Park Academy

Overview

New leadership has established a "positive culture" and raised aspirations, with pupils benefiting from a "newly considered curriculum" and improved behaviour. However, teaching effectiveness remains inconsistent, and some pupils remain disengaged or absent, leading to gaps in learning. The report notes that while progress is being made, the school "requires improvement" across all key judgement areas.

Strengths

• New senior leaders have injected "ambition for all pupils" and created a learning environment that is "mostly free from disruption."
• The specially resourced ASCEND provision is "well catered for," with adults adapting approaches to support pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs.
• The interim academy board provides "effective support" and brings significant expertise to secure school improvement.
• The curriculum for personal, social and health education (PSHE) and careers has been strengthened and "mapped out clearly."

Areas to improve

• Curriculum plans must clearly link new learning to prior knowledge so teachers can effectively support pupils and ensure consistent achievement.
• All teachers require adequate training and support to deliver the curriculum as intended, as current instructions are sometimes "too long and vague."
• The school needs a robust assessment strategy to identify knowledge gaps and adapt planning, as current methods do not effectively inform teachers of what pupils have retained.
• Strategies to improve attendance must be reviewed, as irregular attendance continues to cause learning gaps for some pupils.

Safeguarding

The report states that "the arrangements for safeguarding are effective."