East Park Academy

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: East Park Academy Hollington Road, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV1 2DS

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Outcome

East Park Academy has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Alan Rogers. This school is part of Manor 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), Hayley Guest, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by David Coles.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This inclusive school has high ambitions for everyone. Pupils are challenged to do their best and supported with the help they need to succeed. This school supports pupils to feel happy, secure and successful. It also ensures they are well prepared for secondary school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Whatever their starting points or needs, most pupils make strong progress with their learning and achieve very well. The school also does much to give pupils a healthy outlook on education and life. For instance, the East Park ‘eight values’, which include responsibility, determination and leadership, are woven into school life and build pupils’ feelings of self-worth. Staff also help pupils to see the merit of daily acts of kindness. Pupils respond very well to this. This shows in their positive and respectful behaviour. Importantly, the school is a safe place where staff put children’s safety and interests first.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In addition to lessons, there is lots going on for pupils. Many clubs before and after school offer pupils a wide range of different activities. These enhance classroom learning and introduce pupils to new things. Indeed, the school does much to develop and celebrate everyone’s talents and interests and to raise aspirations. 8 and 9 April 2025

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

This successful school benefits from high-quality leadership. It is well informed about what it does well and where to target further attention. Because of this, the school has continued to develop different aspects of its work.

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

In the early years, the curriculum takes account of children’s starting points. It also reflects what children need to know when they start in Year 1. For example, staff teach children about good posture, efficient pencil grip and careful speaking and listening. Phonics teaching is delivered extremely well. Staff have strong subject knowledge that is refreshed regularly with additional training. Staff maintain informed oversight of pupils’ progress through the programme. The school is quick to act, and with success, if pupils need help to catch up.

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

In addition, the school uses a range of effective methods to promote reading and other learning at home. There is a constructive partnership with parents and carers, which supports consistent messages about the importance of education.

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

Across the rest of the curriculum, the school has identified key subject knowledge and set this out in logical sequences. In doing so, the school has thought carefully about the concepts that reoccur within subjects. This helps pupils to connect new knowledge with earlier learning. Teachers also use ‘return and explore’ sessions to revisit and practise core content. This approach means that pupils remember, embed and apply what they know.

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

Because the school is clear about what pupils should know, teachers’ checks on their learning are usually carefully focused. That said, this happens more effectively in some subjects than others.

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

The range of extra-curricular activities on offer is a strength of the school. There is a broad range of clubs before and after school and many educational trips. In every year group, pupils take up leadership roles. On top of this, staff build on pupils’ interests by prompting them to ‘pursue their passions’ beyond the classroom. This may involve working with an artist or chef, participating in sport or researching a particular topic. This well-organised provision makes a significant contribution to pupils’ wider personal development.

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

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive carefully tailored support. Staff know how to identify and support specific needs. They ensure that all pupils access an ambitious curriculum that enables them to make strong progress.

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

The school does a lot to check on pupils’ safety and whereabouts when they are not in school. If anyone is absent, staff find out why. The staff team do a lot to remind, challenge and support parents to send their children to school regularly. As a result, persistent absence has reduced over the past three years. Even so, too many pupils still miss school too often. 8 and 9 April 2025

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The trust has highly effective and robust systems for gathering and checking information about the school’s work. Senior leaders have thought carefully about the decisions they make, including the professional development of staff. This supports staff well-being and ensures that staff understand the school’s expectations for them and the pupils. Staff value this and feel supported and guided in their work.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Assessment in a few foundation subjects is not as focused as it could be on what pupils need to know. This means that it does not support pupils to embed and use key knowledge as well as it might. The school should refine aspects of assessment to help pupils remember and connect important content in all foundation subjects.  Some pupils are absent from school too often. This hinders their learning and achievement. The school should continue to work with families and professional services so that any unnecessary persistent absence reduces.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged outstanding for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately. 8 and 9 April 2025

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This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding for overall effectiveness in June 2019.

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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). 8 and 9 April 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 11 and 12 June 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school provides before and after-school childcare.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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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. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in the evaluation of the school.  The inspectors considered published performance data about the school. The inspectors also looked at a range of school documents. This included information about 8 and 9 April 2025

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pupils’ behaviour, attendance, the curriculum, extra-curricular activities, school improvement planning, governance and documents published on the school’s website.  During the inspection, inspectors met with the associate headteacher, other leaders, school staff and pupils. The inspectors also spoke to the CEO and chief executive adviser of the trust, as well as the chair of trustees.  The inspectors visited lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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 talked with pupils, parents and staff to gather general information about school life. They took account of the responses to Ofsted’s surveys of staff and parents’

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views.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in classrooms, at lunchtime, on the playground, at clubs and at other times during the school day.

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Inspection team

Martin Pye, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Helen Lowe Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 April 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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