Wadebridge Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Wadebridge Primary Academy is a friendly and supportive school. Pupils know that staff expect them to try their best.

Consequently, they work hard in lessons and achieve well. Pupils describe the school as a place where everyone is accepted. 'We treat everyone the same,' was a comment from a pupil.

All staff have clear and consistent expectations of pupils' behaviour. The school is calm and orderly. Pupils from the early years to Year 6 know the school rules by heart.

They know how following the rules 'be ready, be respectful, be safe' helps classrooms to be productive and everyone to get along well. Pupils benefit from the range of activities staff provide a...t social times. They cooperate and communicate well with each other.

Most parents and carers have positive views of the school. They are proud to have the school as part of the community. Parents particularly praise the lengths staff go to when developing pupils' confidence, self-esteem and resilience.

They recognise the positive impact this makes on pupils as they prepare for the next stage in their education.

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

Children develop a love of reading as soon as they join the Nursery. Throughout the school, pupils learn to read through a well-organised reading curriculum.

They value the rewards they receive for regular reading. Pupils benefit from listening to teachers read aloud regularly from a carefully considered selection of books. Staff have a secure understanding of the school's approach to teaching phonics.

They identify and support pupils who need to catch up. Many pupils do catch up with their peers as they receive phonics teaching that precisely matches their needs. Pupils develop into confident and fluent readers because they read books that contain the sounds they know, as well as other books that showcase a range of genres.

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum. Learning captures pupils' interest, starting in the early years. Pupils talk about their learning with enthusiasm.

Leaders provide a well-considered professional development programme for staff. Consequently, teachers have secure subject knowledge. They break learning down into small steps.

This helps to deepen pupils' understanding. Teachers identify suitable next steps in learning for pupils and check what they know and remember. They adapt learning based on the information they gain from assessment.

However, in foundation subjects, some pupils do not remember enough of their learning. They are unsure which subject they are learning. At times, this makes it hard for pupils to build their knowledge and link new learning to what they already know.

Leaders deliver training for staff that helps them to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). While staff identify pupils' needs well, some pupils have learning targets that are not precise enough. This makes it hard for teachers to determine pupils' progress through the curriculum.

As a result, some pupils with SEND do not learn as well as they could.

Children in the early years get off to a strong start. As soon as children join the Nursery, they learn the school routines.

Children become confident learners because staff know when they need support and when they could learn independently. Staff know children's needs well. Strong relationships feature in the early years and continue throughout the school.

This helps pupils of all ages to feel safe and secure.

The curriculum helps pupils to learn about keeping healthy, both physically and mentally. Alongside this, pupils benefit from a range of opportunities to put their knowledge of keeping healthy into action.

For example, by preparing food in cooking club. Pupils have a secure understanding of the world around them. Leaders purposely choose books and resources that showcase world religions and different backgrounds.

Pupils participate in a range of trips and visits to enhance their knowledge, for example the upcoming visit to a synagogue. Many pupils hold roles of responsibility. They take their roles, such as older pupils looking after younger pupils, seriously.

Most pupils have positive attitudes toward learning. Some pupils receive extra help to improve their behaviour. As a result, learning is rarely disturbed, and pupils concentrate well.

Trust leaders know the school well. They check that senior leaders' actions make the necessary impact on the education that pupils receive. Staff say that the support of the trust positively impacts their well-being and workload.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Pupils learn about keeping safe through the curriculum and in assemblies. Leaders have a good understanding of the potential safeguarding risks to pupils in the local area.

Where appropriate they use specialists to teach pupils about aspects of safety, such as water safety.

All staff have the safeguarding knowledge they need to identify that a child may be at risk. Concerns are recorded and reported in line with leaders' expectations.

Leaders take the appropriate action when responding to concerns.

Leaders make sure that recruitment processes check that all adults are suitable to work with children.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils with SEND have learning targets that are not specific enough.

This makes it difficult for teachers to measure the progress pupils make in their learning. Some pupils do not make as much progress as they could. Leaders must ensure that all pupils with SEND have targets that are specific and measurable.

• In foundation subjects, some pupils do not remember as much of their learning as they could. At times, they find it hard to link new learning to what they already know. Leaders need to ensure that pupils are always clear about which subject they are learning so their knowledge builds well over time.