Longsands Academy

Overview

Longsands Academy is judged as ‘Good’ overall, with ‘Good’ ratings for the quality of education, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision. However, ‘Behaviour and attitudes’ are judged as ‘Requires improvement’, reflecting ongoing challenges with a core group of pupils and inconsistent policy implementation.

Strengths

• Teachers are ‘knowledgeable’ and provide ‘clear explanations’, enabling pupils to ‘achieve well in examinations’.
• The curriculum is ‘ambitious’ with ‘sufficient breadth’, allowing many pupils to successfully study English Baccalaureate subjects.
• Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is effective, with ‘above-average proportions’ continuing to sixth form.
• Sixth-form students display ‘consistently positive’ behaviour and benefit from strong careers guidance and university support.
• Safeguarding arrangements are ‘effective’, with an ‘open and positive culture’ that puts pupils’ interests first.

Areas to improve

• The school must ensure ‘clear and effective communication’ to address frustration among parents, pupils, and staff regarding recent changes.
• Leaders need to ensure all teachers ‘apply the behaviour policy consistently’ so that pupils receive the support needed to modify their behaviour.
• The school should ensure the curriculum is ‘taught consistently well in all subjects’, as some teachers do not implement it as intended.

Safeguarding

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