Alameda Middle School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school Leaders and governors ensure that all adults are suitable to work with pupils.

They have an effective system to ensure that recruitment processes for staff are complete, checked and reported to governors. Teaching, learning and assessment in the school are good and continue to improve as the result of a strongly focused programme of professional development for teachers and support staff. Leadership and teaching in English are consistently strong.

There are effective systems for checking how well pupils are learning in lessons, and as a result the quality of pupils' work in books is high. Leaders ensure that teaching in mathematics contin...ues to improve rapidly, with a clear focus on pupils explaining what they are doing and knowing how to improve. Leaders are now making sure that teaching in science is improving.

They are also making more accurate checks on how well pupils are doing in science. Pupils work well in lessons and say they enjoy most subjects, particularly English, mathematics, history, geography, design technology (DT), art, music and physical education (PE). Pupils speak highly of the opportunities they have in sports, arts, music and other clubs outside lessons.

Pupils behave maturely at breaks, lunchtimes, in the dining hall and when moving around the school. Pupils are proud of their school. They wear their uniforms with pride and are keen to take on roles such as prefects in Year 8.

They understand the need for and keep school rules. The school has an effective emphasis on 'values' through a taught programme and other activities and assemblies. This contributes to the positive attitudes that pupils display towards their learning in most lessons.

Pupils make better progress in Years 7 and 8 but their slower progress in Years 5 and 6, along with a history of poorer outcomes in science, and for the most able in mathematics, means that the overall outcomes for pupils require improvement. Teaching is less effective in science and in modern foreign languages. In these lessons pupils are not always focused on their work and therefore their progress is slower.

While the presentation to governors of information about how well pupils are doing improved last term, this is not yet fully in place.

Information about this school

The school converted to an academy in 2011. The school collaborates with a 'pyramid' of local schools.

This includes six lower schools, one other middle school and one upper school. The school is a middle deemed secondary school and has pupils from Year 5 to Year 8. It has six forms of entry in each year.

The proportion of pupils who have English as an additional language is well below average. About 10% of pupils in the school are disadvantaged, which is well below average. A very small number of pupils attend alternative provision at The Academy of Central Bedfordshire, Houghton Regis.

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