Hastings school 'requires improvement' and must improve pupils' attendance and behaviour, says Ofsted

Ark Alexandra was recognised by inspectors for having ‘extremely high expectations’ of students and making improvements at the school, rating quality of education, leadership and management, personal development and sixth form provision as ‘good’.

But behaviour and attitudes was rated as ‘requires improvement’ by Ofsted.

Overall, the school was rated as ‘requires improvement’ by Ofsted.

In their report, inspectors said: “The school has extremely high expectations for all pupils. Pupils who are in school are learning well and making progress.

“There are, however, too many pupils who do not attend school regularly, including relatively high proportions of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and other disadvantaged pupils. This means that not all pupils are learning as well as they could be.

“Pupils rightly recognise that behaviour is improving as a result of the school raising its expectations. Bullying is not tolerated and, when it does occur, it is dealt with swiftly.

“The vast majority of pupils concentrate and engage well in lessons. These improvements are recent, however. There are still too many pupils who do not meet the school’s high expectations of behaviour, reflected, for example, in how many times pupils are suspended from school.”

Ofsted added that students at Ark Alexandra have ‘positive relationships with staff’.

The report said: “They are polite and articulate and are confident to express their views. Many pupils are part of the Combined Cadet Force. They wear their uniform with pride and talk positively about their involvement in this. There is also a wide range of other extra-curricular opportunities in which many pupils participate.”

Ofsted praised the school’s quality of education.

The report said: “The curriculum is extremely ambitious, including for pupils with SEND or those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The proportion of pupils currently in key stage 4 who study the English Baccalaureate GCSE subjects is rising. These high ambitions are also apparent in the sixth form.

“Staff have strong subject knowledge and use this to deliver the curriculum effectively. The school’s work to improve the curriculum and teaching since the last inspection is having a clear impact.”

Lorraine Clarke, regional director, said: “We are delighted with this report and the rapid progress made under the new leadership team at Ark Alexandra.

“We know there is still more work to do. Behaviour and attitudes are the focus of our continued plan, and although that area still requires improvement, Ofsted recognised that behaviour is improving due to the school raising standards.

“The recently appointed leadership team, expertly led by the experienced executive principal, Rhys Spiers, has clearly had a positive impact. It is great to see that inspectors have such confidence in the strategic direction of the school.”

The school said it is working on its upcoming 'One School, Two Campus' model set to launch in September 2024.

This model will foster a smaller school community feeling and closer relationships between students, parents and staff, the school added.

Executive principal, Rhys Spiers said: “This report represents an important milestone in the school’s rapid improvement journey. We have big plans for the students of Ark Alexandra as we move at pace towards the school becoming a beacon for secondary state education.

“Hastings will have a first-class secondary school and we can’t wait to deliver this for the local community. We are looking forward to working with all stakeholders to bring them with us on this exciting journey.”