Badger Hill Academy

Inspection of Badger Hill Academy Marston Road, Kilton Lane, Brotton, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire TS12 2XR

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Inspection dates: 17 and 18 November 2022

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 17 and 18 November 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Badger Hill enjoy learning. They are happy and safe here. Leaders and staff have high expectations both about pupils’ behaviour and their achievement. The ‘life’ curriculum that leaders have created raises pupils’ aspirations. They learn about jobs they may be interested to do in the future. This inspires them to work hard.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well both in lessons and in the playground. They are kind and considerate to each other. Bullying rarely happens here.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have created a curriculum that is ambitious and challenging. They are determined that pupils will have opportunities to gain knowledge both about the local area and the wider world. Pupils enjoy this. They are keen to share their learning, for example, by contributing to creating a gallery of art in the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Since joining Northern Education Trust changes have been made to both staffing and the curriculum at Badger Hill. Leaders ensure that pupils’ success is at the heart of these changes. Most parents recognise this. However, there is more to do to ensure that all parents understand how the trust and the school work together.

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better?

Since joining the trust, leaders have used expertise from their own, and other schools, to create a broad, inspiring and interesting curriculum in all subjects. Leaders have planned learning that builds progressively from the early years to Year 6. This curriculum helps teachers to plan lessons where pupils revisit and build on their knowledge as they learn. In some lessons, there is variability in how teachers use the plans to support learning. Subject leaders need to do more to check if teachers need more help to put the curriculum plans into practice even more effectively.

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better?

In subjects such as history, key knowledge and vocabulary have been identified on a ‘subject on a page’. This is then revisited in the ‘review on a page’ to ensure that pupils are remembering what has been taught. Leaders are developing these systems further in some subjects.

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better?

Leaders have a relentless focus on teaching pupils to read. They encourage all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to read regularly for pleasure using ‘Reading Routes’. Pupils enjoy following the school map to visit different reading ‘lands’. They can choose inspiring and interesting texts. A focus on reading is evident in every corner of the school.

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better?

In the early years, children benefit from a well-planned curriculum. Staff are kind and caring. They encourage children to develop independence. To support future reading development, children begin to listen to the sounds in words from the earliest days in nursery. Staff are skilful in teaching children to say and hear sounds 17 and 18 November 2022

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as they play games or share stories. An example of this could be seen when children copied Mr Bear snoring and then identified the sound at the beginning of the word snore.

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Reading routines established in Nursery are built on in Reception, and throughout key stage 1. Teachers plan progressive phonics lessons using the school’s new programme. All staff have received training to ensure that the programme is used consistently. They focus on supporting pupils to read fluently. This means that most pupils learn to read quickly. Any pupils falling behind are spotted quickly. Extra help is put in place to help them to catch up. Leaders are focusing on developing consistent approaches to other areas of reading, such as reading words that cannot be sounded out.

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In mathematics, leaders have a secure understanding of the curriculum. They ensure that there is a wide range of mathematical resources available in all classes. Most teachers use these well to support pupils, including those with SEND, to learn. However, there is some inconsistency in approaches used in some lessons. Where teachers are less experienced, more support is needed to ensure that pupils use and understand mathematical vocabulary effectively.

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Leaders in the school are passionate about preparing pupils for life beyond Badger Hill. This passion is evident in the way that they have planned for pupils’ personal development, using their ‘life’ curriculum. This interweaves rich personal, social, health and economic education, with responsibility, respect and commitment. Pupils focus on these aspects both in academic and enrichment activities.

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Pupils enjoy taking on roles such as anti-bullying ambassadors or joining the junior leadership team. Leaders ensure that these roles are not tokenistic and that they evolve over time. An example of this is the friendship leader’s role. This has developed to encompass well-being, kindness and respect for all. The ‘life’ curriculum unashamedly tackles significant issues such as discrimination or difference in an age-appropriate way. Pupils confidently talk about their aspirations for the future. This is due to the exceptional curriculum, and the wide variety of opportunities they are given to explore their interests and understanding of the world beyond the school.

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All leaders understand the trust’s clear strategic direction for school improvement. There is a shared commitment to using experts within the school, and externally, to improve the school further. Pupils’ success is at the heart of changes that are made. Trust leaders recognise that there is more to do to share information with parents. They recognise that a minority do not always understand some of the school’s approaches to learning. Staff are positive and enthusiastic about the support they receive. They say leaders are considerate of their well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 17 and 18 November 2022

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Leaders have ensured that staff recognise the importance of safeguarding pupils. They have put effective systems in place to help staff report concerns quickly. Any concerns are followed up robustly. Leaders work with outside agencies to ensure that families receive support when it is needed. Staff receive regular training, and the pastoral leader ensures this training is kept relevant through the use of quizzes and spot-check questions.

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The curriculum supports pupils to learn about safety online and in the local area. They know that the ‘talk it out’ cards, in every classroom, are there for them to report concerns. They are confident that adults will help them if they are worried.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Most parents are pleased with the provision for their children. However, a small number of parents express concern about a range of different issues, including communication with the school. Leaders need to strengthen communication with parents so that parental concerns are addressed quickly.  While curriculum leaders monitor pupils’ progress through most subjects, they do not always identify where teachers need more support to implement the curriculum as they intend. This means that some teachers lack sufficient subject knowledge or pedagogical skill to plan lessons that engage and enthuse all learners. Subject leaders need to ensure that all teachers enact their curriculum plans well.

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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. 17 and 18 November 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10227294 Type of school Primary

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Executive principal

Sally Brook Sara McCallum Website https://bha.northerneducationtrust.org

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Executive principal

Date of previous inspection 5 July 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a nursery class for three- and four-year-old children who can attend part or full time.  The school runs a breakfast club for the pupils.  The school does not use alternative education providers.

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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 is 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.  Prior to the inspection, the lead inspector reviewed documents on the school’s website, as well as published information about the school’s performance and previous Ofsted inspections. 17 and 18 November 2022

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 Inspectors met with the executive principal, the principal, other senior leaders and the special educational needs coordinator. Meetings were also held with the early years leader, subject leaders and class teachers.  The lead inspector met with representatives of the trust, both in person and via a telephone call, as well as members of the academy council for the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives into reading, mathematics, art and design and history. For each deep dive, inspectors looked at curriculum planning, conducted joint lesson visits with leaders, spoke to pupils about their work and looked at pupils’ books and samples of their work.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in classrooms, around the school and at playtime and lunchtime. They spoke with pupils about their views of the school and their learning, behaviour and safety.  During the inspection a range of safeguarding information was scrutinised,

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including the school’s policies and records. Inspectors spoke to pupils and observed relationships between pupils and pupils and pupils and adults. The lead inspector also met with the designated safeguarding and pastoral leaders.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for staff and Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Parent View. This included comments received via the free-text facility.

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Inspection team

Andrea Batley, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Marcus Newby His Majesty’s Inspector 17 and 18 November 2022

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