Park Hall Academy

Overview: Park Hall Academy continues to be a good school, providing a vibrant and inclusive environment where pupils feel safe and supported. The school has high expectations for pupils and staff, and a purposeful start to the day sets pupils up well for their learning.

Strengths:

• Pupils are proud to be part of the school and feel safe and supported.
• Staff have high expectations for pupils and put their interests at the heart of all that they do.
• The school has a comprehensive and varied curriculum for pupils' wider development, including topics such as healthy relationships, consent, and healthy eating.
• Pupils have opportunities to participate in extra-curricular activities, including choir, dance, and drumming, and clubs such as role-playing games and chess.
• The careers programme provides pupils with advice and guidance to make decisions about their futures.

Areas to improve:

• At times, teachers do not routinely check that all pupils have a secure understanding of what they are learning before moving on, which can lead to errors and misconceptions persisting.
• Leaders are still in the process of developing their approach to helping pupils read more widely and for pleasure, with not enough pupils currently reading for enjoyment.

Safeguarding: The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with leaders carrying out appropriate checks on staff, providing regular safeguarding training and updates, and creating a culture of vigilance across the school.