Birklands Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school Effective intervention by the Nova Education Trust has reversed the fortunes and reputation of the school. The school has undergone rapid improvement over the last two years.

The head of school has a good understanding of effective teaching and learning and this is fuelling her ambitions for the school, its pupils and the wider community. The school's leaders have a realistic picture of its strengths and have accurately identified what the school needs to do to improve further. In their haste to improve, leaders have not always prioritised their actions as well as they might to maximise the impact of these actions on improving the school.

...>The pupils have very positive attitudes towards their learning. They take their lead from the adults in school, who are very good role models. Teachers and teaching assistants have high aspirations for every pupil.

However, their expectations for the most able pupils could be even higher. Pupils' outcomes in key stages 1 and 2 improved in 2016. Current assessment information shows a picture of improving outcomes in most year groups.

Nevertheless, the most able pupils could achieve even more if the tasks set for them were consistently well matched to their abilities. Pupils conduct themselves with restraint and respect for each other at different times of the school day. They value the good behaviour of their fellow pupils and know that it is helping their learning in lessons.

Respect for self and for others, regardless of background, is sewn through the fabric of the school. This equips pupils very well for their citizenship in modern Britain. Children make a super start to their education in the early years.

The safe, bright environment and well-planned activities engage and enthuse the children. Parents are welcomed and encouraged to play their part in their children's development and learning, particularly, but not exclusively, in the early years.

Information about this school

Birklands Primary School is smaller than the average primary school.

Its predecessor school closed in March 2014 after being placed into special measures in May 2013. The school is now an academy, sponsored by the Torch Academy Gateway Trust (which formally changed its name to Nova Education Trust during the inspection on 28 February 2017). This was the school's first inspection as an academy.

In 2015, the trust removed the former governing body, replacing it with an interim executive board. A new governing body replaced the interim executive board at the start of February 2017. Since January 2017 the school has been led by a recently appointed head of school who was previously the deputy headteacher.

Pupils in key stages 1 and 2 are taught in single-age classes. Reception-age children attend full time and are taught in the early years classrooms alongside children who attend the school's Nursery for half days. The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.

The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds or who speak English as an additional language is well below the national average. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for the pupil premium is above the national average. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is broadly in line with the national average.

In 2016 the school met the national floor standards for pupil achievement. The school complies with Department of Education guidance on what academies should publish. The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.