the curriculum.

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Behaviour has improved since the previous inspection. Most pupils now behave well. The number of suspensions has fallen. This is because staff consistently apply the school’s simple rules if pupils misbehave. Leaders do all they reasonably can to improve attendance. While it is improving slowly, some pupils do not attend regularly enough. These pupils are missing out. They do not benefit from the strong academic and pastoral support the school provides.

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Pupils participate in a wide range of enrichment activities. Careers education is well planned. It gives pupils lots of information about the different opportunities they can access in the future. Pupils learn about a range of topics in assemblies and in personal, social, health and economic lessons. They learn the importance of being tolerant and respectful of others and staying safe. They know that being different matters. The relationships and sex education curriculum enables pupils to make well-informed, age-appropriate personal decisions.

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Staff want the very best for pupils. They are proud to work here. They are well supported by leaders who manage their workload carefully. The school communicates well with parents and goes out of its way to seek their feedback through the academy council.

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School and trust leaders have a good understanding of what the school does well. The considerable expertise and experience of members on the interim standards board has helped to secure rapid improvement in the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 11 and 12 June 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils do not attend regularly enough. They miss too much learning time and do not benefit from the pastoral support that the school provides. These pupils do not achieve as well as they could. The school, with support from the trust, should implement the actions they have planned to continue to improve the attendance of these pupils.  Teachers do not always adapt learning for pupils with SEND clearly enough. This means that some of these pupils do not achieve as well as they could. The school, with support from the trust, should provide the training and resources teachers need to adapt the learning and support all pupils with SEND more effectively.

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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’ 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). 11 and 12 June 2024

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School details

Type of school Secondary Comprehensive School category Academy converter

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1504

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection 30 March 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Academies Enterprise Trust.  The school uses three registered alternative providers and four unregistered alternative providers.  The interim standards board was put in place by the trust to provide additional support for and scrutiny of the school.  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. 11 and 12 June 2024

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.  Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the executive principal, head of school, vice principals and assistant principals. The lead inspector met the trust’s chief executive officer, its national director of education, its regional education director and members of the interim standards board.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, science, history, computing and music. For each deep dive, 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

Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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 views of parents through their responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire Parent View. Inspectors considered the views of pupils through their responses to Ofsted’s online survey and through meetings held with pupils.  Inspectors considered the views of staff through meetings and informal discussions, as well as through their responses to Ofsted’s survey.

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Inspection team

Peter Whear, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Ruth Brock Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 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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