Bristol Metropolitan Academy

Inspection of Bristol Metropolitan Academy Snowdon Road, Fishponds, Bristol, Bristol BS16 2HD

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Outstanding Previous inspection grade Good 23–24 March 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very proud of their school. They have many opportunities to learn about the wider world. For example, pupils gain valuable work experience with local companies. They learn about the world of the theatre by staging plays. The school’s curriculum inspires pupils’ ambitions for their future lives.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders provide tailored careers guidance which helps pupils to decide their next steps. Pupils understand what they need to achieve to access further education, apprenticeships and work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), receive a good quality of education at Bristol Metropolitan Academy. They learn a range of subjects successfully and this prepares them for life beyond school. Pupils have positive attitudes towards learning foreign languages such as French, Spanish and German. They have high aspirations and work hard to achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a harmonious learning environment across the school. Pupils behave well both in lessons and around the school. Staff address bullying when it occurs. Pupils state that if they have a concern, they can go to a range of adults for help. They feel safe and cared for by staff.

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better?

Leadership of the school is outstanding. Both trust and school leaders are passionate about the role of the curriculum in transforming the lives of pupils. This vision is shared by staff. Leaders have constructed an ambitious curriculum that helps pupils to learn well. They are tenacious in driving improvements in the design of the curriculum and its implementation. Leaders are relentless in pursuing the best- quality provision for pupils. They provide highly effective professional development for teachers which leads to continuous improvement.

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better?

Leaders have ensured that pupils develop strong knowledge of a range of subjects. Through well-designed curriculums, pupils use their prior knowledge to learn new concepts. For example, in history, pupils use their knowledge of 13th-century England and Baghdad to evaluate the role of religion. In English, pupils use what they know about staging to analyse Shakespeare’s themes. Through the languages curriculum, pupils remember a breadth of vocabulary and speak the taught languages confidently.

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better?

Leaders have embedded a whole-school approach to reading for enjoyment. The programme enables all pupils to get to know a range of worthwhile texts. Leaders are rightly focused on ensuring that pupils learn to read well so that they can learn the wider curriculum. However, the support for pupils who struggle with reading is not yet consistently effective. 23–24 March 2022

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Leaders have established a highly inclusive curriculum. Staff use information about pupils to provide bespoke support enabling pupils to learn with confidence and success. They use assessment information well to check what pupils know and adapt the curriculum accordingly. Staff provide strong academic and emotional support for vulnerable pupils.

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Leaders have designed a very effective careers curriculum. The school meets the requirements of the Baker Clause which provides pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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Pupils behave well. There is rarely any disruptive behaviour in lessons. Pupils and staff have positive relationships. The vast majority of pupils are respectful and empathetic towards each other.

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Leaders have planned the personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum to include what pupils should learn. Pupils learn about different groups in society who might experience discrimination. They are taught about the importance of being able to develop and maintain positive and healthy relationships in their own lives. Despite this, a small minority of pupils do not fully understand how to interact respectfully with others. They do not gain the age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships that leaders intend.

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Governance is extremely robust. Directors of the trust and the academy council pose rigorous challenge and support in equal measure. They gather a breadth of information about the school to pose questions of school leaders. Leaders prioritise the well-being of staff, for example they make sure that early career teachers are well supported. Staff agree that leaders help them to manage their workload very effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are vigilant in keeping pupils emotionally and physically safe. They have established a strong system for recording and monitoring the safety of pupils. They act speedily and appropriately when a pupil is at risk of harm. They work well with external agencies and escalate concerns when they feel that a pupil is not receiving the most appropriate support.

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Safeguarding

Staff receive up-to-date training. They know how to identify when a pupil is at risk and how to refer their concerns. Leaders ensure that appropriate background checks are carried out on all adults who work at the school. 23–24 March 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The reading strategy for pupils who struggle with reading is not as well designed as other areas of the curriculum. Leaders must ensure that the reading programme for such pupils enables them to read well so that they can learn the curriculum successfully and confidently.  The PSHE curriculum is not ensuring that all pupils gain an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships. Leaders must ensure that all staff have the expertise to help pupils learn about healthy and equitable relationships both in school and the wider world.

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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. 23–24 March 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10211154 Type of school Secondary Comprehensive

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll 1056

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School details

Date of previous inspection 10 and 11 January 2017

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Information about this school

 Bristol Metropolitan Academy is part of the Cabot Learning Federation.  The proportion of pupils in receipt of pupil premium funding is above the national average.

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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 discussions with the principal and members of the leadership team including the chief executive officer, executive principal and executive director of education of the Cabot Learning Federation.  Inspectors held discussions with members of the academy council and the chair of the academy scrutiny committee.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in English, science, history, modern foreign languages and design technology. This meant that, in each subject, inspectors 23–24 March 2022

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met with senior and curriculum leaders, talked to pupils, visited lessons, spoke to teachers and looked at pupils’ books.  Inspectors met with staff to consider their views.  Inspectors reviewed safeguarding records, including the single central record of recruitment checks on staff.  Inspectors considered the views of parents who responded to the confidential questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View. They evaluated the views of staff and pupils from the Ofsted online questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Susan Aykin, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Rachel Hesketh Her Majesty’s Inspector 23–24 March 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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