Blackpool Gateway Academy moves out of requires improvement in latest Ofsted

Blackpool Gateaway Academy on Seymour Road was inspected on May 24 and 25, and was classed as ‘good’ for all categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision.

The school became part of Fylde Coast Academy Trust in 2015 and three years later received a ‘requires improvement’ classification from Ofsted, but this latest inspection marks a successful improvement and places all FCAT primary schools as ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’.

What did Blackpool Gateaway Academy do particularly well according to Ofsted?

The school was praised for being “caring and supportive”, creating an envrionment in which pupils felt “happy” and “safe”.

Noting the school’s effective approach to managing pupils’ behaviour, the report said: “Pupils share warm and caring relationships with staff. They are polite and well mannered, and they move around the school in an orderly manner. Pupils are confident that should bullying occur, staff will sort it out quickly.”

Regarding the curriculum, inspectors said it was “ambitious and meets the needs of pupils”, with children meeting the high learning expectations that leaders have.

The school also provides “a wide range of opportunities beyond the academic curriculum that help to develop their interests”, and puts strong emphasis on reading, which “runs through the centre of everything, like Blackpool rock.”

What did Ofsted say Blackpool Gateaway Academy could improve on?

Inspectors said that in some subjects, “teachers are not clear enough about the knowledge and skills that leaders want pupils to learn”, hindering their efforts to “design learning and pupils’ progress as they move through these curriculums”.

They added that some staff do not apply leaders’ systems to manage pupils’ behaviour consistently well, resulting in the learning of some older pupils being occassionally disrupted by their peers’ behaviour.

What did the school say?

Headtecher Sue Robinson said: “The judgments were a credit to pupils, parents and staff. This is testimony to the hard work of all staff to provide the very best education for all children. I am immensely proud of all the pupils and staff.”

Dean Logan, Chief Executive of the FCAT said: “It is fabulous to receive confirmation and recognition that pupils are happy and making great progress. Gateway is a really good school.”