Ofsted
Martin Bacon Academy receives first ever Ofsted rating
‘Exceptional quality’ praised in Martin Bacon Academy Ofsted report
Martin Bacon Academy is proud to be celebrating the result of its recent Ofsted inspection, conducted on the 22nd and 23rd October 2024. The academy achieved ‘Outstanding’ ratings across all four judgements: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.
This excellent report reflects the academy’s commitment to identifying and celebrating “each pupil’s ‘superpowers’”, with inspectors praising how often staff use these strengths or interests in lessons to make learning more engaging and enjoyable.
Located in Northstowe, Cambridgeshire, the academy is part of Meridian Trust and caters to pupils aged 3 to 19 with multiple learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties in cognition and learning, autistic spectrum disorders, and multi-sensory impairments. Martin Bacon Academy opened in 2020 at the height of the pandemic and is named in honour of Meridian Trust’s founding Principal, who sadly passed away in 2013.
Inspectors emphasise the academy’s focus on strong relationships with pupils. Pupils “develop close, trusting relationships with adults who know them very well” which means they “feel safe and secure.” The report also highlights the strength of the academy’s curriculum, which is well-structured and has defined pathways for each learning stage and subject. Inspectors commented that “school leaders are highly ambitious for pupils and staff. They work with the trust and highly skilled local governors to provide well-considered oversight.”
Headteacher Sarah Louise was thrilled with the report’s findings, saying: “We are delighted with this exceptional report. Receiving top ratings across all four key areas is a remarkable accomplishment and a proud milestone for our school. Our heartfelt thanks go out to our dedicated staff, pupils, and parents for their commitment to creating an environment where all our pupils can make the most of their superpowers and flourish.”
Mary Abeyasekera, Executive Director of SENDV at Meridian Trust, added: “This Ofsted report showcases the excellence and collaborative spirit that defines Martin Bacon Academy and we couldn’t be prouder of the team. A huge congratulations to everyone who played a role in achieving this fantastic result both in the academy and across Meridian Trust.”
Extending the boundaries of pupils’ learning is a key aspect of Meridian Trust’s mission to provide a high-quality education for all pupils. Inspectors praised the academy’s “well-designed personal development provision.” The Trust-wide PLEDGES system was celebrated with inspectors noting that these offer “ambitious and challenging goals that extend pupils’ knowledge and help them to develop new skills.”
Martin Bacon Academy shares a campus with the Northstowe Learning Community. The success of this provision was celebrated in the report with inspectors commenting that “close links with the secondary school mean pupils who can achieve GCSEs learn the right content from staff with appropriate skills.” Martin Bacon Academy also recently opened a specialist resourced provision for pupils with SEND at Swavesey Village College, also part of Meridian Trust, known as ‘The Link’. Inspectors commented that “this provides valuable support to the secondary school and the pupils who attend.”
The full inspection report can be found here
Headteacher, Sarah Louise, with pupils from Martin Bacon Academy celebrating a glowing Ofsted report.