Abbey Hey Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where staff are determined to give every child who comes through its doors the best possible start in life. It is quite a large primary school, but leaders and staff know every child well.

Pupils are safe, settled and happy. The staff work closely with parents and carers to sort out any problems either at school or at home.

Staff expect pupils to work hard.

Teachers make sure that every pupil knows the basics of reading, writing and mathematics well. Pupils really appreciate this. Pupils enjoy their lessons, especially in maths and science.

Pupils behave well because there are clear and simple rules for them to follow. They say that ...there are very few cases of bullying and that if this does happen, teachers sort the problem out quickly. Pupils talk positively about the number of clubs they can join.

They are especially proud of the successes of their girls' and boys' football teams in local competitions. School leaders are very proud to be part of the community of Gorton. Pupils benefit from lots of links with local businesses and groups.

Leaders' vision is to make the school a real hub of the community. They achieve this well.

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

Leaders have planned carefully what is taught so that all pupils can make progress.

The top priority for leaders and staff is to teach pupils to read confidently and fluently. From Nursery onwards, pupils learn the phonics skills that they need. Teachers are very confident and knowledgeable in teaching phonics.

Staff quickly help those pupils who find reading more difficult to catch up. Pupils told us that they enjoy reading. They said that staff encourage them to read a lot at school and at home.

Mathematics teaching is well planned. Pupils make good progress across year groups. Pupils told us that they love practical challenges, especially when teachers try to trick them by deliberately getting answers wrong.

In 2019, Year 6 pupils achieved well in the key stage 2 national assessments.

Recently, leaders have thought carefully about the knowledge and skills they want pupils to learn. Staff have made some important changes so that pupils can go to secondary school with a good understanding of the subjects they will learn there.

In each school year, pupils' learning builds on what they have learned before.

In some subjects, such as science and geography, teachers are still getting to grips with how to put the school's curriculum plans into practice. Leaders have provided training to make teacher more confident in these subjects.

The curriculum caters well for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These pupils are fully involved in lessons. They are supported by teaching assistants who know them well.

A knowledgeable special educational needs coordinator oversees teaching assistants' work.

The curriculum in the early years begins by focusing on helping children to become confident and successful learners. Staff make good links with parents.

Staff explain their work and show how parents can support learning at home. Staff give children lots of opportunities to develop their physical skills. They encourage play which requires stretching, sliding and carrying.

Staff in the early years model good speaking and listening to the children when they share stories and books. Relationships between staff and children in the early years are very strong.

Almost all pupils say that they like coming to school.

Pupils are not put off coming to school because of bullying. They enjoy all that the school has to offer. That said, leaders are right to expect more pupils to attend school regularly.

In lessons, pupils concentrate well and listen carefully to their teachers and each other. Occasionally, some pupils become restless, but this does not spoil the learning of the majority.

The way that the school widens the range of opportunities for pupils is a strength.

Pupils in Years 4 and 5 learned a great deal about democracy from an assembly about votes for women. Pupils in Year 5 spoke thoughtfully about how the mix of pupils with different ethnic backgrounds in the school enriches their religious education. Pupil ambassadors from each class meet regularly with the headteacher.

They discuss issues and help the school to become even better.

Senior leaders, governors and senior members of the United Learning Trust respect each other and work well as a team. All have a good understanding of the school's strengths and areas where it can improve.

All are committed to giving pupils the best possible start and making the school central to the life of their community.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Safeguarding is a strength of the school.

Staff are well aware of the individual safeguarding needs of pupils and potential threats to their safety in the local area. Leaders make sure that the school acts to protect pupils from these dangers. All pupils learn about online safety, and staff improve pupils' knowledge regularly.

The school works well with other agencies to make sure that pupils are safe.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

In science, teachers sometimes plan tasks that do not fully match the curriculum set out by leaders. Leaders should ensure that teachers understand clearly what they need to do to implement precisely the school's curriculum plan.

. Leaders are taking worthwhile actions based on their well-considered plans to improve the curriculum in foundation subjects such as geography. The next step is to develop the depth and breadth of pupils' experience in those subjects by ensuring that teachers have the expertise to teach those subjects with confidence and authority.