Tredworth Infant and Nursery Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff strive to help all pupils to live out the school's vision to 'be proud, be brilliant and belong'. Pupils are happy and feel safe. The school community celebrates diversity and pupils show respect to one another.

Pupils behave well. They say, 'we are good at being friends here'. They are adamant that there is no bullying.

If a problem of any kind did occur, pupils are confident that staff will resolve it. Pupils show good self-control around the school and behave calmly.

Positive encouragement from teachers helps pupils to listen attentively, to be confident to join in, and to concentrate on their work.

Pupils know the learning routi...nes expected of them. This helps them to cooperate and support each other's learning.

While most pupils attend well, the attendance of a minority is too low.

These pupils miss important learning and develop gaps in their knowledge.

Pupils experience a range of extra-curricular activities. These provide pupils with the chance to experience a range of sports and creative activities.

Leaders are prioritising increasing the number of after-school clubs.

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

English and mathematics have the highest importance in the curriculum starting in the early years. The curriculum pupils learn in these subjects is ambitious and designed well.

Leaders use assessment to identify pupils' starting points and adapt learning to build on what pupils know. This ensures that all pupils' learning, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), closely matches their needs.

The teaching of phonics is precise and engaging.

In the Nursery, the youngest children learn to recognise different sounds and to read individual letters. In Reception and key stage 1, teachers build on this by introducing the sounds that pupils need to learn to read. Frequent practise helps pupils to remember their learning.

As a result, they develop fluency in their reading. Pupils who join the school with little knowledge of the English language receive extra help, so that they are able to access and learn the curriculum as quickly as possible.

Leaders are reviewing the curriculums in other subjects.

In art and design, this work is complete. The curriculum is designed effectively. It sets out the knowledge pupils need to learn and the media that pupils will use.

Pupils can talk with confidence about their learning. In some other subjects, there is still more to do. These curriculums are not designed as well.

For example, the history curriculum focuses on practising enquiry skills, but knowledge of historical events and concepts to be learned are not clearly identified. This makes it difficult for pupils to compare events or significant people and to build their historical knowledge well over time.

Pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum as other pupils.

Teachers adapt pupils' learning and check their understanding more frequently to ensure they build their knowledge as well as their peers.

Pupils' personal development is an important part of the wider curriculum. They develop a sense of their responsibilities through their ecology work.

They care for their local environment and are aware how actions can have an impact. For example, they understand the damage that plastic pollution causes to global eco-systems. Curriculum themes are set to reflect pupils' heritage and cultural backgrounds.

This promotes pupils' resilience and confidence. Pupils know about healthy lifestyles, including the need to be physically active and to have a healthy diet. They know about healthy relationships and staying safe online.

Leaders carefully consider pupils' wider care and factors that affect their development. They take action to provide pupils with the support that they need. For example, the school is open to all pupils before the school day begins.

This provides pupils with a safe place to wait and to enjoy socialising.

Pastoral leaders check pupils' attendance. They talk to parents to understand the reasons for absence and promote the importance of good attendance.

They provide parents with help to overcome issues. Leaders' work is helping to improve attendance for many pupils. However, some pupils are still held back by high rates of absence.

Trustees know the school community well. They ensure that leaders have the resources they need to address school priorities. The teamwork between leaders and staff is strong.

Staff say that they enjoy working at this school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff are appropriately trained and understand their responsibilities.

Processes for raising and recording concerns are in place. Records are detailed and fit for purpose. Leaders know when to seek advice from external agencies and will escalate concerns if needed.

Pupils understand healthy and unhealthy relationships. They are taught who a trusted adult is and how trusted adults behave. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, the important knowledge pupils need to learn is not clearly identified. As a result, pupils do not build their knowledge as well as they could. Leaders need to clearly identify all the important knowledge that pupils need to know and ensure that it is carefully sequenced, so that pupils build their knowledge of all subjects securely.

• The attendance of some pupils is still too low. These pupils do not learn the curriculum as well as they could. Leaders need to strengthen even further the work they are doing to improve the attendance of children who are persistently absent.