Abbots Green Primary Academy

Inspection of Abbots Green Primary Academy Airfield Road, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP32 7PJ

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good 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 7 and 8 June 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

The ‘rainbow values’ encapsulate all that is great about the pupils at Abbots Green Primary Academy. Pupils are responsible in how they approach learning, reading regularly to win the sought-after ‘reading cup’. They are aspirational in how they take on roles, training hard to do these well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel inspired to behave well by the ‘zone board’ and its system of rewards. Many pupils strive to achieve gold to access special privileges. The nurturing ‘Rainbow Room’ is a hive of activity that helps build pupils’ self-esteem. Pupils learn about bullying, which helps them bravely report it when it occurs. Pupils know staff will work quickly to investigate and resolve issues.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Due to the well-considered curriculum, pupils are open-minded. They speak kindly and maturely about how people and families may be different. They relish opportunities to try new things, be it through school trips or the varied before- and after-school club offer.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The last school value is ‘wow’ and, for certain aspects of the school, it is a fitting word to use. There is no doubt that pupils feel happy and safe at this school.

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better?

Children in the early years get off to an impressive start. Leaders are rightfully proud of how they and their staff developed the provision. A considered curriculum helps children learn interesting concepts and vocabulary. Staff’s astute assessment informs activities that help children develop skills. For example, many children in Reception write well due to how staff in the school’s Evergreen Nursery develop children’s small- and large-muscle skills. Children present as confident, curious individuals. Staff build children’s understanding of feelings over time, helping children regulate their behaviour. Staff share helpful guidance with parents. It helps parents support their child’s learning and wider development. Children are well prepared for Year 1.

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better?

The school’s detailed curriculum supports teachers to educate pupils well. When needed, leaders take sensible action to strengthen the curriculum. For example, for those pupils learning to read, staff audited the books carefully to check that they contain the sounds pupils know. This helps them to read with increasing fluency to access more challenging texts.

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better?

Leaders consider assessment practices carefully. Most teachers make astute assessments in lessons to address any pupil’s misunderstanding. There is space in the timetable for teachers to review taught content with pupils. Nonetheless, some pupils find it difficult to recall learning from previous years. This makes it difficult for those pupils to maximise their knowledge by making links to what they learned before. 7 and 8 June 2022

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Staff oversee suitable support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Teachers explore how they can aid learning and behaviour before seeking further support. Where needed, leaders help teachers access further support for a pupil. Staff involve parents and pupils in this to maintain strong relationships.

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Pupils’ behaviour is confident and kind. Staff model the behaviours they expect to see. The high expectations for behaviour also exist for attendance. Staff manage attendance with rigour, ensuring it remains appropriately high.

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It is the add-ons in the school’s personal development programme that set it apart. For example, staff diligently train pupils ahead of them taking on responsibilities. As a result, the pupils take their roles seriously and effect change well. This includes training others new to the role. The extra-curricular offering acts as a springboard for pupils to further their talents. For example, staff facilitated pupils from the school choir joining the cathedral choir. They now have greater performance opportunities. The ‘Rainbow Room’ is at the heart of the school’s pastoral support. Passionate staff provide nurture for pupils and parents. This facility extends well beyond the school day.

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Dedicated leaders help drive improvements in the school. They share their clear evaluation with governors. Governors use this to inform their visits. They check that the curriculum and other systems work well. Staff and parents praise the school, including the work of leaders. This is a school where staff feel valued and parents feel happy to send their children.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The trust cascades training to school level well. Staff receive regular guidance from school leaders to help them identify vulnerable pupils. Concerns are shared swiftly. Training ensures written records are factual and suitably detailed. Leaders follow up on concerns without delay. Confident, knowledgeable staff complete appropriate checks on those adults working or volunteering in school.

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Safeguarding

Pupils speak knowingly about how to stay safe on and offline. The dedicated pupils who form the ‘safety squad’ secure changes to procedure and the premises to ensure everyone is kept safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have structured the curriculum to facilitate pupils revisiting content learned in their year group. However, some pupils struggle to recall what they learned in previous years to strengthen their understanding. Leaders must review 7 and 8 June 2022

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their systems to ensure teachers support pupils to make links between current and previous learning to help them remember more over time.

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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. 7 and 8 June 2022

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Abbots Green Primary Academy is part of the Unity Schools Partnership, having joined in April 2018. When its predecessor school, Abbots Green Community Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted in December 2012, it was judged to be good overall.  The school offers before- and after-school care run by school staff.  The school does not currently use any 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 leaders, including the chief executive officer and executive director of primary of the trust, as well as the school headteacher, the 7 and 8 June 2022

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deputy headteacher, the assistant headteachers and the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator. The lead inspector also met with five governors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, science, geography and religious education.  For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also listened to a sample of pupils read to a familiar adult.  An inspector also spoke to leaders about assessment practices in some other subjects.  Inspectors reviewed a range of other school documentation, including policies and records of meetings.  To inspect safeguarding, the lead inspector spoke to the designated safeguarding lead and a deputy designated safeguarding lead. The lead inspector viewed

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records relating to safeguarding and reviewed the single central record of recruitment and vetting checks. Inspectors also spoke with staff and pupils.  Inspectors spent time observing and speaking to pupils.  Inspectors gathered parents’ views by reviewing the 80 responses and 56 free- text responses submitted to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. The lead inspector also reviewed correspondence sent directly to them by parents. An inspector spoke to some parents at the start of a school day.  Inspectors gathered staff members’ views by speaking to several of them. Inspectors also took account of the 22 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Daniel Short, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sue Cox Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 June 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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