Knowle DGE Academy

Overview

Knowle DGE Academy is judged as ‘Good’ across all inspection categories, marking an improvement from its previous rating. The report highlights that pupils are ‘safe and well cared for’ and that the school provides a high-quality education with strong staff-pupil relationships. Leaders and the trust work effectively to drive improvement, ensuring pupils are well prepared for future education and employment.

Strengths

• Pupils ‘enjoy attending school’ and ‘work hard in lessons’, supported by consistent staff approaches and strong relationships.
• The curriculum ‘broadens pupils’ experiences well’, offering a mix of academic and vocational pathways alongside activities like the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
• Staff use ‘secure subject knowledge’ to teach core subjects effectively, with a strong focus on phonics and reading fluency.
• Attendance has improved significantly due to ‘stringent systems in place to challenge poor attendance’, reducing persistent absence.
• The personal, social, health and economic curriculum supports pupils’ character development and mental well-being effectively.

Areas to improve

• Assessment practices need refinement; some targets are ‘too broad’, meaning teaching does not always build explicitly on what pupils already know.
• The new curriculum pathway for pupils at risk of exclusion lacks ‘clear oversight of its impact’, requiring stronger monitoring to ensure successful re-integration.

Safeguarding

The report states that ‘the arrangements for safeguarding are effective’.