New Waltham Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

New Waltham Academy is a friendly, fun and welcoming place. Pupils feel safe, happy and enjoy their learning.

Leaders have high expectations for every pupil, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils know that staff want them to do their best. Pupils work hard and want to do well.

Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. One parent's comment captured the thoughts of many others, 'children are encouraged to be kind, inclusive and work as a community.'

Pupils behave well in lessons, as they move around school and outside at breaktimes.

Bullying is rare, but if it does happen then pupils are confiden...t that staff deal with it quickly. Pupils are polite and respectful. They understand that the school values are important and try hard to demonstrate these.

They look forward to assemblies when staff recognise and celebrate their achievements. Pupils wear their awarded stars and ambassador badges with pride.

Pupils enjoy a range of trips, clubs and taking part in events such as swimming galas.

They feel that the adventurous activities they tackle on residential trips help them to become braver, take risks and try new things. Older pupils take full advantage of the opportunities to be young leaders. They talk with confidence about their responsibilities as school councillors, empathy heroes, play-makers or team captains.

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

Leaders, including governors, are passionate and committed to continually improving and developing what the school can offer its pupils. In most subjects, leaders have established an ambitious and exciting curriculum. Leaders have detailed the important knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn.

In a small number of subjects, for instance in history and computing, leaders have not outlined this content in enough detail. This hampers teachers' ability to plan well considered sequences of lessons. Leaders are addressing this and have already made a start to this work.

In most subjects, including mathematics and reading, teachers have the necessary subject knowledge. They present new learning clearly. They help pupils to make connections to prior learning and to build their understanding.

Teachers show pupils what they need to do to be successful. Pupils respond well and have positive attitudes to their learning. They work hard during lessons and concentrate on their work.

Teachers assess and check what pupils have remembered of the curriculum. Teachers and leaders use this information to plan the support for pupils who need extra help. In subjects such as reading and mathematics this is very effective.

This means that pupils and children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are supported by teachers to remember important knowledge. Pupils build on this understanding when learning new things. They achieve well in these subjects.

However, the ways that leaders and teachers assess what pupils know is not consistently effective in all subjects. Where this is the case, teachers are not as alert to gaps in pupils' knowledge. Leaders are taking actions to improve this.

Pupils learn to read well. From the start of their time in school, pupils are effectively taught the sounds they need to decode words. If a pupil is falling behind, adults act quickly to give them extra help.

This helps them to become fluent readers. Pupils across the school show great enjoyment in their reading.

Children flourish in the early years.

They take turns and share with each other. Staff skillfully support children to be independent and curious. The carefully chosen activities and resources in the classroom environment, both inside and outside, help children to learn.

Children are eager to explore. As a result of a well-planned and well-taught curriculum, children are ready for next stage of their learning.

Leaders plan opportunities for pupils to experience new things and develop wider interests.

This includes adventurous residential trips and extra-curricular clubs such as learning Makaton. Pupils know how to keep healthy and safe, including online. Pastoral support is of high quality.

Key staff provide thoughtful help to pupils. Pupils speak highly of the support they get in the 'Cosy Club'.

Governors carry out their responsibilities diligently.

They support and challenge leaders effectively. Leaders are considerate of staff's well-being and workload. Staff are supported in developing their subject knowledge and expertise.

Teachers who are early in their career appreciate and benefit from well-targeted coaching and mentoring from more experienced colleagues. Staff are proud to be part of the school team.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff and governors understand their safeguarding roles and responsibilities and are well trained. Leaders complete appropriate checks before adults begin working at the school.

Staff are alert to the potential signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm.

Staff understand and follow the school's safeguarding procedures. Staff report concerns appropriately. Leaders follow these up promptly.

They take the actions required and offer pupils and families the support that they need.

Staff teach pupils how to keep themselves safe in a variety of situations through the computing curriculum, assemblies and health education lessons. Pupils know that they can talk to a trusted adult if they have a worry or are uncomfortable about anything.

Pupils are confident that staff will listen and respond to their concerns.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Curriculum plans in some subjects do not fully detail the subject knowledge that pupils should acquire. This means that teachers are unclear about the precise knowledge that they should teach, and that pupils should know and remember over time.

Leaders should continue their work to establish an ambitious and well-planned curriculum in all subject areas. It is clear from leaders' actions that they are in the process of making these changes. For this reason, the transitional arrangements have been applied.

• The systems for assessing what pupils know and remember over time are not fully developed in some subjects. In these subjects, gaps in pupils' knowledge are not consistently identified. Leaders should ensure that there is a consistent approach to the use of assessment so that teachers can identify and address any gaps in pupils' knowledge.