Cowley Academy ‘enters new era’ after glowing Ofsted report

Leaders at a secondary school which was previously rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted have said they can now ‘enter a new era’ following a glowing inspector’s report.

Cowley Academy in Donington is celebrating the success of its first inspection since joining the Lincolnshire Academies Trust in September 2022.

The previously failing secondary school was visited by inspectors on May 20 and 21, who rated its leadership and management as ‘outstanding’, and ‘good’ for the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes and personal development, as well as assessing that safeguarding is effective.

Ofsted now follows a new framework which individually marks four key areas rather than an overall judgement.

Lucy Conley, chief executive officer at South Lincolnshire Academies Trust, said: "We can celebrate the many highlights in this report across all of the key areas in the inspection.

“I am delighted that this glowing report recognises that Cowley Academy has benefited from a new era as our trust have a relentless focus on continuous improvement to providing exceptional education to young people.

“For the school leadership to be recognised as ‘outstanding’ in its first Ofsted inspection is a testament to the wider leadership team across the trust who are highly experienced in making significant improvements as Inspectors praised that we lead with a strong moral purpose.

“The report identified the quality of education as a strength where our dedicated teachers have strong subject knowledge and the curriculum is ambitious as we identify the knowledge and skills students need to learn.”

In the report, inspectors stated they were impressed with the efforts made by the school to promote reading to its students.

The pupils behaviour was commended and lessons were said to be ‘calm and purposeful’.

Inspectors noted the school needs to improve on its approach to identify and provide for all students with special educational needs and disabilities and the report stated ‘some pupils do not develop their knowledge, understanding and skills as well as they could’ as a result of this.

Cowley Academy has said it will aim to improve SEN and are ‘fully committed’ to ensure students with SEND achieve highly in the future.

Mrs Conley added: “In the past two years, the school has already expanded the enrichment and extra-curricular programme during lunchtimes and after school, and introduced many new external trips for different year groups – such as visiting Peterborough Cathedral and Faizan E Madina Mosque, Geography field trips to Hunstanton and sports trips to Wimbledon and Wembley Stadium.

“This is another area of focus that will continue to develop as in the next academic year over 40 students are already looking forward to a skiing trip in Andorra.

“During the inspection, I would like to praise every member of staff who are proud to be part of this school as we have been on an incredible journey. Our amazing students, who have a strong sense of belonging to both the school and Trust could not have done any more to demonstrate how great Cowley Academy is. They are all the heartbeat of what makes this school a truly special place and embodies our core key values of aspire, challenge, achieve.”