Lodge Park Academy rated Ofsted “good” in 4 out of 5 categories

A Corby secondary school has been recognised by Ofsted inspectors for its “ambitious curriculum” and “high expectations of what pupils can achieve”.

Lodge Park Academy, part of the David Ross Education Trust, was rated “good” for the quality of its education for the first time ever in the school’s history following the recent Ofsted inspection in November (21 and 22 November).

Inspectors said the curriculum was “designed to make sure that all pupils gain sufficient knowledge to achieve well” with the curriculums for all subjects “carefully sequenced” to enable pupils “to build on their existing knowledge and deepen their understanding over time”.

They also reported that there was “a focus on literacy and communication” at Lodge Park, with pupils “reading often from high quality texts” and learning the vocabulary they need “to express their own ideas”. 

The school was also praised for having “high expectations of what pupils can achieve” and “supporting pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and pupils who speak English as an additional language well”.

Impressively, Lodge Park was also recognised as “good” for its leadership and management, Sixth Form provision and personal development.

The Sixth Form was highly praised with sixth formers reported as “well prepared for their next steps and well-supported academically” with many going on to “aspirational destinations”.

Inspectors also recognised that sixth formers benefited from “a calm and focused environment” and enjoyed an increased range of “demanding courses” while “receiving excellent pastoral care that helps them to rise to the challenge”.

They said that all pupils “across the school” benefited “from a well-planned careers programme” which included “access to employers, colleges and universities” and praised the school’s “broad range of enrichment activities that many pupils enjoy” including “a variety of clubs in sports, music and drama”.

While inspectors said that “most pupils behave well” and were “polite and respectful”, trying hard in lessons, they also reported that “a small minority” were not behaving as well as they should and the school needed to deal more effectively with them.

As a result, behaviour and attitudes were rated as ‘requires improvement’, meaning the school received an overall effectiveness rating of ‘requires improvement’. 

Sue Jones, Executive Principal of Lodge Park Academy, said: 

“We are delighted that the hard work leaders and staff have put into the improvement of Lodge Park has been formally recognised by Ofsted. It is wonderful that the quality of education has been graded as  “good” - a first in the history of the school. 

“The team of inspectors rightly praised our demanding curriculum and the success of our Sixth Form and recognised the excellent behaviour and attitudes of the majority of our pupils and their interest in and enthusiasm for their learning.

“We are already working hard to improve our response to the behaviour of the minority and we are committed to ensuring that all our pupils at Lodge Park are engaged in their learning and contribute positively to the school community.”

Mark Neild, Deputy CEO and Director of Secondary Schools at David Ross Education Trust, said:

“We are very proud of the team at Lodge Park Academy for their hard work in improving the quality of education at the school and ensuring that pupils have access to such a challenging curriculum which is clearly setting them up well for their future lives at university and beyond.

“We are committed to supporting them in ensuring that all students now take advantage of the clear opportunities for success, progression and enrichment which are on offer at the school.”