Lifton Community Academy

Overview

This ungraded inspection found that “aspects of the school’s work may not be as strong as at the time of the previous inspection,” triggering a future graded inspection. The school has stabilised following significant staff changes, with a new headteacher providing “much-needed stability” and staff expressing pride in their work. However, the report notes that “there is still much work to do to improve the quality of education that pupils receive,” particularly regarding curriculum consistency and behaviour management.

Strengths

• The school is “highly inclusive” and ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), who “achieve as well as their peers.”
• Children in the Nursery class “get off to a flying start,” being “inquisitive and curious about their learning.”
• Reading is prioritised effectively; staff teach phonics well and “identify quickly any pupil who is falling behind.”
• Attendance is a strength, with pupils enjoying school and incidents of persistent absence being “low.”
• Pupils feel safe and valued, with a strong understanding of tolerance and “fundamental British values.”

Areas to improve

• The Reception Year curriculum and indoor learning environment are “not well thought out,” leaving some children “not ready for the next stage of their education.”
• In some subjects, the school does not check carefully enough what pupils have learned, meaning teaching is “not well adjusted to match what pupils know and understand.”
• “Incidents of challenging behaviour occur too often,” hampering learning; staff require better training and consistent application of behaviour measures.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.