Brisley Church of England Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and enjoy attending Brisley Church of England Primary Academy.

They flourish in an environment where their education and wider development are valued equally.

Pupils learn how to be 'ready, respectful and safe'. This can be seen in the way pupils show a strong sense of community, where everyone is included and expected to achieve well.

Older pupils take care of younger ones at breaktime. They share lunches together and read with one another each week. Bullying is rare, but pupils and staff know what to do should it occur.

In recent years, the school has been transformed as pupils respond well to leaders' high expectations. Pupils are... polite and confident. They typically show good levels of concentration in class as they learn from a well-planned curriculum.

Most pupils learn well. By the end of Year 6, they are ready for learning in secondary school.

Pupils are given a wide range of opportunities to take on responsibility, and they are proud and keen to play a role in charity fundraising, looking after the school grounds and leading whole-school worship.

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

Leaders have developed a curriculum that sets out what pupils should know and remember each year. They are ambitious for what pupils should achieve. Teachers use effective strategies to check how much pupils learn and where pupils have gaps in their knowledge.

Teachers know pupils' strengths and areas for improvement. They put in place strategies to help pupils catch up if they fall behind.

Leaders continually review their curriculum plans so that they build effectively on what pupils have previously learned.

They are considering carefully where changes to ordering content will make this more effective. For example, the mathematics curriculum has been adjusted to ensure that pupils in mixed-age classes are supported well to learn more challenging content.

Phonics teaching starts as soon as children begin Reception.

Leaders ensure that pupils build on their phonic knowledge systematically. Teachers' regular checks mean that pupils who need extra help to keep up get it quickly. Leaders have recently introduced a new approach to teaching phonics.

Some staff do not organise the classroom as well as others. As a result, though they achieve well overall, some pupils' phonics learning is patchier than others'. Leaders promote a love of reading.

Teachers provide daily opportunities for pupils to read quietly and to listen to carefully selected stories which expose pupils to a wide range of literature.

Leaders consider the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) carefully when planning the curriculum. Leaders ensure that the progress of pupils with SEND is monitored carefully and that staff get helpful advice to ensure that pupils are given extra help when required.

As a result, pupils with SEND achieve well.

Children in Reception get off to a good start in their education. There is a strong focus on teaching reading and developing good communication skills.

Adults carefully identify the important knowledge that children should learn. Adults' well-planned activities support children's learning well. By the end of Reception, children are prepared well for learning in Year 1.

Children in Reception learn to follow routines that help them to learn and play with others. Older pupils listen attentively in lessons and follow teachers' directions. This means little learning time is lost.

Pupils' learning is rarely disturbed by others' behaviour.

Leaders promote pupils' personal development well. Pupils particularly enjoy assembly time and the opportunities they have to lead the act of worship programme.

Pupils develop character through activities such as gardening, representing the school in competitions and charity fundraising. They learn about diversity and are respectful towards those from different religions, cultures and backgrounds. Pupils enjoy attending a wide range of clubs and residential opportunities, such as a trip to France.

Leaders ensure that all pupils can be included in these opportunities.

School and trust leaders ensure that teachers develop their knowledge of how to teach different subjects well. Teachers value opportunities to meet with colleagues from other schools to share ideas about what works well.

Trustees and governors know what is working well and what could be even better. Staff appreciate the consideration given by leaders to their workload and well-being. The trust, governors, leaders and staff are united in that they all want the very best for pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders and staff understand their responsibilities to keep pupils safe. They work closely with outside agencies to meet pupils' needs and keep them safe.

Staff receive regular training, which is kept up to date. This means staff have the skills and knowledge to identify signs of potential harm.

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe and are aware of the dangers they might face.

For example, pupils are taught about the risks of being online and what they should do if they are concerned while using the internet or social media.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, the curriculum needs to be further refined so that pupils can know and remember more of what they have been taught. Leaders should ensure the long-term teaching sequence so that learning builds year on year and pupils are appropriately challenged in all subjects.

• The new approach to teaching phonics is still in the early stages of implementation. On occasion, classroom learning could be organised more effectively to engage all pupils fully. Leaders should continue to support staff with additional professional development so that they can deliver the phonics programme more effectively so that all pupils learn to read quickly.