Berkeley Academy

Inspection of Berkeley Academy Cranford Lane, Heston, Hounslow TW5 9HQ

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Inspection dates: 24 and 25 September 2024

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

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

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The headteacher of this school is Kamalpreet Panesar. This school is part of the Advantage Multi Academy Trust, (ADMAT), which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Kevin Prunty, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Philip Linton Dobison.

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Ofsted has not previously inspected Berkeley Academy under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. However, Ofsted previously judged Berkeley Primary School to be outstanding for overall effectiveness, before it opened as Berkeley Academy as a result of conversion to academy status. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 24 and 25 September 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Berkeley Academy are happy, polite and respectful. This is a highly inclusive school. The needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are understood well by all in the school. Parents and carers speak positively of the school and consider it to be a nurturing and caring environment. There is a strong sense of community here.

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What is it like to attend this school?

School leaders have high expectations for pupils’ learning and behaviour. As a result, lessons are calm and purposeful. Around the school, pupils behave sensibly and show respect and kindness towards adults and each other. They know to talk to a responsible adult if they have any concerns. This helps to ensure that pupils feel safe and are kept safe at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils play an active part in their school and love to take on extra responsibilities, such as those of student council members, sports buddies and travel ambassadors, and carrying out corridor patrols.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Visits are carefully aligned to the curriculum, with all pupils involved. These include outings to local parks and museums, and a recent trip to the Houses of Parliament. The majority of pupils attend many clubs. These include choir, yoga, basketball, poetry and creative writing.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has established a broad and balanced curriculum that meets the scope and ambition of the national curriculum. Teachers have considered how to sequence learning. In most subjects, starting from the early years, there is a clear focus on the key knowledge and skills, including vocabulary, that pupils need to learn. Children in the early years enjoy learning a wide range of Nursery rhymes and songs. They practise a variety of number skills as part of everyday routines and quickly learn to count to 10.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Reading is a key priority in the school. Children learn formal phonics as soon as they start Reception. The books that pupils read accurately match the sounds that they are learning in class. Staff get the right training to teach early reading effectively. They teach the phonics programme with fidelity and consistency. Any pupils who fall behind get help to catch up with targeted interventions. As a result, pupils achieve highly at the end of Year 1 in the phonics check. The school works hard to develop a love of reading. Staff ensure that pupils read a wide range of diverse texts. Recent work is starting to have an impact on older pupils’ achievement, including in their published outcomes in reading.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has high expectations for pupils with SEND. The needs of pupils with SEND are quickly identified and appropriate support plans are put in place. Staff are well trained to make meaningful adaptations to tasks and activities. As a result, these pupils access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers and achieve well from their different starting points. 24 and 25 September 2024

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In many subjects, teachers effectively check on pupils’ understanding. This means pupils typically build secure knowledge in different subjects, achieving well. However, in a few subjects, assessment is not used as precisely. In these instances, gaps in learning can develop over time, meaning some pupils’ understanding of the curriculum in these areas is not as secure.

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From the beginning of early years onwards, children learn what it means to behave well. Classrooms are purposeful environments where pupils can learn without interruption. The school’s approach to improving pupils’ attendance has led to an improvement in overall attendance. However, some pupils do not attend school regularly enough and miss valuable learning time. Leaders know that there is more work to do in supporting parents and carers to ensure their children attend school every day.

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The school promotes pupils’ wider development exceptionally well. There is a well- planned and age-appropriate personal, social and health education programme. Pupils have a strong respect for and appreciation of different faiths and cultures. For example, pupils regularly visit and learn about local places of worship. The school is enriching its curriculum through carefully thought out visits. For example, history is brought to life through visits to Hampton Court, the Tower of London and the Globe Theatre.

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Staff, including those new to teaching, are proud to work at Berkeley Academy. They appreciate the opportunities they have to develop professionally, and the efforts the school makes to manage their workload and well-being. Trustees understand their role to both support and challenge the work of leaders in their drive for continuous improvement.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, the school does not check what pupils have learned precisely. This means that some pupils’ gaps in their learning are not addressed, which leads to difficulties in recalling the essential knowledge that leaders expect them to know and remember. The school needs to ensure that it identifies and checks the key knowledge that pupils have been taught, so that it can apply this to their current and future learning confidently. 24 and 25 September 2024

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How can I feed back my views?

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). 24 and 25 September 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The headteacher was appointed in November 2023  The school does not use any 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. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 24 and 25 September 2024

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. 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 CEO of ADMAT. They also met with the chair and vice- chair of the trust board and other trustees.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, other leaders and teachers. They spoke with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, history, music and science. For each deep dive, the inspectors met with subject leaders, considered the curriculum, visited lessons, spoke with teachers and pupils, and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors considered the curriculum in other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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central record; took account of the views of school 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.  The inspectors met with parents at the start of the school day. The views of pupils, parents and staff were gathered through discussions as well as considering their responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Sean Flood, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Susan Maguire His Majesty’s Inspector 24 and 25 September 2024

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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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