Hartlepool school now classed as 'good' after latest Ofsted inspection

The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) has released the results of its September inspection at Northern Education Trust’s Manor Community Academy.

Inspectors found that “leaders place high importance on raising pupils’ career aspirations” and increased the school’s overall standing from ‘requires improvement’ to ‘good’.

Manor Community Academy’s curriculum was also found to be “increasingly ambitious” by the Ofsted review.

They recognised that more students at the academy are now studying subjects such as history, geography and modern foreign languages to GCSE Level and that the curriculum is designed particularly to build pupils’ knowledge of key concepts.

Moreover, inspectors found “individual pupils are well supported in deciding their next steps, including pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND),” with there being a particular focus on improving students’ career prospects.

Manor principal Lee Kirtley said: “I am extremely pleased Ofsted inspectors have acknowledged the ambitious curriculum we have established at Manor Community Academy, and recognised the high expectations that we have of students.

"We are really proud of the hard work that has been done to increase the life chances of our students, and we are delighted that Ofsted have recognised this by increasing our rating to GOOD.”

Executive principal Andrew Jordon added: “We are delighted with the outcome of the Ofsted report at Manor Community Academy, for the students, staff, parents and the local community, and the recognition of the effort that has gone into making Manor Academy a good academy.”

Ofsted’s review of Manor Academy found, however, that behaviour and attitudes at the centre still “requires improvement”.

Despite the number of misbehaviour incidents having reduced, it concluded that “there are still too many incidents of poor behaviour leading to pupils being removed from lessons or receiving suspensions”.

The report also found that “some pupils do not feel confident to talk to staff if they have concerns about bullying or inappropriate language”.

Inspectors praised the comprehensive personal development programme that the academy delivers, which students value in preparing them for later life, and they also recognised the wide range of enrichment opportunities on offer to ensure that a variety of students can access the activities.

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