Manor Way Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The headteacher provides strong leadership. Leaders and staff are ambitious for pupils to succeed. Pupils are proud of their school and feel safe, valued and supported.

Since becoming an academy, the multi-academy trust (trust), local advisory board (governors), leaders and staff have improved standards and teaching. There is an excellent capacity to continue improving the school. Staff and governors have developed a positive and supportive school community.

Most parents and carers pay tribute to the efforts of the skilled and dedicated leadership and staff teams who are transforming the school. Teaching in Years 1 to 6, which is at least... good, helps pupils to achieve well. Standards compare well with national figures at all key stages but could still be higher.

Pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. There is scope to build on this as some of the most able pupils could still be doing better. Effective teaching helps pupils to offer thoughtful responses to questions and tasks.

However, there is not always enough opportunity for pupils to practise or reinforce new learning. Children in the early years get off to a great start. The teaching of reading and phonics in the early years and key stage 1 is very effective.

Some children who exceed age-related standards in Reception could still be doing better in key stage 1. Pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities make great progress. The pastoral support and excellent care given to vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils are helping them to achieve well.

The staff treat pupils and families with dignity and respect. Leaders and staff have devised an excellent curriculum. This is having a positive effect on pupils' personal and academic development.

Science, sport and the performing and creative arts are very strong features of the school's curriculum. Pupils are taught British values of respect, tolerance and understanding of different faiths, customs and traditions. There are very good relationships between pupils, parents and staff.

Pupils behave exceptionally well. The school has a strong and vigilant culture of safeguarding. The attention to ensuring pupils' welfare and safety makes a strong contribution to their well-being and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

Information about this school

Manor Way Primary School converted to academy status in October 2015 and this is its first inspection since conversion. The predecessor school was inspected in January 2014 and was judged to require improvement. There have been significant changes to governance, leadership and staffing since conversion.

The school is one of five primary and three secondary schools in the Windsor Academy Trust (WAT). The chief and deputy chief executive officers of WAT, together with the board of directors, appointed LAB members to the school's local advisory board. The headteacher joined the school in September 2016.

Other senior and middle leaders have also been appointed since the school became an academy. Each school in the trust has its own local advisory board of governors. The board of directors, through its scheme of delegation and funding agreement with the DfE and the Education Funding Agency, has direct oversight of all the schools across the trust.

The board has direct responsibility for the management and devolvement of governance, finances and human resources for all its schools. Manor Way is smaller than most primary schools. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds and others have a range of heritages.

Very few pupils join the school speaking English as an additional language. The school's early years provision comprises a pre-school class for up to 26 three-year-old children and one Reception class for four- and five-year-olds. The children in the pre-school (Manor Way Minis) attend either part-time or full-time, with flexible arrangements to accommodate parents' needs.

The trust and governors have direct oversight and responsibility for this pre-school provision. The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is in line with that of most schools and includes mainly pupils who have moderate learning difficulties and/or emotional or behavioural needs, including autism spectrum disorder. The proportion of pupils eligible for pupil premium funding is well below average.

Also at this postcode