Ofsted inspection

We received a two-day Ofsted inspection in September 2022, in which we maintained our grade as a good school. We are very proud of our staff, students, and community for achieving this outcome.

Read the report

We encourage families to read our Ofsted report in full. It is a glowing endorsement of our school, with positive feedback including:

Q3 Academy Great Barr serves its community well. Relationships between pupils and teachers are strong and based on mutual respect.

Pupils achieve well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). High numbers of pupils progress successfully on to higher education, apprenticeships and employment.

Leaders have set out clear expectations for pupils' conduct and behaviour. These expectations are well understood by pupils and constantly applied by staff. Pupils are consistently 'ready, respectful and responsible'. This means that the school environment is purposeful and pupils feel safe.

Bullying is uncommon. Most pupils are confident that adults will take it seriously and sort it out quickly if it does happen.

Many pupils attend the impressive range of opportunities and clubs on offer. In music, for example, a range of pupils from across the school meet up weekly to play, relax or simply chat about their musical interests.

There are also opportunities for pupils to develop their character and leadership skills. Many pupils, for instance, take pride in being part of the Combined Cadet Force and wearing their uniform in the weekly parades.

The headteacher is ambitious for all pupils, including those with SEND. Over recent years, he and other leaders have taken effective steps to improve the curriculum. All pupils now study a broad range of subjects in depth from Year 7 to Year 9.

Teachers, including those in the sixth form, have strong subject knowledge. They explain subject content clearly and check pupils' understanding well in lessons. Teachers use questions skilfully to help them to spot pupils who may be stuck. This means that pupils who need help get it quickly.

Leaders pay serious attention to ensuring that all pupils can read. Consequently, these pupils are becoming more confident and fluent readers. … A carefully chosen selection of books help pupils to improve their word understanding and broaden their knowledge of various health, well-being and social issues.

The school is calm and orderly. Disruption to learning is rare and very little learning time is lost. During lesson changeovers, pupils move around the building sensibly and without fuss.

Leaders work hard to promote staff well-being. Staff morale is high. Adults value the role they play in pupils' education. They are proud to work at the school.