Walton Hall Academy

Overview

Walton Hall Academy continues to be a good school where pupils enjoy attending and feel safe due to strong, respectful relationships with staff. The curriculum is well planned across three distinct pathways, tailored to individual needs, with high expectations driving good progress and effective preparation for adulthood.

Strengths

• Staff provide "excellent care and support," dealing with issues such as bullying "very effectively" and fostering an environment where pupils trust adults.
• The curriculum is "well planned and adapted" for each pathway, with clear objectives that help pupils grow in confidence and independence.
• The ‘preparation for adulthood’ programme is "highly effective," carefully adapting personal, social and health education, independence, and careers strands to meet pupils’ needs.
• Assessment is used well, with individual learning plans that are "clear and helpful," allowing staff to identify needs accurately and teach skilfully.
• Leaders provide "clear strategic leadership," ensuring staff workload is manageable and sharing a vision that has improved the school over recent years.

Areas to improve

• Leaders should focus on improving staff’s expertise in teaching reading, as some staff lack sufficient knowledge and teaching sometimes "lacks precision," preventing some pupils from learning to read as quickly or effectively as they could.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with a strong culture of keeping pupils safe, well-trained staff who understand their responsibilities, and good relationships with external agencies.