Sarum Academy is moving in the right direction

The school, in Westwood Road, Salisbury was visited by an inspection team in February and has been given a rating of improvement required, but with inspectors pointing to the progress made since the school became an academy in 2010.

The report says: “The academy is well led and well placed to improve. The academy’s leadership has a clear and determined approach to tackling weaknesses and underachievement.”

Inspectors said attendance rates have risen sharply since their last visit in 2012 and the curriculum is meeting pupils’ needs well with a good balance of academic and work-related subjects.

Children joining the school in Year 7 are generally working at a level below that expected but the report states that attainment rises more rapidly at Sarum Academy than in other comparable schools across the country and that “teachers and pupils are unanimous in their view that behaviour is much improved”.

Pupils’ achievement is still variable across the school and improvement is required, but the number of youngsters gaining five or more good grades at GCSE has risen sharply over the two years since the school became an academy.

Teaching is “not consistently of the good quality needed to eradicate entrenched low achievement”

and “there is very little outstanding teaching”, but the report goes on to say “the proportion of good lessons has increased significantly in the past year”.

Sarum Academy Principal Ruth Johnson said the inspection was a positive experience. “We believe that the judgements are a fair reflection of where we are in our journey as an academy,” she added.

A new £15.5million building is due to open in September 2013 and applications are up for both Year 7 and Sixth Form admissions.

Ofsted inspectors will revisit the school in two years’ time.