Bradworthy Primary Academy

Inspection of Bradworthy Primary Academy Bradworthy, Holsworthy, Devon EX22 7RT

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Inspection dates: 17 and 18 October 2023

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The headteacher of this school is Richard Stephenson. This school is part of Bradworthy Primary Academy trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Barry Radford. 17 to 18 October 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

The behaviour of pupils is a strength of the school. The environment is calm and orderly. Pupils are polite and treat each other with respect. They believe that everyone should have the same opportunities. Pupils are proud of their school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are keen to learn. However, the trust has not constructed a coherent or well- sequenced curriculum. This means pupils have gaps in their knowledge across many areas of the curriculum, including their phonics knowledge.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is at the heart of the community. Staff know pupils and families well. The school is quick to identify when families need extra support. The trust ensures that all children have full access to a broad range of experiences, including a wide range of clubs, that develop interests and talents. Parents comment positively about their children’s experiences.

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better?

The school does not have a well-sequenced phonics curriculum. The trust has not ensured that staff have the requisite training to deliver a phonics curriculum effectively. Books are not always well matched to pupils’ phonics knowledge. As a result, pupils do not have a secure knowledge of phonics. Pupils who fall behind with early reading do not catch up quickly enough.

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better?

Pupils learn a broad range of subjects that follow the national curriculum. While pupils at the end of key stage 2 achieve well in national tests for reading, writing and mathematics, pupils’ learning in the wider curriculum is not secure. The school does not have a well-structured curriculum in many subject areas, including in the early years. The school has not identified the important knowledge it wants pupils to know and remember. This means the curriculum does not build on what pupils know and can do. Content is sometimes duplicated, while other important content is not taught. As a result, pupils do not build their knowledge progressively in the wider curriculum, from Reception class to Year 6.

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better?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified at an early stage. The school provides support for pupils with SEND so that they learn alongside their peers. The school ensures that parents of pupils with SEND are fully involved in their children’s education. However, pupils with SEND experience the same weaknesses in the curriculum as their peers.

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better?

Children in the early years play well together. Routines are established and children follow instructions. Some children understand number well and use this when playing. However, the early years curriculum does not have a sharp focus on the development of communication and language. As a result, children are not sufficiently prepared for their learning in key stage 1. 17 to 18 October 2023

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The school provides a wide range of opportunities to enhance pupils’ wider development. Pupils participate in national gymnastic competitions. They visit London, and learn to rock climb, surf and wakeboard. This helps pupils to develop confidence and resilience. However, the school does not have an effective curriculum for personal, social and health education (PSHE), including relationships education. This means pupils do not have age-appropriate knowledge and understanding about growing up.

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Trustees show commitment to the school. However, they do not have an accurate view of the quality of education at the school. Trustees have not ensured that school leaders receive appropriate support and challenge.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The trust has not ensured that there is a well-structured and well-taught phonics curriculum. As a result, pupils do not develop a secure knowledge of phonics. The trust must ensure there is a well-sequenced synthetic phonics curriculum that is taught well across the school.  Many subject curriculums, including PSHE, are not coherent and do not identify the essential knowledge that pupils need to learn. This means that pupils do not build their knowledge and understanding effectively from early years onwards. The trust must make sure that it designs and implements subject curriculums that enable pupils to gain a rich and coherent body of knowledge over time.  Trustees have an overgenerous view of the quality of education. As a result, the trust does not provide appropriate support and challenge to the school. Trustees need to ensure that they are well informed to provide appropriate support to leaders and are able to challenge the school on the quality of education provided.

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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. 17 to 18 October 2023

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In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 17 to 18 October 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection 30 January 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a single-academy trust.  The school does not use 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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first. 17 to 18 October 2023

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 The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with teachers, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  The inspectors gathered parents’ views by considering the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and by talking to parents before school. The inspectors also evaluated responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

James Gentile, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Demelza Bolton Ofsted Inspector 17 to 18 October 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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