Silvertrees Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and their families are warmly greeted at Silvertrees Academy. Everyone is valued.

Diversity is celebrated. The school sets high expectations for all pupils' achievement, particularly in reading. Pupils meet these expectations.

Each day they live the school motto 'Be the best you can be'. There is a strong culture of safeguarding and well-being across the school. Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and respectful.

Pupils are happy and safe.

The school sets high expectations of pupils' behaviour and conduct. Staff ensure pupils follow the 'golden rules'.

During lessons, pupils listen attentively and engage highly in learning.... Established routines and expectations make for harmonious social times. Pupil play leaders support younger pupils to play kindly together, which they do.

Staff deal with rare incidents of poor behaviour effectively. They encourage pupils to reflect on the impact of their behaviour on others.

An exceptional personal development offer broadens pupils' experiences.

Pupils enjoy taking on responsibilities, such as school councillors and eco leaders. Trips and visits deepen learning of the curriculum. A wide range of clubs are popular and well attended by pupils.

For example, board games, gardening, art and sports clubs. These help pupils to develop new talents and interests.

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

Leaders, including trustees, are highly ambitious that all pupils will achieve well.

They have created an effective, ambitious 'head, hand, heart' curriculum for all pupils. It is carefully sequenced so that knowledge and skills build over time. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school.

Workshops help parents to support home learning. Staff are well supported by leaders to manage their workload and well-being. Rigorous checks on the school's performance are effective.

However, the school has not yet evaluated the impact of recent work to improve pupil attendance, and considered where future improvements need to be made, so that all pupils attend school regularly.

Teachers are well supported in teaching the curriculum. New learning is presented in exciting ways that engage pupils.

Pupils enjoy the 'Ready Eddy' toolkit. It helps to develop skills such as independence and resilience. Opportunities to enrich scientific, technology, art and mathematical (STEAM) knowledge and skills strengthen learning.

These include working with a poet, an artist, student doctors, a local business and a university. Teachers make regular checks on pupils' learning in lessons and over time. Pupils have regular opportunities to revisit and recap on learning.

Staff address misconceptions swiftly, particularly in mathematics. At times, pupils are not effectively supported to correct errors when writing. Hence, some pupils do not make the progress they could.

The school's early reading offer is highly effective. It is well taught by skilled staff. Pupils practise the sounds they learn when reading books that match these sounds.

This helps them to build confidence in reading. Library visits, a summer reading challenge and a tea party reading award, promote a love of reading. Any pupil who falls behind is quickly 'caught'.

They receive targeted support to help them catch up quickly. Most do. Pupils learn to read with the confidence and accuracy expected for their age.

Children in the early years settle well into school life. Staff plan learning based on what children know, can do and enjoy. They meet the differing needs of two, three and four-year-olds.

Staff encourage conversation to develop language and communication. Children listen to stories. They engage in singing songs and rhymes.

Healthy food and the importance of good oral hygiene are promoted. Social skills are encouraged. For instance, children learn to share and take turns when mark-making.'

Colour Monsters' help pupils to recognise and regulate their emotions. By the time they are five, children can read and write simple sentences, and count objects and numbers to 10 and beyond. All this means that children get off to a great start.

Any pupil with additional needs is swiftly identified. They receive the support they need to be successful in school. For example, adaptions to work in lessons or support from a speech and language therapist.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well in school.

Pupils are exceptionally well prepared for life in modern Britain. They learn about different faiths including Christianity, Sikhism and Islam.

They know about the importance of different celebrations to different cultures. For example, Eid, Easter and Holi. This helps them to value and respect difference.

Pupils learn about democracy by voting for favourite books or school councillors. By collecting food for the local food bank or recycling fruit waste in school, pupils are active citizens within their community.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

[If the school has judgements that are not outstanding] What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils do not attend school as regularly as they should. This means they miss out on important learning. The school should evaluate the impact of recent work to improve attendance, and consider where future improvements need to be made, so that all pupils attend well.

• On occasion, pupils are not supported to check and correct their work when writing. This means that mistakes go unchecked, or errors are not corrected swiftly enough. The school should make sure that staff consistently apply the school's approach to checking and correcting written work when writing, so that all pupils, particularly those who need to catch up, make the progress they should.