Akiva School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Akiva School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders set high expectations across the school community. Pupils respond well and display a positive attitude in their learning.

They are proud of their school and their achievements. Pupils strive to do their best in all activities.

Pupils are happy to come to school and see themselves as part of one family.

They feel safe in school because of their strong working relationships with each other and staff. Pupils know they can speak with an adult about any worries they may have.

The members of the school community know and commit to their four values of kindness, respect, i...ntegrity and resilience.

They show this through their daily activities. Pupils are very well behaved. They display great respect for each other and adults.

Bullying is rare. If it does occur, staff deal with it immediately.

Leaders know their pupils and families well.

Parents and carers are committed to the school. Pupils valued their roles of responsibility. Older pupils lead a buddy system for those in younger years.

They said they want to ensure pupils feel at home from the time they join the school. Older 'buddies' make and play games, listen to younger pupils read, support them at breaktimes and make them a goodbye gift.

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

Leaders are clear about the knowledge they want pupils to learn.

They have thought carefully about the key content they want pupils to learn in subjects. This enables pupils to remember more over time. Teachers receive regular training and have the subject knowledge they need to teach different subjects well.

They make adaptations and use resources to help pupils with their learning. For example, in mathematics, staff helped pupils to analyse and understand the use of different line graphs. Occasionally, the lack of precision in teachers' use of subject-specific language means that teaching does not deliver the intended curriculum consistently well.

This limits pupils' deeper knowledge and understanding.

Teachers check what pupils know and remember regularly. Pupils apply their prior knowledge and skills well and display confidence with new learning.

For instance, in physical education, pupils applied their previously learned throwing and catching skills well in a game of rounders. Teachers identify and address any misconceptions in pupils' understanding. Staff encourage children to discuss and reflect on their learning in early years.

This prepares children well for Year 1.

Leaders prioritise reading across the school. Phonics is taught from Reception Year and most pupils gain the confidence to segment and blend sounds by the end of Year 1.

The books that pupils read match the sounds they are learning. Staff encourage parents to support reading at home. There is excellent attendance at the early years parent reading information evening.

Leaders instil a sense of urgency in teaching struggling pupils to become fluent readers. These pupils are supported to catch up quickly through targeted sessions. This results in pupils developing their accuracy and fluency in reading.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Leaders ensure that pupils with SEND have access to an ambitious curriculum. Leaders provide teachers with clear information about pupils' additional needs.

Staff use resources effectively in order to support pupils with SEND to access subject content. Leaders work closely with outside agencies. These agencies also provide training for staff.

Pupils behave very well in lessons and around the school. The school's golden rules are well known and respected across the school, as are the expectations for daily behaviour.Pupils show great kindness and respect to each other and adults.

They play well together in the playground. This creates a warm atmosphere. Pupils listen well in class and are polite.

Pupils have many opportunities to learn beyond the academic curriculum. They enjoy attending a range of clubs, including sports, arts and crafts. Pupils thrive in the daily gardening club, and they take pride in the flowers and produce they grow.

Residential visits for Years 4, 5 and 6 are extremely popular. Pupils also value curriculum-linked visits to museums and places of interest, such as Bletchley Park. They learn about life in modern Britain, healthy lifestyles and relationships through an age-appropriate curriculum.

They enjoy the visits from the community about the world of work, including journalism, fashion and medicine.

Staff appreciated the support from leaders and governors, including the care and understanding about their workload. Leaders take staff professional development seriously and provide time for this to be pursued.

Staff value being part of the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that there is a strong safeguarding culture in the school.

Systems and procedures for reporting any concerns are well known by staff and governors. This reflects the knowledge and understanding they gain through regular safeguarding training. Leaders make sure pupils, and their families, receive the help they need in a timely manner.

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe online, including through their personal, social and health education lessons. The members of the governing body have a strong oversight of the school's safeguarding procedures.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• On occasion, there is a lack of precision in the use of pupils' subject-specific language.

This limits pupils' deeper understanding of new content in subjects. Leaders should make sure the curriculum is delivered more precisely so that pupils use specific terms and concepts in the intended curriculum accurately.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in February 2018.

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