Brentnall Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 16 June 2026

This is a school where pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), enjoy learning and achieve well. Their personal, social and emotional development, along with their communication and language, is prioritised successfully from the start of their time in the early years. Pupils make friends and learn to care for themselves and others thoughtfully. They learn much about kindness and respect. Pupils become caring, responsible, active citizens who are well prepared for their lives in modern Britain. For example, the oldest pupils develop a mature understanding of how a limited income in some families can lead to a shortage of food. Pupils work effectively with leaders to focus on this issue. For example, they organise the food ‘pantry’ for families in the school’s red telephone box. Throughout the whole school, pupils’ behaviour is calm and self-controlled. Bullying is not a problem because leaders and staff act quickly and effectively on any issues. Typically, when pupils pass by, they greet adults positively or give a friendly wave. Pupils are interested in visitors and unafraid to start up conversation, such as with a friendly ‘How are you?’ Pupils do themselves proud by the very sensible ways that they conduct themselves. Pupils benefit from the support of a caring staff team, whose members seek to know each pupil's individual needs and life experiences. This is very evident in the school’s specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND, known as ‘The Ark’. Pupils in this class make positive strides forward from their starting points. All pupils are welcomed, supported and enabled to thrive because leaders and staff do all that they can to remove anything that gets in the way of pupils’ success. This means that all the school’s pupils take part in a wide range of well-thought-out activities, clubs and extra opportunities.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should make certain that their actions on attendance enable all pupils to benefit from the school’s curriculum and teaching.
• Leaders should ensure that in each key stage staff build pupils’ handwriting, grammar and punctuation skills and develop pupils’ ability to write longer pieces of work.
• Leaders should make sure that through the school’s new curriculum pupils further develop their understanding of the works of different authors.

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