Signs of progress at Chantry High School, now known as Suffolk New Academy - Ofsted

An Ipswich academy in special measures is making some improvements towards raising standards, according to an Ofsted inspector.

Suffolk New Academy was criticised by the education watchdog in a damning inspection late last year, when all four areas of the school, formerly Chantry High School, were branded “inadequate”.

Now a follow-up mini inspection has found that despite a “high level of recent turbulence”, senior staff have “worked hard” to improve teaching and learning.

But the inspector did criticise the academy’s improvement plan, which was described as “not fit for purpose”.

And Paul Lawrence, associate inspector for Ofsted, warned against the school taking on newly-qualified teachers.

In his report, he said: “Leaders are ensuring that all teachers are applying the behaviour policy more consistently and this has started to reduce the incidence of low-level disruption.

“Teachers now provide senior leaders with data about students’ attainment more regularly and the accuracy of this information is more rigorously checked.”

New principal, Craig D’Cunha, has said that he would like more than 40% of students to get five or more A*-C GCSE grades, including in English and maths, this summer. The figure last year was 24%.

The academy is also set to get a new sponsor, the Active Learning Trust, this September.

According to Mr Lawrence’s report, the previous sponsor, New Academies Trust, had resigned the day before his inspection.