Yeoman Park Academy

Inspection of Yeoman Park Academy Park Hall Road, Mansfield Woodhouse, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire NG19 8PS

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 January 2025

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

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The principal of this school is Courtney Hoop. This school is part of the Diverse Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, David Cotton, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by David Schwarz. There is also an executive principal, Lucy Spacey, who is responsible for this school and three others.

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Ofsted has not previously inspected Yeoman Park Academy under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. However, Ofsted previously judged Yeoman Park School to be outstanding for overall effectiveness, before it opened as Yeoman Park Academy as a result of conversion to academy status. The school received an ungraded inspection under section 8 of the Act on 15 and 16 March 2022. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 14 and 15 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Yeoman Park provides an outstanding quality of education and care for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Every pupil benefits from a highly personalised package of support. This bespoke provision enables pupils to achieve as highly as possible, in both their academic and personal development.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils respond impressively to the school’s high expectations for them to succeed. They thrive and are happy due to the school’s exceptional provision. Pupils and parents and carers strongly endorse the school. This is fully justified, as seen through the calm, safe and purposeful atmosphere around all areas of the school, and in pupils’ highly positive attitudes to their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Positive relationships are at the heart of the school. Pupils behave respectfully towards each other and adults. Staff are extremely adept in supporting pupils to manage their emotions. As a result, lessons remain calm and any potential disruption is quickly resolved.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s unique ‘personal development package’ is a strength of its provision. Pupils of all ages benefit from a vast array of opportunities to enhance their personal skills, and their understanding of the wider world. For example, the popular ‘Friday theme days’ and regular community activities broaden pupils’ horizons beyond the school.

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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 reviewed and strengthened the curriculum in all areas, from the early years to the sixth form. This has ensured that all pupils, regardless of the complexity of their needs, access an ambitious curriculum that is carefully designed to enable them to achieve as highly as possible. At each stage, the curriculum is carefully sequenced so that pupils gain increasingly secure knowledge and skills across a broad range of areas. All pupils are supported by means of an individual learning plan that consists of both personal targets and those from their education, health and care (EHC) plan. Pupils who have the most complex sensory, physical or medical needs receive skilled support from trained healthcare and therapy staff. This enables those pupils to thrive as valued members of the school community.

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

Pupils’ learning groups are organised by means of the ‘discovery’, ‘exploration’ or ‘consolidation’ pathways. In each class, staff provide expert teaching and support. They adapt their teaching skilfully to each pupil’s needs, so that all pupils can access the curriculum. Staff constantly check pupils’ understanding, providing both challenge and support as required. They ensure that the tasks set enable pupils to strengthen their knowledge and skills over time.

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

There is a strong focus on preparing pupils for adulthood and their next steps beyond the school. The careers programme begins in the early years and builds year-on-year. The youngest children begin to form an awareness of jobs in society. This develops towards an understanding of real-life issues such as housing, finance and life skills. Students in the 14 and 15 January 2025

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post-16 provision follow the excellent ‘pathfinders’ programme. This incorporates a systematic approach through a series of visits to providers and settings, to match each student to their right destination.

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The school has transformed its approach to early reading and communication since the last inspection. The well-thought-out reading pathway identifies the right route for each pupil. This may begin with the school’s unique ‘sensory sounds’ programme, building towards a systematic approach to phonics. Pupils receive consistently strong teaching and read from texts that match the sounds they know. They develop well as fluent, confident readers, signers and communicators.

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Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary in lessons and as they transfer from activity to activity around the school. The school has established a safe and respectful culture. This enables pupils with challenging behaviours to understand and overcome the high levels of anxiety they sometimes experience. Pupils’ consistently high rates of attendance and the absence of any suspensions or exclusions are testament to the school’s provision. The school works effectively with families and external services to support a wide range of needs and challenges. When pupils occasionally require a part-time timetable, the school ensures that pupils’ best interests are paramount.

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The school promotes pupils’ broader personal development exceptionally well. It is rightly described as the ‘bedrock’ of the school. The curriculum has been carefully designed to cover themes such as life skills, online safety and healthy relationships. Pupils consistently demonstrate qualities of resilience and respect, in line with the school’s values.

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Leadership at all levels is extremely strong. This includes the challenge and support provided by governors and the multi-academy trust. Staff benefit from regular training opportunities. They praise the care shown for their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding 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. 14 and 15 January 2025

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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). 14 and 15 January 2025

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School details

Local authority Nottinghamshire County Council

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School details

School category Academy special converter

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form

Principal Courtney Hoop (principal) Lucy Spacey (executive principal) Website www.yeomanpark-ac.org.uk

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form

Dates of previous inspection 15 and 16 March 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Yeoman Park Academy is a special school for pupils with severe, complex, profound and multiple learning difficulties. The school is part of the Diverse Academies Trust.  All pupils who attend the school are supported by an EHC plan.  The school does not make use of any 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.  At the time of the inspection, the school was preparing to move into a new building being constructed on the same site. Until those works are complete, most pupils in the 14 and 15 January 2025

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secondary and sixth-form classes are being housed in an annexe, located in the grounds of the neighbouring secondary school, The Manor Academy.  Although the school is registered to have early years children, at the time of the inspection, there were few children on roll in this phase. As a result, the inspectors decided not to give a grade or report on the provision in order to avoid identifying individual children.

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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.  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, the principal and other senior and curriculum leaders. The lead inspector met with representatives of the multi-academy trust and the local governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these areas of the school’s curriculum: ‘my communication’ (including early reading); ‘my thinking and problem-solving’; and ‘the world about me’. 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.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum and visited lessons in some other subjects.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed behaviour in lessons and at other times around school.  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.

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Inspection team

Christine Watkins, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Javier Sanchez-Garcia Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 January 2025

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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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