Our Lady & St. Bede Catholic Academy

Overview: Our Lady & St. Bede Catholic Academy is a welcoming school with strong and positive relationships between staff and pupils. Pupils feel happy and safe, and bullying is rare. The school has made ambitious and effective changes to the curriculum, and pupils now know and remember more of what they have been taught.

Strengths:

• Pupils behave courteously towards others, and social times are orderly.
• Pupils are well prepared for life outside of school, understanding fundamental British values and why these are important.
• The school's personal, social and health education curriculum is carefully designed, and pupils benefit from many opportunities to experience the world of work and higher education.
• The school has strengthened leadership over the past two years, and staff have high expectations of pupils, including those with SEND.

Areas to improve:

• Sometimes, activities in lessons are not adapted to individual pupils' needs, meaning that pupils do not deepen or broaden their knowledge as well as they might.
• Some groups of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, are persistently absent from school too often.

Safeguarding: The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.