Mark Hall Academy

Inspection of Mark Hall Academy First Avenue, Harlow CM17 9LR

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Inspection dates: 4 and 5 March 2025, and 25 April 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 Requires improvement

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The headteacher of this school is Matt Carter. This school is part of BMAT Education, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Helena Mills, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Paul Drayton. 4 and 5 March 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Mark Hall Academy has created a clear vision built on the school’s values of ‘determination, confidence and respect’. Pupils demonstrate these values in their conduct around the school. They are respectful, kind and polite to each other. The school has high expectations for pupil behaviour and pupils appreciate this clarity. Consequently, the school is calm and orderly and pupils can learn without disruption.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are warm relationships between pupils and staff. Pupils feel safe and there is strong and effective pastoral care. This helps those who need emotional and welfare support to engage positively with the life of the school. The school offers a range of enrichment opportunities. Pupils can choose from experiences, such as music, drama and sporting clubs. These help pupils broaden their skills and develop their confidence. Pupils talk about how much they value these experiences.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school and trust have a shared vision for the quality of education provided to all pupils. This has driven the recent improvements made to curriculum and the training provided to staff. The school recognises the need to further raise expectations and the achievement of pupils, so that they achieve stronger outcomes and are prepared for their next stage of education or training.

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

The school has revised the curriculum to ensure that it is broad and balanced. Subjects have set out what pupils will learn and in what order to enable pupils to build their knowledge and understanding. However, the methods chosen to deliver the curriculum are not always well matched to the curriculum aims or sufficiently adapted to meet the needs of pupils. As a result, pupils do not learn the intended curriculum well over time.

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

The checks that teachers make on learning do not accurately identify what pupils know and can do. As a result, misconceptions continue for some pupils and others find it difficult to recall previous learning. Pupils without a secure knowledge and understanding of the work to date find it difficult to learn subsequent content and are not well prepared for their qualifications.

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

The school accurately identifies the individual needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school provides additional support for these pupils to learn the curriculum. However, the weaknesses in the curriculum implementation impact all pupils. As a result, pupils with SEND, like their peers, do not learn the curriculum as well as they should.

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

The school promotes a love of reading. The trust has supported the school to develop its reading curriculum. Pupils who are in the early stages of learning to read are identified quickly and are given the support to build their reading accuracy and confidence.

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

Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and work well together in lessons. The school promotes the importance of good attendance and takes effective action to work with 4 and 5 March 2025

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families to address concerns. Despite this, for some pupils, absence from school is higher than it should be. The school has improved its systems for engaging with parents and carers. This is starting to have a positive impact on improving the attendance of these pupils.

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The provision to support pupils’ personal development is comprehensive. Through this, pupils learn about healthy and respectful relationships, the responsible use of social media and online safety. Pupils study a carefully crafted programme that prepares them well for life in modern Britain. The school has developed a very strong careers programme that includes meaningful work experience.

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Leaders are not complacent about the improvements required to the implementation of the curriculum. They have considered the workload and well-being of staff when planning changes. Staff appreciate leaders’ open-door policy and the training that they receive to develop their own practice. The trust provides highly effective challenge and support to the school. Consequently, the school has clear understanding of the relative strengths and priority areas for improvement.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum is not implemented as consistently well as intended. This means that pupils do not have opportunities to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding as well as they should. The school and trust should ensure that the curriculum is implemented effectively to ensure that pupils achieve well.  Assessment in the classroom does not help staff to identify what pupils know and understand well enough. This means that pupils do not receive the support or challenge that they need to deepen their learning or address gaps in knowledge. The school should make sure that assessment is used effectively to check pupils’ understanding and that the curriculum is adapted accordingly in response.

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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. 4 and 5 March 2025

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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

Dates of previous inspection 8 and 9 November 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the BMAT Education trust.  The school makes use of one registered and two unregistered providers of alternative provision.  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. 4 and 5 March 2025

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 The inspection started on 4 March 2025. Inspectors returned on 24 April 2025 to gather additional evidence in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: Deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence policy.  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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, science, geography and religious 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 discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central

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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.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documents, including leaders’ evaluation of the school and priorities for improvement.  Inspectors met with senior leaders, a selection of subject leaders, teachers and support staff.  Inspectors met with the chair of the local governing board. They also spoke with a representative from the trust.  Inspectors reviewed a range of school documentation, including records related to attendance, behaviour and pupil movement.  The inspectors considered the views of pupils and staff, including through their responses to Ofsted’s online surveys. They also considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including parents’ free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Sara Berry, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Cathy Barr 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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