Kenwood Academy

Overview

Kenwood Academy provides a highly supportive environment for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, many of whom have disrupted education histories. The report highlights that pupils feel safe, re-engage with learning, and make significant progress from their starting points, with strong outcomes in attendance, behaviour, and personal development.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well in national qualifications and progress to positive destinations, including university, with "rapidly improved attitudes to learning."
• Attendance and behaviour are rated at a "Strong standard," with staff using a "highly proactive approach" to remove barriers and support pupils who previously had low attendance.
• The school demonstrates a "highly positive and inclusive ethos," with staff providing "sensitive and focused support" to meet individual needs through close collaboration with health professionals and families.
• Personal development is "high quality," featuring effective pastoral relationships, pupil voice initiatives, and a careers programme that builds confidence and independence.

Areas to improve

• Leaders should ensure the standard of curriculum delivery and implementation is "highly consistent across all areas of the school’s work," as teaching approaches can vary and learning activities do not always build on prior knowledge as well as they could.

Safeguarding

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