Hammersmith Academy

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive culture where concerns are identified and managed.
• Attendance is above national averages overall and for groups such as disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, and continues to improve.
• Leaders use forensic attendance tracking and bespoke pastoral support to help vulnerable pupils attend well.
• Pupils are polite, respectful and highly motivated, and behaviour is orderly around the school.
• Bullying is rare and never tolerated, and pupils challenge discrimination.
• The school is highly inclusive, with swift identification of SEND and disadvantaged pupils’ needs and effective targeted support.
• Staff receive extensive training to adapt teaching so pupils with SEND can access learning confidently.
• Leaders and trustees have a clear ambitious vision, strong oversight and effective accountability.
• Staff feel valued and empowered, and parents feel the school works in partnership with them.
• Personal development is full and ambitious, with extensive enrichment, clubs and opportunities prioritised for disadvantaged pupils.
• The careers programme is excellent, with bespoke guidance, university visits, alumni links and work experience.
• Pupils achieve very well at GCSE, and disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND achieve significantly above national averages.
• The curriculum is broad, thoughtfully designed and taught by subject experts who explain concepts clearly.
• The sixth form is welcoming and inclusive, and students behave maturely as role models.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils are capable of higher outcomes than they currently achieve.
• Sixth-form achievement is typically below or close to national averages.
• Checks on pupils’ learning are not consistently deployed with precision across the curriculum.
• At times, some pupils are not stretched and challenged as well as they could be.
• Sixth-form teaching quality is more variable than in the lower school.
• Sixth-form students sometimes rely too heavily on teachers’ guidance and explanations.
• Some sixth-form clubs and societies are not well integrated into the wider student experience.
• The sixth-form tutor programme has further scope to develop critical discussion of current affairs and complex issues.
• Leaders should ensure highly effective teaching strategies, including checks on learning, are fully embedded across subjects.
• Leaders should continue strengthening sixth-form curriculum delivery to improve outcomes in national tests and examinations.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools