Cornerstone Academy

Overview

Cornerstone Academy is described as providing a "life-changing experience" for pupils who have previously had negative educational experiences. The report highlights that staff care and support help pupils overcome a "lack of trust in schools," transforming their attitudes to learning and future life chances. The school fosters a "warm, calm and purposeful" atmosphere where pupils feel safe and secure.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate "positive behaviour" and make "great strides in their social development," enabling smooth transitions back to mainstream settings.
• Staff possess the expertise to accurately identify special educational needs and create "bespoke programmes of support," resulting in pupils with SEND achieving well.
• Attendance is "highly impressive," supported by close collaboration with families and a thorough induction period that includes the "voice of the child."
• The curriculum now extends beyond core subjects, with clear key knowledge that "builds logically" from Year 1 to Year 6.
• Staff are committed and feel valued, with workload and well-being prioritised, contributing to a culture of pride in their work.

Areas to improve

• Staff need more time to become secure in the essential knowledge for newly introduced curricula to ensure teaching links new learning to prior knowledge effectively.
• The school must provide a wider range of high-quality texts to broaden pupils' vocabulary and support their writing, as current choices are limited.

Safeguarding

The report states that "the arrangements for safeguarding are effective."