Bulwell Academy taken out of special measures following improved Ofsted report

The Hucknall Lane school, part of the Creative Education Trust, is now rated as ‘requires improvement’ following the inspection in March.

Ofsted notes the school has ‘high expectations’ for behaviour and that the majority of pupils are ‘respectful and behave well’ and ‘try hard in lessons’.

The report praised school leaders for an improved and ambitious curriculum designed to give pupils the knowledge and skills they need to be successful and highlights that the school ‘has worked hard’ to develop the curriculum.

Teachers are noted as explaining concepts clearly and planning lesson activities that ‘focus sharply on the important knowledge’.

Staff are also mentioned as understanding the needs of pupils with SEND well.

Inspectors highlighted that most staff are positive about the changes the school has made and that staff ‘value the support they receive to develop their expertise and manage their workload’.

They also praised the school for its ‘wide range of extra-curricular activities’ and the ‘good advice’ given to pupils about ‘their next stage in education and future careers’.

Chris Keen, academy executive principal, said: “We are all pleased that Bulwell is no longer in special measures and that the significant improvements made have been recognised.

"This decision reflects the hard work and determination of staff and this is an important landmark for the school.

“There are areas that we know we need to improve further on and we have already started making those further improvements.

“We are absolutely committed to working together with our staff, students and parents so that we can deliver the best educational experience possible.

“We are opening our doors to parents in a way we have not done before and we will continue working in partnership to improve Bulwell Academy.

“Thank you to all our staff, students and parents and carers for their ongoing support.”

Nicole McCartney, director of education at Creative Education Trust, added: “Bulwell Academy is focusing on a new, positive era and I am so proud of our staff, students and the school community for their commitment and dedication to improvement.

“We will continue to work together with school leaders to ensure that staff have everything they need to support students to reach their full potential.”