Leaders have high aspirations for pupils at Hartshill Academy. They want all pupils to ‘be kind, work hard, and achieve’. Although leaders’ ambitions have not been fully achieved, pupils say that there is an increasingly positive environment in which to learn. Pupils welcome the clarity of the ‘HART’ values of Heart, Ambition, Respect and Tenacity. They say these values help them to focus on how to develop positively as young people. Pupils are well supported to gain insight into a broad range of work and employment opportunities. Pupils say that ‘behaviour is improving’ and that they feel safe. However, some pupils do not follow leaders’ behaviour expectations consistently. There remains some disruption to pupils’ learning. A small number of pupils use derogatory and inappropriate language. Leaders deal with bullying when it happens and take action quickly. Leaders teach pupils not to accept any bullying behaviour, but some pupils do not report unacceptable behaviour. Leaders have developed a broad and ambitious curriculum. Pupils study a range of subjects, including creative and performance subjects. Despite this ambitious curriculum, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should. Current learning is now more effective, but there is more to do to ensure that teachers explain new information clearly in all subjects.