Ofsted praises The Birley Academy for its progress

The Birley Academy in Sheffield has been commended by Ofsted for the progress it is making.

During the monitoring inspection, Ofsted highlighted that the secondary school has a clear improvement plan which has ensured strong progress has been made.

The inspection was an opportunity for Ofsted to report on how effective the changes the school has made since it was last inspected in March 2023 have been. It was a “Section 8” monitoring inspection visit, which means the overall grade of a school cannot change.

Since the inspection in March last year, new Headteacher Victoria Hall joined the school and Ofsted’s report highlights how the school has recruited a number of new senior and middle leaders to support its improvement journey.

Throughout the report, the inspector highlighted the hard work of leaders to drive rapid improvements.

Ofsted highlights many positive areas of the school including:

How the school has prioritised ‘improving its quality of education’ including ‘implementing new strategies to deliver the curriculum through their teaching excellence framework’.
How the work to ‘improve the curriculum’ was helping students to build on their learning and knowledge.
That the school has improved the support for students in the early stages of reading – ensuring students receive the extra help they need.
The Birley Academy has secured improvements in students’ behaviour and attitudes to learning with a new expectation having been set.
How governors and L.E.A.D. Academy Trust support leaders well, including making changes to improve support for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Leaders at The Birley Academy are clear about the next steps of their improvement journey and are committed to pushing forward on an upward trajectory. This includes in areas such as attendance, whereby Ofsted have recognised the work the school has done to bring about change.

Victoria Hall, Headteacher of The Birley Academy, said:

“I am pleased to see that the hard work and commitment of our team to drive improvement has been recognised by Ofsted.

“We have been working closely with L.E.A.D. Academy Trust to make real progress at the school and I would like to thank the fantastic staff and supportive parents for all they have done, and continue to do.

“The Birley Academy is going from strength to strength and we will continue to work hard every day to maintain our trajectory and ensure we deliver the highest standard of education for our students.”