Bluecoat Primary Academy

Inspection of Bluecoat Primary Academy Harvey Road, Bilborough, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG8 3BB

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Good Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 1 and 2 February 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Bluecoat Primary Academy understand, and share, the school’s vision of ‘STRIVE’. Pupils are determined to be successful, to take care, to show resilience, integrity, uphold the values of the school and to engage with something special to make a difference.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils get on very well with each other. They are inclusive, respectful and courteous to each other, staff and visitors. They work hard. They listen attentively to teachers, follow instructions quickly and show determination and resilience in their learning. Teachers have consistently high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Pupils do their utmost to live up to these.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils recognise that, on occasions, some of their peers might need extra help to follow the school’s rules. Pupils respect this and provide mutual support and encouragement. They are respectful of different views, beliefs and cultures. Relationships between adults and pupils are highly positive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know what bullying is and the different forms that it can take. They know that they can get help by using the worry boxes in school. They are confident that staff will provide support should it be needed. However, bullying is rare. When it does occur, it is dealt with robustly.

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better?

The school’s curriculum is ambitious. It is well planned and sequenced across all subjects. It is designed to deliver the school’s aims and to cater for the needs of the pupils in the school. The curriculum prepares pupils well for the next phase of their education. Some aspects of the curriculum are at a relatively early stage of implementation. While pupils learn and remember most of the curriculum well, more time is needed for this to embed consistently across all subjects.

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better?

The curriculum is taught well. Teachers receive regular training. They plan lessons that help pupils to build knowledge over time. Teaching helps pupils to remember the curriculum. However, in a small number of cases, teachers do not pick up on some of the minor mistakes that pupils make in lessons.

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better?

Teachers check how well pupils remember the curriculum. Assessment procedures are established across most of the curriculum. Leaders recognise that assessment procedures are yet to be put in place in a small number of subjects.

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better?

Reading is taught well. The school’s phonics programme makes clear which sounds pupils should know at each stage of their education. Pupils who begin to fall behind are identified quickly and given the help they need to keep up. Phonics is taught consistently well. 1 and 2 February 2022

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Pupils develop a love of reading. They read a wide range of texts, genres and authors. Teachers are skilled at helping pupils to understand what they have read. The reading curriculum is well sequenced.

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Children in the early years get on very well. The curriculum is well planned and sequenced across all the areas of learning. Teachers plan lessons that help children to learn and remember more over time. Regular checks enable leaders to identify any children who need more help. Adults are skilled in helping children to improve their communication and language skills.

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The school’s curriculum for personal, social and health education prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils understand, and are proud of, the contribution that they make to their school. They enjoy and celebrate the rich diversity within the school’s population. This is a strong feature of the school. Pupils understand what makes relationships healthy. They know how to stay healthy, both physically and mentally.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do well. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is ambitious. She makes sure that the right sort of help is in place. Pupils who access the school’s enhanced resource provision are fully integrated into the life of the school. They are supported well by skilled staff, and by the rest of the pupil population.

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Senior leaders are highly effective. Their determination and drive to provide a high- quality education has been consistent while the school has been growing in size, and through the COVID-19 pandemic. They have built a team of hard-working staff who share their high ambition. Leaders frequently seek the views of members of the school’s community and make sure that everyone is part of the school’s continued improvement.

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The academy’s advisory board provides leaders with a good level of challenge and support. It has a broad range of expertise. Its work is systematic and well organised.

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The trust provides high-quality challenge and support. The trust is proud of the school and shares leaders’ ambition to provide the highest quality education possible.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that keeping pupils safe is the highest priority. Relationships between staff and pupils are highly positive. Staff are quick to recognise when pupils need help. Concerns are shared promptly with leaders. Leaders make sure that pupils get help quickly. Leaders challenge other agencies if they are not doing what they should to keep pupils safe. 1 and 2 February 2022

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The family support worker provides an impressive range of help and support for pupils and their families. The wider, local community has begun to make use of some of these.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some elements of the curriculum are at a relatively early stage of implementation. More time is needed for these to embed and to result in pupils knowing and remembering the full breadth of the curriculum. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is fully embedded across all subjects.  In a small number of subjects, assessment is at an early stage of being developed. This means the teachers and leaders do not have a comprehensive picture of how pupils are getting on. Leaders should ensure that assessment procedures are in place across all subjects.  In a small number of lessons, teachers do not pick up on minor mistakes that pupils make. As a result, pupils do not learn as well as they could. Leaders should ensure that teachers identify pupils’ errors accurately and use this to inform their teaching.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 1 and 2 February 2022

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School details

Website http://bluecoatprimaryacademy.co.uk/

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Information about this school

 This was the school’s first inspection since opening in October 2017.  The school has admitted two classes each year, since opening.  The school operates a resourced provision for up to five pupils with SEND.  The school uses no alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, curriculum leaders, the early years leader and the SENCo.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in five subjects: reading, mathematics, history, geography and art. To do this, they met with curriculum leaders, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work, listened to pupils read and met with teachers and pupils. 1 and 2 February 2022

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Inspectors also looked at curriculum documentation for modern foreign languages.  The lead inspector met representatives of the academy’s advisory board, including the chair. He also met with the chief executive officer of The Archway Learning Trust.  Inspectors took account of the 27 responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey and 20 written comments from parents. Inspectors spoke informally to parents outside the school and considered a letter from a parent. They also considered the 45 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  Inspectors met with safeguarding leaders. They reviewed school documents relating to safeguarding, behaviour and attendance, and surveys carried out by the school.

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Inspection team

Vic Wilkinson, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Karen Slack Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 February 2022

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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