Reaside Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Reaside Academy is a friendly, welcoming school where pupils are happy and safe. Leaders are aspirational and want the best for every pupil. Leaders do all they can to make sure that pupils attend school regularly.

For example, 'Mondays Matter' and 'Enrichment Fridays' develop pupils' curiosity and excitement about learning. Pupils want to come to school and enjoy their lessons.

The teaching of reading is at the heart of the curriculum.

It is well taught by highly skilled staff. They ensure that pupils have the knowledge and skills they need to read well. This means that they achieve well and enjoy reading.

Leaders set high expectations of pupils' be...haviour. Pupils meet these expectations. Incidents of poor behaviour are rare.

Leaders take pupils' concerns seriously. They deal with incidents of bullying effectively.

Leaders establish effective relationships with parents and carers.

Parents are extremely positive about the quality of education that their children receive. They value the range of information and support that leaders provide. This helps them to support their children at home with reading, healthy lifestyles and behaviour management techniques.

Pupils enjoy the variety of trips, clubs and visits on offer. This helps them to broaden their horizons.

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

Reading is very well taught by staff who are well trained to teach it.

Leaders ensure that a wide range of books are available to pupils. This includes phonics books for those pupils who need to practise the sounds they are learning. Pupils read, and are read to, daily in school.

Older pupils buddy up with younger pupils to share books and support them with reading. Leaders make sure that any pupils who fall behind receive effective support to catch up quickly. During their time at school, pupils develop the fluency and confidence they need to read well.

The curriculum in other subjects is also ambitious for all pupils. Leaders provide the resources teachers need to undertake their work effectively. Teachers check pupils' learning regularly and support them to know and remember more over time.

They make sure that any mistakes pupils make are addressed so that pupils can learn from them. This helps pupils to make the necessary improvements to their work. All this means that pupils learn the curriculum well in the majority of subjects.

In the main, teachers have had the training they need to teach different subjects with confidence. However, in a few subjects, teachers are less secure in their knowledge of the curriculum. This means that pupils do not always learn these subjects in as much depth as they might.

Leaders make sure that pupils with special educational needs and or disabilities (SEND) are identified and receive targeted help. Staff support pupils well to access learning in class alongside their peers. In addition, the school's effective relationships with external agencies mean that specialist support is also available, if needed.

However, leaders do not do enough to check on the progress of pupils with SEND. This limits their view of how well some of these pupils are doing. It also makes it harder for them to make informed plans for pupils' next steps in learning.

Beyond the academic curriculum, leaders provide activities that support pupils' personal development. Opportunities to take on roles such as eco-warriors and school councillors allow pupils to take on responsibilities, and learn about democracy. They recognise and respect other people's differences by learning, for example, about different faiths and cultures.

Pupils plan and run a book club, which helps them to develop enterprise skills. They learn to make responsible choices and express their views in balanced ways. This supports pupils to be well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Leaders, including leaders of Greenheart Learning Partnership, have set informed priorities for further school improvement. They hold the headteacher to account effectively for the school's performance. Staff are highly positive about the support from leaders to manage their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that pupils' welfare is a top priority. Staff know how to identify and respond to concerns.

They respond swiftly and rigorously to any concerns about pupils' safety. The school's strong relationships with a range of external agencies enable effective support for pupils who need it.

Pupils learn the importance of healthy, safe relationships and how to stay safe online.

They know that there are trusted adults in school who will always listen to them and take their concerns seriously.

Leaders ensure that all staff are appropriately vetted before taking up employment at Reaside Academy.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, for example art and design, staff's confidence to deliver the curriculum is not strong.

This means that pupils do not learn some subject content in sufficient depth. Leaders should support staff to develop the knowledge and skills to teach these subjects with greater competence and confidence, in order to improve the quality of pupils' learning in these subjects. Leaders identify pupils with SEND swiftly and provide appropriate support.

However, they do not check carefully enough on the progress these pupils are making, which limits how well they can plan and refine next steps in their learning. This means that pupils with SEND do not make as much progress as they could. Leaders should strengthen their checks on how well these pupils are learning so that all pupils with SEND are supported to achieve as well as possible.