Bardfield Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 11 June 2024

Pupils at Bardfield Academy are kind and considerate. They are happy and proud to share examples of their work. Most pupils like to work hard and expand their knowledge, using different sources such as books and technology. They know how to use technology safely, including staying safe online. Pupils respond well to the school's high expectations for behaviour. They listen carefully to adults and their peers. In lessons, pupils try their best. However, teachers do not check on pupils' understanding consistently well, so pupils do not get the right guidance to help them improve. Too many pupils have gaps in their learning. As a result, these pupils do not achieve as well as they should. Pupils are keen to participate in groups that give them extra responsibilities. The digital leads and Spanish ambassadors learn valuable leadership skills as they help other pupils with their learning. The pupils in the school council have learned to support their peers with their well-being and they relish this important role. It teaches them to show compassion for others. The school organises visitors who help pupils to be well prepared for their transition to secondary school. These include talks from the police and road safety experts. Pupils excitedly explain what they have learned from these visitors.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, the curriculum plans for early years do not connect clearly to the curriculum for Year 1. This means that in these subjects, children do not always build their knowledge as securely as they could in readiness for their next stage of learning. The school must ensure that the subject-specific knowledge pupils need to know is identified in all subjects, starting in the early years.
• In some subjects, teachers' checks on pupils' understanding are not specific enough and staff do not readily address misconceptions. As a result, pupils continue with these misconceptions and do not achieve as well as they could. The school needs to ensure that teachers' checks on pupils' knowledge are precise and inform their teaching so that misconceptions are promptly rectified.
• Some older pupils are not fluent readers and have gaps in their phonics knowledge. These pupils have extra reading support, but this does not target and improve their phonics knowledge effectively. This means that they struggle to read new and unfamiliar words independently. The school needs to ensure that all pupils at the early stages of learning to read get effective help to meet their specific needs.
• The trust and school have not always had systems in place to robustly check the impact of all initiatives and changes made on pupils' education. Intended improvements have not been achieved or improvements are very recent. The school and trust should ensure that they evaluate fully the actions they take and make any adjustments needed to secure the improvements intended.

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