Pupils and staff at Landau Forte Academy Amington are today celebrating after Ofsted inspectors have confirmed they are providing a good quality of education for all students. The Academy was rated as Good across every category, following its previous grade of Requires Improvement.
In particular, Ofsted highlighted that school leaders have “high aspirations of every pupil”, and that they have instilled a widespread belief among the staff that every pupil can succeed. They stated that “the principal has united the staff in a shared passion to ensure all pupils achieve their very best”, and that pupils benefit from a good quality education.
You can read our latest Ofsted report here:
Other key highlights recognised in the report include:
- “Pupils are proud to attend Landau Forte Academy Amington”, and embrace the school’s values of being ambitious, brave, and kind. They have good manners, appreciate the time staff take to get to know them, and leave the school well prepared for the next stage of their education.
- Pupils unanimously say that there are adults to help them if they do have any worries, whether those are academic or personal. The school’s pastoral team works well to ensure all pupils feel cared for and receive enough attention, which means that pupils feel safe in school. Pupils agreed that behaviour has improved significantly since the previous Ofsted inspection and that their peers usually behave well in lessons and outside the classroom.
- The school’s curriculum is “broad and ambitious”, offering Key Stage 4 pupils the opportunity to study a wide range of subjects. School leaders have designed the curriculum well to ensure that the English Baccalaureate is at its heart, while still providing sufficient variety.
- School leaders have a clear purpose for what pupils learn and subjects are well taught in a logical order which builds effectively on what pupils have previously studied. This has significantly strengthened the curriculum in all subjects.
- Leaders have also ensured there are consistent teaching approaches across the school. “Teachers use effective questioning to deepen pupils’ knowledge” and to check what they can remember. All staff “have high expectations of pupils’ spelling, punctuation, and grammar use”. They have strong subject knowledge and revisit specific concepts regularly so they can be sure that pupils have a secure understanding of the subject.
- The curriculum has also been well planned to ensure there is a strong focus on literacy. Pupils receive a plethora of opportunities to develop their literacy skills across the curriculum and those who struggle with reading are helped to improve through targeted support. This supports all pupils to achieve.
- Pupils who require additional support to manage their behaviour speak positively about the pastoral help they receive. One pupil said: “The staff here don’t give up on us. They want us to be here. They care about us. We all have strong relationships with our teachers because they want us to do well.”
- The academy’s safeguarding arrangements are effective, and staff know the pupils and their families well. They have a clear understanding of any local safeguarding risks which may affect pupils, while leaders work closely with the police and other agencies to ensure pupils understand potential risks. All staff are well trained in identifying pupils who may be at risk of harm and understand well the procedures to follow if they do have any concerns.
Andrew Deen, Principal at Landau Forte Academy Amington, said:
“Everyone at Amington is thrilled with this report which highlights all the great work we see taking place here every day. I am constantly impressed by how hard our staff and pupils work and it is fantastic to see this recognised by the Ofsted inspectors.
“I am so proud of every member of our academy community for their contribution towards getting us to this level. We are all looking forward to building on this foundation for the future and continuing to offer the best possible education that we can.”
Sarah Findlay-Cobb, CEO at Landau Forte Charitable Trust, said:
“Congratulations to Andrew and his team on this fantastic report which shows how much hard work they have all put in towards making Amington such a great school. It is clear to see the improvement that has taken place throughout every level of the academy, and I am delighted that Ofsted agree we are on a positive path for the future.
“This is a fine achievement, and one of which everyone at Amington should be very proud. I look forward to seeing how the team continue to develop their provision for the future.”