Outwood Academy Hasland Hall

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

In referring to the work of the school's leaders, one pupil captured the feelings of many, and of staff, when they wrote: 'Thank you for making my school a better place for everyone.' The school insists that pupils learn in a calm and orderly environment.

The school's curriculum is inclusive and ambitious for all. Pupils know that staff care about them and their futures. They are well supported in realising their next steps in education, employment or training.

Most pupils achieve well, particularly by the end of key stage 4.

Relationships are typically positive between pupils and with staff. Most pupils display positive attitudes towards their learning.
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Most pupils are happy. They applaud positive achievement and value the 'praising stars' programme. Classrooms are purposeful.

Expectations at Hasland Hall are high and uncompromising. Most pupils respond well to these. Some pupils struggle to behave as well as they should.

These pupils are well supported in improving their conduct using facilities such as 'the bridge' and the 'personal learning centre'. Even so, occasions of pupils being removed from lessons or being suspended from school are high.

Pupils' moral and cultural development is well promoted.

They explore different cultures, including Asian and Afro-Caribbean. Pupils helped to design a memorial commemorating Armistice, for the school and the local community.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Staff are united by a moral sense of purpose and determination for everyone's success.

This ethos permeates all aspects of the school's provision. Staff have clarity about the school's expectations and its ambitious vision. Morale is high.

Many staff say that the changes made in school have revitalised their enthusiasm and pride. They strongly value the school's investment in their professional learning. Teachers at an early stage of their career feel equally well supported.

The school's curriculum, for all subjects, identifies the knowledge and skills pupils need to know and remember. Learning 'journeys' enable pupils to build their knowledge over time. Alongside the academic curriculum, the school promotes pupils' social, moral and cultural development well.

In art, for example, pupils explore Aboriginal and Chinese culture when learning to apply different techniques.

Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They use this knowledge to question pupils well, identifying and remedying any misconceptions they spot.

Most pupils produce high-quality work. Most pupils achieve well in most subjects. On occasion, however, staff move pupils on to new learning tasks before they are ready.

When this happens, pupils become unsure of what knowledge or skills they need to apply. Sometimes, they leave work incomplete as a result. Nevertheless, staff use the school's tracking processes well to know when additional help is needed and for whom.

Some pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds do not achieve, nor attend school, as well as their peers.

Pupils at an early stage of learning to read are well supported. These pupils are building confidence in reading with fluency and using subject specific vocabulary.

Most pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are similarly well supported. Staff receive the right amount of information to provide the extra help that these pupils need. Most pupils with SEND achieve well.

Pupils say that they feel safe at school. Most understand the school's 'call it out' strategy to report any concerns. The school provides high-quality pastoral support for pupils, showing understanding without compromising on the school's expectations.

The school has established a climate of inclusion and of celebrating diversity. Pupils enjoy discussing social responsibility. Most pupils have a secure understanding of fairness, respect and equality.

Most embrace the importance of the British values well. Some pupils wrote to local councillors in support of refugees moving into the area.

The school offers a broad range of extra-curricular activities, particularly in sport and creative arts.

Pupils value opportunities for out-of-school visits that enrich the curriculum and help to raise pupils' aspirations. These include a trip to Cambodia to experience voluntary work.

All leaders have a precise understanding of the school's strengths and priorities for further development.

The school is strongly supported by the trust.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school has an ambitious curriculum for all pupils.

Sometimes, however, teachers introduce new tasks without ensuring that pupils have fully understood what has been taught. When this happens, pupils are unsure what knowledge and skills they need to apply. Sometimes they leave work incomplete.

The school should ensure that teachers in all subjects have the skills they need to check pupils' understanding and completion of work over time, especially for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, so that all pupils can achieve as well as they should. ? The school's expectations for all pupils are high and uncompromising. Nevertheless, occasions of removal from lessons and of suspension are high.

A small number of pupils are repeatedly removed from lessons or suspended. These pupils miss out on the important learning they need in the classroom. The school should ensure that the strategies used to realise its ambitious expectations of pupils lead to a reduction over time in occasions of lesson removal and suspension.

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