Cleethorpes Academy

Inspection of Cleethorpes Academy Grainsby Avenue, Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire DN35 9NX

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 January 2025

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

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The principal of this school is Paul Thundercliffe. This school is part of Lincolnshire Gateway 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, Martin James Brown, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Philip John Bond. There is also an executive principal, Philip Dickinson, who is responsible for this school and four others. 28 and 29 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has undergone a significant period of change, including in leadership roles. New leaders are making rapid, and necessary, improvements to the school. The impact of these changes is already evident through the school’s raised expectations, pupils’ improving behaviour and increased staff morale. These are recognised and valued by pupils, their families and staff. Despite this, there remains further work to do to ensure that all pupils receive a consistently high-quality education and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are supported and cared for by staff at the school. Changes such as the highly positive start of the day routines are tangible indicators of the improved culture in the school. Pupils and staff greet each other warmly as they enter the school. This is reinforced by tutors who provide effective pastoral support to pupils. Pupils describe the school community as ‘inclusive’. As a result, pupils feel safe and are well-prepared for learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many pupils enjoy various clubs and activities that the school offers, such as learning British sign language or cooking club. Pupils are consulted on their interests and what clubs they would like. As a result, attendance to such activities is strong.

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

The school has reviewed and strengthened the curriculum across many subjects. These improved curriculums sequence learning more carefully and are more ambitious than what pupils have previously studied. Staff continue to receive training in how to teach these curriculums well. Teachers are beginning to apply this training in their lessons. However, improvements are still at a relatively early stage. Over time, teaching has not supported pupils to develop a strong understanding of the curriculum. Many pupils continue to have gaps in their learning that are still to be addressed. As a result, these pupils struggle to understand new concepts that build on this insecure prior knowledge.

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

Pupils have inconsistent experiences in lessons. When pupils learn most effectively, teachers explain new content clearly. They use questioning and other strategies effectively to check on what pupils know. Teachers provide pupils with feedback that helps pupils to improve their work. However, this is not consistently pupils’ experience. For example, sometimes, teachers do not adjust their teaching to reflect what pupils know and to address misconceptions effectively.

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

The school has rapidly improved many aspects of its support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers receive clear information about how to support pupils with SEND in lessons. There is ongoing training to support staff to use this consistently well.

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

The school has recently updated how it supports pupils in the early stages of learning to read. It identifies pupils who need support when they join the school in Year 7. Younger pupils who need it receive additional help that strengthens their reading knowledge. 28 and 29 January 2025

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However, support for older pupils who are not fluent readers is limited. Consequently, these pupils struggle to access the school’s curriculum fully.

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The school has raised its expectations of pupils’ behaviour and attendance. Staff and pupils have a clear understanding of these expectations. Adults support pupils to overcome barriers that prevent them from reaching these. As a result, pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at social times is positive and fewer pupils are regularly absent from school.

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The school provides a comprehensive careers programme during personal, social health education lessons. Pupils benefit from talks by employers and local colleges that help them to make informed choices when they leave school. Pupils also understand other important issues such as maintaining positive mental health or how to keep themselves safe online.

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Those with responsibility for governance have a secure understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They have effectively challenged the school to improve areas such as outcomes for pupils and standards of behaviour. There is clear impact from this work. For example, staff report significantly improved support from leaders. Leaders recognise that there is more to do. Many improvements across the school are new. Leaders are yet to fully evaluate the impact of the changes that they have made on pupils’ education.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Over time, teaching has not supported pupils to gain a secure knowledge of the curriculum. This makes it difficult for these pupils to access new learning and to connect knowledge to what they have been taught previously. These pupils make less progress through the curriculum than they are able. The school should ensure that teaching supports pupils to remember the most important knowledge consistently.  The school’s reading strategy is early in its implementation. Support for pupils who are in the early stages of learning to read is limited. These pupils struggle to access the school’s curriculum fully. The school should develop and embed its curriculum to ensure that all pupils who need additional support to read fluently, receive it.  The school has implemented several new strategies to improve pupils’ education. Some of these are still embedding, and the school is yet to fully evaluate their impact. This

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

limits the ability of the school, and those with responsibility for governance, to make further improvements. The school should ensure that it consistently checks the impact of changes that it makes and uses this information to inform future improvement actions. 28 and 29 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). 28 and 29 January 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 30 and 31 January 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Lincolnshire Gateway Academies Trust.  The principal is new to the school since the previous inspection. They started in their role in September 2024. Several other leaders in the school are also new to their roles.  A leader from the trust has provided some interim leadership to the school during this period of transition.  The school currently 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.

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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 28 and 29 January 2025

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(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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 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. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the 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.  The lead inspector met with members of the trust board, the local governing board and the trust’s CEO.  During the inspection, inspectors met with the principal. They also met with other senior and middle leaders, including those responsible for safeguarding, behaviour, attendance and personal development.

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, history and physical education. 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 visited lessons and reviewed pupils’ work in several other subjects.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation regarding the support pupils with SEND receive. They looked at the quality of the provision for pupils with SEND in lessons.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including minutes from governing board meetings as well as the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans.  Inspectors looked at a range of information regarding behaviour. They observed the behaviour of pupils in classrooms and at social times.  The views of pupils and staff who responded to Ofsted’s surveys were considered.

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 Inspectors considered the views of parents through the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents, Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Thomas Wraith, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Damian Matthews Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 January 2025

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Penny McDermott Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 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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