Hanson Academy

Inspection of Hanson Academy Sutton Avenue, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD2 1JP

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision Good

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Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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The principal of this school is Samuel Sheedy. This school is part of the Delta 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), Paul Tarn, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Steve Hodsman. There is also a deputy CEO, Andy Barnet, who is responsible for this school and others. 29 and 30 April 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy an inclusive and aspirational environment at Hanson. They appreciate that their experience of school has improved greatly in recent times. Pupils enjoy the praise and rewards they receive. They behave well throughout the school day. Pupils focus on their learning in lessons. There is a calm atmosphere throughout the school day.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff are highly ambitious for the pupils. The school’s work to raise the quality of the curriculum and pupils’ outcomes has had a positive effect. Staff have also increased the range of opportunities for pupils to grow beyond the academic. Pupils benefit from these as they help to broaden their horizons and encourage them to think about what they could do in the future. For example, pupils are helped to consider a wide range of careers, including apprenticeships. Students in the sixth form contribute by undertaking specific tasks to support staff and younger pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ attendance has significantly improved. Pupils are encouraged to be respectful of all members of the community. They feel safe and are proud of the school. Pupils develop positive relationships with the adults working with them. They know that staff take issues seriously and deal with problems that arise.

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

The school, with the support of the trust, has put in place an ambitious curriculum, which is suitably academic as well as offering a range of vocational options. Leaders ensure that making things better for pupils is the key focus. Subject staff are united in working towards the same common curriculum goals, with careful adjustments to support pupils who need extra help. Teachers have good subject knowledge and make well considered teaching activity choices to help pupils to learn well.

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

Pupils experience an effective curriculum. This helps them to know and demonstrate more of what they can do. While published outcomes are low, the impact of the curriculum seen by inspectors shows a different picture. Pupils can connect to prior knowledge across a range of subjects. Their written work is of a high quality. Pupils, particularly those in key stage 3, can use their prior learning to do more difficult things. However, some older pupils have significant gaps in knowledge that the school is aware of. Much of this has been caused by poor prior attendance. There are strategies in place to support them, but they are at the early stages of implementation.

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

Staff hold high expectations of pupils’ conduct. When they are struggling, pupils are supported to reflect and self-regulate. Pupils demonstrate that they understand the expected routines, particularly as they move around the school. Suspensions have reduced over the last two years. Staff and pupils alike recognise that behaviour is much improved. The school is focused on sustaining and embedding this progress.

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

Pupils benefit from the school’s focus on reading. They make use of the school’s revitalised library which provides a purposeful and calm environment to enjoy books. The 29 and 30 April 2025

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school has expanded the support for pupils at the earlier stages of reading. Pupils are effectively helped to become more fluent readers.

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Students in the sixth form are highly positive about the way in which staff support them and the changes in school in recent years. Staff have a strong focus on helping them towards high quality destinations. This is still a work in progress. Some students need more support to help them make strong progression through their chosen areas of study. Others also need enhanced help when they initially select which subjects to study.

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Pupils’ additional needs, including special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are identified and assessed well. The school has trained staff well to ensure that they adapt the delivery of the curriculum appropriately for pupils with SEND. This helps these pupils to achieve well, and they are included warmly in the life of the school.

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The school has devised a high-quality personal development programme. Consequently, pupils develop an age-appropriate understanding of a variety of topics. These include how to keep physically and mentally healthy. Pupils and students in the sixth form make active contributions to the lives of others. The student council have led on various community events, whilst the language ambassadors support pupils who are new to the country and to the school.

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Trustees, trust, and senior leaders have secured significant changes. There has been an incredibly positive culture shift realised. Leaders’ actions are driven by a clear focus on improving the life chances of all pupils, especially the most vulnerable, and are having demonstrable positive impact. Staff feel valued and well supported, including in relation to their workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some older pupils’ gaps in knowledge from poor attendance or fractured experience in previous years persist. As a result, pupil outcomes are not as strong as they could be at the end of key stage 4. The school should ensure that the strategies implemented to address gaps in pupils understanding are fully embedded in all subjects to support pupils in building their knowledge effectively over time.  Some areas of the 6th form curriculum implementation and aspects of the guidance for students are not sufficiently well embedded. This means that some students in the sixth form are not achieving as highly as they could. The school should ensure developments in the sixth form are highly focused on improving the consistency of student experience and outcomes as they complete their programmes of study. 29 and 30 April 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). 29 and 30 April 2025

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1547

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form

Dates of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Delta Academies Trust.  Hanson Academy converted to become an academy in July 2022. When its predecessor school, Hanson School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be inadequate for overall effectiveness.  The school has an additional resource provision to support pupils with visual and hearing impairment.  The school uses seven alternative provisions for pupils, four of which are registered and the other three of which are unregistered. 29 and 30 April 2025

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 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.

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Information about this inspection

 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.  During the inspection, inspectors held discussions with the principal, the deputy CEO of the trust and other senior and middle leaders.  Inspectors held discussions with trustees, including the vice chair of the trust, and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in English, mathematics, history, science, and modern foreign languages. For each of these subjects, inspectors met with subject leaders, carried out visits to lessons, spoke to pupils and looked at some of their work.  Inspectors visited a variety of other lessons including a range of subjects in the sixth form.  Inspectors visited form time and reviewed the extra-curricular activities with leaders.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with members of staff and spoke to pupils at various points in the inspection.  Inspectors met with support staff and visited the areas used to support pupils during the school day.  Inspectors looked at records and spoke to staff in relation to behaviour, bullying, attendance, 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.  The lead inspector took account of responses to Ofsted’s staff survey, as well as Ofsted’s parent survey, Parent View, including free-text responses. 29 and 30 April 2025

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Inspection team

Richard Wakefield, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Philip Wheatley Ofsted Inspector 29 and 30 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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