St Peter's Bratton Church of England Academy

Inspection of St Peter's Bratton Church of England Academy Squirrel Meadow, Bratton, Telford, Shropshire TF5 0NT

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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 Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The principal of this school is Rhonda Welsh. This school is part of St Chad’s Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Sarah Cockshott, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Anthony Orlik. 9 and 10 July 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at St Peter’s are polite, welcoming and curious about the world. They feel safe and attend well. Staff are focused on enriching pupils lives and helping them. There is a positive culture around school. The school has worked hard to improve behaviour in recent months. Pupils’ behaviour reflects this improvement and they can see things are better.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of what pupils will achieve. However, some pupils do not receive a good quality of education. There is a lack of consistency in how the planned curriculum is delivered, which limits what pupils can achieve. In addition, some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not always have the support they need to learn successfully alongside their peers. There have been recent changes though, particularly in English and writing, that are improving pupils’ learning experiences.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All are encouraged to be responsible, respectful and active citizens. Pupils know they have a voice in the school. They enjoy the renewed extra-curricular activities, which include a range of sports and the popular ‘Little Gannets’ cooking club. Pupils are proud of their leadership roles. This can be as members of the ‘Safeguarding Squad’, ‘Worship Council’ or ‘School Council’. They make active contributions to the school community and beyond.

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better?

The school has strengthened the planned curriculum. Firm foundations are now in place to secure well-sequenced learning towards ambitious goals. However, over time there is inconsistency in how the curriculum is put into action. The key knowledge that needs to be learned is not clear enough at times. This results in pupils having gaps in their knowledge. There are also inconsistent assessment practices across the school. So, at times, important information about what pupils know and understand is not used to support learning effectively.

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better?

All staff are determined that a love of reading is central to the pupils’ experience. Pupils engage well in phonics activities. Leaders have implemented a consistent approach to teaching phonics. Children in Reception learn the sounds that letters make from the very start of their time in school. Pupils use the phonic strategies they learn to break down unfamiliar words into their individual sounds. They learn to read with increasing fluency and accuracy. Older pupils work together well to develop the range of skills they need for effective reading. The school works well to ensure that every pupil will learn to read, regardless of their background, needs or abilities.

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better?

Children in Reception enjoy the language rich environment that they work in. They settle in well and are included in the wider life of the school. Children play, learn and collaborate happily. However, the curriculum in the early years is yet to be fully 9 and 10 July 2024

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embedded. So, the precise learning that would help pupils to be successful in key stage 1 is not being secured as coherently as it could be.

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Pupils with SEND are identified well. There is a range of appropriate interventions that support their needs. These are delivered by well-trained staff. However, when it comes to adaptations made to support their learning in the classroom, these are not working well enough. This means that pupils with SEND are not developing a deep understanding of the curriculum.

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Attendance is high and is a clear strength of the school’s work. Staff take timely actions to support and secure pupils being in school. The strong pastoral work plays a key role in helping pupils to attend. Pupils feel valued and understood. There have been clear and demonstrable improvements in behaviour recently. The school knows that there is more to do to help all pupils consistently live up to these very high expectations. Leaders have clear plans to secure further improvement.

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Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is well-considered. The personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum is planned in detail. This sits well alongside a broad range of opportunities through which pupils develop their talents and interests. For example, pupils have a shared sense of the school values, as well as how to keep themselves mentally healthy and safe online. Older pupils feel ready for their next steps.

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Leaders at all levels are aware of what the school needs to improve. Their integrity and reflectiveness characterise their drive for improvement. The recent changes in senior leadership have ensured a clear vision exists for how they want things to improve for pupils. Staff are moving forward with them on this journey and appreciate the care shown for their wellbeing.

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The trust has a clear understanding of the school and are acting to support school leaders to secure the necessary change. Engagement with the wider community is an emerging strength of the school’s work. Parents have appreciated the recent improvements which were summarised very well by one as, ‘the school feels better’.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There is inconsistent implementation of the planned curriculum, including early years. Teachers are not clear enough about what pupils need to learn and pupils are not able always to recall what they have learnt over time. The school needs to 9 and 10 July 2024

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ensure that the curriculum is delivered as intended and effectively to enable all pupils to be able to know and remember more.  The adaptations for pupils with SEND are not effective enough. Consequently, pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they could. The school needs to ensure that clear actions for support are in place to help pupils with SEND access the full curriculum well.  Assessment information about how pupils are progressing through the curriculum is not used well enough. As a result, pupils have gaps in their knowledge or misconceptions which are not addressed. The school should ensure that teachers use assessment consistently well to help pupils to build knowledge more securely.

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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). 9 and 10 July 2024

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School details

Date(s) of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 St Peter's Bratton Church of England Academy converted to become an academy in September 2021. When its predecessor school, St Peter's Church of England Controlled Primary School, Bratton, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding overall in May 2012.  The school is part of the St Chad’s Academies Trust.  The school’s last Section 48 inspection was in June 2017.  The school uses one alternative provider, which is unregistered.  The school runs a before and after school provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspector(s) 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. 9 and 10 July 2024

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 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.  During the inspection, inspectors held discussions with the trust leaders, principal, acting vice principal and other middle leaders.  Inspectors held discussions with members of the board of trustees and governors who are part of the local academy committee.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, science and Computing. For each of these subjects, inspectors met with subject leaders, carried out visits to lessons, spoke to pupils and looked at some of their work.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in Art, English and History  Inspectors also visited other lessons, along with some reading interventions.  Inspectors reviewed the curriculum for PSHE and the extra-curricular activities

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with leaders.  Inspectors met with members of staff and spoke to pupils formally and informally at various points in the inspection.  An inspector met with two parents from the ‘Friends of St Peter’s’ group who support the school.  An inspector visited the breakfast club provision run by the school.  Inspectors looked at records and spoke to staff in relation to behaviour, bullying, attendance and safeguarding.  Inspectors reviewed safeguarding arrangements by checking the school’s approach to safeguarding, scrutinising policy documents and meeting with the designated safeguarding lead and pastoral support staff.  A range of documentation was scrutinised, including leaders’ plans to improve the school and their self-evaluation of the school’s work.  Inspectors took account of responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey.

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Inspection team

Richard Wakefield, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Adam Montague-Clewes Ofsted Inspector 9 and 10 July 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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