Sun Academy Bradwell Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Strengthen the quality of teaching in key stages 1 and 2 and build on the best practice that exists by:
  • making sure that teachers provide the right level of challenge for pupils who have the potential to reach or exceed age-related standards
  • assessing what pupils know and understand to identify gaps or misunderstandings in their learning, particularly in mathematics
  • adapting questions and tasks in lessons to deepen pupils’ understanding, rather than going over too much old ground
  • focusing on improving pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding in subjects other than English and mathematics.
• Maintain current improvements to pupils’ achievement in writing and mathematics by:
  • making sure that pupils learn to form consistent handwriting and spell accurately when they write independently
  • providing the most able pupils with even more opportunities to write at length in order to sustain the current rise in the proportion of pupils reaching the highest standards in writing
  • teaching pupils to use the most efficient methods of calculation in mathematics when they tackle problem-solving tasks.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The principal and staff are passionate and ambitious for pupils to achieve as well as they can. Strong and determined senior leadership and governance have transformed the school over the last three years. This is clearly demonstrated in the significant and sustained improvement to pupils’ achievement in reading, writing and mathematics. In addition, successful and targeted professional development and highly effective management of teachers’ performance by leaders and the trust continue to improve the quality of teaching.
• There is a shared sense of collective responsibility among leaders and staff and a determination to do what is best for every child across the school. Parents and carers are very appreciative of what the school provides for their children. Nearly all that spoke with inspectors and the large majority completing the online questionnaire, Parent View and free-text responses, pay tribute to the principal, staff and governors for their efforts and commitment to their children.
• The trust and senior leadership team have very good oversight of the quality of teaching and the curriculum. There is a well-established and effective management structure, enabling leaders and governors to accurately monitor staff performance. Leaders have very good assessment and monitoring systems in place to gauge the impact of teaching and the curriculum on pupils’ personal and academic development.
• Leaders at all levels of responsibility understand how to assess pupils’ learning and progress. Sharp evaluations of the impact of planned work and interventions inform leaders’ core priorities for improvement. For example, the validated national assessments in 2017 showed that pupils in all key stages achieved well in writing and mathematics and very strongly in reading. Leaders analysed the results to identify how best to raise standards even more in writing and mathematics. The most recent unvalidated results in 2018 point to significant and sustained improvements to pupils’ achievements in reading, writing and mathematics. In all key stages, including the early years, there has been a significant uplift in pupils’ progress and attainment, reflecting the marked impact that leaders have had on improving the quality of teaching and learning across the school.
• The principal’s strong leadership of teaching, training and staff development, together with senior leaders’ highly effective oversight and management of pupils’ learning and outcomes, is keeping the school on a sustained course of improvement. Staff morale is high and is reflected in the positive responses from staff to the inspection questionnaire and during meetings with inspectors. The school demonstrates excellent capacity to secure further improvement.
• Additional funding for specific programmes and interventions, particularly targeting the support for disadvantaged pupils, is used very effectively to boost learning and pupils’ progress. The school invests its funds intelligently to promote reading, and there are plans in place to further boost resources in the school’s library and information and technology resources.
• The coordination and management of special educational needs provision is effective. The school makes very good use of SEN funding to support pupils who are identified as having SEN and/or disabilities. Support staff are deployed well and provide timely interventions and individualised or group support for pupils who are working below age-related expectations or have additional learning needs. The vice-principal manages provision very well and provides regular updates and sharp evaluations of SEN provision to governors and the trust.
• There are effective checking systems in place to continually improve teaching and learning. Many of the actions set out in the school’s improvement and action plans help to guide leaders’ monitoring activities. Reports to teachers about their performance are systematically carried out through routine monitoring of lessons and regular scrutiny of pupils’ work in books. Leaders and staff regularly check pupils’ work and assessments to address any relative weaknesses in teaching and learning. This has resulted in a significant uplift in the proportion of the most able pupils reaching higher standards this year compared with previous years.
• Leaders and staff encourage pupils to develop into tolerant and caring individuals. They are successful in doing this through well-devised topics and assemblies that focus on pupils’ personal development and well-being.
• The school provides varied and stimulating activities that combine interesting topics with the full range of subjects of the national curriculum. The creative and performing arts enliven and interest pupils as they have good opportunities to take part in art and design, drama and sporting activities. Leaders have rightly identified the need to raise standards in all subjects of the national curriculum so that pupils achieve the same high standards they reach in English and mathematics.
• The curriculum is well planned to incorporate a range of interesting topics and subjects, such as the current topic about the Tudor period in history lessons in key stage 2. However, pupils’ topic books show that they do not spend enough time on each topic or subject to help them gain a greater understanding or acquire subject-specific skills and knowledge in sufficient depth. Plans to extend music provision and provide opportunities for pupils to learn to play a musical instrument are advanced.
• The school is successful in promoting a strong emphasis on tolerance and equality, which prepares pupils very well for life in modern Britain. The staff make a strong contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This results in good behaviour and attitudes to learning in lessons and at other times when engaged in educational or outdoor visits and activities.
• The primary school physical education and sports premium is used very well to provide a range of opportunities and resources for pupils to engage in team games, sports and activities that promote healthy and active lifestyles.
• The principal is very good at working with other schools and external consultants to continually promote improvement. There are excellent opportunities for staff training and professional development with schools across neighbouring authorities. These links enable leaders and staff to engage in joint moderation and peer review exercises. These are effective in promoting continual improvement as staff benefit from seeing and sharing best practice.

Governance of the school

• Governors are very committed and keep in regular touch with the school community. Together with the trust’s board of directors, the governing body holds leaders and staff to account for the standards achieved and staff performance. As the chair of the governing body rightly stated, ‘We are critical friends and are determined to help all our children succeed.’
• Governors are diligent and effective in managing the school’s resources. There are strong accountability measures imposed by the trust board so that governors are held to account for the school’s effectiveness. Regular reports to the board from governors communicate the impact of resources and staffing on school improvement, pupils’ outcomes and staff performance.
• Governors, leaders and staff promote an ambitious culture which continually improves the effectiveness of teachers and support staff. The trust board and governors have very good systems in place to monitor the work of the principal and her leadership team.
• Governors have an excellent understanding of assessment information, and records show that they challenge underperformance. They are fully aware of the improvements and priorities reported to them, including the way teachers and support staff have closed the differences between the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally.
• Governors are linked to subjects and other aspects such as SEN provision and the curriculum. They regularly visit classes with leaders to gain first-hand experience of the school’s work. They and the trust board exercise very effective oversight of pupil premium funding, additional funding for SEN provision and the primary school physical education and sports premium.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The arrangements for safeguarding are robust and fit for purpose. Leaders, staff and governors make sure that pupils are happy and safe in school. There is a vigilant culture of safeguarding.
• Staff recruitment and vetting procedures are rigorous and effective. Staff understand their roles in relation to child protection procedures. Staff and governors know what to do and who to ask to seek advice about the safety and welfare of pupils. There are systematic checks on the suitability of staff to work in the school and/or to take up management or governor responsibilities.
• Parents who spoke with inspectors paid tribute to leaders and the staff team, especially the way they are committed to pupils’ well-being and safety. Leaders have ensured that provision in the early years meets all the expected welfare requirements. Routine checks and risk assessments are also carried out in before- and after-school provision managed by the governing body.
• All staff have been trained to keep children safe and they promptly report any concerns they may have about pupils. Staff have undertaken first-aid training, including paediatric first aid for early years children. Leaders, staff and governors are vigilant in protecting children from radicalisation, extremism and child exploitation.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching is helping pupils to achieve well. Lesson observations and pupils’ work in books show that pupils are expected to do their best. However, lessons and pupils’ work also show that there are occasions when the most able pupils could be provided with more challenging tasks to deepen their knowledge and understanding, particularly in subjects other than English and mathematics.
• In the early years and key stage 1, phonics is taught highly effectively. As a result, pupils make rapid progress in reading and are increasingly confident writers. The teaching of reading across the school is very effective, resulting in pupils reaching high standards and making excellent progress in relation to their starting points.
• The teaching of writing in key stages 1 and 2 is consistently effective and pupils make good progress. Pupils are given good opportunities to improve and edit their writing in their ‘aspiring authors’ books. Over time, pupils write independently, with increasing confidence and accuracy.
• Despite the excellent start made in the early years, where children develop good pencil control and form letters accurately when writing, pupils in key stages 1 and 2 are not taught to develop a consistent handwriting style. Workbooks show that pupils are capable of writing neatly and accurately when completing their edited work in their ‘aspiring authors’ books but they are not encouraged to write as neatly in their regular workbooks.
• Teachers make good use of subject-specific and technical vocabulary across all subjects of the curriculum. Word banks, dictionaries and thesauruses are used well to help pupils write, but pupils make repeated and sometimes uncorrected spelling errors when writing independently. The most effective teaching enables pupils to correct mistakes, but this is not always the case in lessons and, as the scrutiny of pupils’ work shows, over time.
• Teachers use assessment well to plan work for pupils of different abilities in English and mathematics lessons. Teachers use assessments to plan learning targets for pupils to aim for. As a result, pupils are clear about their learning and can explain what they have learned before.
• Lessons and pupils’ work in books show that the most effective teaching adapts the planned tasks to move learning on and offer more challenge. In Year 4, for example, the teacher encouraged pupils to engage in role-play activities using Ted Hughes ‘Iron Man’ as the core reading text. The teacher prompted and probed each group to write more and use accurate punctuation. As a result, pupils achieved a great deal from the lesson and could relate to the characters in the story as they improved their understanding of the use of speech and narrative in writing.
• The teaching of mathematics is effective as increasingly more pupils reach and exceed age-related standards in all classes. However, there is scope to build on this to make sure that teachers and support staff identify gaps or misunderstandings from previous learning before introducing new topics or concepts. Pupils have a good understanding of number operations as well as recorded and mental calculation techniques. There are occasions, however, when pupils do not apply or use the most efficient methods of calculation, for example when solving problems.
• Teaching is helping pupils to achieve well, including those eligible for support through additional pupil premium funding and those who have SEN and/or disabilities. Specialised intervention programmes have been carefully tailored to meet the needs of specific groups. For example, disadvantaged pupils soon catch up in key stage 1 to make rapid progress as they move through key stage 2 because of targeted interventions and support.
• Typically, teachers provide challenging tasks that extend pupils’ knowledge and understanding and build on what they already know and can do. However, there are instances when teachers do not probe further when asking questions to deepen pupils’ understanding. In addition, some lessons do not plan enough extension work, so that pupils who have completed the planned tasks mark time or wait to be told what to do next. These examples are not common, but they slow pupils’ learning and hold back some of the most able pupils.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• ‘Teachers always help you and I can do a lot at this school’ and ‘Everyone is so nice and I feel really happy at school’ were just some of the many positive comments made by pupils to inspectors.
• Pupils have excellent opportunities to influence the work of the school. For example, older pupils who become playground leaders help younger pupils and early years children to learn how to play games at breaktimes; prefects help to supervise pupils so that they can walk around the school safely and sensibly; house captains and school councillors act as role models for other pupils and come up with ideas to improve playground equipment and design when presenting their proposals to the governing body.
• Many parents commented to an inspector that their children settle into school very well and that the principal, staff and other pupils are so caring and respectful of everyone. Another parent confirmed, ‘This is a great school because the staff really care for our children.’
• Pupils respond well to learning in lessons and the excellent opportunities they have to study special topics, engage in creative art and craft or take part in special visits to places of interest or to local woodlands as part of their science and geography work.
• The school is a cohesive and supportive school community. Special topics, cultural and religious festivals and celebrations, and the wide range of educational visits or visitors improve pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the different cultural, religious and ethnic traditions that exist in the United Kingdom and beyond. These activities make a strong contribution to pupils’ social and cultural development.
• Pupils are taught how to stay safe when using online computers or tablets. The pupils who spoke with inspectors confirmed that they feel safe in school and that everyone is always around to help if they are worried. Pupils also talked knowledgeably about road safety and staying safe from online bullying. They make sure that any concerns they have about bullying or intimidating behaviour are reported to a responsible adult.
• Pupils take really good care of resources and their school community. The school is well maintained, clean and stimulating and is appreciated and respected by pupils. There is no litter or unkempt areas of the school, reflecting how well pupils care for their school community. The before- and after-school care provision meets all welfare and safeguarding requirements.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• The pupils spoken with during lessons and breaktimes said that it is easy to make friends and that they trust the adults who care for them, including those who supervise them at lunchtimes. There are warm and positive relationships among pupils and with adults.
• In lessons, pupils are usually attentive and well behaved. There is occasional off-task behaviour when pupils are not challenged enough or if the work is too easy. Pupils cooperate well in lessons and at other times. They are kind and helpful to each other and willingly offer praise to other pupils, including those who have SEN and/or disabilities. These positive characteristics make a very good contribution to pupils’ moral and social development.
• Pupils usually listen carefully and respond enthusiastically during class discussions. For example, pupils in Year 6 were very keen to share and generate ideas about the Tudor period in history to stimulate further debate about the rights and wrongs of crime and punishment at that time.
• Pupils usually encourage their classmates to listen to each other with respect and courtesy when sharing ideas during ‘talk partner time’. However, these periods are sometimes too noisy for productive learning. The most effective teaching manages these sessions really well, but there are occasions when time is wasted, and learning slows if pupils talk over others or do not listen well enough.
• Pupils are proud of their school and dress smartly in their uniform. Pupils are keen to show visitors their work displayed around the school. They appreciate the way staff value their efforts. School ambassadors welcome and escort visitors (and the inspectors) around the school and are very helpful if someone is lost or needs help.
• Staff work well with families to encourage pupils to attend school regularly and arrive on time. Leaders and support staff work very hard to promote good attendance. This is reflected in attendance rates that are in line with the national average, and levels of persistent absence are low. Pupils are usually punctual, and any that do arrive slightly late are checked in by administrative or support staff with sensitivity and encouragement. Parents fully support the school by bringing or sending their children to school regularly and on time.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• National test results and assessments show that over time, teaching is having a positive impact on pupils’ achievement across the full ability range and in all key stages. An increasing proportion of pupils in every year group are reaching or exceeding age-related standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Assessment also shows that, overall, pupils make good progress and disadvantaged pupils make outstanding progress.
• Most children join the Nursery or Reception classes with skills and abilities that are typically below those typical for their age, particularly in communication, language and literacy. The standards pupils reach in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stages 1 and 2 represent good rates of progress in relation to these starting points in the early years.
• The proportion of children reaching a good level of development by the end of the Reception Year represents outstanding progress in the early years. The most recent unvalidated assessment information shows sustained improvement in both the early years and key stage 1. The transition from the early years into Year 1 is highly effective. The national phonics screening results in Years 1 and 2 show consistently high standards and excellent progress, resulting in pupils reaching high standards in reading and above-average standards in writing by the end of key stage 1.
• Last year’s national assessments at key stage 1 show that standards were above the national average and pupils made good progress. The results represented a significant improvement on the previous year’s assessments. Most pupils reached age-related standards in reading, writing and mathematics, and the proportion of disadvantaged pupils reaching these standards was similar to that of other pupils.
• For key stage 2, 2017 national assessments show a significant improvement on the previous results in 2016. Progress in reading was strong, particularly that made by disadvantaged pupils. The most recent national results in 2018, although unvalidated, point to sustained improvement. The proportion of pupils reaching or exceeding age-related standards by the end of Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics was above average in 2017. Current unvalidated results for Year 6 point to further improvement. Pupils in key stage 2 are well prepared for secondary education as they acquire core literacy and mathematics skills well to be able to cope with the key stage 3 curriculum.
• Assessments and pupils’ work over time show that pupils make good progress overall as they move through the school. However, they could still be doing better in writing and mathematics as well as in subjects other than English and mathematics. Pupils’ writing is, rightly, a priority for further improvement, particularly handwriting and spelling. Assessments in all classes from Year 1 through to Year 6 also show that pupils are making good progress over time in mathematics but could still be doing better, particularly the most able pupils.
• Accurate assessments of pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching help leaders identify any dips in the achievement of disadvantaged pupils early, to plan appropriate interventions and support so that they can catch up quickly. Assessments show no significant differences between the attainment and progress of disadvantaged pupils and others.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress because they receive carefully tailored and timely support in lessons. The effective management of this provision enables teachers and support staff to plan the right interventions for these pupils. These include effective support and one-to-one tuition for pupils who have specific additional language needs that affect their learning and behaviour.

Early years provision Outstanding

• Early years children make excellent progress in relation to their starting points in both the Nursery and Reception classes. Currently, the large majority of children in the Reception class are on track to reach a good level of development in reading, writing and mathematics. The children are exceptionally well behaved and attentive, and the staff have developed very positive and warm relationships with children and their families.
• Highly effective teaching in Reception and effective support for children and families in the Nursery enable the children to get off to an excellent start. Children are very well prepared for Year 1 by the time they finish the Reception Year. There are effective transition arrangements in place when children move into Year 1. This lays solid foundations for learning and development in key stage 1.
• Assessment is strong and used very effectively by staff. Learning profiles (written and pictorial records of children’s work and progress) and current assessments indicate sustained improvement to children’s learning and outcomes. Leaders and staff are keeping excellent ongoing records of both Nursery and Reception children’s achievements.
• In the Nursery, three-year-old children have plenty of stimulating and purposeful indoor and outdoor activities to engage them. Adults provide sensitive care and attention to children’s needs. They treat all children, whatever their backgrounds or abilities, with respect and dignity at all times. Children make excellent progress in all areas of learning, appropriate to their age and capabilities.
• In the Reception class, indoor and outdoor resources are easily accessible to children and provide a stimulating environment for play and learning. The staff provide excellent care and plan exciting activities that improve children’s physical and emotional development in safe and secure surroundings. Children throughout the early years are very well behaved and attentive. They listen to instructions and are polite to each other and to adults.
• The children in both the Nursery and Reception make choices during the day so that they receive a balance of well-focused learning with an adult and cooperative or independent play when choosing activities for themselves. Children’s speaking and listening skills develop very well. For example, Reception children thoroughly enjoy learning new words every day during what is called ‘snack chat’. The children enjoy the challenge of having to listen to a story read aloud by an adult during snack time and then naming new words to add to a vocabulary list.
• Early literacy and phonics skills are taught very well. The children in both Nursery and Reception settings learn to recognise and form letters and to recite stories, nursery rhymes and familiar songs. Children throughout the early years are encouraged to form letter shapes as they sound them out during phonics sessions. This is helping them to improve their hand–eye coordination skills and improves pencil control when writing. Evidence from learning profiles and children’s early writing shows that the children form letters evenly and accurately by the time they join Year 1. There are some missed opportunities during small-group work in Nursery to probe further and deepen understanding of vocabulary and use of speech.
• Role play is well planned and is successfully improving pupils’ language and communication skills and self-confidence. Both Nursery and Reception children improve their language skills and self-confidence when cooperating with other children and sharing equipment. Reception children like to read stories and share books, helping them to form good reading habits when handling books. Adults stimulate children’s interests using familiar characters and settings in traditional and modern children’s literature.
• Outstanding leadership of early years provision and strong and highly effective teaching ensure that the youngest children get an excellent start to their education. All welfare requirements, including assessments and the provision made for three-year-olds, meet statutory requirements. Staff are very well qualified and have the necessary experience and expertise to sustain these strong outcomes for children.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 142194 Staffordshire 10048396 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy converter 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 207 Appropriate authority The board of trustees Chair Principal Miss Sue Finney Mrs Bobbie Caisley Telephone number 01782 973855 Website Email address www.sunacademy.attrust.org.uk office@sunacademy.attrust.org.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• This is the school’s first inspection since it became an academy in August 2015. The predecessor school, Bradwell County Primary School, was last inspected in April 2015 and judged to require improvement. The school became part of the Academy Transformation Trust in August 2015. The trust appoints and holds to account the governing body, and directors of the trust commission support and appoint leaders and staff across all its academies.
• The school is smaller than most primary schools. Early years provision comprises a Nursery class for three-year-old children and a Reception class for four- and five-year-olds. The children in both the Nursery and Reception classes attend full time.
• The percentage of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is similar to that of most schools and includes mainly pupils who have moderate learning difficulties and/or speech, language and communication needs. There is no alternative or off-site provision at this school for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.
• The percentage of pupils eligible for support through pupil premium funding is above average.
• The school met national floor standards in 2017, which are the minimum requirements for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• Leaders and governors have well-established links with other schools, both within and beyond the academy trust. Senior and middle leaders commission support from one of the trust’s lead practitioners and a school improvement director as part of continuing professional development for staff. In addition, the principal and senior leaders provide support for other schools. They have established strong working partnerships with Staffordshire local authority and leaders in other schools to share best practice and moderate assessments of pupils’ work and progress.
• The school manages before- and after-school care provision for pupils, including for some children in the early years.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited parts of lessons in all year groups. Some visits were made jointly with the principal and vice-principal. They checked samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors observed some intervention sessions, including those for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. An inspector observed an assembly.
• The inspection considered a range of documentation, including leaders’ and governors’ own evaluations of the school’s effectiveness; the school’s improvement and action plans; information about pupils’ achievement, progress and performance; and documents or data relating to governance, teaching, behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.
• Inspectors spoke to pupils during lessons and met with two groups of pupils to hear them read and to discuss their work, behaviour and safety. Inspectors spoke to pupils during break and lunchtimes to ask them for their views about the school.
• Inspectors held discussions with the principal, vice-principal, assistant principal and teachers responsible for managing subjects. The lead inspector held a meeting with four governors, including the chair and vice-chair of the governing body. The lead inspector met with one of the school improvement directors and a lead practitioner from the trust to discuss recent reviews and the support provided for the school.
• Inspectors spoke with a number of parents to seek their views and analysed 46 responses to the online Ofsted questionnaire, Parent View, as well as 45 free-text responses. Inspectors gathered staff views during discussions and feedback sessions with inspectors. The lead inspector analysed 16 responses from staff and some responses from pupils to Ofsted’s online survey which was open during the on-site inspection.

Inspection team

Charalambos Loizou, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Michael Appleby Ofsted Inspector