To read our most recent Ofsted reports and monitoring letters, please click on the link below to visit the Ofsted website.

Ofsted Reports for the Newark Hill Academy

Following an inspection that took place on 7 and 8 February 2017, Ofsted has judged the overall effectiveness of the Newark Hill Academy, sponsored by the Greenwood Academies Trust (GAT), to be “good”.

The inspection is an independent assessment of the effectiveness of the academy which includes:

The academy was judged to be ‘good’ across all five areas. This is exceptional when you consider that the predecessor school was judged as ‘Inadequate’ when it was last inspected in June 2013.

Inspectors scrutinised records and documentation, observed lessons and met with pupils, staff and members of the Trust. The inspectors concluded that “pupils’ attainment is rising across the school” which is a significant achievement given that children enter Reception with skills that are lower that is typical for their age and historically, pupils have not achieved as well as they could.

The report states the Principal “provides strong and effective leadership and management”. Inspectors highlighted how Mrs Kendal has been instrumental in the academy’s rapid improvement since joining the trust in April 2014. The wider leadership team is also praised for having “brought about rapid improvements to the rate of progress pupils make in reading, writing and mathematics”.

The positive impact of the Trust which “provides a good balance of support and challenge” is also recognised. The inspectors noted that “the Trust is committed to working with the school to ensure continuous improvement”.

The inspectors noted that the academy “contributes strongly to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development” and that the academy is ensuring that “pupils are now better prepared to do well in their secondary schools” which will be particularly reassuring for parents with children in Year 6.

Parents will be particularly keen to read that inspectors found that “pupils are polite and courteous” and that the academy is “a calm and orderly place”. Inspectors observed that “pupils are proud of their work and their school” and that they “enjoy school and have positive attitudes towards their learning.

We are delighted with the outcome of this Ofsted inspection. We would like to thank pupils and staff who have worked tremendously hard and the families who have supported us to make the Newark Hill Academy the ‘good’ academy it is today. We were particularly pleased to read that the overwhelming majority of staff, pupils and parents agreed that pupils are well looked after and that parents are happy with the improvements they have seen over the last two years.

We are delighted that the report found that the standard of education the academy offers is improving rapidly and feel confident that we are exceptionally well prepared to continue to move forward and become an ‘outstanding’ academy in the future.”

Please visit the official Ofsted 'Parent View' website or click on the picture.