King's Lynn Academy

Overview

The report describes a school where leaders have taken "decisive actions to improve many aspects" since the last inspection, resulting in a "friendly, caring" environment. While attendance and behaviour are at an "expected standard" and the curriculum is "ambitious and broad," published outcomes indicate that historically "pupils have not achieved as well as they should." The school is currently in a phase of improvement, with younger pupils progressing well, though challenges remain for disadvantaged pupils and in securing final qualifications.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy school, attend regularly, and behave well, with bullying described as "rare."
• The specialist resource base, 'Forward Step', is "impressively successful" at helping pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs to thrive.
• Leaders have a "rich understanding" of SEND needs, ensuring these pupils "progress well from their starting points."
• Staff feel "valued and respected," and there is an "impressive" pastoral and extra-curricular offer that pupils take up with enthusiasm.
• The curriculum is logically ordered, and teachers use subject knowledge to explain new ideas clearly.

Areas to improve

• Teachers need expertise to strengthen pupils' knowledge of reading, writing, and communication to support higher achievement.
• Leaders must improve provision for disadvantaged pupils and use the pupil premium grant with more precision.
• Staff need better knowledge to accurately check pupil understanding and move them on to challenging work when ready.
• Quality assurance checks require more precision to provide detailed information for rapid improvement.

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.