South Bank University Sixth Form

Overview

This monitoring visit report assesses South Bank University Sixth Form, a 16-19 academy that opened in September 2023. The inspection found that leaders and managers have made "reasonable progress" in designing relevant education programmes, ensuring high-quality teaching, and establishing effective safeguarding arrangements. The school benefits from strong employer partnerships and a focus on technical skills, though some systems are still maturing.

Strengths

• Leaders work closely with employers, such as NHS trusts, to develop an "innovative technical, skills-based curriculum" that meets regional demands.
• Teachers are subject experts who use effective methods to check understanding and provide feedback that helps students "improve their work... rapidly".
• Students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive effective support and "make as much progress as their peers".
• The curriculum includes "high quality, impartial, careers advice" and work placements that help students make informed decisions about their futures.
• Staff foster a "strong culture of safeguarding," identifying concerns quickly and providing effective support.

Areas to improve

• Leaders were initially "too slow to establish sustainable systems to monitor how well students were making progress," though effective methods have since been developed.
• "Too few level 2 students who need to take English and/or mathematics GCSE... improve their grades," limiting their future choices.
• Staff have "not taught students well enough about the risks of radicalisation and extremism," leaving students’ knowledge in this area less secure.

Safeguarding

The report states that leaders and managers foster a "strong culture of safeguarding" with suitably trained staff who identify concerns quickly, although teaching on the risks of radicalisation and extremism requires improvement.