Longley Park Sixth Form Academy, Sheffield

What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Leaders and staff are aspirational for their students, many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds and have low prior attainment, to achieve well at the academy. Staff skilfully equip students with the academic and life skills needed to be successful. As a result, a high proportion of students progress to higher education, many of whom having not considered this as an option at the start of their course.

Students make positive progress from their starting points and achieve very well. Leaders and managers have implemented effective changes to the curriculum which have resulted in an increase in the proportion of high-grade achievements across a number of curriculum areas. In GCSE English, students successfully develop the key skills and knowledge that they need for their qualification and further studies. They can fluently compare texts and analyse and synthesise information about theme, place, character and plot.

What does the provider do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders and managers have put in place a suitable curriculum that enables students to follow academic and applied general courses and gain the qualifications that they need to progress to higher education, apprenticeships or employment. Staff work effectively with local universities to identify suitable pathways and programme combinations, so that students are well placed to apply for and gain a place at a university of their choice.

Staff plan and sequence the curriculum effectively. In GCSE English, teachers carefully structure the curriculum so that students develop confidence and enjoy studying a subject in which some initially lacked motivation to study. Teachers initially develop skills and knowledge relating to English language structure before building higher-order cognitive skills. As a result, students are able, from early on the course, to produce good-quality work and answer questions accurately that demand skills in analysis, evaluation and comparison. In the previous academic year, there was an increase in the proportion of students achieving high grades in GCSE English.

Leadership & management.

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