Shiphay Learning Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Since the previous inspection, the school and trust have taken significant steps to improve key aspects of the school. They, alongside those responsible for governance, are determined for pupils to do well, including those who are disadvantaged. The school has improved the quality of education for all through the development of an ambitious curriculum that is working well.

Staff set, and pupils reach, the high expectations of what they can achieve, starting in the early years.

Pupils are polite, courteous and respectful. They take pleasure in greeting adults and holding doors open for their friends.

Pupils are happy and rightly proud to be part of the school ...community. The school builds positive relationships with pupils and knows them well. This creates a nurturing place to learn where pupils grow in confidence.

They benefit from high-quality pastoral support. This helps pupils to feel safe and welcome.

The school offers a range of opportunities to develop pupils' talents and interests.

Pupils enjoy clubs such as the performing arts club. To widen the experiences of pupils, they attend residentials, such as to Dartmoor to learn about nature. Trips and visits enhance the curriculum.

For example, pupils work with a catering company to support their learning in design and technology.

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

Across subjects, the school has identified the important knowledge pupils need to learn with precision. This begins in early years where children get off to a strong start.

Through careful checking, staff know what is working well across subjects and what needs further development. As a result, the school has a clear understanding of how well the curriculum is being implemented.

In a minority of subjects, the school has made recent changes to the curriculum to help pupils learn more over time.

This means these subjects are in their infancy. While the important knowledge pupils need to know and remember is clear, the teaching of the new curriculum in these areas is in its early stages. As a result, pupils have gaps in their knowledge and so do not yet build their knowledge well enough.

To support the teaching of the curriculum, the school uses regular training to strengthen staff expertise. This enables staff to teach the curriculum well. Pupils are supported to revisit what they have learned before through the daily 'rewind'.

They share how this helps them to know more and remember more. For example, pupils are secure in their knowledge of various artists that they have studied and how they use different techniques within their artwork.

The school has worked on its approach to checking what pupils know and remember.

Teachers use these checks to identify and support gaps in knowledge. However, sometimes these checks are not precise enough. On occasions, future learning does not always build on what pupils know and can do, or some pupils embed mistakes over time.

This hinders progress for these pupils.The school has improved the support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) since the previous inspection. Early identification makes sure these pupils get the help they need.

For example, pupils receive a language assessment when they begin in Nursery. Staff training ensures the school makes adaptations to help pupils with SEND to be successful alongside their peers.

Teaching pupils to learn to read and to develop a love of reading is a high priority.

Reading for pleasure starts in early years where books, stories and rhymes weave through the curriculum. This extends further up the school where pupils enjoy listening to stories to build their knowledge of books and authors. As a result, they enthusiastically share their favourites with their peers.

Staff receive regular training to teach the phonics programme well. Pupils read books that match the sounds they know. Staff are quick to spot and give pupils targeted and timely help if and when they need it.

They show confidence when decoding and blending words because they are secure in their knowledge of sounds. This helps pupils to become confident and fluent readers quickly.

The school promotes high expectations of behaviour through the golden rules of 'be ready, be respectful, be safe'.

This ensures that the school is calm and orderly. Pupils know how to be successful. This starts in the early years where children learn to collaborate with others during tidy up time.

Pupils have high attendance. This is due to the school's work on sharing the importance of coming to school regularly to learn well.

The school supports pupils' wider development successfully.'

Riviera 70' enhances the curriculum through a variety of planned experiences that go beyond the academic. The school supports pupils to become responsible and active citizens, for example through their leadership roles and working with local charities.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• A minority of subjects are in their infancy and not taught as well as those that are more established. In these subjects, pupils do not yet build their knowledge securely. The trust needs to ensure these subjects are implemented as intended and check pupils progress well through the curriculum to know and remember more.

• On some occasions, assessment is not precise and timely. This means some pupils have unknown gaps in their knowledge or develop misconceptions that are not rectified quickly enough. The trust needs to accurately understand how well pupils learn the curriculum and use this to address errors and inform future learning.