Willoughby Academy

Overview

Willoughby Academy continues to be a good school, providing a "calm and friendly environment" where pupils feel safe and supported. The report highlights high ambitions for all pupils, with staff demonstrating deep knowledge of individual needs to foster communication, resilience, and positive community engagement.

Strengths

• Pupils are "enthusiastically" engaged in school life, benefiting from a supportive ethos of "be safe, be ready, be kind" and early interventions for distress.
• The "preparation for adulthood" curriculum and careers education are described as "exceptional," ensuring pupils are well prepared for their next steps.
• Staff provide "comprehensive and bespoke" behaviour support plans, ensuring consistent guidance and helping pupils manage their behaviour effectively.
• Communication is prioritised through a clear framework, resulting in pupils being "less frustrated" and making progress in a calm environment.
• Reading is promoted effectively, with "sensory stories" used to engage pupils and phonics-based programmes supporting fluency.

Areas to improve

• Staff must ensure pupils’ understanding is "secure" before moving on to new topics, as they do not always provide further support when identifying misconceptions or knowledge gaps.
• The school needs to address inconsistencies in the new "provision map" system, ensuring targets contain clear success criteria and accurately build towards outcomes in pupils’ EHC plans.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.