Outwood Academy Bydales

Inspection of Outwood Academy Bydales Coast Road, Marske-by-the-Sea, Redcar, North Yorkshire TS11 6AR

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

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The principal of this school is Robert McGreal. This school is part of Outwood Grange 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 (CEO), Lee Wilson, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by David Earnshaw. There is also an executive principal, Steve Merifield, who is responsible for this school. 18 and 19 March 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Outwood Academy Bydales is an ambitious school with high standards. It makes its high expectations clear to pupils and they rise to meet them. Staff care deeply for pupils and often go ‘above and beyond’ to support them and help them with their studies. Pupils appreciate this. There are strong, trusting relationships between pupils and staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a strong culture of praise in the school. Staff recognise pupils’ hard work and positive contributions by giving pupils ‘praise points’, ‘star of the week’ and ‘beautiful book’ awards. These motivate pupils. Pupils are happy and demonstrate industrious attitudes to learning. They follow the school’s routines consistently. This ensures the school is calm and purposeful.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils experience great success. Not only is this reflected in public examination results but also through the wide range of opportunities for pupils’ personal development. The school promotes these well, for example by awarding pupils with ‘honours’ badges, as part of the ‘Outwood Honours Programme’. These accolades recognise pupils’ academic and personal accomplishments both in and out of school. Pupils appreciate the opportunities they get to develop their interests and talents, such as in sports, robotics, sign language and the performing arts.

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

Academic rigour is central to the curriculum. All pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), study a wide range of subjects. The curriculum is very well designed in most subjects. A logical order of learning helps pupils to build their knowledge securely. They learn well. In 2024, this led to GCSE examination results that were strong in most subjects, including in English, mathematics and other subjects which collectively make up the English Baccalaureate.

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

Leaders have recognised the need for greater ambition in a few other subjects. Where this is the case, the school has identified what needs to be improved. For example, the school has reviewed what pupils are taught, the sequence of learning and how pupils are taught in these areas. While ongoing, these changes are beginning to have a positive impact on pupils.

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

Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They explain things clearly and design tasks that help most pupils to learn securely. The school supports pupils to remember the curriculum. For example, teachers use ‘recap and recall’ tasks at the start of lessons to help pupils remember important knowledge. This encourages pupils to make connections with their previous learning. Teachers give pupils regular opportunities to apply their learning and secure their understanding.

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

Some pupils start the school with gaps in their literacy skills. The school acts promptly to improve standards in literacy. For example, it identifies pupils who need support with their reading. Trained staff provide pupils with the right kind of support so that they catch up quickly. This ensures pupils become accurate and fluent readers. However, support for 18 and 19 March 2025

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some other aspects of pupils’ literacy is less effective. For instance, some pupils’ spelling, vocabulary and written accuracy are not as secure as they could be.

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The school supports pupils with SEND well. There are clear procedures for identifying pupils’ additional needs. Teachers have detailed information about the strategies that best support these needs. Teachers use this information to adapt learning appropriately. As a result, pupils with SEND access the curriculum in line with their peers and achieve well.

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Attendance is a priority at the school. Staff successfully track absence and the reasons for it, and they put in place highly effective strategies to help pupils attend more often. Attendance has improved and is now above the national average.

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Pupils follow a carefully designed ‘Life’ curriculum, which supports their personal development. Pupils gain an assured understanding about important topics such as healthy relationships and water safety. The school’s careers programme prepares pupils well for their next steps.

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Pupils are proud that their school is a place where everyone is treated equally. The school provides opportunities for pupils to live out their learning about the importance of respect and taking responsibility. For example, pupils help in their local community by litter picking on the nearby beach and collecting items for food banks.

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The school is very well led. Leaders have a clear vision for the school’s priorities. They make sound decisions about strategies and initiatives that will benefit pupils the most. This focuses staff’s professional development and helps to streamline their workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Recent positive changes to some subjects, and how they are taught, are not fully embedded. This means that the full impact of the curriculum in these areas has not been realised. The school should further improve and embed the curriculum in these areas so that pupils achieve well across all subjects.  The curriculum does not support some disadvantaged pupils to develop their vocabulary, spelling and grammar knowledge as well as it should. This hinders them from communicating their ideas accurately and fluently across the curriculum. The school should further develop the curriculum so that pupils, especially those who are disadvantaged, develop these literacy skills securely. 18 and 19 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). 18 and 19 March 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 28 and 29 November 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Outwood Grange Academies Trust, which is a multi-academy trust.  The school uses three 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 (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. 18 and 19 March 2025

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 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.  The lead inspector met with members of the board of trustees and the local academy council. Inspectors reviewed documentation relating to governance, including minutes of governors’ meetings.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, science, mathematics, art and design and design and technology. 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 in several other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the

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extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors met with groups of pupils during the inspection and also spoke with pupils informally at social times and in lessons.  Inspectors met with groups of staff formally during the inspection and also spoke with staff throughout the inspection. Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s survey for staff.  The lead inspector took account of responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text comments.

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Inspection team

Dan McKeating, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lindsay Oyston Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 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 looked-after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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