Edith Weston Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Edith Weston Academy continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Edith Weston Academy is a happy and welcoming school.

Teachers and leaders have created an inclusive environment where nurture and care are at the centre of all that they do. Leaders and staff know pupils well and have clear aspirations for all pupils to be successful. Pupils talk about the 'character muscles' that teachers encourage them to develop.

These include friendship, curiosity, courage and kindness. Pupils demonstrate these values and show a great deal of care towards one another.

Most pupils demonstrate positive behaviour across the school.

There are some ...pupils who receive additional support to help them regulate their behaviour. The school operates a nurture provision to help some pupils develop their resilience and to support them in their emotional development. Bullying rarely happens at the school.

When it does, parents and pupils feel that staff deal with it effectively.

Pupils take part in a wide range of extra-curricular activities. All pupils, including children who attend the school's nursery provision, have weekly swimming lessons in the school's own pool.

Pupils talk positively about the clubs that they attend. These include gymnastics, dance and craft club.

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

Leaders have recently adopted a new curriculum.

This includes a new approach to the teaching of phonics and the provision for pupils who are in the early stages of learning how to read. Staff in the early years and key stage 1 help pupils to become fluent readers. Additional support is also provided for older pupils who may need further guidance in developing speed and accuracy in their reading.

Leaders have set out key 'milestones' that they would like all pupils to achieve. In some subjects, such as mathematics, the curriculum is being implemented more effectively than in others. Some pupils feel that aspects of the new curriculum are not challenging enough for them.

Many pupils join the school part way through their schooling. Pupils are supported to settle and they achieve well.

The school has recently introduced a new approach to assessment.

This system is designed to allow teachers to refine their teaching in order to address misconceptions and help pupils to know and remember more over time. In some subjects, such as phonics, this system is already being used. This is not yet the case for all subject areas.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well across the school. Pupils with SEND study the same curriculum as their peers. Teaching assistants support pupils in lessons effectively.

The school operates a nurture provision called the 'nest'. The 'nest' enables pupils who find it hard to regulate their behaviour and emotions to develop effective strategies to help them with their learning and well-being.

Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning.

At times, some pupils find it difficult to regulate their behaviour. Effective support is given to these pupils. Leaders have a range of systems to record behaviour concerns.

Leaders have only recently begun to analyse trends in pupils' behaviour. This means that although leaders know the pupils involved, they do not always have a clear picture of the types of behaviour incidents across the school.

Leaders have ensured that pupils take part in activities which develop their talents and interests.

They take part in a wide range of clubs and activities, including dance club and craft club. Pupils also receive age-appropriate physical, social and health education and relationships education. Pupils are able to recall their learning of these subjects.

Pupils are also given leadership opportunities, including being school council representatives. Trips and visits take place regularly to allow pupils to extend their learning beyond the classroom. Visitors are invited into the school.

This includes visitors from local faith communities. This helps pupils to consider beliefs and cultures that are different to their own.

The school operates its own nursery provision.

Parents hold this provision in high regard. Leaders have created a learning environment that allows children to develop their communication skills alongside developing their sense of curiosity. Children in the nursery are very enthusiastic about their learning space.

Staff encourage children to be inquisitive and explore different areas. This helps them to develop their understanding of the wider world.

Staff are proud to work at the school.

They talk about feeling part of a team and value the input that they receive to support their workload and well-being. They enjoy working with staff across the trust to develop their practice.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders know the needs and vulnerabilities of their families well. They work with families and other agencies effectively to support pupils. Reporting systems are in place.

At times, records are not as detailed as they could be. Leaders are in the process of embedding a new system for the recording of all information connected to safeguarding concerns.

All staff have received safeguarding training and know their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding.

Pupils learn how to keep safe, including online. They recall their learning of these lessons.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders have recently developed a new curriculum.

Teachers do not always precisely match activities to pupils' current level of understanding. Leaders should ensure that teachers set activities that support pupils to know and remember more over time.

• Leaders use a variety of systems to record information connected to behaviour concerns.

While leaders understand these systems, they do not allow for clear analysis of behaviour incidents and trends to be completed effectively. Leaders need to embed a clear streamlined process to support sharper and more effective analysis of pupils' behaviour.

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

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

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2017.