Queen's Park Academy

Inspection of Queen’s Park Academy East Way, Bournemouth, Dorset BH8 9PU

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 January 2025

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

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The principal of this school is Sarah Simmons. This school is part of the Authentic Education Group, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Fay MacRitchie, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Alison Beane.

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding for overall effectiveness at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since June 2014. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 21 and 22 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Queen’s Park Academy (QPA) is an inviting school where everyone gets along. Pupils’ attendance is high because they enjoy all that the school provides. They thrive in a friendly and nurturing atmosphere. The overwhelming majority of parents and carers agree. They praise the dedicated and supportive staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In the main, pupils enact the school’s mission of ‘High Expectations lead to High Achievers’. By the end of key stage 2, pupils’ published outcomes exceed national expectations. Most pupils leave well prepared for secondary school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school sets high standards for behaviour. Typically, pupils interact positively with staff and each other. Earning house points and ‘100 star badges’ motivates pupils to work hard and do their best. Pupils feel confident about sharing any concerns with the many caring staff or using the red post boxes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from rich experiences far beyond the academic. These develop their confidence and leadership. For example, pupils can attend a residential visit each year and participate in various clubs such as art, sports and cookery. The school ensures that disadvantaged pupils never miss out. Pupils have a strong voice in school life. They fulfil their responsibilities as house captains, prefects and sports ambassadors with maturity.

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

The school has crafted a broad and ambitious curriculum. It sets out the essential knowledge pupils should know and the order in which they should learn it. In many subjects, pupils connect prior learning to new content. For example, pupils in Year 6 use their knowledge of light sources from Year 3 to show how the light of a shadow changes. Pupils make links between historical periods. They can explain lifestyles from the past when comparing the Stone Age and Vikings. Overall, most pupils achieve well in their learning.

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

Recently, the school has strengthened its reading programme. Books feature prominently across the curriculum. Pupils enjoy class book discussions about plots, characters and themes. Some pupils start in Year 3 without a secure grasp of phonics. The school provides focused support to enable these pupils to catch up. Most pupils make strong gains from their starting points and can read confidently when they leave school.

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

Pupils are keen to write. Many do with increasing sophistication. However, the standard of some pupils’ written work is not sufficiently high. Some staff do not routinely pick up on pupils’ handwriting, spelling and punctuation errors. This hinders pupils’ ability to produce high-quality writing.

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

Teachers check and revisit important content and vocabulary at the start of lessons to help pupils build knowledge over time. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have their needs identified quickly. In some classes, the school chooses 21 and 22 January 2025

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to group pupils in mathematics and writing according to their needs. However, occasionally, learning in these areas is not adapted well enough to meet the needs of some disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. Where this is the case, these pupils do not secure the knowledge the curriculum outlines.

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Pupils behave sensibly. If their attention lapses, staff swiftly get them back on track. The school has effective systems to deal with rare incidents of bullying and racism.

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The school fosters pupils’ personal growth exceptionally well. Character development is exemplary. For example, pupils show ‘grit’ by trying their best even when it is hard and ‘trust’ to believe in others. Assemblies on roads, water and railways reinforce pupils’ understanding of local safety. Career fairs inspire pupils to think about jobs they may choose to pursue. Pupils learn to challenge stereotypes and promote equality. They give back to the community through their charitable work. The school successfully promotes pupils’ knowledge and skills to flourish beyond QPA.

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The local academy board and trustees know the school well. They ask probing questions to hold school leaders to account for pupils’ outcomes and attendance. Staff morale is high because school leaders have created a culture where everyone matters. Teachers, including those new to the profession, praise the support they receive to manage their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some staff do not routinely pick up on pupils’ handwriting, spelling, grammar and punctuation errors. As a result, some pupils continue to make the same mistakes and do not develop accuracy in writing. The trust should ensure that writing expectations across the curriculum are clearly established so that all staff use appropriate methods to address errors promptly.  Occasionally, learning is not adapted well enough to meet the needs of some disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. Where this is the case, these pupils do not secure the knowledge that the curriculum outlines, including in mathematics. The trust should ensure that learning is suitably adapted so that all groups of pupils build knowledge securely across all subjects. 21 and 22 January 2025

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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). 21 and 22 January 2025

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School details

Local authority Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole

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Dates of previous inspection

17 and 18 June 2014, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Authentic Education Group multi-academy trust. In the past year, the trust has experienced changes in leadership and governance.  The principal took up their substantive post in September 2014. One of the vice principals and the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator started their role in September 2024.  The school currently uses two unregistered alternative provisions.

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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 21 and 22 January 2025

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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.  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 held discussions with the principal, the vice principals and other school staff. The lead inspector met with the chair of the local academy board and the chair of the trust. He also met with the CEO of the trust and executive leaders.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science, physical education and art. 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 considered the curriculum in other subjects.

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 The lead inspector listened to some pupils in Years 3, 4 and 5 reading to an adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: met the designated safeguarding lead; checked the single central record of adults working in the school; took account of the views of 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 a range of school documentation, including the school’s self- evaluation documents and minutes of governance meetings.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, at lunchtime and during assembly. They spoke with pupils and staff about behaviour.  Inspectors spoke with a range of staff to discuss how the school supports their workload and well-being.  An inspector spoke to parents at the start and end of the school day. They considered

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responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Dale Burr, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Steve Smith Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 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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