Silvertrees Academy

Overview

Silvertrees Academy is a welcoming infant school where pupils are "happy and safe" and "diversity is celebrated." Leaders have established an "effective, ambitious" curriculum that builds knowledge over time, supported by strong staff-pupil relationships and a focus on well-being. The school maintains high expectations for behaviour and achievement, particularly in reading.

Strengths

• The school provides an "exceptional personal development offer" with responsibilities like school councillors and eco leaders, plus popular clubs.
• Early reading is "highly effective," with skilled staff ensuring pupils build confidence and accuracy; those falling behind are quickly "caught."
• Children in the early years "settle well," benefiting from tailored learning plans and activities that promote language and social skills.
• Pupils are "exceptionally well prepared for life in modern Britain," learning about diverse faiths and acting as active citizens.
• Staff are well-supported, and rigorous performance checks are effective, with parents being "overwhelmingly positive."

Areas to improve

• The school must evaluate the impact of recent attendance work to ensure all pupils attend regularly, as some currently miss important learning.
• Staff should consistently support pupils to check and correct errors in their writing, ensuring mistakes are addressed swiftly so all make expected progress.

Safeguarding

The report states that "the arrangements for safeguarding are effective," noting a strong culture of well-being where pupils’ interests are put first.