Ofsted and Our
Improvement Journey
Our first standard Ofsted inspection identified areas where we need to improve. We fully accept those findings. This page explains what we have learned, what has changed and how our progress is being independently challenged and monitored.
Our Ofsted Inspection and Improvement Journey
Blackpool Skills Academy has received the report from our first standard Ofsted inspection since becoming a registered independent school.
The inspection identified a number of areas where we need to improve. We fully accept those findings and, in particular, recognise the seriousness of the weaknesses identified in our systems, processes, reporting, and leadership and governance.
We believe it is important to be open about what Ofsted found, but equally important to explain what we have learned and what has happened since the inspection.
From education provider to independent school
Blackpool Skills Academy had several years of successful experience providing alternative education and vocational programmes for young people in partnership with established schools before becoming a registered independent school.
What we underestimated was the scale of the transition from being a provider working alongside schools to taking on the full statutory, regulatory and governance responsibilities of an independent school in our own right.
We brought considerable experience of working with young people, particularly those who had struggled in mainstream education. However, some of the systems, assurance processes and governance arrangements required of an independent school did not develop with sufficient rigour or quickly enough.
This does not excuse the shortcomings found during the inspection. It has, however, been an important lesson for us and has shaped a substantial programme of improvement.
What we are doing
Corrective action began during the inspection and has continued since.
Our improvement work directly addresses the principal areas identified through the inspection.
Safeguarding
Strengthening recording, reporting, leadership oversight and assurance.
Safer Recruitment
Strengthening recruitment checks, recording and oversight.
Attendance
Improving attendance monitoring, follow-up and pupil welfare checks.
SEND
Strengthening identification, assessment, support and oversight.
Curriculum & Assessment
Developing curriculum planning, assessment, starting points and the monitoring of pupil progress.
Governance
Increasing leadership challenge, scrutiny, assurance and accountability.
We are not assessing
our progress ourselves.
Blackpool Council's education team is supporting the school through a programme of regular monitoring, challenge and support visits, with additional professional input from an experienced Ofsted inspector.
This external scrutiny is important to us. It provides challenge as well as support and helps ensure that improvements are not simply written into policies or procedures, but are understood, consistently applied and securely embedded in everyday practice.
Building on what is already strong
The inspection also recognised important strengths at Blackpool Skills Academy.
Caring relationships
Inspectors found that our staff develop caring relationships with pupils and are particularly effective in supporting young people with social, emotional and mental health needs.
Calm and respectful
Inspectors recognised the way staff calmly and respectfully manage challenging situations and found that pupils generally behave well and develop positive relationships with staff.
Vocational learning
Our vocational curriculum was recognised as a particular strength. Ofsted found that staff have secure subject knowledge, deliver these areas well and that pupils learn well.
Future destinations
The report recognises that many pupils gain the knowledge and qualifications they need to progress into further education or training.
Ofsted also recognised capacity to improve and recorded that immediate remedial action was taken during the inspection where possible.
Our task now is to put the rigorous systems, oversight and accountability expected of an independent school around the things that already work well for our young people.
Being open about our progress
We understand that parents, schools, commissioners and our wider community will expect evidence of improvement, not simply reassurance from us.
We think that is entirely reasonable.
We will therefore use this website to provide regular updates on our improvement journey, including the distance travelled against the areas identified by Ofsted and the outcomes of external support, challenge and monitoring.
Areas for improvement identified
We accepted the findings and began corrective action during the inspection.
Systems strengthened
Priority work began across safeguarding, attendance, SEND, curriculum, assessment and governance.
Independent monitoring
External support and challenge is helping us test whether improvements are genuinely being implemented and securely embedded.
Demonstrating sustained improvement
Our focus is on evidence, consistency and the impact of change on pupils.
There is considerable work ahead, and we will not pretend otherwise. But there has also already been significant change since the inspection.
Our responsibility now is to demonstrate that improvement consistently and transparently, while continuing to provide the caring, supportive and ambitious education that our young people deserve.
Ofsted report and school information
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Registration information
We will publish what
external visitors find.
Our improvement journey should not be reported only through our own words.
Blackpool Skills Academy is receiving ongoing monitoring, support and challenge from Blackpool Council and other education professionals and stakeholders.
Following each significant external monitoring, support or challenge visit, we will publish an update through our website.
These updates will explain who visited, what was reviewed, the progress that has been recognised, any areas where further work is still required and what we will do next.
Over time, these published updates will create an open and dated record of our improvement journey. Parents, carers, partner schools, commissioners and our wider community will be able to follow the distance travelled since our Ofsted inspection, rather than simply taking our word for it.
Latest Improvement Updates
Below you will find our latest published updates following external monitoring, support and challenge visits.
A continuing public record
Each update forms part of our ongoing record of improvement. We will report both progress and areas where further work is required.
Improvement that can
be seen and evidenced.
We welcome feedback from pupils, parents, carers, partner schools, commissioners and professionals.
Our focus is straightforward: to learn from the inspection, make the changes required, demonstrate that those changes are securely embedded and continue improving the education and support we provide for every young person at Blackpool Skills Academy.