A SCHOOL which was told it needed to improve two years ago is no further forward, according to Ofsted inspectors.
Barnsley Academy at Kendray was told it still requires improvement at its latest Ofsted inspection in September.
Inspectors said the school, which is run by the United Learning Trust, was struggling amid concerns about high levels of staff turnover having an impact on the pace of improvement.
The findings in the latest report are critical of leaders and governors saying they have not improved the school’s overall effectiveness since the previous inspection and that pupils are not making good progress.
“Standards by the end of Year 11, while improving, are still broadly average. Current pupils’ progress varies between subjects and between groups of pupils,” said the report.
“Teaching is also variable in quality between subjects. Expectations of what pupils can achieve are sometimes too low. Work for the most able pupils, for example, lacks challenge.”
It says additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs or disabilities is not used to good effect, and poor attendance of these pupils also hampers their achievement.
Inspectors said expectations of good behaviour have been raised and are high but this has resulted in ‘very high levels of exclusions’. The report states: “Fixed-term exclusions and repeat fixed-term exclusions increased last year as a result of higher expectations and a stronger focus on good behaviour.”
Conduct of pupils around the school is said to be orderly and calm and behaviour has significantly improved.
“The number of recorded incidents of inappropriate behaviour last year dropped by 25 per cent compared with the previous year.”
Other strengths were identified, such as the principal taking robust action to tackle weak teaching.
The report said: “Teaching, as well as pupils’ outcomes, their attitudes, behaviour and attendance, are all improving.”
The school was set up by a private sponsor after three previous council-run incarnations - White Cross, Worsbrough High and Elmhirst.
Initially the school, which opened in its new building in March 2009, got off to a flying start and in 2011 was named by the government as one of the most improved school after its GCSEs hit 55 per cent for students achieving five good GCSEs.
But since then the results have been in decline.
However, this year’s provisional school league tables rank Barnsley Academy as fifth best in the borough for performance when it comes to the progress pupils made between leaving primary school and leaving secondary school, on average compared to others in England who had similar results when they left primary school. However, only 27 per cent of students at Barnsley Academy left this year with a good grade in English and maths.
The principal Stephen Dixon said: “We are pleased the inspectors’ report acknowledges the genuine progress that is being made at the academy and that, while there is still work to be done to become securely ‘good’, we are heading in the right direction.
“This builds on our improved GCSE and Progress 8 results this summer, which make us the most improved school in Barnsley for 2017.”
Derek Davies, of United Learning, said: “As inspectors have recognised, there has been strong progress made across the academy and leaders have taken the appropriate, robust action to tackle areas of weakness.
“We are fully confident that, under Stephen’s leadership and with the support of the whole school community, the academy is now well placed to go from strength to strength.”
