A North East secondary school has been rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted following its inspection.

Outwood Academy Normanby, located on Normanby Road in Middlesbrough, received the rating after an inspection by Ofsted on February 27 and February 28.

Inspectors said the ‘quality of education’, ‘personal development’, and ‘leadership and management’ at the school ‘requires improvement.’

They also rated the ‘behaviour and attitudes’ at the school as ‘inadequate.’

Outwood Academy Normanby joined Outwood Grange Academies Trust in 2019, when the school (then known as Hillsview) was in Special Measures following an inspection in 2017.

The school has improved following the inspection in 2017, with three of the four categories higher than before.

A spokesperson for the academy said: “We know there is more to do but can see that our long-term plan is starting to achieve sustained improvement. This is a much stronger report than the one that followed the previous inspection, when it was led by a different academy trust, with three of the four categories now a grade higher than before.

“Ofsted’s report is clear that we have raised expectations of what students can achieve, supported by an ambitious curriculum, and that we are preparing students for their next steps in education. It also highlights how we are addressing poor behaviour. Ofsted also recognise that Covid disrupted the school’s progress but we have a no-excuses culture and are determined that the school continues its improvement as quickly as possible.

“The inspection report praises the commitment of our staff team, and we will continue to work hard every day to make sure the school is as good as it can be.

“Supporting communities, such as Normanby, where young people do not always get a good deal, remains our priority and that of our academy trust. We are committed to work both in the community and with the community to address the behaviours we are still seeing from a small minority of children.”

The education watchdog said the school has raised its expectations of what pupils can achieve and introduced an ‘ambitious’ curriculum, but has struggled to create a “positive and respectful culture” where pupils can thrive.

They added a “significant minority” of pupils show a lack of respect for adults and their peers – and often exhibit negative attitudes.

Ofsted inspectors did note work is underway to shift this culture, and support is being provided by staff to correct these behaviours – saying the school has the capacity to improve.

The report said: “A significant minority of pupils show a lack of respect for adults and other pupils. They have negative attitudes to school and do not see the value of good conduct and good behaviour.

“This results in persistent poor behaviour from these pupils which has a negative impact on the experiences of other pupils in the school. The school should ensure that it improves the consistency with which staff implement the school’s behaviour policy.”

“Many pupils do not attend lessons regularly, owing to persistent absence, suspension from school and time spent removed from lessons within school.

“This means that many pupils miss out on too much of their education, develop gaps in their knowledge and do not achieve well, not least in external examinations. The school should continue to reduce the time that many pupils spend out of lessons owing to their poor behaviour and/or persistent absence.

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“The school does not provide pupils with sufficient opportunity to visit places of cultural interest. This means that pupils’ learning is not enriched as fully as it could be.

“It also means that pupils do not gain new experiences which could raise aspirations for what they can achieve. The school should ensure that it provides all pupils with a wide range of enrichment opportunities that are integrated meaningfully into the school curriculum.”

The report praised the “commitment” of staff, the “higher expectations” the school has set, and its “ambitious” curriculum.

It noted the school’s improvement was disrupted by the pandemic.

The school is a part of the Outwood Grange Academies Trust.