Wadebridge Primary Academy

Inspection of Wadebridge Primary Academy Gonvena Hill, Wadebridge, Cornwall PL27 6BL

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 18 and 19 April 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Wadebridge Primary Academy is a friendly and supportive school. Pupils know that staff expect them to try their best. Consequently, they work hard in lessons and achieve well. Pupils describe the school as a place where everyone is accepted. ‘We treat everyone the same,’ was a comment from a pupil.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All staff have clear and consistent expectations of pupils’ behaviour. The school is calm and orderly. Pupils from the early years to Year 6 know the school rules by heart. They know how following the rules ‘be ready, be respectful, be safe’ helps classrooms to be productive and everyone to get along well. Pupils benefit from the range of activities staff provide at social times. They cooperate and communicate well with each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most parents and carers have positive views of the school. They are proud to have the school as part of the community. Parents particularly praise the lengths staff go to when developing pupils’ confidence, self-esteem and resilience. They recognise the positive impact this makes on pupils as they prepare for the next stage in their education.

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better?

Children develop a love of reading as soon as they join the Nursery. Throughout the school, pupils learn to read through a well-organised reading curriculum. They value the rewards they receive for regular reading. Pupils benefit from listening to teachers read aloud regularly from a carefully considered selection of books. Staff have a secure understanding of the school’s approach to teaching phonics. They identify and support pupils who need to catch up. Many pupils do catch up with their peers as they receive phonics teaching that precisely matches their needs. Pupils develop into confident and fluent readers because they read books that contain the sounds they know, as well as other books that showcase a range of genres.

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better?

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum. Learning captures pupils’ interest, starting in the early years. Pupils talk about their learning with enthusiasm. Leaders provide a well-considered professional development programme for staff. Consequently, teachers have secure subject knowledge. They break learning down into small steps. This helps to deepen pupils’ understanding. Teachers identify suitable next steps in learning for pupils and check what they know and remember. They adapt learning based on the information they gain from assessment. However, in foundation subjects, some pupils do not remember enough of their learning. They are unsure which subject they are learning. At times, this makes it hard for pupils to build their knowledge and link new learning to what they already know.

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better?

Leaders deliver training for staff that helps them to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). While staff identify pupils’ needs well, some pupils have learning targets that are not precise enough. This makes it hard for teachers to determine pupils’ progress through the curriculum. As a result, some 18 and 19 April 2023

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pupils with SEND do not learn as well as they could.

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Children in the early years get off to a strong start. As soon as children join the Nursery, they learn the school routines. Children become confident learners because staff know when they need support and when they could learn independently. Staff know children’s needs well. Strong relationships feature in the early years and continue throughout the school. This helps pupils of all ages to feel safe and secure.

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The curriculum helps pupils to learn about keeping healthy, both physically and mentally. Alongside this, pupils benefit from a range of opportunities to put their knowledge of keeping healthy into action. For example, by preparing food in cooking club. Pupils have a secure understanding of the world around them. Leaders purposely choose books and resources that showcase world religions and different backgrounds. Pupils participate in a range of trips and visits to enhance their knowledge, for example the upcoming visit to a synagogue. Many pupils hold roles of responsibility. They take their roles, such as older pupils looking after younger pupils, seriously.

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Most pupils have positive attitudes toward learning. Some pupils receive extra help to improve their behaviour. As a result, learning is rarely disturbed, and pupils concentrate well.

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Trust leaders know the school well. They check that senior leaders’ actions make the necessary impact on the education that pupils receive. Staff say that the support of the trust positively impacts their well-being and workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about keeping safe through the curriculum and in assemblies. Leaders have a good understanding of the potential safeguarding risks to pupils in the local area. Where appropriate they use specialists to teach pupils about aspects of safety, such as water safety.

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Safeguarding

All staff have the safeguarding knowledge they need to identify that a child may be at risk. Concerns are recorded and reported in line with leaders’ expectations. Leaders take the appropriate action when responding to concerns.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that recruitment processes check that all adults are suitable to work with children.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils with SEND have learning targets that are not specific enough. This makes it difficult for teachers to measure the progress pupils make in their 18 and 19 April 2023

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learning. Some pupils do not make as much progress as they could. Leaders must ensure that all pupils with SEND have targets that are specific and measurable.  In foundation subjects, some pupils do not remember as much of their learning as they could. At times, they find it hard to link new learning to what they already know. Leaders need to ensure that pupils are always clear about which subject they are learning so their knowledge builds well 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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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. 18 and 19 April 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection 27 June 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Bridge Schools Multi-Academy Trust.  Leaders do not use any alternative provision.  There is a new headteacher in position since the previous inspection.  There is an on-site before- and after-school provision.  The nursery includes provision for two- and three-year-olds.

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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, history and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the 18 and 19 April 2023

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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.  Inspectors spoke with school leaders, subject leaders, pupils and representatives from the trust.  An inspector listened to pupils read.  To evaluate safeguarding, inspectors spoke to the designated safeguarding lead (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 surveys. The lead inspector received and considered a letter from a parent during the inspection.  Inspectors 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

Cameron Lancaster Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 April 2023

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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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