NexGen Academy

Inspection of NexGen Academy Dovecot MAC, Back of Dovecot Place, Dovecot, Liverpool, Merseyside L14 9BA

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school has high aspirations for all pupils. It is a calm, well-ordered and welcoming place. Pupils learn how to get back on track with their learning after experiencing disrupted education previously. Most pupils’ behaviour, attendance and attitude to education improve rapidly once they are settled at the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from effective emotional support that well-trained staff provide. This helps pupils to feel safe at school. They grow in self-belief and find school a positive experience. This helps pupils to focus on their learning and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils respond well to staff as strong positive role models. They value the patience and understanding that staff demonstrate towards them. Pupils trust staff to help them overcome any difficulties, including special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), that they may face.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn to appreciate the benefits of cooperation and mutual respect. They get on well with each other and with staff at social times. Staff deal with any short periods of pupils’ emotional upset quickly and well. This ensures that disruption to learning is minimal.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils develop their willingness to try new things. They support charities through fund-raising. Pupils access a range of enrichment activities such as weight-training, dance, boxing, hair and beauty or cookery.

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better?

The school has developed an ambitious curriculum. The range of subjects that pupils study helps them to access a wide range of career pathways. The school encourages pupils to aim high and has designed an appropriate impartial careers information, education, advice and guidance programme. Most Year 11 pupils go on to further education at college or take up apprenticeship roles.

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better?

Teachers explain new information and unfamiliar concepts well. Most of the time, they successfully build on pupils’ prior knowledge and provide useful examples that they can relate to. Teachers check what pupils already know about the content of the school’s curriculum as soon as they arrive at the school. They provide additional support to new pupils to help them to catch up quickly. For example, pupils who lack confidence in reading benefit from frequent practice to build up their fluency.

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better?

Pupils are typically well prepared for, and succeed in, external examinations. However, some pupils have gaps in their fundamental knowledge of reading, writing and mathematics when teaching does not address this consistently well. This is often the case for pupils who have had the most erratic attendance at school in the past. It also means that by the end of Year 11, not all pupils have the literacy and mathematical skills that they will need as an adult. 10 to 12 June 2025 The school prides itself on the carefully tailored support that it provides for identifying and meeting pupils’ differing needs, including SEND. It meets the requirements of schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. However, the school does not make consistently clear for teachers what pupils with SEND most need to focus on. This results in some of these pupils not being as well prepared as they could be for their next stages of education, employment or training.

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better?

The school prioritises regular attendance at school. It also sets high expectations for behaviour. Pupils recognise that being in school regularly and behaving well increases their academic success and preparation for adulthood.

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better?

The school supports pupils well to understand how they can make a positive contribution to their local and wider community. Pupils are proud of projects where they have worked together. These include high-quality graffiti artwork or groundwork to further enhance the school’s outside area. Pupils also help to keep the locality clean and tidy.

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better?

The proprietor understands and upholds its statutory duties diligently. It has ensured that the independent school standards are met. For example, it provides parents and carers with a wealth of useful information. Policies, including the school’s safeguarding policy, are published on its website.

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better?

The proprietor places a high priority on staff training. Staff value this and feel well supported to carry out their respective roles. However, the school’s systems to record and share important information about pupils are not as efficient as they could be. This creates additional workload for teachers and leaders alike. It also gets in the way of the proprietor carrying out its strategic role in ensuring that all pupils achieve as well as they can.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 At times, the school does not identify and address what some pupils most need to learn in English and mathematics consistently well. This is particularly true for pupils who have experienced the most disrupted education in the past and for those with SEND. This means that some of these pupils are not as well prepared as they could be for adulthood, or their next stages of education, employment or training as a result. The school should ensure that all pupils receive the support that they need to acquire secure foundational knowledge so that they achieve as well as they can.  The school’s systems to record and retrieve important information about pupils are not as efficient as they could be. This makes it more difficult for the proprietor to have a secure oversight of the effectiveness of the work of the school. It also 10 to 12 June 2025 increases staff workload. The proprietor should make sure that systems provide

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

leaders with accurate and up-to-date information about how well pupils are achieving and how regularly they attend school.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 10 to 12 June 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 148620 DfE registration number 341/6022

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School details

Inspection number 10375144 Type of school Other independent school

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School details

Email address admin@nexgenacademy.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 7 to 9 June 2022 10 to 12 June 2025

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Information about this school

 The previous standard inspection took place on 7 to 9 June 2022. Since the previous inspection, the Department for Education (DfE) commissioned a material change inspection to increase the number of pupils the school can admit from 35 to 50. The material change inspection took place as part of this standard inspection.  The school is located at Dovecot MAC, Back of Dovecot Place, Dovecot, Liverpool, Merseyside L14 9BA.  The school caters for pupils who have been out of education for extended periods of time due to suspensions or permanent exclusions. As a result, pupils join the school at varying points throughout the school year.  The school is currently registered to admit up to 35 pupils. Many remain dual registered at other mainstream schools while they attend the school. Some, including those with an education, health and care (EHC) plan, attend this school only.  Many pupils at the school have SEND. This includes those with social, emotional

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Information about this school

and mental health difficulties, autistic spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors carried out this inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008. The purpose of the inspection is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school's suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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Information about this inspection

The school meets the independent school standards. These are the requirements set out in the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic and have taken this into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and members of staff.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics and personal, social and health education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, considered the curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to staff, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also talked to leaders, staff and pupils about some other subjects. 10 to 12 June 2025  An inspector spoke with a representative of one the local authorities that commissions places for pupils with an EHC plan who are placed at the school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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Information about this inspection

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.  During the inspection, inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including those relating to safeguarding and the standards. They also looked at records of pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  As part of their checks on the standards, the lead inspector made a tour of the school premises.  There were no responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff. However, inspectors spoke with a range of staff who work at the school.  There were no responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Parent View. An inspector spoke with some parents of pupils on the telephone.  There were no responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils. Inspectors spoke with pupils about their experiences at school throughout the inspection.

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The school’s proposed change to the maximum number of pupils

The school has applied to the Department for Education (DfE) to make a ‘material change’ to its registration. At the DfE’s request, we checked whether the school is likely to meet the relevant independent school standards if the DfE decides to approve the change. This part of the inspection was carried out under section 162(4) of the Education Act 2002.  The outcome of this part of the inspection is: likely to meet the relevant

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Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils

Paragraphs 7(a) and (b), 11, 12, 14, and 16 (a) and (b)  The school has made suitable arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils. The school’s safeguarding policy is published on its website. The safeguarding arrangements in place at the school pay due regard to current statutory guidance. Staff are well-trained. They are vigilant and identify and report any safeguarding risks in a timely manner. Designated safeguarding leads have appropriate knowledge and expertise to fulfil their roles effectively. Safeguarding records are detailed and shared with staff appropriately. The school takes swift and effective action when concerns are raised.  The school has robust procedures in place to ensure that health and safety laws are complied with. Routine checks are carried out to ensure that the school complies with the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. For example, fire safety equipment is in good working order. The school site

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Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils

is safe and secure. These arrangements are suitable to accommodate the proposed increase in the number of pupils on roll, should it increase. 10 to 12 June 2025  The school ensures that pupils are appropriately supervised. There are sufficient staff to ensure that an increased number of pupils would be properly supervised should the material change be approved.  A written risk assessment policy is in place. There are a range of detailed risk assessments in place. These show that the school takes appropriate action to reduce and manage any identified risks to pupils. The risk assessments in place are appropriate should the number on roll be increased.  The standards in this part are likely to be met if the request for the material change is approved.

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Part 4. Suitability of staff, supply staff, and proprietors

 The school’s single central record is compliant and contains all the necessary checks and information. The school carries out appropriate checks on the suitability of new staff. The school also checks on the suitability of other personnel who work onsite or with pupils. Leaders ensure that any visitor is suitably monitored by staff while carrying out their work.  The standards in this part are likely to be met if the request for the material change is approved.

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Part 5. Premises of and accommodation at schools

 The school’s premises are suitably maintained. The school site has sufficient space and resources to cater for the proposed increase in the number of pupils should the material change be approved.  Classrooms are tidy and furnished appropriately. Equipment is kept in good condition. All areas of the school, including toilet and washing facilities, are adequately clean.  The school makes effective use of high-quality sport facilities within the building that the school is housed in. There are well maintained changing accommodation and showers for pupils to use when they take part in sports, dance or fitness training.  There is an adequate supply of hot and cold water at the school. Drinking-water is clearly labelled and available for pupils throughout the day.  There are appropriate spaces, both indoors and outdoors, for pupils to socialise in. These areas are well maintained. The school grounds provide sufficient

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Part 5. Premises of and accommodation at schools

outdoor space for pupils and will easily accommodate the proposed increase in pupil numbers.  There is a well-equipped medical room, should pupils feel unwell, need first aid or other medical care.  The standards in this part are likely to be met if the request for the material change is approved.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

 The proprietor has the knowledge to ensure that the school meets the standards. It has the experience required to carry out its role successfully and to 10 to 12 June 2025 accommodate the material change requested. It is committed to providing a high quality of education for pupils and actively promotes the well-being of pupils.  The standards in this part are likely to be met if the request for the material change is approved.

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Inspection team

Claire Cropper, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Phill Walmsley Ofsted Inspector 10 to 12 June 2025 to 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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