Ofsted Report

What OFSTED Said About Our School

Inspectors recognised that pupils enjoy being part of our school and benefit from a caring and supportive environment. They also acknowledged that the school has identified the right priorities for improvement and is already taking action to address them.

Many of these improvements are still relatively new and will take time to become fully established across the school. Ensuring greater consistency remains a key focus moving forward.

What We Are Doing Well

We are pleased that OFSTED highlighted a number of strengths across the school:

Safeguarding remains a major strength. Inspectors found a strong culture of care, where staff take responsibility for keeping pupils safe, concerns are dealt with quickly, and pupils feel well supported.
Personal development was also recognised as a strength. Pupils benefit from a broad curriculum and a wide range of opportunities that help them develop confidence, respect for others, and an understanding of healthy relationships and personal safety. Inspectors also praised the careers programme and the many enrichment opportunities available, including sport, music and educational visits.
The report also highlights improvements in the school environment. Inspectors noted that the school is becoming calmer and more orderly, relationships between staff and pupils are positive, and most pupils behave well. They recognised the clear message that bullying and discrimination are not tolerated and recognised the school’s commitment to inclusion and the support provided for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), who are able to access the full range of opportunities on offer.

Areas We Need to Improve

OFSTED identified some areas where further improvement is needed. These are priorities that we had already recognised and were actively working on before the inspection:

Attendance remains below the national averages, with too many pupils missing school regularly.
Pupil achievement is not yet as consistent as it should be. Some pupils, including some with SEND, are not making the progress they are capable of making.
Teaching quality varies across subjects. While improvements are underway, they are not yet consistent in every classroom. Our focus on Adaptive Teaching, a method for making sure lessons meet the needs of all learners, is beginning to have a positive impact, but there is more work to do.
Behaviour has improved overall, but there are still occasions when learning is disrupted by a small number of pupils. Further changes to our behaviour systems will be introduced in September to help continue this improvement.

Read the Full Report: Archway School - Ofsted Report

Understanding the New Framework

How it’s different from the old system Previously:

· Schools were judged using a “best fit” approach

· A school could still be rated “Good” even if some areas were weaker

Now:

· Schools must meet every part of the ‘expected’ standard

· If even a few areas fall short → the judgement becomes ‘Needs Attention’

What it means in practice

A school with a Needs Attention judgement:

· Has recognised strengths

· Is often already working on improvements

· May be making progress—but not yet consistently across all areas

Needs to:

· Improve consistency

· Ensure all pupils benefit equally

· Fully embed recent changes

In simple terms

‘Needs Attention’ = On the right track, but not there yet. It is not a failure judgement and does not mean the school is underperforming overall. It reflects a stricter system, not necessarily a weaker school.

The good news is that, under the new framework, we no longer have to wait several years for OFSTED to recognise improvements and their impact. Instead, we will work closely with a designated inspector who can visit regularly and update judgements in real time as standards continue to improve.