Co-op Academy Glebe

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a small school with a big heart. Pupils enter Nursery with starting points below expectations for their age, but they leave having made exceptional progress in all areas. Pupils are highly committed to learning.

They thrive on the education on offer and relish every opportunity to 'be the best they can be'. Expectations for all pupils are ambitious and unwavering. Pupils respond impressively well to these showing excellent determination.

The school takes every effort possible to ensure that pupils feel safe in school. It is a calm, nurturing and respectful environment. Strong and meaningful relationships mean all pupils have a safe place and a trusted adult wh...o will listen to, and respond to, their concerns.

Staff know each pupil as an individual and treat them as such. Pupils welcome this. They treat each other with the same level of respect and kindness that is shown to them.

The school's ambition for pupils is not limited to the classroom. There is a wide range of activities, experiences and enrichment opportunities that all pupils take advantage of. There is also a wide range of junior leadership roles that increase pupils' confidence, help them appreciate the difference they can make and increase the sense of value and worth they feel for themselves.

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

Pupils achieve exceptionally well at this high-performing school. The curriculum is highly sophisticated. The school has thought intelligently about how it builds from Nursery up to Year 6.

Intentional and purposeful links have been made across topics and across year groups. These deepen pupils' knowledge leading to a rich level of learning and understanding. Pupils take great pride in their work and want to excel.

Even before the youngest children start school, every effort is taken for staff to get to know the pupils and their families. This enables them to settle extremely quickly and ensures every aspect of their needs is met in a highly stimulating and purposeful early years. Adults are expert 'interactors'.

Interactions and questioning are highly effective in deepening children's communication skills and understanding. They apply their skills in phonics to their writing impressively. Like the older pupils, they show an exceptional level of resilience to all aspects of learning.

It prepares them fully for the demands of key stage 1 and beyond.

Pupils get off to a great start with early reading. The school ensures all staff who deliver phonics are trained to the same high standard.

Forensic and ongoing assessment ensures nearly every child is able to keep up with the pace of the programme. For those who need a little extra help, it is timely and effective. The strong focus on reading continues throughout the school.

It underpins all aspects of the curriculum and leads to pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, achieving considerably higher than the national average.

Staff quickly identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They are supported through an individualised approach.

Staff understand their needs extremely well and make careful adaptations so they not only work seamlessly alongside their peers but achieve to a high standard too. The school is highly inclusive, and the skilled SEND team, supported by a dedicated and caring pastoral team, ensures any barriers to learning are addressed without delay. It is exemplary.

Pupils' behaviour is exceptional. No pupil is distracted from learning because attitudes to learning in all lessons are second to none. This is the same during social times.

Pupils are articulate and routinely well mannered and polite. Pupils have high aspirations for their futures. The school teaches about possible career choices and ensures the pupils know there is no limit to what they can achieve.

There are many opportunities for pupils' personal development. This includes residential trips and other trips both near and far. They help pupils gain an understanding of the world in which they live and the part they can play in it.

External visitors, as well as lessons in school, teach pupils about how they keep safe in their local community and beyond.

This school is led with skill, determination, passion and integrity. Leaders undoubtedly make this school the highly successful place it is.

Staff buy into every aspect of their vision. They model the exceptional example shown to them to a similarly high level. Governors are effective, passionate and committed.

The trust oversees all aspects of the school's work with an intuitive understanding of how best to support this consistently highly performing school. This school truly makes a positive difference in the lives and futures of all pupils who are proud to call themselves members of the Glebe family.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.