Bayside Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 24 March 2026

Pupils enjoy attending this welcoming and inclusive school. Warm, positive relationships between adults and pupils help pupils to feel safe and well supported, including from the moment they begin the school day. Any pupils who find the start of the day difficult receive timely and effective help so they can settle quickly and be ready to learn. This is because staff identify and support barriers to learning well, including for pupils who are disadvantaged or have special education needs and/or disabilities. Pupils are confident that staff will resolve any concerns quickly, including any worries about bullying. Children in the early years get off to a successful start to their education. However, pupils further up the school are not yet learning the curriculum as well as they should. New leaders have taken decisive and rapid action in identifying what needs to improve. These changes are beginning to have a positive impact, including how well pupils in Year 6 now achieve, compared to previous years. However, these changes are in their earlier stages and so it is too soon to see the full impact across the school. As a result, some pupils are not yet well prepared for their next stage of learning. Leaders have made bringing the school together a priority. They have refined the school values of ‘care, curiosity, resilience and pride’ so that the school community is clear about what will help them to be successful. Pupils generally show positive attitudes to their learning and want to do well. Leaders’ recent focus on the value of ‘pride’ has encouraged pupils to take thoughtful care over their written work and to be proud of what they can achieve. Pupils value the contributions they make to their school. They take on leadership roles to be responsible and active citizens, such as school councillors, house captains and prefects.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should develop staff expertise in the use of assessment to identify and address misconceptions swiftly, enabling teachers to adjust learning so that pupils build their knowledge securely across subjects and achieve well.
• Leaders should ensure that staff build their expertise and subject knowledge of the curriculum and check that teaching consistently enables all pupils to achieve well from their starting points.
• Leaders should ensure that pupils are given the support and practice they need to develop their accuracy and fluency in writing, particularly in handwriting, spelling and punctuation, so that pupils write well across the curriculum.

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