The PRIDE Academy

Overview

The PRIDE Academy is described as a place of "positivity, inclusion and support" where staff foster pupils' self-confidence and have "high ambition for pupils’ achievement and success." The report highlights a "broad" and "highly tailored" curriculum that prepares pupils well for their next steps, underpinned by "exemplary" behaviour management and effective leadership.

Strengths

• Staff are "very well trained," ensuring learning is "well adapted to meet pupils’ individual needs" and helping knowledge become "memorable."
• Behaviour management is "exemplary," with incidents carefully analysed to support pupils emotionally, leading to a significant reduction in suspensions.
• The curriculum is "carefully structured" to embed key skills, with expanded vocational and academic qualifications preparing pupils for college or apprenticeships.
• Personal development is "extensive," teaching pupils to be "responsible, independent and resilient" through life skills and a rich careers programme.
• Reading is prioritised with dedicated practice time, positively impacting pupils' "fluency, comprehension and vocabulary acquisition."

Areas to improve

• Assessment is not used with "consistent precision," meaning some pupils are not adequately supported to secure the knowledge needed to progress through the curriculum.

Safeguarding

The report states that "the arrangements for safeguarding are effective," noting that pupils understand what to do if they feel unsafe and trust staff to deal with issues quickly.