Wimbotsham and Stow Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The executive headteacher has improved the quality of education since the previous inspection. The majority of teaching is good and therefore pupils make good progress in learning both across year groups and across the curriculum.

All teaching staff have high expectations of what pupils can achieve and their feedback helps pupils to learn well. Pupils are enthusiastic about how they are challenged to develop successful learning skills. They respond positively to teachers' high expectations of what they can achieve.

Governors know the school well and challenge leaders effectively to improve outcomes for all pupils. Sometimes, pupils who ha...ve special educational needs and/or disabilities do not make fast progress because some staff do not have consistently high expectations or show enough initiative in challenging them. There are some gaps in pupils' attainment between the different areas of learning in the early years.

Disadvantaged pupils get the help they need, and as a result they make similar progress to other pupils nationally who have similar starting points. Children settle quickly into the early years and are happy and positive about learning. They are well prepared for Year 1.

Pupils are well behaved both in the classroom and around the school. They are confident, polite and eager to be in their school and are prepared well for the next stage of their education by the end of Year 6. Pupils feel safe.

Adults provide effective care and support throughout the school. Pupils have a good understanding of British values, and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. Although pupils' work demonstrates good progress in a range of subjects, teachers' monitoring of pupils' progress is less systematic across the curriculum than in English and mathematics.

Information about this school

The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website. The school is part of the Bridges Federation of three primary schools and one pre-school. The school is smaller than the average primary school.

Most pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average. The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives pupil premium is below average.

Early years provision is full time for children in the Reception Year. The school has a breakfast and after-school club on-site under the federation's governance. The school meets the government's floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6.