Winter Gardens Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Winter Gardens Academy is a welcoming school where all pupils are valued and nurtured. Pupils enjoy attending. Pupils enter the gates with smiles on their faces, eager to get to their class, where they receive a warm welcome.

Pupils feel safe and are safe. They trust staff and feel confident to talk to them should they have a problem. Relationships between pupils are positive.

Pupils play energetically together, but show consideration for one another. Disagreements and incidents of bullying are rare.

Children in early years get off to a flying start.

The needs of the children are the driving force behind interesting learning activities. As a result, ...children find learning exciting and achieve well. They are very well prepared for starting Year 1.

The school is calm and orderly. From Nursery, children are taught how to behave and to work cooperatively with their peers and adults. Pupils learn strategies that help them to cope with emotional challenges that may affect their behaviour.

Pupils are polite and considerate of others. They volunteer to help others without prompting.

Pupils' individual circumstances are understood.

The strong links between school and home ensure that staff meet pupils' needs.

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

Trustees and leaders have very high expectations for all pupils. They know the needs of the pupils and the community exceptionally well.

Leaders have used this knowledge to systematically make improvements to the school and the quality of education that all pupils receive. This is especially seen in early years.

Leaders have made reading a high priority.

They have provided high-quality training to develop staff to fulfil their role effectively in teaching pupils to read. The reading journey for children starts in Nursery. Children are exposed to a variety of books, stories and rhymes.

The methods for teaching reading are highly consistent. Staff are well trained and skilled at quickly getting pupils reading. Teachers are quick to spot pupils who find reading challenging.

Adults provide targeted support that is beneficial, so pupils catch up quickly. Books are accurately matched to the sounds that pupils know. Most pupils read fluently and accurately.

Children in early years get off to an excellent start. Adults know children exceptionally well. They ensure that all children achieve well, no matter what their starting points are.

Leaders have designed the curriculum to progress children's academic and personal development. Children develop skills such as problem-solving, sharing, and working together. Children are prepared effectively for key stage 1.

Leaders have developed a curriculum that is focused on providing pupils with the knowledge and skills they need to achieve academically and socially. They have identified the key knowledge and skills that pupils need to know in each subject. Leaders have carefully chosen the ordering of the information that pupils will learn from Nursery through to Year 6.

Pupils can remember their learning because they are given plenty of opportunities to practise their knowledge and understanding.

Teachers are quick to identify where pupils need extra help and they provide the additional support required so that pupils do not fall behind in their learning. Teachers use assessment information well to identify gaps in pupils' learning.

Pupils receive tailored support to help them catch up. In a few subjects, teachers do not choose effective activities to allow pupils to practise and deepen their learning as well as they could. This is especially seen in writing.

Older pupils do not show what they know and can do in their written work.

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils to achieve their full potential. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) follow the same curriculum as their peers.

Adults know the needs of pupils precisely and ensure that there is high-quality support in class. Pupils with SEND achieve well.

Leaders have high expectations of pupils' behaviour.

Staff consistently apply classroom routines. Lessons are rarely disrupted. Pupils who find managing their behaviour a challenge receive effective, individualised support in the 'learning zone' or 'the nest'.

Pupils have a variety of opportunities to develop their interests. A high proportion of pupils participate in clubs and activities. Parents and carers are positive about the activities provided.

They are also positive about the care and support for personal and mental health that the school provides for pupils and families.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have created a strong culture of safeguarding.

It is central to the work of the school. Staff are well trained to identify any pupil who may be at risk. Staff do not hesitate to use the well-established procedures for reporting concerns.

When issues are identified, leaders ensure that appropriate support is provided in a timely way. They involve different agencies when required to provide further expertise.

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe when online, in school and in the local community.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, teachers are not providing the opportunity for pupils to apply their learning. This is particularly the case when pupils are showing what they know in activities where they are required to write. Leaders need to ensure that teachers provide plenty of opportunities for pupils to apply their learning and demonstrate what they know and can remember in all subjects.

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