Inkersall Spencer Academy

Overview

Inkersall Spencer Academy is described as a "happy and very nurturing school" where pupils feel secure and are prepared well for future learning. The report states that the school meets the "Expected standard" across all inspected areas, with leaders taking decisive action to overcome barriers to wellbeing and learning.

Strengths

• Pupils attend regularly, with absence rates typically lower than national averages, supported by "bespoke and sensitive support" for families.
• Staff maintain a "calm and safe environment" with high expectations, resulting in pupils who are "friendly and polite" and behave well overall.
• The early years provision is strengthened, with children securing a "firm foundation in phonics and number skills" and gaining confidence quickly.
• Leaders have improved the curriculum for mathematics and writing, and effective additional support helps close gaps in phonics knowledge.
• There is a "supportive culture" with parents, who feel valued and speak highly of the care their children receive.

Areas to improve

• Leaders should ensure teachers "check pupils’ learning robustly" and adapt teaching to address misconceptions, particularly regarding gaps in handwriting, spelling, and punctuation.
• Leaders must identify barriers to learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) more precisely to ensure adaptations support "longer-term success".
• Pupils’ knowledge of different faiths, cultures, and British values is currently "slightly limited" and requires broadening.

Safeguarding

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