The Warwickshire Academy

Inspection of The Warwickshire Academy Wheelwright Lane, Coventry, West Midlands CV7 9RA

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good

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Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act

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The headteacher of this school is Paul Hostead. This school is part of Thrive Education Partnership Multi 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 (CEO), Richard Chapman, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Lucy Bennett. 4 and 5 March 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

The Warwickshire Academy is a caring and welcoming community. Staff take the time to get to know each pupil individually. All are valued and respected. Pupils and staff greet each other cheerfully each morning and see each day as an opportunity to work together to learn and grow.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Many join after a challenging educational journey with a chequered view of school. Staff know this and respond considerately. This helps to make school a safe place to be. In turn, this supports a culture where pupils behave well and work hard to meet the school’s high expectations of them. To help pupils understand what is expected, the school has clear systems in place. Staff use the ‘BEAR’ framework (behaviour, engagement, achievement and respect) and ‘triple R’ (reflect, repair and reward) systems with pupils every day. These maintain a focus on putting right anything that has gone wrong and celebrating personal and academic success.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Each day the school comes together at lunchtime to share a meal. Staff and pupils use this as an opportunity to reflect on their day, share stories and talk about their interests. This is indicative of the school ethos and shared values that place equal weight on academic success and personal growth and development.

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

The school has constructed an ambitious curriculum and has given careful thought to what pupils need to learn and when. This has led to a well-sequenced curriculum that builds pupils’ knowledge successfully. The school knows that many pupils have significant gaps in their knowledge. The structure of the curriculum helps teachers to fill these gaps. However, in some instances, teachers’ checks on pupils’ learning do not help shape and adapt their practice. This means they do not address emerging gaps or deepen pupils’ thinking as well as they could.

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

Pupils’ SEND needs are identified carefully when they join the school. Accurate information is shared with staff so that they know how best to support each pupil. Over time, the approaches staff use change. This individualised approach means that staff quickly ‘tune in’ to when a pupil needs a different approach to make sure they are making the most of each lesson.

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

Typically, pupils join lacking confidence in their ability to read. Staff check pupils’ phonics knowledge soon after they join. Pupils then benefit from a structured phonics programme. This helps address any gaps in their phonics knowledge and helps them to read successfully. Trained staff deliver the programme effectively. The school continues to look for new ways to share the wonders of a good book with its fluent readers so that they continue to practise and broaden their horizons.

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

The school trains and develops staff effectively. This has helped establish clear routines in lessons that mean that pupils can learn. However, some staff do not have a deep 4 and 5 March 2025

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knowledge of how best to teach each subject. This means that staff’s checks on pupils’ learning do not pick up on misconceptions consistently across the subjects they teach.

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The school has prioritised attendance. It works with pupils and their families to identify and address issues that make it hard for pupils to attend. This work has been effective. As a result, most pupils’ attendance is improving.

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The school has constructed a comprehensive personal, social and health education (PSHE) programme. In combination with a range of therapeutic programmes, this helps pupils learn how to stay safe, understand their emotions and prepares them for life outside of school. Useful opportunities, such as visits to an alpaca farm, travel training and visitors discussing knife crime, supplement what pupils learn in PSHE successfully. The school responds quickly and effectively to any emerging issues that present a risk to pupils.

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The school’s careers programme is not comprehensive. Pupils do not get enough information about the world of work or a broad enough experience of different workplaces or careers.

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The school has ensured that morale is high because everyone cares about each other’s well-being and workload. As a result, staff are unequivocally positive about working at the school. The school fosters good links with parents and carers. This adds to the community togetherness that pervades the whole school. Everyone is valued, and all are ready to help when times are tough.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Staff do not have secure subject knowledge across all the subjects that they teach. Consequently, teachers do not use assessment effectively to adapt their lessons to target gaps in pupils’ knowledge or deepen pupils’ understanding. The school should ensure that teachers have secure subject knowledge in all subjects so that they can identify misconceptions and gaps in knowledge and address them consistently across the curriculum.  The school has not ensured that all pupils learn about and experience the world of work consistently. This means that some pupils do not have the knowledge that they will need to make informed choices about their next steps. The school should ensure that all pupils benefit from a rich careers education programme that will help them take their next step in education, employment or training. 4 and 5 March 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). 4 and 5 March 2025

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Thrive Education Partnership Multi Academy Trust. The school opened in March 2022. There are currently no pupils in the sixth form.  The Warwickshire Academy is a school that provides education for pupils from Year 5 to Year 13. The school admits pupils who have been excluded, are at risk of permanent exclusion or who have become disengaged from learning.  The school uses one registered alternative provision and one unregistered alternative provision for pupils.  All pupils have SEND. Most pupils have social, emotional and mental health difficulties, and all pupils have an education, health and care plan.  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. 4 and 5 March 2025

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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 held discussions with the headteacher and other senior leaders.  Inspectors spoke with members of the trust executive team, the board of trustees and members of the local governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, English, mathematics, computing and art. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, 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 in some other subjects.  Inspectors reviewed the school’s extra-curricular activities, enrichment programme and

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Information about this inspection

personal development programme with leaders.  Inspectors met with members of staff and spoke to pupils formally and informally at various points in the inspection to gather general information about school life. They took account of responses to a staff survey and Ofsted Parent View.  Inspectors looked at records and spoke to staff in relation to attendance, behaviour, bullying and safeguarding.  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

Ian Tustian, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

David Lisowski Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 March 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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