Cockburn Haigh Road Academy

Overview

Cockburn Haigh Road Academy is described as a “welcoming and friendly school” where pupils are “well cared for, happy and safe.” Leaders maintain “high expectations for all pupils,” including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and have recently reviewed the curriculum to ensure it is “ambitious and builds pupils’ knowledge over time.” The school fosters a positive culture where staff are “dedicated” and pupils demonstrate “good manners” and kindness.

Strengths

• Pupils are “polite and helpful,” demonstrating “good manners” and enjoying activities such as ‘first-hand Fridays’ and various clubs.
• The school places a “high priority on learning to read,” with well-trained staff delivering phonics and providing targeted support for those needing help.
• The “carefully planned early years curriculum” ensures children get off to a “flying start,” with clear expectations helping them develop social skills.
• There are “effective systems and processes for identifying pupils with SEND,” allowing teachers to remove barriers to learning so these pupils can access the same curriculum as their peers.
• Staff appreciate support from leaders and the trust, who are “mindful of staff well-being and workload.”

Areas to improve

• Leaders should continue to embed the curriculum across all foundation subjects, as some are currently at an “early stage of implementation” and “not embedded well.”
• The school needs to develop effective systems to check what pupils know and remember in subjects where gaps in learning are not currently identified.
• Leaders must ensure all staff have “high expectations of behaviour at all times” to prevent pupils from becoming distracted and lacking concentration in some lessons.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.”