Dunstable academy ‘extremely pleased’ with latest Ofsted report after appeals over ‘inadequate’ rating

All Saints Academy was given Ofsted’s lowest rating after visits to the school in November 2022 and January 2023.

The academy had taken a legal challenge to the High Court to stop the publication of the report, which deemed the attitudes, behaviour and personal development of pupils at the school to be ‘inadequate’.

Two years later, the school is pleased with its latest report from the education regulator.

As of September of this year, Ofsted no longer makes an overall effectiveness judgement in inspections of state-funded schools.

The school was told that it still requires improvement for the quality of its education, but behaviour and attitudes; leadership and management and its sixth form were rated as good, while personal development was deemed to be outstanding.

The academy said: “All Saints Academy, Dunstable, has been praised by Ofsted inspectors for providing ‘an exceptional range of opportunities that raise pupils’ aspirations, develop their character, and broaden their interests’.”

After an inspection in November 2024, lead inspector Steve Woodley noted that the school had “tackled a significant number of issues from the last inspection”.

He said: “Pupils enjoy attending All Saints Academy Dunstable. It provides an exceptional range of opportunities that raise pupils’ aspirations, develop their character, and broaden their interests.

“Pupils learn first-hand about the world of work when they meet a wide range of employers, take part in enterprise competitions, and undertake work experience. Pupils are very well prepared for adulthood.”

The report mentioned how most pupils behave well, both inside and outside of the classroom, and that the “school is a safe, inclusive, and positive place to be”. Most pupils now behave very well in and out of lessons. Because of these changes, pupils attend well.

A spokesperson for the academy said: “This latest inspection, carried out in November by one of His Majesty’s Inspectors and two other Ofsted inspectors, saw the academy awarded a grade of outstanding for personal development.

“The report goes on to say, ‘the school’s ethos is at the heart of its exemplary approach to developing pupils’ personal qualities and their sense of right and wrong. Pupils fully understand the importance of diversity and respect for all.

“In other areas, behaviour and attitudes were deemed to be good, noting ‘the school’s pastoral team work exceptionally well to help pupils to attend and behave well’. Similarly, sixth form provision is deemed good, with pupils ‘well cared for’ and learning ‘how to manage their time and study effectively’.

“The leadership and management are also graded as good, with praise from Ofsted for a ‘well-designed … broad and balanced curriculum’, including a commitment for those with SEND and those needing support with reading. The report also notes that pupils feel safe and there are ‘high expectations of pupils’ conduct’. Leaders ensure that ‘the school is exceptionally inclusive in its culture and approach to teaching difference’.”

As the school has made improvements quickly, some staff “found this challenging”, the report stated.

But inspectors added: “However, staff are fully committed to improving the offer for pupils. They appreciate the flexible approaches to their working patterns. As a result, staff turnover has reduced significantly in the last year.”

All Saints Academy has been told about areas it needs to focus on, including training staff “to ensure their subject knowledge is consistently strong” and making sure “staff check all pupils’ knowledge in lessons effectively and adjust the curriculum accordingly”.

The school added: “The report says that in some lessons, taught by non-specialist teachers, students ‘do not consistently gain the depth and breadth of knowledge that they need to achieve highly’.

“However, the school notes that it was being judged on the test results for 2022-23, rather than 2023-24, since this data has been delayed until January 2025 due to a software error.”

Principal Liz Furber said: “We are extremely pleased with this report. It is difficult to believe that Ofsted is describing the same Academy, with the same leadership team, same governors and same staff that it described two years ago: very difficult to believe!”