Byron Wood Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school Pupils make strong progress from their much lower than typical starting points and leave school at the end of Year 6 well prepared for the next stage of their education.

Strong leadership, in school and in the trust, motivates staff and provides well-understood systems and strategies that help to secure school improvement. Leaders make careful adaptations in their curriculum and provision to meet the diverse needs of pupils and their families. Leaders promote the development of pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding well.

They ensure that pupils learn about important local and national issues and about how to be good ...citizens. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They are polite and respectful and want to do well at school.

Effective systems are in place to ensure that everyone understands their responsibility in keeping pupils safe. Staff are vigilant in following up absences. Pupils' attendance has improved and is now similar to the national average.

Children make good progress through the early years. However, while the vast majority of girls reach a good level of development at the end of Reception, a considerable proportion of boys do not. Children's transition from the early years to Year 1 and the quality of teaching and learning through key stage 1 have varied over time.

The proportion of pupils who reach expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 1 is below the national average. Leaders have made improvement in reading a priority, particularly in light of pupils' limited English when they start school. Pupils are taught phonics well and they apply their knowledge of sounds successfully to reading and writing.

Leaders' ambition to develop pupils' language through reading engagement and enjoyment is not as high profile for pupils when they enter key stage 1. Leaders have recently made changes to the provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) because the progress these pupils make varies widely as they move through school. It is too soon to see the full effect of this work.

Information about this school

Byron Wood Academy is part of the Astrea Academy Trust. When the school was last inspected in 2015, as Byron Wood Primary School, it was judged to require improvement. The trust board has responsibility for the governance of the school.

The local education and consultative committee reports to the trust executive board. The school is larger than the average-sized primary school. The school runs a breakfast club.

The proportion of pupils receiving support for SEND is higher than the national average. The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan is below the national average. The proportion of pupils who join or leave the school throughout the year is high compared to the national proportion.

A high proportion of pupils are from minority ethnic groups. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is much higher than the national average and is in the top 20% of schools nationally. Early years consists of a Nursery and two Reception classes.