Djanogly Strelley Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Djanogly Strelley Academy continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils work and play together well at this happy and inclusive school. They value each other and respect each other's differences.

They are proud to follow the school values of 'ambition, kindness and teamwork'. Pupils say that they feel safe because staff care for them. They say that bullying happens sometimes, but adults deal with it quickly.

The school provides a wide range of opportunities to support pupils' personal development. Pupils enjoy clubs such as sports, chess and cheerleading. The school council works to improve the school and community.

Members have help...ed to develop a local play area and to set up a community allotment.

Leaders plan opportunities for pupils to learn about the world around them. They work closely with local universities and Lakeside Arts Centre.

Pupils enjoy these experiences, such as the project with a school in Hong Kong, and look forward to taking part.

Staff take great care to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school makes sure that they include all pupils in everything that they do.

Leaders and staff know families well. Parents and carers appreciate this. As one said, 'Teachers have gone above and beyond during these difficult last years.'



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

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum to meet pupils' needs. They have thought carefully about what they want pupils to learn and when they want them to learn it. In geography, for example, pupils learn about plate tectonics following work on rocks and soils.

Leaders complement classroom learning with other opportunities, such as fieldwork and visits to the school from experts.

Leaders have ensured that the teaching of phonics and early reading is a priority. Staff have received effective training.

There is a consistent approach to the teaching of phonics from the start. In Nursery, adults prepare children for Reception by developing listening and language skills. Pupils who are at risk of falling behind receive the right support so that they can keep up.

Pupils read books that are at the correct level of challenge. Staff encourage older pupils to read a range of high-quality texts, including poetry, stories, non-fiction and those linked to topics. Staff read to pupils regularly to nurture a love of reading and to extend pupils' vocabulary.

Pupils say that they enjoy reading. During the inspection, many parents were in school for a 'Reading Breakfast' with their children.

Teachers benefit from support from subject leaders and the trust.

In the main, they display a secure knowledge of subject content, which they use to deliver the curriculum well. Teachers use different ways to check pupils' learning in lessons. However, the assessment of what pupils have remembered over time is not well developed in all subjects.

In a very small number of subjects, the curriculum is not as well thought through. In these subjects, plans for pupils' learning over time, including the vocabulary they will learn, are not as clear. Teachers have not yet had training in these subjects.

This hampers their efforts to design learning that supports pupils to improve their knowledge and skills.

Leaders ensure that pupils with SEND have access to an appropriate curriculum. Teachers ensure that pupils are given the right support.

They quickly spot when pupils need additional help. Some pupils are supported by the highly skilled staff in the Blue House. Staff work effectively with external agencies and parents and carers.

Leaders prioritise pupils' personal development. Pupils learn the importance of respecting difference, including different beliefs and lifestyles. Pupils were excited about using the inspirational book 'We Are All Wonders' as their focus for World Book Day.

Pupils experience varied opportunities to build their understanding of being responsible citizens, such as fundraising for local and national charities. Pupils enjoy receiving recognition in assemblies for following the school values.

Leaders make sure that children quickly settle into the routines in the early years classes.

Staff build strong relationships with children and their families. Teachers plan a range of activities to build children's personal development and their early mathematical and language skills. They take every opportunity to help children learn and practise new vocabulary.

Leaders provide effective training so that adults support children well.

Staff say that they are proud to work at the school. They appreciate the consideration that leaders give to their workload.

They benefit from high-quality training, such as for phonics. Staff share the ambitious vision put forward by leaders, governors and the trust.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Pupils know there is a trusted adult they can talk to if they have any concerns. Staff teach pupils how to keep themselves safe, including when online.

Leaders provide frequent training so that staff know what to do if they have any concerns about pupils.

Staff understand the local risks that pupils may face. They report any concerns, however small, promptly to leaders. The strong pastoral team makes sure that pupils and families get the help they need.

There are robust procedures in place to ensure that all adults are suitable to work in school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The curriculum in a small number of subjects is not as precise in terms of progression and sequencing as it is in other subjects. Although plans make it clear how knowledge and skills in each year group build upon what has been taught before, there is less detail on what pupils need to learn and remember at every point, including subject-specific vocabulary.

This risks pupils not always developing the skills and understanding of concepts that they need. Leaders should ensure that planning for these subjects provides teachers with complete clarity on what they are teaching. ? Assessment is not as well developed in wider curriculum subjects as it is in the core subjects.

This means that leaders do not always have as detailed an understanding of the impact of the curriculum as they would want. Leaders need to strengthen assessment in these subjects so that they are confident that the curriculum is having the strong impact that they intend.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2017.