Arden Academy in Solihull gets its first Ofsted rating - and the head teacher is “exceptionally proud”

It was Ofsted’s first visit to Arden Academy since the school converted into an academy a decade ago
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The associate headteacher of Arden Academy has said he is exceptionally proud of the school’s latest Ofsted report, despite missing out on the highest rating.

Arden received a ‘Good’ rating in its latest inspection, the findings of which were published at the end of September. This was Ofsted’s first visit to Arden since the school converted into an academy in 2012.

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It received glowing praise from the inspection body in several areas including enrichment programmes, pupil safety, pastoral support and an ambitious curriculum. The school of almost 2,000 pupils has something for everyone according to the report including a chess club, drama and music activities, and an LGBTQ+ club.

In a letter to parents, associate head David Warwood said the report finds that ‘exceptionally high aspirations that permeate the school’ and that relationships between staff and pupils are ‘exemplary’. He also pointed out his frustration at not achieving the top rating of ‘Outstanding’.

What advice did the Ofsted report give the school to reach ‘Outstanding’?

In the report, Ofsted said some teachers do not match learning activities to pupils’ needs carefully enough, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Another area of improvement the report highlights is teachers’ use of assessment.

Ofsted encouraged leaders at Arden to make sure staff use assessments ‘consistently well’ to make sure students fully understand the subject before moving on.

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Arden Academy in Knowle is described as a larger-than-average secondary school with its 1,811 pupils aged between 11 and 18. The school’s sixth form has 304 students, who were not in school at the time of the inspection (June 2022).

Arden Academy in SolihullArden Academy in Solihull
Arden Academy in Solihull

What did the Arden Academy head teacher say about the Ofsted report in his own words?

Mr Warwood told the LDRS: “We are delighted with the content of the report, which we feel reads extremely positively. We are of course disappointed that the judgement is reflected as Good. We do, however, accept that this is a different framework and understand the exacting nature of the new framework.

“We are also frustrated that our Year 11, 12 and 13 students were not in school during the inspection, since we pride ourselves on how our young people grow, mature and develop throughout their time with us. It was very disappointing that the inspection team did not meet and observe them.

“To receive such a positive report and be deemed as Good is frustrating, particularly in light of the fact that our results this summer, in both GCSE and A Level, have been excellent. They are well above the national average and we anticipate the GCSE results to show our best-ever Progress 8 figure of 0.8 and an average grade at A Level of B+.”

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