Seaton Academy

Overview

Seaton Academy is described as a "supportive and welcoming place" where pupils are "kind and considerate" and "happy in school." The report highlights a significant turnaround in leadership and governance, noting that "no time has been wasted in taking decisive action" following a previous inadequate rating. While behaviour and personal development are strong, the quality of education and early years provision require further refinement to ensure consistent pupil achievement.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate "positive attitudes to learning," allowing teachers to deliver the curriculum "without disruption."
• The early reading curriculum is "well structured," with staff trained to deliver phonics consistently, ensuring most pupils become "fluent and confident readers by the end of Year 2."
• Governance has "improved greatly," with trustees now providing effective "support and challenge" to hold the school to account.
• Staff are "caring" and provide "positive encouragement," while pupils enjoy a wide range of clubs and extracurricular activities.
• The school identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) "early and accurately," adapting the curriculum to ensure access.

Areas to improve

• The school must check the impact of new curriculums in subjects where leadership is "in its infancy" to ensure teachers receive necessary support.
• Teachers need better expertise in using assessment strategies to identify and address "gaps in pupils’ learning" left by the previous weak curriculum.
• Staff require more guidance to design learning that helps pupils build knowledge over time, as current checks do not identify misconceptions well enough.

Safeguarding

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