Bedmond Academy

Bedmond Academy

Address: Meadow Way, Bedmond, Abbots Langley, Hertfordshire, WD5 0RD Unique reference number (URN): 144959

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Achievement Expected standard

Published outcomes have historically been well below the national averages. However, pupils who have attended the school for longer and regularly, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), generally achieve well. Many of these pupils leave the school well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Achievement Expected standard

A new curriculum and the development of teaching have positively impacted pupils' achievement. Pupils learn to apply their knowledge to different situations with increasing ease. Pupils with SEND usually progress well through the curriculum. Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, secure key cultural knowledge from the Nursery Year onwards. This helps them access the wider curriculum successfully. They develop a rich understanding of the books they read. This is reflected by pupils’ high-quality work. Many pupils, including those with barriers to their learning, can compose carefully considered, accurate writing. Pupils read well and use key number facts with increasing accuracy and fluency.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders have begun to secure improved attendance for pupils. Leaders have a detailed and accurate understanding of why some pupils find it difficult to attend school. Personalised interventions, to support both pupils and their families, have started to help pupils attend school more regularly. The needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are appropriately met. Consequently, this group of pupils attend school increasingly regularly. The introduction of the 'Thrive' space supports pupils who need help to overcome anxiety about coming to school well. These pupils use this safe space to successfully transition from home to school. As a result, they typically attend school regularly and arrive on time.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils are well behaved. They are polite and respectful. Pupils are proud of their school and their achievements. They enthusiastically share their own and their peers’ successes with staff and visitors. Learning is rarely disrupted. Around school, pupils of all ages play together harmoniously. Pupils demonstrate high levels of respect for each other. This means bullying or other unkind behaviour is rare. Where it happens, it is dealt with swiftly and appropriately.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have redesigned and improved the curriculum. It meets the needs of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The ambitious curriculum sets out the important knowledge pupils need to know from the Nursery Year through to Year 6. It defines when pupils should learn this information. This helps teachers support pupils to build new learning on what they already know.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders ensure that children are taught how to read well from the start of the early years. Throughout the school, where pupils find reading a challenge, they are supported well to catch up. Leaders have ensured that teachers have the necessary skills and knowledge to teach the curriculum effectively. This helps ensure the curriculum is generally taught well. Teachers explain new content clearly. They adapt learning for pupils with SEND effectively. This helps pupils to keep up with their peers. Teachers routinely check pupils’ understanding. They swiftly address gaps and misconceptions in pupils’ knowledge. In most cases, teaching provides pupils with learning activities that help them secure key knowledge. However, sometimes, including in mathematics and phonics, pupils are moved on before they have secured key concepts, letter sounds or numerical fluency. As a result, some pupils find it more difficult to apply their knowledge. They do not learn as well as they could.

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Early years Expected standard

The early years curriculum considers children’s individual starting points. Through the Nursery and Reception Years, children learn key knowledge in readiness for Year 1. At the heart of the curriculum is the development of children’s language. Experts from the early years and key stage 1 work together to ensure that children are exposed to important vocabulary. In an engaging and stimulating space, staff support children with carefully considered interactions. However, sometimes, staff are too quick to initiate these interactions. This slows the development of independence for a few children. Nonetheless, children are well prepared for key stage 1.

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Early years Expected standard

Reading is a priority. As soon as children start in the Nursery Year, they start to learn about sounds through songs and rhymes. When they move into the Reception Year, they follow a well-constructed phonics programme. Children learn the sounds that correspond to letters and letter combinations. Children read books that enable them to practise these sounds. However, sometimes, teachers move children on to a new book before they have secured the knowledge they need sufficiently well. This slows some children’s progress.

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Early years Expected standard

Children quickly learn important routines such as sharing and taking turns. They develop a keen sense of fairness. This helps them develop strong bonds of friendship as they learn and play together. Children are safe and happy. Staff ensure that parents and carers are routinely informed about children’s progress. This helps create an important partnership between school and home in children’s learning at an early stage. This partnership evolves and strengthens as pupils move through the school.

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Inclusion Expected standard

This is a school with inclusion at its heart. Many pupils face a wide range of barriers to their learning. These include pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders are knowledgeable about and forensic in their analysis of pupils’ needs. This helps leaders to identify each pupil's challenges to personal or academic growth with precision. Staff successfully implement well-thought-out strategies to support pupils. Leaders check and adapt their approaches to maximise their impact on pupils’ experiences.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Some pupils with SEND have increased needs. For these pupils, leaders have developed 'The Orchard' class. This provides specialist teaching and care for these pupils. Pupils in this class engage well with their learning. They enjoy school. They typically attend increasingly regularly. This helps them to achieve well. Leaders have ensured that staff have the expertise to support pupils with SEND. As a result, these pupils progress through the curriculum well from a range of different starting points. Staff expertise to support some disadvantaged pupils is less well established. This means that sometimes these pupils’ barriers are not addressed as well as they could be.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a clear vision for the school. They have carefully crafted a provision that balances ambition, an understanding of the local context and a deep-rooted care for each child as an individual. All decisions are made in the best interests of every pupil. Trustees and trust leaders ensure this remains at the forefront of all decision-making.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have an accurate and detailed understanding of the strengths of the school. They know where they need to target further work. For example, they know that they have more work to do to support some pupils to attend school more often. Leaders draw on the expertise and experience of the trust executive team. They also work with other external partners effectively. This helps to sharpen leaders’ thinking, identify new ideas and secure improvements. Leaders and trustees recognise the challenges the unique context of the school brings. However, this is not used as an excuse. Instead, these challenges spur leaders on to greater ambition for pupils.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Trustees ensure that leaders’ actions are monitored. With trust executives, they robustly hold leaders to account. Local governors are a welcome presence in the school and provide a valuable link to the local communities they serve. Trustees meet their statutory responsibilities, including securing a culture of safeguarding, in full.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff are proud to work at the school. They feel valued by leaders who consider their workload. Staff place high value on how the professional development programme has improved their work, in particular how leaders have developed their expertise in supporting pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, they realise that their understanding of how to support disadvantaged pupils is not yet fully embedded.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The personal, social and health education programme is well designed. It progressively develops important knowledge about life in modern Britain. It has been adapted to consider the context of this small school. It encompasses the range of backgrounds pupils come from. This helps pupils of all ages share and celebrate the culture and faiths that make each person different. Pupils develop an age-appropriate understanding of personal safety. Children in the early years learn about the value of good friendships. Pupils develop an age- appropriate understanding of the importance of positive, healthy relationships. Fundamental British values such as respect and tolerance are embedded into life in the school. These manifest as young children learn the importance of sharing. Older pupils develop an awareness of diversity and difference.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The curriculum is expertly supplemented by enrichment activities. These include visits to local places or visitors to school. Pupils excitedly told inspectors about the recent fire and rescue service visit, where they learned about fire safety. Leaders ensure that no pupils miss out. Disadvantaged pupils are supported and encouraged to access every opportunity. For example, leaders ensure all pupils have access to a bike. This enables pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, to take part in the bike-safety course.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils take on leadership roles with enthusiasm. They relish the responsibility and take their positions seriously. However, many of these opportunities are carefully prescribed. Pupils do not routinely have the opportunity to take ownership of these positions. This can hinder their development of independence and resilience.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders provide an impressive range of clubs and opportunities in this small school. These include sporting activity, cooking or immersion in the arts. Many pupils take advantage of the offer. Staff ensure disadvantaged pupils are encouraged to take part. This helps pupils develop their existing interests and discover previously unknown talents.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

This small school provides a warm and friendly community for the families it serves. Pupils thrive in a safe environment where they are known as individuals. They enjoy sharing success stories about their achievements. As they pass through the gates each morning, pupils are welcomed by staff. Their presence reassures any pupils who are anxious about coming to school. Some pupils benefit from going to a safe space that helps them to transition smoothly from home to school. Others skip past, excitedly talking about what they might be learning today.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils benefit from the changes that have been made to the curriculum. Teachers’ expertise in the curriculum and its teaching help pupils to learn well. This enables pupils to develop a love of learning. Pupils who have been at the school the longest, and attended regularly, typically achieve well. They are prepared for their next stage of education. The increasing numbers of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Carefully crafted adaptations help pupils with SEND progress from their various starting points.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Some pupils have found it difficult to attend school regularly. Changes to the curriculum and high-quality pastoral support have started to help these pupils overcome their barriers to being at school. Consequently, more pupils are attending more often.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils behave well. They are polite and respectful. Pupils foster strong bonds of friendship across the age range. They develop a sense of respect for each other’s uniqueness. This helps to ensure that unkind behaviour is rare. Bullying, if it happens, is dealt with swiftly and effectively.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, enjoy a wide range of clubs and activities. Leaders support and encourage pupils to take up new interests. Some play sports. Others learn to cook healthy family meals. Pupils enthusiastically recall the school choir’s performance at one of the country’s top performance venues.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that staff have the knowledge and expertise necessary to make suitable adaptations to support disadvantaged pupils consistently well. Leaders should ensure that teachers provide pupils with sufficient time and resources to practise new learning to secure new and important concepts, phonological knowledge and numerical fluency in order to support pupils to achieve increasingly well. Leaders should continue to implement, and further strengthen, their strategies to secure increased improvements in pupils' attendance at school. Leaders should ensure that pupils have the opportunity to take on, and develop, roles in school that support their independence and resilience.

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About this inspection

This school is part of Aspire 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, Vicky Parsey, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Nameeta Biswas.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspection activities: Inspectors spoke with the principal, assistant principal and special educational needs coordinator. The lead inspector met with representatives from the trust board, the local governing committee and representatives of the trust's executive team. Inspectors visited lessons, reviewed pupils' work and discussed with pupils their learning and experiences of life at the school.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school: The principal took up her position in September 2023. The school does not use any provider of alternative provision.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years. National average: 26.3%

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

2022/23 (final) 0% 59% Below ‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

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average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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

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