Glowing Ofsted report for high-flying academy and sixth form

By Jill Dando News

Hundreds of students and staff are celebrating after their 11-18 academy gained a glowing clean sweep of Ofsted Good ratings – just five years being placed in special measures.

The King Alfred School Academy in Highbridge, Somerset has received a superb report from Ofsted after several years of excellent improvements.

In a clean sweep of Good Ratings, inspectors praised the academy’s Quality of education, its Behaviour and attitudes, Personal development, and Leadership and management. 

“There is a strong sense of community at this school. Pupils feel safe and enjoy positive relationships with staff”

Ofsted 2023 Report The King Alfred School Academy

They also highlighted the success of its expanding Sixth Form which has seen numbers soar in recent years.

The Ofsted report opened with inspectors praising the ‘strong sense of community at the school’, adding that pupils ‘feel safe and enjoy positive relationships with staff’. 

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It also highlighted the positive relationships, ‘calm site’, strong curriculum and positive attitudes of pupils.

And they noted the ‘inclusivity’, ‘ambitious and knowledge-rich curriculum’, and ‘excellent extra-curricular provision including careers, music and the Jill Dando News Centre’.

Inspectors listed also that leaders are ‘relentless’ in ensuring that students receive the help and support they need.

It was the first full inspection since TKASA entered special measures in 2017, when the school was taken on by The Priory Learning Trust. 

“We are incredibly proud of the inspection report and feel it captures perfectly what a truly wonderful school TKASA is”. 

Principal Dan Milford

Since then it has seen their biggest students numbers in a generation, a huge £4 million-plus of investments, and the expansion of their thriving Sixth Form which has doubled in numbers.

Principal Dan Milford said: “We are incredibly proud of the inspection report and feel it captures perfectly what a truly wonderful school TKASA is”. 

“There are so many positives in the report, highlighting strengths in governance, leadership across the school, our Sixth Form, SEND, behaviour and culture and the curriculum we deliver”.

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“We have such amazing students and staff at the school who have all contributed to this report and the journey the school has been on over the past few years.”

“We have a school the community can be really proud of and, of course, the support of our parents and carers over the past few years has massively helped”.

“We now look forward to improving the school even further over the next few months and years to ensure we continue to deliver a high quality education for all of our young people.”

“This is a really significant report for TKASA and for The Priory Learning Trust. It details not just the current position of the school but also the tremendous work that has been carried out by staff, students and the whole community since they joined TPLT in 2018.”

Nathan Jenkins, CEO, The Priory Learning Trust

Nathan Jenkins, who was Principal from 2018 until 2021 until he became CEO of The Priory Learning Trust in 2022, said: “This is a really significant report for TKASA and for The Priory Learning Trust”.

“It details not just the current position of the school but also the tremendous work that has been carried out by staff, students and the whole community since they joined TPLT in 2018. 

“TKASA is a true community school and everyone has worked really hard to become one team, in pursuit of the very best education for the young people of Burnham and Highbridge. 

“The school is now incredibly well led by Mr Milford and his team and myself and Trustees would like to thank them for all their efforts. I hope the community is as proud of their school as we are.”

In a wide-ranging positive report Ofsted inspectors highlighted a raft of positive attributes and achievements including:

• There is a strong sense of community at this school. Pupils feel safe and enjoy positive relationships with staff.

• Pupils celebrate difference and the school is inclusive. For example, the pride club is an important part of school life. There are many opportunities for pupils to participate in extra-curricular activities. Younger pupils can be music superstars or develop their skills as a journalist at the Jill Dando News Centre.

• Students in the Sixth Form speak highly of their tutors and the support they receive from teachers across the curriculum.

• There is an ambitious, knowledge-rich curriculum in place for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

• Pupils with SEND are well supported. Teachers consider their needs in their curriculum planning.

• The school site is calm. Pupils move between lessons purposefully. Routines are the bedrock of this positive culture. Staff are highly visible at all times of the school day. They model the respectful behaviours that are expected of pupils.

• The effectiveness of governance has strengthened significantly. Governors are passionate about doing the best for pupils at the school. The academy council and the trust work together effectively to support leaders, but also hold them to account.

• Staff are proud to work at this school. The trust motto of ‘cherish your staff’ is lived out in practice.

• Leaders are relentless in ensuring that pupils receive the help and support they need.

For the full report click https://www.tkasa.org.uk/news/2023/1/10/ofsted-report