Bmat Stem Academy

Overview

Pupils at BMAT STEM Academy “enjoy learning” and demonstrate “positive attitudes to learning” in a calm and orderly environment. The school provides an “ambitious” curriculum focused on STEM subjects, supported by strong employer links and effective careers guidance. Leaders have created a culture where pupils feel valued and safe, with robust systems in place to support their personal development and future pathways.

Strengths

• Pupils are “happy and safe,” with staff dealing with bullying “quickly on the rare occasions that they happen.”
• The curriculum is “ambitious” and meets pupil needs, with a strong focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
• “Careers advice is highly effective,” with all pupils in Years 10 and 12 participating in work experience placements.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are “well catered for” and access the same learning opportunities as others.
• Staff are “proud to work in the school” and feel well supported in managing their workload through training and trust networks.

Areas to improve

• In a minority of subjects, leaders must ensure curriculum plans “clearly set out the sequence of learning” so pupils can link new knowledge to previous learning.
• Leaders should ensure a “common approach to writing” to raise expectations, as some pupils struggle to accurately express what they know in writing.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are “effective,” with robust systems enabling staff to report concerns and engage with external agencies where needed.