POTTER Street Academy has been praised for “its ambitious education, exciting curriculum and relationships with parents and carers following an inspection by Ofsted.

During the 12th and 13th of November, Potter Street Academy were visited by OFSTED and they found a school where staff are proud to work and children get a flying start to their education.

The inspection also recognised the children’s love for reading, the school’s commitment to providing additional opportunities outside of the national curriculum through its life skills and life experiences curriculum whilst confirming children are proud of their school because everyone is welcome.

Emma Bloomfield (Executive Headteacher) said: ‘We’re extremely pleased that OFSTED have agreed that Potter Street Academy has continued to go from strength to strength since its last inspection in 2019.

“Our aim is for Potter Street to be at the centre of the local community, so we are proud that the report recognises we have developed trusting and supportive relationships with parents and carers.

“We have worked hard to develop a curriculum that not only motivates children but also creates a wide range of learning opportunities children want to be part of.

“So it’s fantastic that children’s feedback to the inspector shows we are achieving this’.

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The Ofsted Report

Outcome

Potter Street Academy has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at
the previous inspection.

The head of school is Neil Gladwin. This school is part of Passmores Cooperative Learning
Community, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the
school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Vic Goddard, and overseen
by a board of trustees, chaired by Neil Lawson. There is an executive headteacher, Emma
Bloomfield.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school, where ‘everyone is welcomed.

They settle quickly in the Reception class and when they are new to the school. They feel safe and happy. Staff listen to pupils and help them if they have any worries.

Pupils know and use the five ways of well-being to take care of themselves.

Pupils learn how to behave well and follow the school’s values. This makes the school a
calm and well-ordered place to be. There are high expectations for all pupils’
achievement. Pupils relish being challenged. Some would appreciate more frequent
opportunities to deepen their learning further.

Pupils readily take on the many responsibilities to help each other and look after the
school. They vote for team captains, reading ambassadors and ‘happiness heroes’
.

Pupils attend clubs including art, football, choir and cheerleading. Pupils can have many
experiences that they might not otherwise have. They love the visits to places of worship,
museums, to see a Shakespeare play and singing at the O2.

The school works closely with families, ensuring they receive valuable support from
specialists in the community, when necessary. This helps ensure that pupils are supported
at each stage of their education, from before they join the school and beyond.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Since the previous inspection, the school has remained determined that all pupils
succeed, regardless of their circumstances. The school provides an ambitious education.
It has recently refined the curriculum in each subject, to identify the important knowledge
pupils need to learn and when. This helps pupils build increasingly complex knowledge.
By the end of Year 6, most pupils attain the expected standards in English and
mathematics in national assessments. Pupils have any gaps in their learning swiftly
addressed. Pupils have time to revisit prior learning and practise new knowledge and
vocabulary. This means most pupils can recall and apply their learning in these subjects
well. For pupils needing additional support, timely interventions help them to quickly catch
up.

The school is committed to developing specific life experiences and skills in each year
group. Pupils also build their knowledge logically in the foundation subjects. Exciting
activities stimulate pupils’ interest, such as regular practical experiments in science. In
some subjects and classes, pupils are given different challenges to deepen their thinking.
This, however, is not yet consistent across the school. As a result, some pupils do not
achieve as highly as they could.

Pupils enjoy reading. A typical response was, ‘I like books as I look forward to the thrill
and the twists.
’

Pupils make regular use of the many reading areas dotted around the
school. The school is developing further its reading programme to support less confident
readers develop fluency. As a result, pupils are able to access texts they should be able to
for their age. The introduction of daily reading-for-pleasure time across the school is
much appreciated by pupils.

Children get off to a flying start in the Reception Year. From the outset, through effective
transition arrangements, staff get to know children and their families very well. Staff build
warm and trusting relationships with the children in their care. Staff are knowledgeable
about early childhood development. This helps them to identify when children need more
support to be ready for Year 1.

The school is proud of its work in supporting pupils with special educational needs and/or
disabilities (SEND). The recent introduction of the school’s SEND enhanced provision
means that pupils can get specialised help and expertise that appropriately addresses
their needs. Additional catch-up sessions for pupils in class provide effective support for a
range of skills. All of this helps pupils with SEND to make strong progress through the
curriculum.

Pupils learn in calm classrooms. They are not worried about unkind behaviour as this is
rare. Pupils know adults will address it very quickly. The school has developed trusting
and supportive relationships with parents and carers. As a result, pupils come to school
regularly.

Pupils learn about the different cultures, beliefs and religions. They are taught about
respect and equality and to listen to others’ opinions. Pupils learn about how to be
healthy, both physically and emotionally. They learn how to be safe online and about
other risks they may face as they get older.

Leaders in the school and across the trust know the school well and take their roles
seriously. The adaptations made to assessment and planning have addressed staff well-
being and work-life balance. This is much appreciated by staff, who are proud to work at
the school and feel supported in their professional development.

Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?
(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

◼ Recent changes to some areas of the curriculum, and to how teachers check on pupils’
learning, are not yet fully established. This impacts on the learning of some pupils, as
sometimes teaching does not deepen their understanding. The school should ensure
that all pupils have consistent opportunities to deepen their learning when they are
ready to do so, enabling them to attain highly.