The Westwood Academy

The Westwood Academy is a secondary comprehensive school and sixth form within the Kenilworth Multi Academy Trust. It has improved since its previous inspection and is now good in quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision; safeguarding is effective. Pupils and sixth-form students respond well to the school's high expectations, study hard and achieve well, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. Attendance has improved, lessons are calm, suspension rates have fallen sharply, and pupils benefit from clear routines, extra-curricular activities and stronger personal development and careers guidance. Leaders have taken decisive action to strengthen the curriculum, including redesigning key stage 4 so more pupils take a GCSE language and increasing EBacc entry. Reading is a priority and the school's reading curriculum is effective. Staff use SEND information well, teachers generally have strong subject expertise, and sixth-form students are taught to use detailed notes for independent study. Staff feel supported, and trustees provide effective challenge. Two areas still need work. Sometimes teachers do not explain tasks clearly, so some pupils lose focus. In addition, some teachers do not check that pupils' written work is clear enough to support future learning, which can weaken recall. The report identifies these as the school's main improvement priorities.

Strengths

• Ambitious curriculum with careers guidance and real-life links across subjects
• Redesigned key stage 4 curriculum increasing GCSE language take-up and EBacc entry
• Strong teacher subject expertise and frequent checks that address gaps and misconceptions
• Effective use of SEND information and task adaptations so pupils with SEND achieve well
• Effective reading curriculum helping pupils become confident, fluent and frequent readers
• Calm lessons, clear routines and a revised code of conduct that pupils respond to
• Sharp reduction in suspension rates and steadily improved attendance
• Strong personal development programme, including careers advice and university and employer visits
• Sixth-form students taught detailed note-taking and independent study skills
• Staff feel valued and supported with workload; trustees challenge and hold leaders to account
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers do not explain tasks clearly, causing some pupils to lose focus and limit achievement
• Some teachers do not check pupils' written work clearly enough, so pupils struggle to recall prior learning

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at The Westwood Academy attended 89.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 26.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 10.7% of pupils at The Westwood Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 7 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 The Westwood Academy had 15.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 30.4% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 24.7% of pupils at The Westwood Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 The Westwood Academy received £8,578 and spent £8,336 for each of its 868 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £0 (£0 per pupil).

Across all 2 schools of Kenilworth Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,117 and spending £6,902 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Coventry · Coventry local authority: places and applications

The Westwood Academy is part of Kenilworth Multi Academy Trust, which runs 2 schools. The nearest others:

• Kenilworth School and Sixth Form Kenilworth

What is The Westwood Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Westwood Academy is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was The Westwood Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The Westwood Academy was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does The Westwood Academy have?

The Westwood Academy has 843 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Westwood Academy cover?

The Westwood Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Westwood Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 46.1, and 48% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Westwood Academy?

The Westwood Academy is at Mitchell Avenue, Canley, Coventry, West Midlands, CV4 8DY.