Temple Learning Academy: Leeds school lays out 'ambitious plans' for the future despite Ofsted downgrade

Temple Learning Academy, located on Neville Road in Wykebeck, was downgraded to Requires Improvement during its recent inspection – despite ranking as Good in four of the five key areas.

In their latest report published this week, Ofsted rated the all-through school as Good in the areas of behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management and early years provision but a Requires Improvement grading in the quality of education was enough to see the school marked down.

The education watchdog said: “Temple Learning Academy is a positive and supportive place to learn. The school’s core value of respect is taken very seriously by staff and pupils. Pupils enjoy positive relationships with each other and bullying is very rare.

“Pupils behave well in lessons. Most pupils are very positive about their learning. Staff have the highest expectations for pupils’ character and conduct.”

Ofsted acknowledged that the gaps in learning are largely a legacy issue and recognised that much work had already been done to rectify the problem so that, in time, the school should see a marked improvement in this area.

Inspectors said: “Previously, the school did not have clear enough plans for what pupils would learn, and the range of subjects which pupils studied was too narrow. This has left older pupils with gaps in their knowledge.

“In some subjects, teaching and assessment sometimes focuses too heavily on the surface features of pupils’ written work. As a result, less time is spent on building pupils’ knowledge of the topics they are learning and gaps are not addressed as quickly as they could be.”

In September 2018, Temple Learning Academy became part of Red Kite Learning Trust. Inspectors noted that trust and school leaders work with a “shared purpose and vision,” and take “swift and effective action” to address areas of weakness.

They particularly praised the school’s efforts in improving attendance, with the school treating it as their “number one priority.”

Adding: “They are doing everything they can to improve attendance. Staff work tirelessly with pupils and their families to encourage them to come to school. This work is having an impact, and attendance is improving.”

Mr Stuart Huddleston, Principal at Temple Learning Academy, recently wrote to parents informing them that they had welcomed the Ofsted inspection and that had confirmed much of what they already knew about the school’s strengths and weaknesses.

He said: “At Temple Learning Academy we are focused on developing well-rounded characters with excellent social skills. We strive to provide outstanding learning opportunities and to ensure the best outcomes for the children in our care.

“We welcome the report from Ofsted and thank the inspectors for recognising all the improvements we have made and the many areas where we do well. We will continue to work on overcoming incumbent barriers to learning, to identify gaps in learning and provide support where required and will use these findings as an aid to further improve our school.”