Blyth school is rapidly improving, say Ofsted inspectors

Donna Park acting principal of Northern Education Trust The Blyth Academy

During a full inspection carried out in October, inspectors found improvements in leadership, that the behaviour of students is much better than it used to be, and students’ personal and social development are good.

This resulted in the ratings of “behaviour and attitudes”, and “personal development” being increased to ‘good’.

The report acknowledged the high expectations that staff have of students, saying: “It is clear that students know what they are allowed to do, and what they are not.

“Staff manage behaviour consistently well. The academy is a calm and friendly place for students to learn … they enjoy coming to school and feel safe.

“Every pupil we spoke to said that bullying is rare. They are proud to be at the school and are happy”.

Inspectors acknowledged the successful increase in the number of students gaining good grades in maths and English.

Donna Park, acting principal, said: “We are delighted that Inspectors observed the rapid improvements that have taken place at The Blyth Academy.

“We are confident that our approach to school improvement will result in The Blyth Academy becoming a Good school in the very near future”.

“We have recently reviewed the curriculum for science and modern foreign languages. The trust has also developed a new reading programme so that students have more opportunity to explore some of the wonderful books available to them. We are improving the way teachers use assessment to ensure consistency across all subjects, and we are confident that our approach to school improvement will result in The Blyth Academy becoming a GOOD school in the very near future”.