Littlegreen Academy

Overview

Littlegreen Academy is a special school where leaders have “very high expectations” and created an environment where pupils feel “happy, welcomed and safe.” The report describes a school “moving from strength to strength” with high staff morale and a curriculum that is largely “vibrant, interesting and engaging.” Pupils benefit from extensive enrichment activities and specialist support for their social, emotional, and mental health needs.

Strengths

• Staff are “adept at giving pupils the time and space they need to regulate” complex emotions, helping them build “trusting relationships.”
• The curriculum in most subjects is “well crafted,” with clear sequencing in areas like mathematics.
• Pupils enjoy a “wide range of enrichment activities,” including horse riding, swimming, and trips to museums.
• Leaders provide “effective careers support and guidance,” starting in the primary phase with visits from professionals.
• The atmosphere is “purposeful,” with incidents of aggressive behaviour “reducing dramatically” due to specialist therapies.

Areas to improve

• The curriculum in “a few foundation subjects” lacks clear step-by-step knowledge sequencing, limiting pupil achievement.
• “A few pupils have very poor attendance,” causing them to miss vital learning opportunities.
• Phonics is “not always taught effectively,” and some reading books do not match pupils’ phonics knowledge.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are “effective,” with staff who are “particularly alert to the contextual vulnerabilities of their pupils” and ensure concerns are raised with external agencies.