Byron Wood Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and staff at Byron Wood are proud of their school and its diversity.

Pupils regularly join the school at different points during the year. Some are new to the country and others are new to education. All pupils settle very well.

They are supported by caring adults who help them to quickly learn the school routines. Pupils say they feel safe and know that they can speak with a trusted adult if they have any worries or concerns.

Around the school, pupils conduct themselves well.

From Nursery, children understand the school's expectations. In classrooms, pupils engage in learning, listen to adult instruction and try their best. They celebrate eac...h other's achievements.

The school is ambitious for all pupils to achieve well. In national tests, many pupils do not achieve as well as the school would like them to. The school prioritises pupils' well-being and their development of important language skills so that they can access the curriculum as well as possible.

Pupils' personal development is extremely well considered. Pupils learn how to keep themselves healthy and safe. Wider experiences improve pupils' academic, personal and social skills.

These provide pupils with deliberate opportunities to learn new words through different situations. For example, younger pupils have their first visit to a farm to learn new words related to the animals they see.

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

The school has thoughtfully developed a curriculum to meet the needs of its pupils.

Pupil mobility in and out of the school is high. Many pupils arrive with limited language and communication skills, often with English as an additional language. The curriculum is designed to equip pupils with essential skills in reading, writing and mathematics.

A focus on developing pupils' spoken and written English underpins provision in all subject areas. While pupils' outcomes in national tests last year were below national averages, the positive impact of the school's work on curriculum development can be seen in current pupils' outcomes, particularly in early reading.

Teachers have strong subject knowledge.

They explain things clearly. The curriculum makes it clear for them what to teach and the order to teach it in. Staff check what pupils know and remember.

They make sure that new learning builds on what pupils already can do. The school uses this information to adapt learning so that pupils learn the full curriculum in appropriate steps.

The school has prioritised its approach to the teaching of early reading.

Pupils follow a structured phonics programme from the start of the Reception Year. Pupils read books that match the sounds they learn. Pupils who find reading more challenging receive the right support.

This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils in school enjoy listening to the stories which have been carefully chosen by adults. However, some older pupils have not yet developed a love of reading.

The school has strengthened its provision for pupils with SEND. Pupils have their needs identified and assessed promptly. Staff use this information to make effective adaptations to their teaching in most subjects.

However, this is not consistent across all wider subject areas.

The school is determined to ensure all pupils attend regularly. Incidents of extended leave for some pupils are high.

This means they miss out on important learning. The school recognises this and works with parents and carers to encourage better attendance.

Staff instil good behaviour in children from the outset in early years.

Children learn to share, take turns, work and play together happily. Rewards and sanctions are applied consistently from the early years to Year 6. Pupils understand the school's approach to managing behaviour and feel that this is fair.

Pupils are respectful in the discussions they have with each other. They have a secure understanding of difference and discrimination. They learn to respect cultures and traditions other than their own.

One pupil stated, 'Everybody can believe in something different and that's okay.'

Leaders have a clear vision for the pupils and the school. This is shared by the trust and local governing body, who both support the school through robust checks of the work carried out.

Leaders at all levels recognise the challenges, as well as the rich opportunities such a unique and diverse school community brings.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils do not attend school regularly.

This can be due to extended time away from the school. Pupils miss important learning, which has a negative impact on their academic progress and wider development. The school should continue to work with families to overcome any barriers to attendance and ensure more pupils attend school regularly.

• In a few subjects, staff do not consistently make curriculum adaptations that meet the needs of pupils with SEND. This means that some pupils with SEND do not learn as well as they could in these subjects. The school should ensure that it supports staff to make effective adaptations to the curriculum so that pupils with SEND achieve well in all subjects.

• Some older pupils do not talk with enthusiasm about the books that they read. They do not appreciate the benefits of learning to read or developing a love of reading. The school should continue its efforts to establish a strong culture of reading across the school.