Warberry CofE Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, enjoy school. They arrive enthusiastically at the start of the day.

Behaviour in lessons and around the school is calm and orderly. Pupils concentrate and have a keen interest in what they are learning.

The school sets high expectations for pupils' behaviour.

Pupils live up to the school's values of resilience, compassion, respect, honesty, community and responsibility. Pupils get along well at breaktimes. They are mostly kind to each other.

Staff sort out any worries swiftly. Pupils, parents and staff appreciate that the school is a safe, nurturing place where relationships are positive.

The sc...hool helps pupils to develop their interests and talents.

Pupils enjoy the visiting after-school zoo club. They are enthusiastic about other clubs like football, multi-sports and choir. Pupils take on positions of responsibility.

For example, they can become ethos ambassadors, who plan assemblies and help resolve issues on the playground. Pupils take pride in their efforts to help others, such as running mini-marathons to raise money for charity.

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

Warberry CofE Academy is in a period of transition.

Nevertheless, the trust provides robust support and has helped manage these recent changes, while also improving provision. For example, the trust has supported the school to ensure that, in English and mathematics, the curriculum is well sequenced and sets out the important knowledge the school wants pupils to know and remember. In mathematics, pupils' learning builds over time.

However, in other subjects, the curriculum is not yet fully implemented. Pupils do not cover the depth of knowledge they should. For example, in geography, the subject content does not detail how pupils carry out fieldwork.

Reading is everyone's priority. Many pupils join the school with challenges in their early development, including speech and language. Children get off to a good start in the early years.

Children in the Nursery learn to listen and develop a love of exciting stories, where vocabulary development is a focus. They start to learn to read as soon as they move into the Reception Year. Children at the early stages of reading practise reading with books that match the sounds they have learned.

Pupils further up the school have books that match their ability. The school checks any gaps pupils have in their reading knowledge regularly. Pupils achieve well in the Year 1 phonics screening check.

Reading is valued and enjoyed by all.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities follow the same curriculum as their classmates and are typically well supported. In a few cases, however, their individual targets are a little vague.

The school has made significant improvements in pupils' attendance. Through careful analysis and swift intervention, the school and the trust have reduced persistent absence.

Personal development is a strength of the school.

The personal, social and health education curriculum is well sequenced and age appropriate. It helps pupils to understand the world in which they live. For example, there has been a focus on teaching fundamental British values and the protected characteristics.

Pupils understand the importance of equality, respect and tolerance. The '70 promises before Year 7' programme provides pupils with rich and varied experiences that go beyond the academic. Pupils can learn how to play an instrument, visit the local football club or take part in a debate.

Staff are proud to work at the school. Many commented on the recent significant positive changes. Staff appreciate the ongoing support they get from leaders and the trust for their training, workload and well-being.

Parents are noticing the improvements that the trust and the school are making. Parents have renewed faith in the school and report that they are happy with what the school offers.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The curriculum is not implemented as intended across all subjects. The trust and school have not given enough consideration to how subject curriculums will enable all pupils to be successful. The school must ensure that subject curriculums are fully embedded, so that pupils know and remember more and are well prepared for the next stage of their education.