Abbey View Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils flourish at Abbey View. They describe their school as 'diverse and welcoming to all'.

They live up to the school's values of determination, aspiration, respect and teamwork (DART), which play a key role in daily life. Relationships between pupils and adults are highly respectful.

Pupils' behaviour is exemplary.

They conduct themselves very well around the school. Routines and expectations are established from children's very first days in the early years. Older pupils are role models for younger pupils, demonstrating high levels of self-control.

Breaktimes are productive and staff have thought through the social space and equipment carefully. ...Pupils' high regard for education is evident in their attentiveness and hard work in lessons.

The school's motto, 'learning today…leading tomorrow', is evident in pupils' aspirations.

They proudly fulfil many leadership opportunities, such as reading champions or representing their peers on the academy council. They volunteer their time to support their peers.

Leaders go to great lengths to ensure that every pupil has the chance to participate in all the school has to offer.

Pupils access a range of enrichment experiences including trips such as visiting Cotswold Wildlife Park. There is a range of clubs and sporting events for pupils to develop their talents and interests.

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

The provision for pupils' personal development is exceptional.

They thrive because of the strong sense of community that is fostered by the school. Pupils are proud of their diversity and keen to learn about and celebrate the different views of their peers. Character development is remarkable and very much underpinned by the lived '5Rs' of resilience, resourcefulness, relationships, reflectiveness and risk taking.

Pupils are taught about ways to stay safe, including when online. They understand about healthy relationships. As a result, pupils have a deep understanding of modern Britain and the need for tolerance and active engagement in their community.

Pastoral support is strong with tailored support for those requiring it, including young carers. Pupils trust any member of staff to help them if they have a problem.

Children get the very best start to their education.

The transition from the nursery to the reception class is well planned. The high-quality provision in the whole of the early years is the foundation for the learning to come. The school's mantra - that 'all interactions are a teaching moment' - is evident in the effective guidance and support provided by adults.

Children are highly motivated in their play and eager to join in. Early literacy provision is a strength, with children immersed in new vocabulary. For example, children used terms such as 'predators' and could confidently identify them.

Children access their well-planned and inspiring learning environment with high levels of independence. Throughout the provision, children use resources and tools with impressive accuracy during their play.

The school curriculum is both broad and highly ambitious.

Right from the start of early years, there are high expectations for what pupils will learn. Leaders have designed the curriculum with precision, identifying the important facts pupils are to learn. Assessment is used well to track pupils' progress across the curriculum and identify where more support is needed.

The identification of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is accurate. Leaders work closely with teachers to ensure pupils with additional needs are provided with high-quality support. Staff benefit from well-organised training.

They value the opportunities to work with other leaders and staff from across the trust. Leaders, including those responsible for governance, review the impact of their curriculum precisely. This enables them to accurately identify the improvements needed to meet their determination for all to succeed.

Reading is a clear priority. Well-trained staff teach phonics systematically. From the very start, children in the nursery learn important listening skills.

Pupils in Reception and key stage 1 use their understanding confidently to apply the sounds they know to their reading and writing. From their first days in school, children develop a love of literature. As they move through the school, pupils relish the range of books they read.

They engage enthusiastically in the weekly 'book club', welcoming the opportunities to read books from their favourite authors and recommend books to their peers. As a result, pupils read with both fluency and confidence.

Knowledgeable staff provide pupils with activities that help them understand new ideas well.

During learning, they provide effective guidance and adapt tasks well to support those pupils with additional needs. This is particularly strong in English and mathematics. In most subjects, the curriculum ensures pupils build on what they already know, developing increasingly sophisticated learning.

However, in a small number of subjects other than English and mathematics, opportunities to recap on prior learning needs further refinement. As a result, not all pupils could not consistently recall important facts beyond their recent learning in these areas.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of subjects other than English and mathematics, teaching is not integrating prior knowledge into new learning. As a result, pupils are not consistently securing important facts into their long-term memory. The school needs to strengthen retrieval practice in these subjects, to check that prior learning has been retained, and so ensure pupils know and remember more over time.

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