Kirkland Church of England Academy

Overview

Pupils “thrive and feel happy” at this school, benefiting from an “ambitious curriculum” and high expectations for behaviour. The report highlights that the school has rapidly addressed previous weaknesses, resulting in “Good” overall effectiveness and “Outstanding” personal development.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy a “rich variety of visits and after-school activities” that enhance their personal development and widen their horizons.
• Staff are “knowledgeable about the subjects that they teach” and receive a “well-thought-out programme of training and support.”
• Reading is “central to the school’s curriculum,” with staff ensuring pupils who find it difficult receive timely support to become “fluent, confident readers.”
• The school provides an “exceptionally well-considered programme to promote pupils’ personal development,” including roles such as play leaders and school councillors.
• Leaders consider staff workload and well-being, ensuring improvements to the curriculum have “greatly reduced staff workload.”

Areas to improve

• Approaches to assessment are “underdeveloped in a few subjects,” hindering teachers’ ability to check if pupils have retained earlier learning.
• Some pupils do not master accurate letter formation by the end of Year 2, which “hinders their writing fluency” in later key stages.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.