Bodriggy Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend this inclusive, welcoming school.

Building strong relationships is at the heart of its work. Parents and carers talk positively about the care that staff show and how the school helps pupils to do their best.

Pupils feel safe.

They trust adults to listen to them if they have any worries or concerns. Pupils behave well and treat each other with respect. They understand the school rules and follow them, both in and out of the classroom.

This starts in the early years, where children settle to new routines and behave well.

The school has high expectations for what all pupils can achieve, both academically and personal...ly. Pupils know what staff expect of them.

In lessons, pupils concentrate well on their learning. Pupils have opportunities to develop their skills and interests. For example, taking part in a dance event with a famous ballerina.

The school encourages pupils to be fully involved in changes. For example, designing and equipping the new school library.

Pupils enjoy the range of extra-curricular activities and visits, such as skateboarding, construction and school choir.

Older pupils value having the responsibility of being buddies for younger pupils.

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

The school has been relentless in its drive to make the necessary improvements identified at the last inspection. The school has an ambitious curriculum that considers what pupils need to know and when they need to know it, from early years to Year 6.

In subjects where published outcomes have been below national expectations, the school has taken effective action to strengthen the curriculum. For example, it has made sure that staff have the subject knowledge they need to teach reading effectively. This helps them to better identify and remedy any gaps in pupils' learning.

Reading is a priority for the school. Pupils enjoy their visits to the school library and talk positively about reading 'karate'. Right from their start in Nursery, children enjoy listening to stories and rhymes.

In Reception, children learn and remember new sounds well. Regular checks on their learning mean that most pupils build accuracy and confidence with their reading. Any pupils who struggle receive the support they need to catch up quickly.

The school has a well-designed and sequenced mathematics curriculum. This starts in the early years. Teachers use resources effectively to develop children's mathematical understanding.

They explain new concepts clearly and model mathematical vocabulary well. Teachers ensure that there are frequent opportunities for pupils to consolidate their learning. This means that pupils have secure knowledge.

As a result, they progress well through the curriculum, tackling increasingly complex concepts.

Pupils learn well in most subjects. In music and science, for example, teachers check carefully that pupils' understanding is secure.

Teachers use a variety of strategies to help pupils recall what they have learned before. This supports pupils to deepen their understanding. However, in a small number of other wider curriculum subjects, the school is still developing the systems to check on what pupils know and remember.

In these subjects, pupils do not build their knowledge as well over time.

The school is ambitious for what pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) can achieve. Staff know these pupils well.

Individual pupil plans are precise. The school works closely with parents and external agencies to ensure that pupils get the right support. As a result, pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum as their peers.

Pupils behave well and have positive attitudes to learning. In the early years, children take turns and play well together. The school prioritises pupils' attendance.

It tracks absence closely and intervenes early to stop pupils having too much time off. As a result, pupils attend school regularly.

There is a carefully considered personal, social and health education curriculum in place to support pupils' well-being and wider development.

Pupils have a good understanding of different relationships. They develop their sense of character through taking part in the local carnival and working with local businesses to plan a new sensory garden. However, pupils' knowledge of some of the fundamental British values is limited.

This means that they are not fully prepared for life in modern Britain.

Trustees and local governors understand the school's strengths and areas for improvement. They provide both support and challenge to ensure that the school continues to improve.

Staff value the 'open door' policy that exists within the school and appreciate the way in which their views are listened to and acted on.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Assessment is still being developed in some subjects.

In these subjects, it is not yet used well enough to check that pupils have securely remembered the knowledge they have been taught. As a result, pupils do not build their knowledge well enough over time. The trust needs to ensure that teachers use assessment effectively across all subjects and use this information to inform future learning.

• Pupils do not demonstrate a complete understanding of the fundamental British values. This means that they are not fully prepared for life in modern Britain. The trust needs to ensure that it identifies specific opportunities for the teaching of these values, including meaningful opportunities for pupils to embed this knowledge.