Wold Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Wold Academy has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

The principal of this school is Julia Eley. This school is part of David Ross Education Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school.

The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Stuart Burns, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by David Ross.

What is it like to attend this school?

Wold Academy is an extremely warm and caring school. The school sets high expectations for pupils' learning and behaviour.

In lessons, pupils help each other if they get stuck. They listen attentively when their class...mates are explaining an answer. Pupils enjoy working in groups.

Pupils understand there are different types of bullying. It is not an issue, but pupils are sure that adults would step in to help if it ever happened.

The school provides a broad and ambitious curriculum.

Pupils enjoy learning. They say that teachers make lessons interesting and fun. Pupils achieve well in their learning and personal development.

They acquire the skills and knowledge they need to become successful, happy and well-rounded citizens of the future.

The school provides pupils with many well-considered experiences that broaden their understanding of the world. Pupils take part in after-school clubs, such as crafts, judo, Lego and chess.

They benefit from going on a wide variety of trips and residential visits. Pupils are proud of the way that they represent the school in different sports events, both locally and within the trust. Pupils have opportunities to take on different roles in school.

For example, the school council is working on how to improve outdoor play.

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

The school has a relatively new leadership team in place. They have been supported by the trust well.

Since the last inspection, leaders at all levels made many positive changes to strengthen the curriculum. The curriculum is broad and ambitious and provides staff with guidance to help them to deliver it well. Staff are knowledgeable and present new information clearly to pupils.

This is helping pupils with their learning. This is particularly the case for writing in early years and key stage 1. The introduction of 'widgets' means that all pupils, and particularly those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make strong progression through the writing curriculum.

The school makes sure everyone receives the support they need. The school has an accurate understanding of the needs of pupils with SEND. Those who may need additional support are identified promptly.

Staff use their expertise to provide pupils with SEND with in-class support and resources. This helps these pupils to learn the curriculum alongside their peers.

Staff teach phonics effectively.

They show pupils how to read fluently, for instance by encouraging pupils to sound words out in their heads. Any pupil who falls behind in learning to read gets extra support to help them catch up. Consequently, many pupils soon become competent readers.

Pupils have positive attitudes to reading. They are fond of the stories they read together as a class. Their love of reading is fostered from the moment they start at the school.

Children are immersed in a world of books as part of the school's language-rich early years provision. Reception Year staff are experts in developing children's communication and language skills.

Within lessons, teachers check pupils' understanding effectively to find out how well they are learning.

This is done through questions and assessment checks. In mathematics and English, these checks are used well to highlight gaps in key knowledge or misconceptions. These gaps are then closed straight away through further teaching or small intervention groups.

In some wider curriculum lessons, however, teachers do not use these assessment checks as effectively as they could. This means that some pupils move on to new learning before they are ready.

The new school leadership team has made attendance a priority.

Over the past three years, attendance has been low. The school has made some changes to how they check on pupils' absence and as a result, there are some small improvements. The school has a clear overview of the causes of absence and is working hard with families where attendance is low.

However, some pupils with SEND do not attend as regularly as they could. This means they frequently miss out on learning and are at risk of falling behind their peers.

The provision for personal, social and health education teaches pupils how to keep themselves healthy and safe.

Pupils learn how to maintain positive relationships and how to look after their physical and mental health. Pupils benefit further from a wide range of enrichment opportunities. These include a variety of clubs that develop pupils' sporting and artistic talents, as well as memorable trips and visits.

The school makes sure that all pupils can benefit from these opportunities.

Staff value the support and guidance that they receive from the trust. This ensures that they are confident in delivering the various subject curriculums.

Staff also value the school's commitment to reducing their workload. This helps staff to fulfil their roles effectively and supports their well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Sometimes in the wider curriculum, staff move pupils onto new learning before identifying and addressing any knowledge gaps and misconceptions. This hinders pupils from being able to build up their knowledge as well as they could. The school should ensure that pupils have secure foundational knowledge and understanding on which they can build and deepen their learning successfully.

• The school's approaches to reducing the absence of pupils with SEND are not as effective as they could be. This means that they frequently miss out on learning and are at risk of falling behind their peers. The school should review and enhance their approaches to tackle low attendance so these pupils attend as regularly as their peers.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in May 2021.