Bude Primary Academy - Infants

Inspection of Bude Primary Academy - Infants Broadclose Hill, Bude, Cornwall EX23 8EA

p.1

Inspection dates: 21 and 22 January 2025

p.1

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

p.1

The head of school is Vanessa Holt. This school is part of Aspire 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), Rachel Warwick , and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Penny Shilston. 21 and 22 January 2025

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Since the last inspection, the school has made many positive changes. Pupils now receive a good quality of education. The school’s focus on expecting pupils to learn effectively across the curriculum has paid off. Pupils now learn effectively. The school has established close links with its parents and carers. It helps to support families when they need a listening ear. This helps staff to get to know pupils well. As a result, they flourish academically and socially. By the time they leave Year 2, pupils are well prepared for junior school.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

The school has a happy and warm atmosphere. Pupils enjoy their learning and work hard. In lessons, pupils focus well. They move around the school site calmly and sensibly. In the early years, children share resources well with each other. When speaking to visitors, pupils are confident and articulate.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Alongside, the improvements in the curriculum, the school has also strengthened its personal development programme. Pupils benefit from a range of clubs in which to develop their interests. Pupils learn to consider others through being a ‘Trailblazer’. The school ensures that pupils feel valued. It celebrates pupils’ achievements both in and out of school through weekly assemblies.

p.2

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

The school has focused relentlessly on improving the curriculum. It has ensured that the ambitious curriculum identifies the specific knowledge pupils should know. The school has worked to ensure that pupils learn this in a logical order, even as the class structures have changed. Together, with the trust, the school checks regularly how well pupils learn. As a result, it has an accurate view of its strengths and weaknesses, which the school quickly sets about to address. The school and the trust have struck a careful balance of making timely changes to the curriculum while protecting staff from excessive workload. Staff appreciate this consideration.

p.2

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

The school has trained staff to implement the curriculum effectively. For example, new members of staff in the early years have learned about child development. As a result, staff have strong subject knowledge. They check regularly what pupils can remember from previous learning and address any gaps. Staff provide work closely matched to the curriculum’s intent. This ensures that pupils build on their knowledge well. They complete increasingly complex tasks over time. However, some provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is still developing. The school highlighted that its systems for identifying needs and adapting learning for pupils were not strong enough. Some pupils with SEND were not having their needs met well enough and did not learn effectively as a result. The school has started to support staff to facilitate and guide pupils better in the classroom. However, some of this work is at an early stage and has

p.2

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

not yet impacted pupils’ learning in the long term.

p.2

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

Reading is prioritised in the school. Children in the early years start to learn to read straightaway. Staff receive regular ongoing coaching to help support them in their 21 and 22 January 2025

p.2

3

teaching. They swiftly identify any pupils who are struggling and help them to catch up. Pupils read books that are closely matched to the sounds they know. This means they become confident, fluent readers. Outcomes in the phonics screening check have improved and are now consistently in line with national averages. Pupils learn to comprehend increasingly challenging texts by the end of key stage 1. Through carefully chosen, shared books, pupils develop a strong love of reading and understand its importance. As one pupil stated, ‘Reading brings you into a world of knowledge.’

p.3

3

The school has identified the need to make its writing curriculum as strong as its reading provision. It has made significant recent changes to how pupils learn to write. Pupils now practise their writing skills more often. Their quality of writing has started to improve. However, on some occasions, staff do not pick up pupils’ errors in letter formation or punctuation. Consequently, pupils repeat these mistakes.

p.3

3

The school has considered its locality when teaching pupils how to keep safe. For example, pupils know what to do if they get into difficulties in the sea. Pupils know how to lead a healthy lifestyle, such as eating fruit and taking regular exercise. They have a say in their education through the school council. Pupils are kind and caring. At social times, they show the same positive behaviour as in lessons. They play happily together on the playground equipment. Staff support pupils who arrive mid-year well.

p.3

3

The school works closely with it families to ensure that pupils attend regularly. The trust helps to provide clear systems to address any dips in pupils’ attendance.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some of the school’s improvements for pupils with SEND remain at an early stage. Not all staff have the expertise to support all areas of need effectively. As a result, some pupils do not consistently get the precise support they need to help them learn well. The trust should strengthen the expertise of all staff to support pupils with SEND so that these pupils learn the curriculum securely.  On some occasions, pupils do not have errors in their writing addressed, such as incorrect letter formation or punctuation. Consequently, pupils repeat these mistakes and embed these misconceptions. The trust should ensure that staff identify and address errors in writing as they arise to help pupils become confident, fluent writers. 21 and 22 January 2025

p.3

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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). 21 and 22 January 2025

p.4

School details

Dates of previous inspection 13 and 14 September 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 The school is part of Aspire Academy Trust.  The school runs its own breakfast provision.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

p.5

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.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 21 and 22 January 2025

p.5

6

 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 head of school, groups of staff, groups of pupils, the chair of the trust, the CEO and a trust executive leader.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in English, mathematics and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum, spoke to pupils and looked at samples of work in some other subjects.  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

p.6

6

safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  An inspector spoke to parents at the start of the school day. Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View and staff surveys.

p.6

Inspection team

Jason Edge, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Lizzie Lethbridge Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 January 2025

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7