Studley St Mary's CofE Academy

Overview:

Studley St Mary's CofE Academy is a good school where pupils and families receive a warm welcome. Relationships between staff and pupils are very positive, and pupils feel safe. The school has high expectations and wants the best for all pupils, with clear expectations for behaviour and a focus on academic achievement.

Strengths:

• Pupils and families receive a warm welcome, and relationships between staff and pupils are very positive.
• Pupils are polite to adults and each other, and they readily welcome visitors to their school.
• The school makes sure that all pupils are supported, both academically and emotionally.
• Pupils have opportunities to take on responsibilities in school.
• The school has developed an effective approach to the teaching of phonics for pupils who need more help with their reading.
• Good-quality resources support teachers to know what to teach and in what order, helping pupils to build on their learning over time.
• Teachers develop pupils’ independence well, and most pupils have positive attitudes to learning and say that they enjoy their lessons.

Areas to improve:

• The school has not ensured that some elements of personal development are taught explicitly, or at an appropriate time, meaning that pupils are not fully prepared for the next stage of education or for life in modern Britain.
• Some subjects are not yet as well defined and sequenced as others, with the precise knowledge that pupils are expected to know and remember not always clearly identified.
• Teachers then find it difficult to check learning, or to build effectively on pupils’ knowledge.

Safeguarding:

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.