Hollis Academy

Overview

Hollis Academy fulfils the expected standard of education and care, with safeguarding standards met. The report highlights that pupils, all of whom have special educational needs, feel safe and make appropriate progress from their starting points, particularly in securing key qualifications.

Strengths

• Pupils make progress in their learning and are "well prepared for adulthood and their next steps," with most achieving accreditation in English and mathematics.
• Staff build strong relationships based on "trust and respect," ensuring pupils "feel listened to" and supported with their social, emotional, and mental health needs.
• The curriculum is "well planned and appropriately sequenced," allowing teachers to adapt teaching effectively using knowledge of pupils’ barriers and education, health and care plans.
• Leaders have made "notable improvements to rates of pupil attendance" over time, and the number of persistently absent pupils is reducing.
• Behaviour is generally good, with staff responding "calmly and consistently" when pupils struggle to regulate emotions, and bullying is not commonplace.

Areas to improve

• Leaders should "accelerate their work to draw together their strands of monitoring" to adjust provision more systematically and skilfully.
• Professional learning should be "precisely matched to the priorities for whole school improvement" to embed highly effective teaching across all subjects.
• Leaders should "continue to rapidly improve attendance" so all pupils benefit fully from the curriculum.

Safeguarding

The safeguarding standards are met, with leaders establishing "an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility" and concerns actively identified and managed.