Protest-hit Stoke-on-Trent school told to improve 'quality of education'

A Stoke-on-Trent high school says it has already "rapidly" turned around some of its "historic issues" after inspectors ruled that improvement is needed. The Discovery Academy in Bentilee, which was hit by an unprecedented pupil and parent protest in 2023, underwent a two-day Ofsted inspection last month.

Inspectors have rated the school, which caters for more than 1,450 pupils, as 'requires improvement' overall due to its judgement on 'the quality of education'. The other areas under scrutiny - behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management - were all deemed to be 'good'.

Discovery Academy, part of the Alpha Academies Trust, was rated 'good' overall following its previous inspection in 2019. The school hit the national news in February last year when protesters gathered outside in a row over locked toilets.

It followed the school's decision to install locked barriers outside most of its toilet blocks during lessons. Parents also complained about a crackdown on school uniform standards and new disciplinary measures.

READ: Head at Stoke-on-Trent school where parents protested over strict rules moves to new role Discovery Academy boss Rob Kelsall moving to new post in schools Trust

READ: Protesters gather outside Stoke-on-Trent school in row over toilets and discipline Discovery Academy in Bentilee the scene of demonstration this morning

A month after the protest, it was announced that the then headteacher Rob Kelsall was moving on to another role within the academy trust. The Ofsted report, published yesterday, states: "Pupils enjoy coming to this very inclusive school. They feel safe because they have absolute confidence that staff are there to help and support them whatever the problem might be. Pupils say that expectations of their behaviour and academic achievement have risen significantly over the last year.

"The vast majority of pupils strive to meet them and appreciate the rewards they gain when they do so. Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and respectful. Pupils are usually considerate of each other. They care about their peers and are eager to help when needed.

"This is reflected in the many pupils involved in leadership roles, such as mentoring and reading buddies. Classrooms are calm environments for learning. An ambitious curriculum is in place across all subjects.

"However, curriculum delivery is stronger in some areas than others. This means that sometimes, pupils are less interested in learning and do not do as well as they could. Pupils have increasingly high aspirations. These are well supported through the focus on providing a wide range of cultural and social experiences for all."

It adds: "The new principal, well supported by the trust, has driven a rigorous programme of improvement, with the well-being and achievement of pupils at the centre of decision-making. A well-organised, ambitious curriculum is in place and staff training is carefully designed to support its delivery.

"However, some aspects of this training are taking time to translate into classroom practice. For instance, assessment is planned and carried out well, but is not consistently used to provide accurate feedback to pupils to help them learn more. This means that some pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), do not always make the progress that they could.

"In some subjects, teachers do not have the confidence to plan and use a range of strategies in the classroom to ensure that pupils are increasingly asked to practise their learning independently. In these cases, pupils are too reliant on their teachers to tell them precisely what to do and when. Consequently, pupils can lack the confidence to identify the learning they need to recall and apply in a range of situations, including in examinations."

The report goes on to say that the school has placed "focus" on pupil attendance with pupils "actively supported to attend through a wide range of incentives and interventions", resulting in "rapidly declining numbers of suspensions and permanent exclusions" due to improved behaviour.

An Alpha Trust spokesperson said: "The collegial approach to leadership at the Academy alongside the Principal, Ms Jayne Schofield and the leadership team has enabled us to rapidly turn around some of the historic issues which we had 12 months ago and we acknowledge the recognition the Ofsted inspectors gave to this improvement.

"As inspectors found, the well-being and achievement of our pupils is at the centre of our decision making. We realise there are some steps still to take but are confident with ongoing staff training and the additional support from the Alpha Academies Trust that we will deliver on our ambitious curriculum designed to promote excellence for every student."

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