University Academy Holbeach

Inspection of University Academy Holbeach Park Road, Holbeach, Spalding, Lincolnshire PE12 7PU

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 November 2024

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

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The principal of this school is Sheila Paige. This school is part of University of Lincoln Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Steve Baragwanath, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Anita Backhouse. 12 and 13 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a welcoming school. Everybody gets along. Pupils are happy here and say they feel safe. They enjoy positive relationships with caring staff. Pupils respect diversity. Discrimination is never tolerated. Any incidents of bullying are taken very seriously. Pupils know who they can talk to if they are worried. They trust staff to provide support if it is needed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum provides a very broad range of academic and vocational subjects. There are high expectations for what all pupils can achieve, including pupils who are disadvantaged or pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, because the curriculum is not always delivered as effectively as it could be, pupils do not always achieve as well as they should. This is reflected in the recent published outcomes for external examinations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides well for pupils’ wider personal development. Pupils learn how to live active, healthy lifestyles. They enjoy a variety of extra-curricular opportunities in sports, the performing arts and other pastimes that interest them, such as knitting or ‘Dungeons and Dragons’. Pupils are proud to be prefects or members of the school council. They are involved in decisions that affect the school and lead charity fundraising activities.

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

The curriculum is ambitious. In key stage 3, pupils learn the full range of national curriculum subjects. There are many vocational courses available in key stages 4 and 5, alongside academic subjects. These different options provide for pupils’ various interests and aspirations. All pupils can choose to study the full range of English Baccalaureate subjects. Vocational courses are taught by expert staff in exceptionally well-resourced classrooms. Pupils really value the opportunities available to them.

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

The school has considered the curriculum carefully. It has identified the important knowledge that pupils will learn and when. However, pupils do not always benefit from the curriculum as well as they should because it is not always delivered consistently. Teachers sometimes do not ensure that pupils’ previous learning is secure. Any gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not always identified or corrected. When pupils meet new concepts, they can struggle to make links to what they know already. Furthermore, some teachers do not check carefully enough how well pupils have understood new information to correct any misunderstandings. In response, some teachers do not routinely adapt learning activities to provide pupils with extra support or additional challenge. As a result, pupils do not always produce work of high quality. They do not always achieve as well as they should.

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

In some areas, the curriculum is delivered effectively. This is particularly the case in the vocational subjects and in the sixth form. In these instances, teachers use their expert subject knowledge to check pupils’ learning carefully and to make sure that activities are adapted carefully to meet pupils’ needs. When this is the case, pupils achieve well. 12 and 13 November 2024

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The school quickly identifies when pupils have additional needs. There are robust systems in place to make sure that information about pupils with SEND is shared with all staff. This includes strategies to assist these pupils with their learning. However, when the curriculum is delivered less effectively, these pupils are not always helped as well as they could be. The school promotes reading across the curriculum. Specialist staff provide strong support to help weak readers develop their reading fluency and improve their comprehension skills.

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The school’s curriculum for personal, social and health education (PSHE) is well considered and delivered effectively. Safety is a key focus, with pupils benefiting from visits from the police and fire services. In PSHE lessons, pupils consider how to maintain healthy relationships and how to take care of their own mental health. They learn about different faiths and cultures and about equality. The curriculum helps pupils to understand British values. In the sixth form, the personal development programme prepares students very well for their lives after school.

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Pupils, and students in the sixth form, receive very detailed information about future choices in education and careers. There are many opportunities for them to meet with local employers and hear about future opportunities, including apprenticeships. The vast majority of pupils go on to be successful in their chosen destinations.

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The majority of staff are proud to work at the school and feel well supported by leaders. The school has begun work to improve the curriculum. However, in some areas, there is a lack of clarity about the actions the school will take to achieve this. Also, the monitoring of the impact of this work lacks rigour, including by those responsible for governance.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers do not reliably check how well pupils can recall what they have learned previously or how well they have understood new knowledge. They do not always identify accurately when pupils have knowledge gaps or misconceptions. As a result, pupils sometimes struggle to make connections in their learning and do not gain knowledge as securely as they should. The school needs to ensure that teachers check pupils’ understanding accurately and act swiftly to resolve knowledge gaps and misconceptions.  Teachers do not routinely adapt learning activities to meet pupils’ needs. As a result, some pupils, including pupils with SEND, sometimes do not receive the support they need to make sense of new information. At other times, activities are not challenging enough. Consequently, pupils do not achieve as well as they should. The school needs 12 and 13 November 2024

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to ensure that teachers systematically adapt learning activities to meet the needs of all pupils.  Senior and trust leaders, and those responsible for governance, do not have a close- enough oversight of work to improve the school’s curriculum. It is not always clear what the school is trying to improve, how this will be achieved or whether it is working. The school and trust must ensure that actions to improve the curriculum are thought through sufficiently well. Trust leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that the school’s actions to improve the curriculum are effective.

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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). 12 and 13 November 2024

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School details

School category Academy special sponsor-led

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,420

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form

Website www.universityacademyholbeach.org

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Dates of previous inspection 12 and 13 March 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The principal was appointed in 2019.  The school is part of University of Lincoln Academy Trust.  The school uses two registered alternative provisions.  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. 12 and 13 November 2024

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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.  Inspectors met with the principal, the senior vice principal, the vice principal, the assistant principals and other school leaders.  The lead inspector met with a representative of the board of trustees. He also spoke with representatives of the local governing body, including the chair of the governors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, geography, art, and plumbing and electrical studies. 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 visited lessons and spoke to pupils about their work in a number of other subjects.  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 held meetings with leaders and scrutinised records relating to attendance, behaviour and personal development.  Inspectors considered the views of staff, pupils, parents and carers through discussions and using the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

John Spragg, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Dick Vasey Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 November 2024

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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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