Bude Primary Academy - Juniors

Inspection of Bude Primary Academy - Juniors Broadclose Hill, Bude, Cornwall EX23 8DR

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 February 2025

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement

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The headteacher of this school is James Pritchard. This school is part of the 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, Rachel Warwick, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Penny Shilston. 25 and 26 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy, welcoming and inclusive school. Staff establish positive relationships, which allow pupils to thrive. Pupils show strong attitudes to their learning and behave well around the school. Bullying is rare. Pupils recognise that staff resolve issues quickly, on the rare occasions this is necessary. Pupils embody the school’s values to work together to be ready, respectful and safe. Consequently, pupils enjoy playing, learning and growing together.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils, both academically and in how they behave. Pupils respond positively to these expectations. They achieve increasingly well. Staff know their pupils individually. They use this knowledge to make learning relevant for each pupil’s interests and starting points, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). As a result, pupils’ work is often of a high standard and pupils remember the curriculum with increasing depth.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school develops pupils’ character creatively and effectively. Pupils benefit from a range of useful experiences to help them follow their talents and interests. Staff provide unique and targeted support for pupils, so that all can participate in what the school has to offer.

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

Bude Primary Academy - Juniors is a rapidly improving school. Trust and school leaders have worked together determinedly to manage several challenges of late. Following the last inspection, great progress was made to improve the curriculum and help pupils to learn increasingly well. However, a period of turbulence, high staff turnover and change in leadership at the school stalled this progress, reflected in pupils’ achievements in 2024. Since then, leaders have turned things around successfully. They have raised expectations further, embedded changes to the curriculum and improved the school systematically. As a result, the upward trajectory in pupils’ achievements is now back on track.

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

The school has used ongoing self-assessment to adapt and improve the curriculum, including in the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND. The curriculum is now better matched to pupils’ needs. For example, the school has ensured that learning is sequenced appropriately and that there are explicit links between the knowledge pupils will learn across subjects. Staff ensure every lesson contributes to pupils’ learning across the curriculum effectively. The school identifies pupils’ needs precisely, including by working closely with key services from the local authority, such as the autism in schools team. Staff use the information they receive to adapt lessons skilfully to meet individual needs. As a result, pupils remember key knowledge increasingly well. The standard of their work across the curriculum is strong.

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

Nevertheless, there is more to do. Some older pupils still have gaps in their knowledge. Whereas the curriculum is now sequenced well to address this for the future, the school’s checks to identify and address gaps in pupils’ knowledge remain weaker in some subjects. 25 and 26 February 2025

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Reading is prioritised highly. High-quality texts underpin the curriculum. The school has established a robust reading programme. Pupils learn to read rapidly as a result. Staff use timely checks to identify pupils who do not have secure phonic knowledge. They then provide targeted, effective support to ensure pupils catch up. As a result, pupils learn to love reading, including those who find it tricky.

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Pupils behave well. The school has improved its work to promote better attendance. It has introduced useful ways to identify barriers to attendance and support families. However, although persistent absence and overall absence have reduced slightly, pupils’ overall attendance remains below average.

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Pupils' wider development is promoted well. The school ensures that extra-curricular activities are accessible to all pupils. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is stimulated effectively through regular and varied clubs and calendar events. Pupils learn about different cultures, diversity and fundamental British values. Trips and visits, such as to the local mosque or mines, are utilised whenever possible to enrich and enhance pupils’ learning appropriately.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s approach to assessment is not used to identify gaps in pupils’ learning consistently well. This means the gaps in some pupils’ knowledge persists in some subjects. The school and trust should embed, and where necessary refine, the curriculum and the use of assessment further, so that gaps in pupils’ learning are identified and addressed consistently.  The school’s work to improve attendance has limited impact overall. This means some pupils do not attend school as much as they should. The trust should ensure that the school’s work to improve attendance leads to consistently strong attendance for pupils.

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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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You can search for published performance information about the school.

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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). 25 and 26 February 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 12 and 13 October 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Bude Primary Academy Juniors is part of the Aspire Academy Trust.  The school has a specially resourced provision, which caters for pupils from across the primary needs of the SEND Code of Practice. All pupils in the specially resourced provision have an education, health and care plan and have complex needs.  Since the last inspection, a new headteacher has been appointed. They started at the school in January 2024. There have also been several changes in staffing and a reorganisation of how the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND is led and managed.  The school uses one unregistered 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 25 and 26 February 2025

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(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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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, English, mathematics, and geography. 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 listened to some pupils read and reviewed pupils’ learning in some other areas of the curriculum.  Inspectors met with leaders, including the headteacher and assistant headteacher.  The inspectors spoke to the chair of the board of trustees and a representative of the local hub council. They also spoke with representatives from the trust.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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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.  Inspectors took account of the answers to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. They also considered the responses to the Ofsted staff survey.  The inspectors reviewed a range of documentation, including documents relating to governance, leaders’ evaluations, the long-term strategy of the school and information about the school’s curriculum.

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Inspection team

Matthew Barnes, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Claire Baillie Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 February 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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