South Leeds Academy criticised in Ofsted inspection

South Leeds Academy in Beeston was rated inadequate by Ofsted in a report published yesterday.

It read: “Outcomes for pupils are too low. Pupils do not attain as well as they should.

“Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and the most able, do not make enough progress over time from their starting points across a range of subjects.

“The school’s performance has been below the government floor standards in both of the last two years.

“Leaders did not take effective action to improve attendance and reduce the rates of absence. The level of fixed-term exclusion is high.

“Teachers do not make effective use of information about pupils’ progress to plan learning activities that support and challenge pupils at appropriate levels.”

It described the quality of the teaching as inadequate and said “middle leaders are not effective in improving the quality of teaching in their teams”.

But Ofsted noted that “swift action” was being taken by senior leaders to improve the quality of teaching and the school’s weaknesses were being urgently addressed.

A spokesman for the academy and the its sponsor, Delta Academies Trust, said the school had not been placed in special measures due to the ongoing improvements.

South Leeds Academy principal Graham Moffatt, who has been in post since October, said: “We accept the inspectors’ findings and know there is much work to be done.

“But inspectors highlight the pace of change in recent months and people here have responded positively.I’d like to thank students and staff for doing so.

“We are also grateful for the support we have received in the community and from our sponsor, also noted by inspectors.

“There is a tangible determination here that the academy will continue to improve and, hopefully, the hard work that’s going in will be reflected in better exam results in the summer.”

WE KNOW THERE IS WORK TO DO

South Leeds Academy principal Graham Moffatt, who has been in post since October, said: “We accept the inspectors’ findings and know there is much work to be done.

“But inspectors highlight the pace of change in recent months and people here have responded positively. I’d like to thank students and staff for doing so.

“We are also grateful for the support we have received in the community and from our sponsor, also noted by inspectors.”