The Kings of Wessex Academy in Cheddar has been praised for its aspirational ethos and commitment to academic excellence following its latest Ofsted inspection on November 5 and 6, 2024. Inspectors highlighted the school’s strong sense of community, high expectations for behaviour, and ambitious curriculum, confirming that it has upheld the high standards identified in its previous evaluation.
Key Strengths Identified in the Ofsted Report
Aspirational Ethos and Strong School Community
Ofsted inspectors recognised the school’s focus on both academic achievement and personal development.
“Pupils and staff are proud to be members of the Kings of Wessex Academy community. The school aims for all pupils to achieve well academically and develop a rich set of wider skills. This aspirational ethos is leading to improvements in outcomes for all pupils, particularly for disadvantaged pupils.”
High Expectations for Behaviour and Respectful Relationships
The school’s recently revised behaviour and reward system was well received, fostering a safe and respectful learning environment.
“The school has high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Pupils and staff have positive and respectful relationships built on mutual respect. The recent changes to the behaviour and reward systems have been appreciated by pupils. They agree that systems are fair and consistently applied. This means they feel safe and learning takes place without disruption.”
House System and Extracurricular Activities
The house system, featuring Avalon, Camelot, Lyonesse, and Tintagel, promotes healthy competition and school pride.
“Pupils are proud to represent their house. They enjoy good-natured competition to win the annual prize. The school has a wide range of extracurricular clubs, including chess and the Kings Sixth debating group. School productions and musical events develop pupils’ talents.”
Ambitious and Well-Structured Curriculum
The school’s curriculum is designed to ensure that students develop deep knowledge and understanding, particularly in sixth-form subjects.
“The curriculum is ambitious and prepares pupils and sixth-form students for future study. In many subjects, pupils develop an impressive depth of knowledge and understanding. They talk with confidence about their work.”
Strong Focus on Inclusion and Special Educational Needs (SEN)
The school provides effective support for students with SEN, ensuring they can achieve alongside their peers.
“The school quickly identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff use the information they receive to make adaptations to the curriculum. This supports pupils to learn as well as their peers.”
Reading and Literacy Promotion
Reading is a priority, with efforts to engage students through carefully selected books, author visits, and peer reading programs.
“Reading is encouraged at this school. Class reading books explore different cultures and themes. School events such as author visits engage pupils. Sixth-form students act as peer readers to share their love of reading with younger pupils. The weakest readers are supported to build their confidence and fluency.”
Personal Development and Careers Education
The ‘I Curriculum’ focuses on helping students become responsible and active citizens, while the careers programme ensures students are well-prepared for future opportunities.
“The school has brought together all the elements of personal development and citizenship into the ‘I curriculum’. This focuses on providing pupils with the skills and experiences they need to become responsible, respectful, and active citizens.”
“The school works closely with local middle schools, colleges, and employers to deliver an ambitious careers education programme. Pupils have a wide range of opportunities to engage with employers through careers café events and careers fairs.”
Areas for Improvement
Despite its strengths, Ofsted identified two key areas for further development:
1. Increasing Challenge in Some Curriculum Areas
While many subjects provide students with deep knowledge, some lessons do not challenge students enough, particularly in sixth form.
“In some areas of the curriculum, pupils are not given work that challenges them, and adults do not have high enough expectations of what they can do. The school has already taken steps to raise expectations for sixth-form students, with improvements evident in their work.”
2. Refining Assessment Methods
Assessment techniques do not always accurately measure pupils’ knowledge, leading to gaps in learning.
“The methods teachers use to check that pupils understand do not always accurately identify what pupils know or can do. This means that teachers cannot then adapt the curriculum to help pupils correct mistakes. Conversely, pupils may repeat work that they have already grasped.”
Governance and Leadership: A Commitment to Excellence
Leaders and governors have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement and are committed to ongoing school development.
“The school and trust have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. Those responsible for governance both support leaders and hold them to account.”
The Kings of Wessex Academy continues to uphold high standards of education and personal development, ensuring that pupils achieve well and gain essential life skills. While areas such as assessment methods and curriculum challenge require refinement, the school’s leadership, behaviour management, and inclusive ethos position it as a strong learning environment.
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