Stansfield Academy

Inspection of Stansfield Academy Falcon Road, Exeter, Devon EX2 7LB

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

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The principal of this school is Harry Welch. This school is part of Wave 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), Robert Gasson, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Justin Day. 3 and 4 June 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and place their trust in staff at Stansfield Academy. They demonstrate this in their conduct and interactions with staff and each other. This is significant because of the adverse experiences of education that pupils have often had following permanent exclusion. Stansfield’s positive culture is successful due to the strong and respectful relationships that staff prioritise with each pupil.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The foundations of strong relationships give staff the ability to hold high expectations of how pupils behave and react to challenges they face. Pupils understand these expectations and are motivated to meet them. This creates a purposeful learning environment. This is indicated by a decrease in suspensions and behaviour incidents which require significant support.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ increasingly positive attitudes to education are supported well by the school’s ambition for their academic success. The school has strengthened the quality and content of the curriculum from primary through to key stage 4. As a result, pupils across the school achieve well. Those who stay with the school through to the end of Year 11 gain a range of qualifications that set them up well for their next step. Pupils are increasingly successful in these next steps, whether it is reintegration into an appropriate education setting, employment or training.

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

Collaborative work between the school and trust has led to a well-designed, aspirational curriculum. Leaders ensure that staff now have the expertise to identify accurately pupils’ special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and their gaps in learning. This enables the school to put in place personalised programmes of learning which address pupils’ barriers to learning and development. These programmes are effective, whether delivered on site, online, or through external provision.

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

Reading is a school priority. Pupils get the help they need to read with increasing fluency and confidence. They read high-quality texts which build their reading and language skills as well as their enjoyment of reading. The core curriculum identifies the important knowledge that pupils need to know. Pupils revisit and practise this important subject knowledge.

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

The school has carefully considered the content of the wider curriculum through subjects such as art and design and food. It supports pupils to develop life skills, experience success and practise the things that they have learned in other subjects, such as applying their knowledge of measure and reading. This broad academic provision helps to prepare pupils for successful reintegration back into a mainstream setting or transition on to post- 16 placements.

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

The school and the trust have prioritised pupils’ attendance. They are tenacious in monitoring absences and putting in place support where necessary. This ensures that 3 and 4 June 2025

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pupils benefit from the quality of education it offers. Pupils’ attendance increases as a result.

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The school has established a widely understood and clear approach to behaviour based on the ‘three Ps’ of ‘people, place and purpose’. Strong relationships enable staff to tackle tricky conversations where pupils have not met the school’s high expectations so that they can reflect on and learn from this. Pupils’ positive behaviour helps them to achieve ‘green days’, when they consistently meet the school’s expectations. For many pupils, the number of ‘green days’ increases over time. At times, opportunities to promote pupils’ independence are not as effective as they could be. When this happens, pupils sometimes become reliant on adult support. This can hinder some pupils’ motivation to be as independent as they could be in tackling the daily demands of school life and develop adequate self-help strategies.

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The school offers opportunities to prepare pupils for the world beyond school. These include independent careers guidance and some work experience. Pupils participate in some visits off site. The personal, social and health education curriculum helps pupils to learn about important issues such as careers, finances, relationships and online safety. All pupils, those learning in school and those learning off site, benefit from the personal development programme. However, some aspects of the school’s personal development programme are not firmly embedded. For example, there is some variability in how well the school uses enrichment opportunities to enhance the school’s curriculum and support pupils to manage a variety of challenges. This means that, sometimes, opportunities for pupils to use and apply their wider development skills are not as effective as they could be.

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The trust and monitoring hub hold a well-informed, accurate knowledge of the school. Leaders at all levels have supported and equipped staff well to manage the changes that the school has carried out. This results in a school team that is committed to providing the best for its pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The offer for pupils’ wider development is not as well designed and established as the school’s academic offer. Consequently, pupils do not benefit as much as they could from opportunities to foster and apply the skills that the school is supporting them to develop. The school should make sure that the opportunities for pupils’ personal development are more embedded, and enhance the academic offer it has in place.  At times, opportunities to promote pupils’ independence are not as effective as they could be. This can hinder pupils’ ability to increase their independence as much as the 3 and 4 June 2025

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school intends. The school should maximise opportunities for pupils to reduce their reliance on adult help and support so that they build more independence, intrinsic motivation and self-help strategies.

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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). 3 and 4 June 2025

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School details

School category Academy alternative provision sponsor-led

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 24 and 25 January 2023, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Stansfield Academy is an alternative provision academy for pupils who have been permanently excluded from mainstream schools.  The school does not currently have any pupils on roll in early years or key stage 1.  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.  The school uses six unregistered alternative provisions.

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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 3 and 4 June 2025

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provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in English, including early reading, mathematics and art and design. In each subject, inspectors met with curriculum leaders, talked to pupils, visited lessons, spoke to teachers and looked at examples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors held discussions with the principal, vice principal and other members of the leadership team.  The lead inspector held discussions with members of the governor monitoring hub, a member of the board of trustees, the director of education and the deputy CEO of the trust.  An inspector held a telephone discussion with the commissioner from the local authority. They spoke with two of the alternative provisions that the school uses and a

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representative of a large local multi-academy trust to discuss the re-integration of pupils into their schools.  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.  Inspectors considered the views of parents and carers who responded to the confidential questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View. An inspector also spoke with a sample of parents, on the telephone, to gather further views on the school. Inspectors evaluated the views of staff from the Ofsted online questionnaire.  Inspectors met with staff and pupils to consider their views of the school.

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Inspection team

Leanne Thirlby, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Paula Marsh Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 June 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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