Gipsey Bridge Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Gipsey Bridge Academy continues to be a good school.

The headteacher of this school is Kirstyn Moffat. This school is part of Infinity Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school.

The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Gavin Booth, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Steve Lancashire.

What is it like to attend this school?

Gipsey Bridge is a warm and welcoming school with a family feel. Pupils behave very well and their learning is rarely interrupted.

They say that pupils falling out with each other is rare. Pupils know they are cared for. They feel safe.

They attend sc...hool well and are eager to learn.

The school is ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to learn well. The school provides pupils with a range of extra-curricular events and activities, including local sporting competitions and clubs for chess, art and Makaton.

Pupils relish the leadership opportunities available, such as being a junior road safety officer or a reading buddy. Playtimes are happy and sociable times.

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school.

They value what the school offers and the wider community events. This includes recently hosting a D-Day Anniversary remembrance service and tree planting by a veteran. A parent, typical of many, commented, 'Gipsey Bridge is a wonderful little school.'



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

Reading is prioritised. There is a consistent approach to the teaching of phonics using the school's 'read, react and explore' approach. Pupils' reading books are mostly well matched to the sounds that they know and are learning.

This supports pupils to become expressive, fluent and confident readers. Pupils fondly recall a range of authors and books about historical figures and different countries. Pupils enjoy using the library and outdoor reading area where they can vote for their favourite books.

The school has designed a broad, ambitious and well-ordered curriculum for all pupils, including those with SEND. For example, the mathematics curriculum purposefully builds pupils' learning across the year and from one year to the next. Other subject curriculums, such as history and religious education (RE), identify the key knowledge pupils need to learn and when.

In most subjects, staff adapt how they teach to enable pupils to learn well. For example, they use resources well to secure pupils' understanding of number and how to read clocks to tell the time. The vocabulary that pupils learn is carefully identified.

Pupils revisit key themes to deepen their understanding. Staff skilfully help them to recall previous learning and make connections with current learning. However, teaching is not consistently adapted to support pupils' learning in all subjects.

In some subjects, such as reading and mathematics, the school checks that pupils' learning is embedded. It uses this assessment information effectively to determine any gaps and misconceptions in learning, and what is to be learned next. However, such checks are not in place across all subjects.

Children in the early years get off to a strong start. They learn to develop resilience and a curiosity to learn. They have many opportunities to engage in meaningful conversations to support their communication and language development.

The school's 'observational checkpoints' ensure that the children's learning is carefully tracked in early years. The school has close partnerships with feeder nurseries to ensure a smooth transition. The early years environment is welcoming and carefully arranged to support learning.

The school's personal development offer is a strength. It is centred around the school's values of 'integrity, individuality, compassion, respect and honesty'. Pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain.

They learn the importance of celebrating diversity. A pupil, echoing the views of many, commented, 'It is important to give respect to people who are different.' Pupils learn about different faiths and cultures.

A recent careers event exposed pupils to the world of work through visits involving a member of parliament, a paramedic and an Olympic athlete. Pupils benefit from the school's personal development provision.

Leaders, including trustees, fulfil their responsibilities well.

Staff value the training opportunities available. They work well together and support each other. They are proud to work at the school.

The school benefits from the support the trust provides.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The teaching of some foundation subjects is not adapted as well as it could be so that all pupils may learn well.

As a result, the ambition of the curriculum in these subjects is not fully realised and pupils do not learn as well as they could. The school should ensure that all staff know how best to adapt their teaching so that all pupils know, understand and can do more in all subjects. ? The school has not ensured that its approach to summative assessment has been adopted in some foundation subjects.

Consequently, pupils' misconceptions and gaps in learning are not consistently identified in these subjects. The school should ensure that summative assessment is in place across all foundation subjects, to support staff in their planning of what pupils will learn next.

Background

When we have judged 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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2014.