Inspire Academy

Inspire Academy

Address: Cornlands Road, Acomb, York, YO24 3WZ Unique reference number (URN): 151837

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met. Insufficient evidence: Inspectors were unable to gather sufficient evidence to judge whether safeguarding standards are met.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils join the school with significant gaps in their knowledge and on different educational pathways. For some, their social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs have previously limited how well they access learning. On the whole, pupils go on to make appropriate progress from their individual starting points at Inspire Academy. This includes in relation to their SEMH needs, which the school typically supports well. As a new school, at the time of this inspection, pupils at the school have not received any results of GCSE examinations that have been taken. However, the school has ensured that pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, including by securing appropriate next placements.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils’ work and contributions to lessons show that where the curriculum is most effective, they develop an appropriate understanding of the subject. This enables them to apply what they have learned and to access future learning with success. In areas where the curriculum or teaching are less effective, pupils lack the depth of understanding that they display in other subjects.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Typically, pupils at the school join with low rates of attendance from their previous time in education. Similarly, many have experienced frequent suspensions and held a negative view of education. Pupils attend the school on either short- or long-term placements to help them address this and strengthen their learning.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

The majority of pupils have improved their attendance since joining the school. Generally, they establish better patterns of attendance quickly after they start the school. For some, attendance has continued to gradually improve further. Leaders’ actions to improve attendance are effective and having an impact. However, rates of absence remain high and make it more challenging for some pupils to achieve well.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

The school has established consistent expectations for pupils’ conduct. These are commonly understood by staff and pupils. Staff are adept at helping pupils, when they struggle to meet these expectations, including as a result of their special educational needs and/or disabilities This helps pupils to engage more quickly with their learning. Incidents of suspension have reduced for pupils compared to their previous setting. Some pupils continue to struggle to independently manage their own behaviour. The school’s approach is helping to improve this. For example, the newly launched behaviour curriculum is helping pupils to build their resilience and self-discipline. Incidents of bullying and discrimination are rare and addressed effectively.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The school has prioritised establishing a curriculum that is academically ambitious. This provides pupils with opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills across subjects. The curriculum enables pupils to study towards recognised qualifications, including GCSEs, while addressing previous gaps in their learning. Generally, staff support pupils to close gaps in their knowledge. This includes through targeted interventions, such as in reading and basic mathematics. This support allows pupils to access new content with greater success.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff often have specialist knowledge of the subjects that they teach. Leaders provide suitable training that enhances staff’s knowledge, and use, of effective teaching strategies. For example, the school has recently focused on how to appropriately adapt learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

In subjects where the curriculum is most effective, leaders have clearly set out the progression of knowledge and skills that pupils should learn. In these subjects, teachers use this information to create lessons that consistently reinforce this key learning. Staff check pupils understanding and help them correct any misconceptions. This enables pupils to apply their learning effectively. However, this is not consistent across lessons and subjects. Sometimes, through imprecision in the design of the curriculum or how it is taught, pupils’ learning does not focus on this most important knowledge sufficiently. When this happens, pupils’ understanding is less secure and they struggle to apply this learning independently.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Pupils attend the school on either a short- or long-term placement, usually from other schools in the trust. When pupils are referred to the school, leaders obtain a range of information about their previous experience of education. This informs leaders’ understanding of any barriers to learning that pupils may have, including their special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the support that pupils may require. The information that the school gathers on pupils’ academic starting points is less detailed. It is less helpful in enabling teachers to make appropriate adjustments to the curriculum than it could be, slowing how quickly these are in place.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The school provides staff with a range of training about different pupils’ needs and how these can be met, sometimes drawing on the advice of external professionals. Often this connects back to meeting pupils' social, emotional and mental health needs. For example, all staff have a secure appreciation of the school’s approach to managing pupils’ emotions. Staff use this well when supporting pupils to regulate their behaviours in school.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders provide a number of social and academic interventions. These are matched to pupils’ needs and help them better engage with their learning. Leaders track pupils’ progress in these sessions but continue to refine this to strengthen their understanding of the impact of this work.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders communicate regularly with pupils’ families about their achievement and ongoing support.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have established the school to meet the needs pupils, who have not had consistently positive experiences of education. They have developed the school with the requirements of pupils in mind. The clear ambition for pupils to transition back to their home school or next educational provision following a successful placement informs their decision- making.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The proprietor body has a suitable understanding of the school’s strengths and priorities for improvement. Through the trust central team, it gains assurance that the school provides pupils with the support and education that they deserve. The proprietor body has appropriate oversight of the work of the school, applying the same systems used elsewhere in the trust. These are most effective in scrutinising areas, such as the standard of education or behaviour. In some other areas covered by the independent school standards (the standards), checks have not identified areas to strengthen as quickly. Where leaders are aware of issues, they act to ensure that these are addressed and the standards are met.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff in the school are well supported. They regularly comment positively on the support of school leaders, such as in managing behaviour. The trust provides additional capacity to the school through its central services and staff team. This and other strategies support staff to manage their workload and contributes positively to the wellbeing of staff.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The school provides staff with a varied and effective programme of professional learning. This helps staff to feel more confident in their roles, enhance their knowledge and gain professional qualifications.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders have prioritised this area of the school’s work. The school’s personal development curriculum is well considered. It is designed around the most important things that its pupils need to know and understand. Through the personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum, pupils explore different cultures, beliefs and viewpoints. This helps to broaden pupils' understanding beyond their immediate experiences. Through the curriculum, leaders have emphasised the knowledge which will help pupils to keep safe. For example, pupils learn about risks that they may encounter, both in the community and online.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The school’s relationships and sex education curriculum meets the requirements of statutory guidance. Leaders have shared its contents with parents and carers to ensure that they know what pupils will learn and can support this at home. Leaders have carefully considered how to adjust the curriculum to ensure that those pupils on short-term placements still learn what they need. The school’s deliberate approach supports pupils to develop an understanding of the curriculum that is appropriate to their age and stage of learning.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The school provides pupils with an effective programme of careers education. This includes access to independent careers advice and guidance. Older pupils benefit from work experience placements that are developed around their interests and needs. More widely, pupils learn about budgeting cooking and travelling safely. These develop pupils’ independence and help them to be well prepared for life beyond school.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils access a range of opportunities that enrich the school’s curriculum, including educational visits and external speakers. Leaders take account of pupils’ views to further develop these around their interests and needs. The school offers some positions of responsibility for pupils. However, these are still being developed. Opportunities for pupils to implement their learning and play an active role in the school and wider community could be enhanced. The school’s pastoral support is a strength. Mentoring programmes, including those which focus on pupils’ mental health and wellbeing, are effective and valued.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils attend Inspire Academy for differing reasons and for different durations. Some attend on short-term placements that help them to be better prepared to achieve well in their home school. For others, this school is their long-term provision. Many pupils have experienced some form of disruption to their education prior to attending the school. Whatever the reason, staff help pupils to feel welcome, included and safe in the school. They quickly get to know pupils and their needs. In particular, the school forms an understanding of pupils’ social, emotional and mental health needs. Staff, including the mentor team, work with pupils to improve their confidence and attitudes towards education. They help pupils to reflect on their behaviours and how these impact on others and themselves. Consequently, incidents of bullying are rare and well resolved. While, sometimes, pupils fall short of leaders’ expectations, staff support them to make improvements. Over time, pupils attend

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

more regularly and improve how well they behave.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Largely, pupils enjoy school. They like the close-knit community and the smaller classes compared to what they have previously experienced. They form positive relationships with staff. This helps them to feel confident to ask for help. Generally, pupils have gaps in their knowledge when they join the school. Staff work to help pupils catch up. Gradually, pupils’ engagement and success in lessons improves. Pupils typically progress securely from their individual starting points. They largely achieve well and attain appropriate next placements in their education and training.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils’ wider personal development and wellbeing are routinely promoted by the school. They benefit from a well-constructed curriculum that ensures pupils learn the essential knowledge that helps them to keep safe. Beyond this, pupils enjoy the wider enrichments to their education, such as sporting opportunities that the school offers.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that the curriculum design, teaching and activities used in lessons consistently support pupils to learn the most important knowledge set out in the curriculum across all subjects. Leaders should further strengthen the school’s personal development offer to ensure that pupils have increased opportunities to contribute to the school and wider communities.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this standard inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, and checked the school’s compliance with the independent school

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Independent school standards

Independent school standards are either met or not met for each category. standards. These are the requirements set out in the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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Independent school standards

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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Independent school standards

Inspectors spoke with the head of school and other senior leaders from the school and the trust. The lead inspector spoke with the members of the proprietor body. Inspectors also discussed the school’s work with representatives of the local authority. During the inspection, inspectors visited lessons across a range of subjects and year groups as well as speaking with pupils and reviewing samples of their work. They also spoke with other members of the school's teaching and non-teaching staff.

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Independent school standards

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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Independent school standards

Most pupils who attend this school have an education, health and care plan. The school primarily provides education for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs.

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Independent school standards

The school does not use any providers of alternative provision.

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Independent school standards

The school is registered to admit up to 40 pupils. At the time of the inspection, there were fewer than this on the school’s roll.

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Independent school standards

This is the school’s first standard inspection since it was registered by the Department for Education on 23 July 2025.

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Independent school standards

The proprietor body is Excel Learning Trust. The chair of the proprietor body is Ian Wiggins.

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Independent school standards

The school's email address is: reception@inspire.elt.org.uk.

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Independent school standards

1. Quality of education provided Standards met

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Independent school standards

2. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils Standards met

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Team inspector:

Tracy Duffy, His Majesty's Inspector All standards have been met.

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Team inspector:

3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Standards met

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Team inspector:

4. Suitability of staff, supply staff, and proprietors Standards met

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Team inspector:

5. Premises of and accommodation at schools Standards met

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Team inspector:

6. Provision of information Standards met

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Team inspector:

7. Manner in which complaints are handled Standards met

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Team inspector:

8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Standards met

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Insufficient evidence

Inspectors were unable to gather reliable enough evidence to grade an evaluation area. This is rare and normally only happens if there are no pupils on roll at the school.

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Insufficient evidence

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Insufficient evidence

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Insufficient evidence

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Insufficient evidence

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Insufficient evidence

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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