The Chalk Hills Academy was inspected by Ofsted on the 31st October and the 1st November 2023. I am very pleased to announce that the Academy was found to continue to be ‘Good’.

I would like to congratulate all our staff and students for their hard work; and business as usual attitude during the inspection.

The full inspection report can be downloaded below, or accessed via the Ofsted website.

Key Findings

"Pupils are safe and happy at The Chalk Hills Academy. Teachers have high expectations for their behaviour and learning."

"Students in the sixth form can study a wide range of mostly academic qualifications. Pupils, including sixth-form students, are extremely well prepared for future study or employment."

"Pupils benefit from a range of inspiring wider personal development opportunities."

"The school has developed a well-constructed, broad and ambitious curriculum. Teachers identify with precision the knowledge pupils need to learn."

"Leaders ensure that staff have access to a high-quality programme of training and development. Consequently, teachers have the subject knowledge they need to teach the curriculum well."

"Teachers ensure that pupils can recall and build on important knowledge."

"Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have their needs accurately identified."

"The curriculum is enhanced with a well-established range of clubs, trips and visits."

"Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. Staff implement the school behaviour policy consistently well."

"Pupils learn about tolerance and accepting difference through a well-designed programme of personal, social and health education."

"Teachers in the early stages of their teaching careers are particularly well supported."

Identified Next Steps

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

• Although the needs of pupils with SEND are accurately identified, teachers do not always make useful adaptations to learning for pupils with SEND consistently well. Consequently, a minority of pupils with SEND do not access the curriculum as well as they might. The school needs to ensure that staff receive further training so that they successfully make the adaptations to learning that pupils with SEND need.
• Although leaders identify pupils in Years 7 and 8 who need support with reading, they have not ensured that support continues for pupils in all year groups. Pupils who cannot read fluently do not access the curriculum as well as they might. The school should ensure that these pupils are identified and the right support is put in place to allow them to access the curriculum as successfully as they might.