Bude Primary Academy - Infants

Inspection of Bude Primary Academy – Infants Broadclose Hill, Bude, Cornwall EX23 8EA

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Inspection dates: 13 and 14 September 2022

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 13 and 14 September 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Bude Primary Academy Infants is a school showing rapid improvement. Leaders want the best for pupils. They have an accurate view of the current strengths and areas for development. Leaders have made changes that have resulted in more positive outcomes for pupils. However, they know that there is still more to do. Although the curriculum has improved, pupils do not learn as well as they could in some subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. Classrooms are calm. Pupils say that bullying rarely happens. Staff use a consistent approach to help pupils understand and improve their behaviour. This starts as soon as children join Reception. Pupils view the staff team as kind and caring. They know that they can share any worries with them. This helps pupils to feel safe. Pupils say that the ‘above and beyond’ points help them to understand that only their best effort is good enough.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many parents and carers told inspectors about the notable recent improvements to the school. They appreciate leaders being available and approachable. A parent commented: ‘Leaders want the best for all pupils. They make sure pupils are happy, safe and nurtured.’

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better?

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum. However, it is at the early stages of implementation. In some subjects, the impact in classrooms is variable. This is because the curriculum is not yet taught well enough. Teachers are unclear about the key knowledge that pupils need to gain, particularly in the foundation subjects. Consequently, pupils do not make as much progress through the curriculum as they could.

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better?

In reading and mathematics, subject leaders closely check the quality of the curriculum. They provide meaningful feedback to staff to improve the offer for pupils. In other subjects, this is less effective. Some subject leaders do not check that learning activities help pupils to learn the intended curriculum. Consequently, pupils sometimes develop gaps in their knowledge.

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better?

In the foundation subjects, teachers do not use assessment effectively to understand what pupils know and remember. This means that teaching does not always take pupils’ prior knowledge into account. As a result, some pupils do not build knowledge well enough. This makes it more difficult for pupils to remember their learning over time.

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better?

Leaders provide training that enables staff to identify pupils who may have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils receive targeted support that helps them to be successful. 13 and 14 September 2022

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Reading is a strength of the school. Pupils love to read. The ‘rocket reader’ system encourages pupils to read for pleasure. Leaders make sure that reading is high profile. They use assemblies to celebrate reading. Pupils regularly listen to teachers reading aloud. Leaders choose these books carefully to widen pupils’ reading diet. Pupils read books that match their reading ability. They develop into confident readers. Pupils who struggle to read receive help to catch up quickly. Leaders provide training that helps all staff to teach phonics well.

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Children in the Reception Year get off to a strong start. They settle quickly into routines, as a result of a well-thought-out transition programme. Children are familiar with the expectations teachers have of them. As a result, they are calm, focused and ready to learn. Staff know children’s needs well. They expect children to be independent but remain nearby for support. Children learn letter sounds from the very start of the year. Teachers use regular stories and rhymes to support children to build vocabulary well. By the end of the Reception Year, children’s writing is impressive. They are well prepared for the curriculum in Year 1.

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Leaders have an effective approach to promoting pupils’ personal development. Pupils increase their understanding of global and local issues. For example, links with a school in Nigeria help pupils to learn about diversity. Leaders encourage pupils to take responsibility for promoting positive behaviour. Pupils act as behaviour monitors. They confidently advise other pupils how they should conduct themselves around the school building.

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Staff are overwhelmingly positive about working at the school. They are proud to belong to the team. Leaders ensure that staff have time to devise and embed new ideas. Staff appreciate the consideration given to their workload during a period of rapid improvement.

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Hub counsellors know the school well. They, along with the trust, offer suitable support and challenge to school leaders. The trust ensures that improvement plans help the school to continue to improve further.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils feel safe. There is a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff know pupils well. They spot any cause for concern quickly. Procedures for recording and reporting concerns are robust. Weekly welfare meetings help leaders to share information and secure timely support for vulnerable families.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make the right safeguarding checks when recruiting staff. They maintain an accurate log of these checks on the single central record.

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Safeguarding

Leaders provide regular and relevant safeguarding training for all staff. This supports staff to understand local and national safeguarding developments and priorities. 13 and 14 September 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers are unclear about the key knowledge that pupils need to know and remember in the foundation subjects. Teaching does not always support pupils to build knowledge well. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their understanding. Leaders need to ensure that the key knowledge that pupils need to know in all subjects is identified clearly.  Teachers do not use assessment effectively to understand what pupils know and remember in some subjects. As a result, they do not always adapt learning based on what pupils already know. Leaders must ensure that there is a consistent and effective approach to assessment in all subjects. This will enable teachers to adapt learning successfully based on pupils’ prior knowledge.  Some subject leaders are new to their roles. They do not yet provide enough guidance and support to teachers. As a result, teachers do not always design learning activities that best support pupils to learn the intended curriculum. Some

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

pupils develop gaps in their understanding, and this makes it difficult for them to build knowledge well over time. Subject leaders need to ensure that they support staff to implement the curriculum effectively.

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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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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. 13 and 14 September 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10241458 Type of school Infant

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Bude Primary Academy Infants joined Aspire Academy Trust in 2018.  The headteacher joined the school in September 2020.  Leaders make use of one registered alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded 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 carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects. 13 and 14 September 2022

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 Inspectors spoke with school leaders, subject leaders, parents, pupils and representatives from the trust.  An inspector listened to pupils read.  To evaluate safeguarding, inspectors spoke to the designated safeguarding leader (who is also the headteacher). Inspectors also spoke with staff, governors and pupils, and evaluated record-keeping and staff training.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey for parents, and comments made by parents online during the inspection. They also evaluated responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil questionnaires.  An inspector met with parents at the start of the second day.

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Inspection team

Jane Dennis, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mark Lees Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 September 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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