Stanley Grove Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Stanley Grove Primary Academy has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

The principal of this school is Amy Footman.

This school is part of Bright Futures Educational 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), John Stephens and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Daniel Rubin.

What is it like to attend this school?

The school is very ambitious for the achievement of pupils.

Pupils benefit from effective personal, social and emotional support. This contributes highly to how well pupils achieve. The schoo...l's rights respecting ethos is at the heart of everything it does.

Pupils are proud of their school, particularly the inclusive environment which is welcoming to all and nurtures pupils' individuality. There are strong relationships between pupils and staff. Pupils are polite and well mannered.

They speak confidently and articulately with visitors. Classroom environments are calm and purposeful. This allows pupils to do their best in lessons.

The majority of pupils are curious and display positive attitudes towards their learning. They enjoy coming to school. Pupils have a very well-developed understanding of equality and diversity.

They revel in their many responsibilities, including as members of the various departments of the school council. Pupils themselves help to shape the school's wider offer. For example, they enjoy litter picking led by the school's environment department.

A wide variety of visits and extra-curricular activities enhance pupils' learning across the curriculum.

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

Since the previous inspection, the school has taken action to maintain and further develop standards of education. These actions have been effective.

For example, the curriculum, including the reading curriculum, clearly sets what pupils should learn and when. The school has also invested in carefully selected training opportunities for staff. This has supported improvements in the school's drive for larger numbers of pupils to deepen their comprehension skills.

The school's ambitious curriculum develops pupils' knowledge in logical steps as they move through the school from early years to Year 6. This learning prepares them well for the next stage of their education. The school has clearly identified the essential knowledge which it wants pupils to know across a range of subjects.

Within lessons, teachers check on pupils' knowledge of their previous learning. This helps teachers to ensure that pupils' knowledge builds on secure foundations.

The school is quick to identify pupils' additional needs.

It sets relevant and achievable academic targets for pupils with SEND. The school arranges additional guidance to ensure that these pupils receive the right support at the right time. As a result, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have the support or adaptations that they need to get the best out of their learning experiences.

In the early years, staff share stories and nursery rhymes with children to develop their language and communication skills. This continues as the children move into Year 1. The school's provisional published data in 2024 shows that the proportion of pupils who met the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check was below the national average.

The school has taken swift and effective action to address this. For example, teachers are adept at identifying pupils who need additional support and provide this where it is most needed. As a result, current pupils' learning of phonics is much more successful.

That said, a few younger pupils still concentrate too much on understanding the sounds that different letters make. This means that they sometimes lose fluency when reading. It also affects how well they understand different texts.

Many pupils are new to learning English as an additional language. The school has provided these pupils, and other pupils who find reading tricky, with effective support so that they swiftly catch up with their peers. Older pupils enjoy a wide range of literature and class texts that are chosen to support various curriculum themes.

Pupils enjoy reading. As a result, most pupils are developing into fluent and enthusiastic readers.

The provision for pupils' wider development is a strength.

The school has thought carefully about the qualities and values that it wants to instil into pupils. It ensures that pupils develop into respectful, caring and considerate individuals, ready for life beyond school and as global citizens of the future. The diverse nature of the community is welcomed and celebrated.

The personal, social, health and economic education curriculum supports pupils from early years to Year 6, to develop an age-appropriate understanding of different relationships.

The school is firm in its approach in making sure that pupils come to school as often as they can. It has clear strategies in place to support pupils' attendance.

The school works effectively with parents and carers to ensure regular attendance. As a result, many pupils attend regularly.

The trust and local governing body support and challenge the school in equal measure.

They keep a close eye on pupils' performance throughout the curriculum. The school supports staff's workload. It engages well with staff when considering any changes or improvements.

Staff are proud to work at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• A small group of pupils do not have a secure recall of their phonics knowledge.

On occasion, these pupils find it hard to read fluently. From time-to-time, this limits their understanding of what they have read. The school should make sure that pupils have the support that they need to help them to develop into fluent, confident readers.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in July 2019.