North Gosforth Academy

Inspection of North Gosforth Academy Dudley Lane, Seaton Burn, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE13 6EJ

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 November 2024

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

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The principal of this school is Pete Fox. 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 (CEO), Dr Alex Thorp, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Chris Nicholson. 26 and 27 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a much improved experience at North Gosforth Academy. They report feeling safe and happy. Their improved rates of attendance reflect the increasing sense of community that is being built. Staff create a calm and purposeful atmosphere that spreads throughout the school. Pupils behave well and show respect to others. They are proud of their academic achievements. At ‘praise’ events, pupils show off their best work. In return, staff provide them with thoughtful praise and rewards.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievement. In recent years, while the quality of education has improved, this has not shown significant impact on pupils’ outcomes in external examinations. Too many pupils leave the school without an appropriate range of suitable qualifications. Pupils learn through a well-designed curriculum. However, teaching does not consistently help them to apply this knowledge over time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils show enthusiasm about the school’s ‘yellow weeks’. Here, pupils take part in a range of exciting trips and experiences. These experiences broaden their horizons well. In form time, pupils engage in ‘knowledge champion’ quizzes. These enhance their understanding of the wider world. Pupils have a say in their wider curriculum. The school listens to their views and puts their suggestions in place. Pupils appreciate this collaborative approach.

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

Since the last inspection, the school has improved. Effective leadership is making a difference for pupils. In recent months, support from the trust has intensified. Staff appreciate opportunities to share best practice with colleagues in other schools. This includes developing a shared approach to improving reading. In school, pupils who need support with reading are swiftly identified. Specialist staff provide effective interventions. Pupils quickly catch up. The school’s work to promote a passion for reading is impactful. It includes reading in form time, book rewards and library lessons.

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

The curriculum is broad and ambitious. The school is determined that all pupils should access the same high-quality learning. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff are well trained to support pupils with SEND and others who may struggle. Support plans identify the help pupils need precisely. However, pupils with SEND do not achieve the best possible outcomes at the end of their school journey. This is also the case for other pupils. The improved curriculum is showing some signs of impact, but this is not consistent.

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

In lessons, teachers know their pupils well. Staff have strong subject knowledge. Staff help pupils to use ambitious vocabulary in their work. For example, pupils explore ‘materialism’ and the ‘bourgeoisie’ in English through ‘An Inspector Calls’. On occasions, teaching does not enable pupils to articulate what they know and what they do not know. When this happens, gaps in knowledge are not addressed. In addition, teaching does not 26 and 27 November 2024

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consistently enable pupils to demonstrate their knowledge in independent ways. This can make it difficult for pupils to recall and apply learning over time.

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Pupils receive high-quality pastoral care. This helps them to improve their attendance and behaviour. Skilled staff work closely with families. Staff identify barriers to learning and work collaboratively to remove them. Staff and pupils notice improvements in the atmosphere around school. There is a positive and warm culture. Instances of low-level disruption and more serious behaviour incidents are now infrequent. If pupils do make mistakes, the school is fair and supportive in its response.

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Pupils are educated to stay safe on and offline. They talk confidently about healthy relationships. They know how to stay physically and mentally healthy. Throughout the week, pupils enjoy fun activities. This includes baking challenges, sports clubs and Spanish cinema club. Throughout school, effective careers education also promotes positive next steps.

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Trustees, governors and executive leaders share a vision for ongoing improvement. They are strongly committed to the most vulnerable pupils achieving well. Parents’ and carers’ view of the school has improved since the last inspection. They recognise the improvements that the school has made. They praise safeguarding and the wider opportunities the school provides. Staff enjoy working at the school. They know the school values them and considers their workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teaching does not consistently enable pupils to apply and demonstrate their understanding in independent ways. Too many pupils require significant support to reach the ambitious end points of the curriculum. The school should work with staff to help pupils to apply their knowledge with increasing independence in a range of different contexts.  On occasions, teaching does not provide pupils with enough opportunities to articulate and discuss the subject matter being taught. This makes it difficult for teachers to gauge pupils’ understanding. The school should work with staff to better develop pupils’ oracy so that they can articulate their views and demonstrate the extent of their understanding.  Improvements to the quality of education have not led to significant improvements in pupils’ current outcomes. Too many pupils are not prepared as well as they should be for their next steps in learning, training or employment. The school should continue its

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work to implement and improve the revised curriculum so that pupils achieve well over time.

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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). 26 and 27 November 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection 27 and 28 April 2022 under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of The Gosforth Federated Academies Limited which is a multi- academy trust.  The school uses one unregistered and three registered alternative provision for some pupils.  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

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 26 and 27 November 2024

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provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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 principal, deputy director of education for the trust and other senior leaders over the course of the inspection. The lead inspector also met with the chief executive officer for the trust.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, modern foreign languages and technology. 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.  An inspector met with the leader responsible for SEND and reviewed pupils’ support plans.  The lead inspector met with trustees and governors. They also reviewed

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documentation relating to governance, including minutes from meetings.  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 met with groups of pupils and staff formally throughout the inspection and spoke with them informally at social times and in lessons.  A range of school documents was reviewed, including the school’s self-evaluation and the school improvement plan.  Inspectors considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and for pupils.

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Inspection team

Hannah Millett, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Bernard Clark Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 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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