Bedmond Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 24 February 2026

This small school provides a warm and friendly community for the families it serves. Pupils thrive in a safe environment where they are known as individuals. They enjoy sharing success stories about their achievements. As they pass through the gates each morning, pupils are welcomed by staff. Their presence reassures any pupils who are anxious about coming to school. Some pupils benefit from going to a safe space that helps them to transition smoothly from home to school. Others skip past, excitedly talking about what they might be learning today. Pupils benefit from the changes that have been made to the curriculum. Teachers’ expertise in the curriculum and its teaching help pupils to learn well. This enables pupils to develop a love of learning. Pupils who have been at the school the longest, and attended regularly, typically achieve well. They are prepared for their next stage of education. The increasing numbers of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Carefully crafted adaptations help pupils with SEND progress from their various starting points. Some pupils have found it difficult to attend school regularly. Changes to the curriculum and high-quality pastoral support have started to help these pupils overcome their barriers to being at school. Consequently, more pupils are attending more often. Pupils behave well. They are polite and respectful. Pupils foster strong bonds of friendship across the age range. They develop a sense of respect for each other’s uniqueness. This helps to ensure that unkind behaviour is rare. Bullying, if it happens, is dealt with swiftly and effectively. Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, enjoy a wide range of clubs and activities. Leaders support and encourage pupils to take up new interests. Some play sports. Others learn to cook healthy family meals. Pupils enthusiastically recall the school choir’s performance at one of the country’s top performance venues.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that staff have the knowledge and expertise necessary to make suitable adaptations to support disadvantaged pupils consistently well.
• Leaders should ensure that teachers provide pupils with sufficient time and resources to practise new learning to secure new and important concepts, phonological knowledge and numerical fluency in order to support pupils to achieve increasingly well.
• Leaders should continue to implement, and further strengthen, their strategies to secure increased improvements in pupils' attendance at school.
• Leaders should ensure that pupils have the opportunity to take on, and develop, roles in school that support their independence and resilience.

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