Ark Brunel Primary Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 22 May 2024

The school is ambitious for its pupils and what they can achieve. In 2023, pupils in key stage 2 achieved above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. The outcomes for mathematics in key stage 1 were also above the national average. The school is continually reviewing and improving its curriculum for other subject areas. It is determined for pupils to achieve high standards in every subject. Pupils have a very clear understanding of the 'Heart Values' that are at the core of their school. Staff encourage pupils to value diversity and appreciate differences through their application of the Rights Respecting School Award. This helps pupils to have a strong understanding of the importance of equality and fairness. The school prepares pupils thoroughly for life in modern Britain. This includes a deep understanding of different types of families and the protected characteristics. Pupils speak confidently and are keen to share their views and opinions. The school has been through a recent period of turbulence as the school moves to manage falling pupil numbers on roll. This includes numerous changes to staffing. Typically, most pupils behave well though the school continues to work on establishing a strong culture of positive working relationships across all areas of the school. Leaders have managed recent changes effectively with support from the trust.

What the school should improve

• The school has recently introduced systems and procedures to improve the school, but these are not fully understood or embedded by all staff. This leads to inconsistencies in how well the school's aspirations are consistently followed and embedded. The school should ensure that work on embedding these changes continues so that the vision is realised through strong, shared values, policies, and practice.
• Expectations of pupils' behaviour and conduct are not fully understood and followed by staff across the school. This means that the school's intended behaviour systems are not consistently implemented, which leads to disruption to learning. Some pupils display challenging behaviour which some staff feel unsupported to deal with effectively. The school should ensure that all staff feel well supported and are confident in managing behaviour consistently.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)