Star Salford Academy

Star Salford Academy

Address: 124 Longshaw Drive, Worsley, Greater Manchester, M28 0BB Unique reference number (URN): 149767

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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.

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Achievement Strong standard

Due to the deliberate teaching strategies, careful use of assessment, targeted support and high expectations, pupils make considerable and sustained progress through the curriculum. They articulate confidently their deep understanding of topics. Pupils use subject-specific vocabulary with aplomb. They use their prior learning to understand new concepts. Pupils confidently apply their knowledge and the work that they produce is of an impressive quality. Pupils, including those with barriers to learning, achieve very well. Leaders and staff have created a culture where pupils are resilient and determined, even when learning is extremely demanding.

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Achievement Strong standard

Leaders’ work to help pupils to overcome struggles with reading has resulted in confident and fluent readers. Pupils spell accurately. They rapidly master the basics in number.

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Achievement Strong standard

Pupils rise to the demands of the ambitious key stage 3 curriculum which sets them in good stead for key stage 4.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Highly effective and rigorous leadership of curriculum and teaching, combined with a broad and ambitious curriculum, has resulted in consistently high-quality teaching across the curriculum. Teachers are crystal clear about the knowledge that they want pupils to learn. They aptly design learning around this. Teachers model expertly, scaffold appropriately and adjust teaching when required. They check pupils have understood and intervene appropriately if not. Teachers’ skilful use of assessment allows them to eradicate misconceptions. Moreover, pupils are cognisant of these teaching strategies and explain precisely how teachers help them to learn.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) learn successfully alongside their peers. When appropriate, teachers astutely adapt learning for them. That said, many pupils with SEND access the curriculum independently. This is due to teachers’ high expectations of what all pupils can achieve, supported by rigorous routines and expert teaching.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders have sharply identified any gaps in pupils’ understanding of reading, writing and number. Leaders’ work to improve pupils’ reading is particularly noteworthy. Many pupils join the school being unable to read fluently and confidently. This is quickly turned around and barriers to reading, writing and mathematics are swiftly demolished.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders have meticulous processes in place to identify any barriers to learning and wellbeing that pupils may have. Staff have a deep knowledge and sharp awareness of pupils’ vulnerabilities. Staff’s high expectations and highly effective support enable these pupils to develop the resilience, confidence and independence to learn successfully and thrive. Leaders’ forensic analysis of the progress of these pupils and their rapid adjustment of strategies in response means that any barriers are broken down. For example, gaps in pupils’ reading knowledge are filled quickly so that they achieve well.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders use additional funding wisely to support disadvantaged pupils’ wider development. Pupils benefit from a raft of experiences that build their understanding of the world and broaden their horizons.

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Inclusion Strong standard

A high number of pupils join the school mid-year and some of these pupils have previously disengaged from education. Leaders are judicious about the strategies that they put in place to support them. For example, a small number of pupils benefit from attending alternative provision to help them to successfully re-engage in education.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders are tenacious in securing the right support for pupils. For example, they work closely with the virtual school to ensure that pupils known to social care receive bespoke support to help them to flourish.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils’ personal development is not a bolt on. It underpins everything that the school does. Leaders and staff are committed to raising pupils’ aspirations and equipping them with the tools that they need to open doors to their futures. The highly inclusive nature of the school is inextricably linked to the carefully crafted opportunities that help address any deficits in their wider development. As such, pupils experience a rich variety of trips and visits such as to the theatre, gardens and brass-band workshops. Pupils’ sense of belonging is strengthened through their understanding of teamwork and the part that they play in the school and the local community. For instance, pupils relish tackling challenges on residential trips and hosting charity events to support a local hospice.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders have designed an ambitious personal, social and health education curriculum that responds directly to local needs. Pupils learn about the dangers of water, knife crime and drugs misuse. Pupils are inspired to aim high with visits from professionals such as astronauts and firefighters. They gain a great depth of knowledge around topics such as local government, the monarchy and consent.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leadership opportunities abound. Pupils take the helm in organising charity fundraisers, representing their peers on the student council and supporting younger pupils as sports leaders. Their voices are heard and they influence meaningful change.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders’ meticulous attention to knowing each pupil individually, alongside the well- established structures of support, means that pastoral support is highly effective and pupils’ needs are met successfully. Pupils benefit from staff who are invested in their wellbeing, wider development and academic success. As a result, optimum conditions are created in which pupils can blossom. The impact of the personal development programme is clear to see. Pupils are self-regulated, respectful, confident, resilient and well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have built the school with a moral imperative to deliver a world-class education for the most disadvantaged pupils. They are unequivocal that pupils sit at the heart of every decision. In under three years, leaders are well on their way to realising this vision.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Adeptly supported by the trust, leaders have implemented clear procedures and processes that are rigorously followed by all staff. Leaders’ and trustees’ oversight is sharp and evaluative. They are relentless in the pursuit of excellence. In most areas, leaders know what they need to do to drive standards higher. This is less the case with attendance, where leaders’ strategies to reduce pupil absence have not been as fruitful and pupil attendance remains below national averages.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are continuing in their work towards breaking down barriers with parents and carers, and the local community. Parents are beginning to engage more readily in some of the school’s events such as prize giving, fairs and assemblies. Through these opportunities, they gain an insight into school life and how their children’s learning is supported.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders apply the same rigorous attention to detail to staff development as they do to curriculum and teaching. Staff benefit from a bespoke and highly effective professional development programme that enables them to hone their teaching expertise and knowledge of individual pupils. Paying high regard to staff’s wellbeing, leaders build training into the school day. Staff are immensely proud to play their part in changing pupils’ lives.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Attendance is the school’s biggest challenge. Leaders have implemented a wide range of strategies to improve it. However, these are not having the desired impact. Overall attendance is below national average. While there have been some marginal gains for some individual pupils, this does not extend to identified groups. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are absent too frequently. Consequently, these pupils are missing out on the rich experience offered by the school. A high proportion of the school’s persistently absent pupils joined mid-year. Leaders have implemented effective strategies and, from their starting points, pupils’ attendance has improved. Nonetheless, attendance needs to be better.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Staff hold consistently high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils consistently follow the school routines. The line-ups ensure a smooth transition from social time to learning time. Pupils demonstrate self-discipline and resilience. This leads to a culture that is highly conducive to learning. In lessons, pupils are actively engaged and they try their best. They volunteer answers confidently. Pupils get along well with each other. Any rare issues of bullying are dealt with quickly and effectively.

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

From the moment they arrive, pupils are warmly welcomed into this community where expectations of what they can achieve are extremely high. Clearly embedded routines and structures help pupils to feel safe and secure. They know what to expect. Pupils enjoy school and proudly embrace the school’s values of service, teamwork, ambition and respect. They are self-motivated to give back to the community. Pupils spoke with excitement about the upcoming summer fair. Not only does this event provide leadership opportunities, it demonstrates pupils’ commitment to helping others in their fundraising efforts for a local hospice.

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

Pupils’ behaviour is excellent. There is rarely any disruption in lessons. Pupils recognise the importance of engaging well with their education. They quickly get down to the business of learning. Pupils want to learn well and they do. As a result, they achieve highly.

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

Relationships between pupils and staff are a notable strength. Pupils value the warm, respectful interactions they experience each day. The high-quality pastoral care alongside staff’s high expectations instils a sense of self-belief in pupils. Pupils with barriers to learning and wellbeing are very well supported. Their needs are identified and personalised strategies are put in place to help these pupils to flourish.

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

Recognition and praise are woven through the school’s culture. Staff notice and reward pupils’ efforts. Pupils are keen to be awarded ‘Star bucks’ and entered into the draw for a queue-jumping pass. Success is celebrated widely. For instance, pupils proudly display their work in the Friday showcase. Pupils’ aspirations are high. They know that there are no limits to what they can achieve.

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

Attendance remains an area for improvement. Pupils’ attendance is below the national average and this is especially the case for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. These pupils are missing out on all the wonderful opportunities that the school provides.

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Next steps

Leaders should strengthen their approach to identifying patterns of absence, particularly for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, so that barriers to attendance can be overcome more rapidly. Leaders should maintain the high standards in curriculum and teaching and personal development as the school continues to grow and pupils enter key stage 4.

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About this inspection

This school is part of Star Academies, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Sir

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Team inspectors:

Jamie Jardine, Ofsted Inspector Sharon Black, Ofsted Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 7 July 2026

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What does this mean?

Mufti Hamid Patel CBE, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Kamruddin Kothia OBE DL.

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What does this mean?

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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What does this mean?

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 HMI.

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What does this mean?

Inspectors spoke with the principal, senior leaders, staff, pupils, the CEO, representatives of the local academy board and a representative of the local authority.

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What does this mean?

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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What does this mean?

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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What does this mean?

The school currently uses 4 unregistered alternative provisions.

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What does this mean?

Principal : Laura McBride The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational needs support at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English indices of deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 10.1% 8.9% Close to average

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 27.0% 25.6% Close to average

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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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Urgent improvement

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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Urgent improvement

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Urgent improvement

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk . Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Urgent improvement

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

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