Byron Wood Primary Academy

Inspection of Byron Wood Primary Academy Earldom Road, Burngreave, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S4 7EJ

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 January 2025

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

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The principal of this school is Bee Wood. This school is part of Astrea Academy 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), Rowena Hackwood, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Benjamin Brown. 14 and 15 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and staff at Byron Wood are proud of their school and its diversity. Pupils regularly join the school at different points during the year. Some are new to the country and others are new to education. All pupils settle very well. They are supported by caring adults who help them to quickly learn the school routines. Pupils say they feel safe and know that they can speak with a trusted adult if they have any worries or concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Around the school, pupils conduct themselves well. From Nursery, children understand the school’s expectations. In classrooms, pupils engage in learning, listen to adult instruction and try their best. They celebrate each other’s achievements.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for all pupils to achieve well. In national tests, many pupils do not achieve as well as the school would like them to. The school prioritises pupils’ well-being and their development of important language skills so that they can access the curriculum as well as possible.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ personal development is extremely well considered. Pupils learn how to keep themselves healthy and safe. Wider experiences improve pupils’ academic, personal and social skills. These provide pupils with deliberate opportunities to learn new words through different situations. For example, younger pupils have their first visit to a farm to learn new words related to the animals they see.

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

The school has thoughtfully developed a curriculum to meet the needs of its pupils. Pupil mobility in and out of the school is high. Many pupils arrive with limited language and communication skills, often with English as an additional language. The curriculum is designed to equip pupils with essential skills in reading, writing and mathematics. A focus on developing pupils’ spoken and written English underpins provision in all subject areas. While pupils’ outcomes in national tests last year were below national averages, the positive impact of the school’s work on curriculum development can be seen in current pupils’ outcomes, particularly in early reading.

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

Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They explain things clearly. The curriculum makes it clear for them what to teach and the order to teach it in. Staff check what pupils know and remember. They make sure that new learning builds on what pupils already can do. The school uses this information to adapt learning so that pupils learn the full curriculum in appropriate steps.

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

The school has prioritised its approach to the teaching of early reading. Pupils follow a structured phonics programme from the start of the Reception Year. Pupils read books that match the sounds they learn. Pupils who find reading more challenging receive the right support. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils in school enjoy listening to the stories which have been carefully chosen by adults. However, some older pupils have not yet developed a love of reading. 14 and 15 January 2025

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The school has strengthened its provision for pupils with SEND. Pupils have their needs identified and assessed promptly. Staff use this information to make effective adaptations to their teaching in most subjects. However, this is not consistent across all wider subject areas.

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The school is determined to ensure all pupils attend regularly. Incidents of extended leave for some pupils are high. This means they miss out on important learning. The school recognises this and works with parents and carers to encourage better attendance.

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Staff instil good behaviour in children from the outset in early years. Children learn to share, take turns, work and play together happily. Rewards and sanctions are applied consistently from the early years to Year 6. Pupils understand the school’s approach to managing behaviour and feel that this is fair.

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Pupils are respectful in the discussions they have with each other. They have a secure understanding of difference and discrimination. They learn to respect cultures and traditions other than their own. One pupil stated, ‘Everybody can believe in something different and that’s okay.’

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Leaders have a clear vision for the pupils and the school. This is shared by the trust and local governing body, who both support the school through robust checks of the work carried out. Leaders at all levels recognise the challenges, as well as the rich opportunities such a unique and diverse school community brings.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils do not attend school regularly. This can be due to extended time away from the school. Pupils miss important learning, which has a negative impact on their academic progress and wider development. The school should continue to work with families to overcome any barriers to attendance and ensure more pupils attend school regularly.  In a few subjects, staff do not consistently make curriculum adaptations that meet the needs of pupils with SEND. This means that some pupils with SEND do not learn as well as they could in these subjects. The school should ensure that it supports staff to make effective adaptations to the curriculum so that pupils with SEND achieve well in all subjects.  Some older pupils do not talk with enthusiasm about the books that they read. They do not appreciate the benefits of learning to read or developing a love of reading. The 14 and 15 January 2025

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school should continue its efforts to establish a strong culture of reading across the school.

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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). 14 and 15 January 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 10 and 11 July 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school operates a breakfast club.  The school is part of Astrea Academy Trust, which consists of 26 schools.

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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 and/or sixth-form 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. 14 and 15 January 2025

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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 the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, inspectors held meetings with the principal, vice-principal, subject leaders, groups of staff and pupils.  The lead inspector met with members of the trust and local governance committee, including the chair of the local governance committee. The lead inspector held a meeting with the CEO and regional director of the trust.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, history and

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religious education. They met with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with teachers and pupils and viewed examples of pupils’ work.  An inspector observed pupils in key stage 1 read to an adult.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school.  The inspectors considered the responses to the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View. They also took into consideration the online staff surveys. An inspector spoke to parents at the beginning of the school day.

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Inspection team

Sarah Gordon, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Alison Greaves Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 January 2025

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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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