The Flying Bull Academy

Inspection of a good school: The Flying Bull Academy Flying Bull Lane, Buckland, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO2 7BJ

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Outcome

The Flying Bull Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at this caring and supportive school. Leaders have created an inclusive and nurturing environment, keeping the school values of resilience, respect, co-operation and aspiration at the heart of their work. There are high levels of care and pastoral support in place for all pupils. As one pupil stated, ‘Staff really care about us and about making sure that we can learn.’ On the rare occasions that bullying happens, staff work with pupils and families to deal with it promptly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils to succeed. Leaders encourage all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to do their very best. Pupils are keen to learn. As a result, pupils flourish both academically and socially.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy making a difference to their school and the local community. They have set up litter-picking teams to keep the school grounds tidy and have collected food for the local food bank. Pupils have learned about their local heritage through taking part in a marketing campaign for the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Some pupils have also enhanced their performance skills by entertaining residents of a local care home with a Christmas sing-along.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum. They have identified the knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn in all year groups. In some subjects, for example English and mathematics, knowledge builds in a clear sequence right from the start of early years. In these subjects, teachers know exactly what to teach and when to teach it. They regularly check pupils’ understanding and set tasks that help pupils remember their learning. As a result, pupils achieve well.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

However, in some foundation subjects, for example in design technology and history, topics are not always taught in an order that helps pupils remember their learning over time. Leaders need to continue to refine the curriculum so that it consistently builds 19 and 20 July 2022

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knowledge logically from the very start of Nursery to Year 6. This will give pupils more opportunities to use and apply their knowledge so that they can achieve well in all subjects.

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Leaders prioritise reading. They want all pupils to love reading and to read well. Leaders ensure that all pupils have access to high-quality books to build vocabulary and broaden knowledge. Pupils learn to read using a structured phonics programme. Teachers teach this consistently well. All pupils, at the early stages of learning to read, read books that help them practise the different letters and sounds that they have learned. Staff are trained well to support those pupils who struggle to read. Right from the start of early years, teachers read regularly to children and encourage them to share their opinions about the stories they have heard.

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Pupils with SEND achieve well. Leaders have high expectations for their learning and ensure that they are supported effectively to access an age-appropriate curriculum. Leaders readily seek expert advice when necessary to ensure that pupils’ individual needs are met.

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Pupils behave well around the school and in lessons. They are respectful and polite. Relationships between adults and pupils are highly positive. Pupils value the strong support from the pastoral team. Pupils see this team as trusted adults who they can go to when they are ‘worried, anxious, or just need to calm down’. Right from the start of early years, staff have established strong routines which the children follow well. Children in the early years are calm and purposeful in their play and cooperate well with each other.

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The school’s provision for pupils’ wider development is strong. Through a carefully planned curriculum, pupils develop their understanding of different cultures, equality and diversity, keeping healthy and about financial planning. Pupils enjoy attending a variety of extra-curricular clubs including coding, football and junior road safety officers (JRSOs). The JRSOs are particularly proud of their role in educating their peers about staying safe when out and about in the local community. Strong links with a local university have enabled pupils to develop science, technology, engineering and maths knowledge using university facilities.

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All leaders, including leaders from across the trust, and governors work well together to continue to improve the school. They are mindful of staff’s workload. They have ensured that the tasks staff do beyond the classroom are those that have the most impact on pupils’ learning.

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Parents are positive about the school. They speak warmly about the nurturing and caring ethos. As one parent said, ‘Flying Bull is an amazing, supportive school. The teachers care deeply for their pupils and just want them to shine as bright as they can.’

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established a strong culture of vigilance. They have clear processes to 19 and 20 July 2022

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record incidents and to identify pupils who are at risk of harm. Leaders readily seek advice and support from other professionals when necessary. They deal with concerns swiftly to ensure that pupils and their families get the help and support that they need.

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Pupils are supported well to keep themselves safe. They have a strong understanding of online safety. They know not to give away personal information and to speak to a trusted adult if they are worried or upset about anything they have seen or heard.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, the order in which topics are taught does not enable pupils to build knowledge systematically from Nursery to Year 6. Series of lessons in these subjects do not always enable pupils to make links between concepts securely enough so that they know more and remember more over time. Leaders need to continue to refine the curriculum from Nursery to Year 6 so that pupils can achieve well in all subjects.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Flying Bull Primary School, to be good in November 2013.

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How can I feed back my views?

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 . 19 and 20 July 2022

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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. 19 and 20 July 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10211342 Type of school Primary

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School details

Headteacher Vivienne Kies (Acting Headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1 February 2017

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Information about this school

 This is a two-form entry, larger-than-average primary school.  The school is an academy in the University of Chichester Academy Trust.  There is an on-site nursery which includes spaces for two-year-old children.  The school has a special resource provision for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs. Pupils who attend the provision are referred by the local authority through their education, health and social care plans.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspector met with the acting headteacher, the consultant headteacher, senior leaders, the chief executive officer and a school improvement adviser from the University of Chichester Academy Trust. The inspector also met with 19 and 20 July 2022

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three members of the governing body, including the chair of governors, and with two representatives from the board of trustees.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and design technology. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector reviewed the arrangements for safeguarding by scrutinising safeguarding records and interviewing staff, and through discussions with pupils.  The views of parents and carers were considered through their responses to Ofsted Parent View. Further views of pupils and staff were gathered through surveys, interviews and discussions conducted throughout the inspection.  The inspector reviewed a range of the school’s documentation, including self-evaluation reports, minutes of governing body meetings and behaviour incident logs.

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Inspection team

Sue Keeling, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector 19 and 20 July 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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