Newhouse Academy receives first Ofsted inspection since joining Hollingworth Learning Trust

Newhouse Academy has been rated as ‘requiring improvement’ by Ofsted, in its first inspection since joining the Hollingworth Learning Trust.

The school, formerly known as Siddal Moor prior to 2020, was last rated as ‘inadequate’ before it became Newhouse Academy.

Whilst the school received an overall ‘requires improvement’, it was rated good for behaviours and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.

Inspectors visited the school over two days in November 2023 and said pupils were learning “more effectively than they did in the past” but said the “delivery of the curriculum is uneven.”

Pupils were praised for striving towards the “high standards of behaviour and conduct that the school sets” and “usually” behave well and participate well in lessons.

Pupils felt “well cared for and safe” and treated other pupils well. The report noted that “the  school deals well with the persistent minority” who spoil other pupils’ enjoyment of school and that those affected are supported.

Newhouse Academy was praised for “an appropriately ambitious vision” for its pupils’ education. Inspectors said the school and governors have “successfully brought about change, especially in pupils’ behaviour” and “taken important steps towards strengthening the quality of education.”

The report said pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are offered an “appropriately broad and ambitious curriculum.”

However, it noted that “many of the Year 11 pupils who left the school in 2022 and 2023 did not achieve well,” explaining: “While the school has made positive changes to the curriculum design, it is in the early stages of ensuring that this is implemented consistently well across different subjects and year groups.

“Although the trust has provided appropriate training to strengthen the delivery of the curriculum, teachers are at different points in ensuring that this training is put into practice.

“While more pupils are achieving better than they did in the past, some pupils are not gaining the knowledge that they need in order to be successful.”

Teachers were praised for “secure subject knowledge” whilst “carefully designed assessment strategies help teachers to identify what pupils know and remember.”

Despite this, inspectors said some pupils did not get the support needed to address gaps in their knowledge as “this information is not used well to make decisions about what pupils should learn next.”

Reading has been identified as a priority for Newhouse Academy: with pupils encouraged to read an “appropriate range of different books,” they are now reading “more often” than in previous years.

The school “appropriately identifies the gaps in the knowledge of those pupils who are at the earliest stages of learning to read” but support for some pupils “is not provided quickly enough, nor maintained until pupils have overcome their barriers to reading fluently.

“Consequently, while some pupils make some gains in their reading knowledge, these gains are not sufficient to help them read as confidently or accurately as they should.”

Newhouse Academy was said to ‘accurately identify’ the needs of pupils with SEND. Staff provide “helpful support” in lessons and “carefully ensure” participation.

Inspectors said, where needed, “pupils with greater needs benefit from well-matched, additional support provided by expert staff and other appropriate external agencies.”

They said parents and carers were “well informed about the school’s aspirations for pupils.”

Improvements for the school included knowing how to spot gaps in learning and “reshape their teaching” to help pupils, ensure support for reading enables pupils to “overcome barriers that stop them being successful” and ensuring staff can deliver the curriculum “consistently well.”

A statement from Newhouse Academy said the school was “delighted” that its “leadership and management, personal development, and the behaviour and attitudes of our students are ‘good’.”

The statement continued: “This is a fantastic achievement for the academy and follows on from our 2023 GCSE results which show that the academy is one of the most improved schools in the country.

“In January 2020, the former school, Siddal Moor Sports College, was graded inadequate by Ofsted.

“Siddal Moor had been underperforming for many years and had not been considered ‘good’ by Ofsted in more than a decade.

“In April 2020, the school joined Hollingworth Learning Trust and became Newhouse Academy, with the belief that all students should be given the opportunity to achieve their goals.

“This Ofsted grading for Newhouse Academy, three years since we opened, is down to the hard work of the trust, the local governing body, academy staff, students and their families. We would like to thank everyone involved for their continued support.

“We acknowledge there is still much work to be done, especially in our drive to continue to improve student outcomes. However, Ofsted has recognised that robust plans are in place and that the academy is on the right track to achieve this.

“We are now excited and determined to build on this strong start for Newhouse Academy and we look forward to seeing continued improvement in the future.”