Waycroft Academy

Inspection of Waycroft Academy Selden Road, Stockwood, Bristol BS14 8PS

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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 Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Adam Smith. This school is part of the Cabot Learning Federation, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Steve Taylor, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Paul Olomolaiye . There is also a director of education, Susie Weaver, who is responsible for this school and others. 4 and 5 June 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils work hard in the classroom and participate in lessons with enthusiasm. Pupils learn in a calm and purposeful way. They are reflective and identify areas they can improve. The quality of education has improved greatly since the previous inspection and is now in line with the strong pastoral support that pupils receive. Pupils enjoy attending school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has reflected on the 2023 published pupil outcomes and has prioritised the curriculum. There has been huge impact. The school has improved teaching and made improvements to how pupils learn over time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school values of ‘Ready, Respectful and Resilient’ are understood by all. Pupils behave well around the school and live up to the high expectations set by staff. Bullying, when it occurs, is dealt with swiftly. Those who struggle to behave appropriately are supported with kindness and understanding.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupil leadership opportunities such as the school tech team or school council let pupils play an active part in improving the school. Members of the pupil led well- being team welcome other pupils into school and support the mental health of their peers. The selection process for these roles is designed to help pupils to understand the importance of democracy and prepare them for life in modern Britain.

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better?

The school’s curriculum is ambitious and covers the full breadth of the national curriculum. Subjects are well planned and sequenced from Nursery to Year 6. The school has identified the small steps of knowledge pupils need to learn and when this should happen. For example, in mathematics, staff give children in early years opportunities to develop their understanding of number to recognise odd and even numbers. Older pupils build on this as they learn about finding the proportions of numbers and exploring fractions by learning about dividing recipes into thirds.

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better?

In English and mathematics, assessment is used well to identify gaps in learning. For example, in reading, staff use assessment to precisely identify any gaps in pupils’ phonics knowledge. Staff provide extra support to help pupils catch up if needed. The school’s phonics programme is effective. Children begin to learn to read as soon as they start Reception. Pupils read books that match the sounds that they know. This helps them become fluent and accurate readers. Story times, a well-stocked library and special events like the school reading café or mystery staff readers, further help to promote reading.

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better?

In some wider curriculum subjects, assessment is not as impactful because it does not identify enough information about what pupils have learned and remembered. While pupils can discuss their current learning, they struggle to make links to what they have learned before. 4 and 5 June 2024

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Children in the early years, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from warm and nurturing relationships. The school ensures that in the provision for two-year-olds, the Nursery and Reception classes there is a sharp focus on developing children's communication and language skills. Specific vocabulary is clearly chosen and taught. Adults guide and question children to help them to think about the world around them and deepen their learning. The school has invested in the outdoor provision. Activities are carefully chosen to engage children’s interest, developing children’s sense of awe and wonder about the natural world.

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Staff use adaptations and support to ensure that pupils, including those with SEND, have opportunities to learn alongside their peers. Where this is strongest, for example in the early years, children with SEND receive the tailored support they need to do their best. However, some adaptations to learning do not precisely match pupils’ needs, or they are too broad. Some staff lack the training needed to support pupils with SEND to maximise their achievement.

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The rich and varied curriculum for personal development is a strength. Older pupils show a mature understanding of healthy relationships, power imbalance and discuss important and relevant issues such as the impact of social media on body image. High-quality pastoral support helps pupils manage and understand their feelings. Trips and visits are deliberately planned, enhancing many areas of the curriculum. Pupils learn to play musical instruments or take part in musical theatre and Christmas productions. There are a wide range of sports clubs, however parents and pupils would appreciate more opportunities that develop pupils’ interests beyond sport.

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The school has recently joined a new multi-academy trust. The expertise and experience available in the trust has supported the school to strengthen its curriculum and provide the right level of challenge and support to school leaders.

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Staff are well supported by leaders who are considerate of their workload and well- being. As a result, staff support each other well, there is a strong team ethos and they are proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the school’s approach to assessment does not provide enough information about what pupils have learned and remembered. As a result, staff cannot efficiently use this information to plug gaps in pupils’ knowledge. The trust 4 and 5 June 2024

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and the school should modify this approach, so that checks on pupils’ learning are efficient and helpful to inform future teaching.

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 Some of the support for pupils with SEND lacks a clear measure by which to assess progress against the curriculum. This limits the ability of staff to evaluate this support effectively. The trust and the school should ensure that the progress of pupils with SEND through the curriculum is evaluated more 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' 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). 4 and 5 June 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 23 – 24 November 2021, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school joined the Cabot Learning Federation on 1 February 2024.  Since the previous inspection there have been several changes to leadership. A new headteacher was recruited in April 2023.  The school operates a breakfast club provision.  The school uses one registered alternative provider.  Early years comprises four classes. One takes children who are two years old. Another Nursery class caters for three- and four-year-olds. There are two Reception classes.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 4 and 5 June 2024

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 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school's education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the  school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, members of staff, the trust chief executive officer, the trust director of education, members of the trust board and the local academy council.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, science and art. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited samples of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and

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considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments, pupil and the staff surveys.

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Inspection team

Gavin Summerfield, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Neil Lankester Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 June 2024

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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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