Bruntcliffe Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 26 November 2024

Pupils are taught to have pride in themselves at this school. They learn and represent the school's core values of productivity, community, integrity, inclusivity and ambition. For example, pupils support community events such as Remembrance Day parades. They coordinate food bank collections to support local charities. The school has high expectations of all pupils. Pupils take pride in their work. They talk knowledgeably about what they have learned. They achieve highly. Pupils experience high-quality lessons across much of the curriculum. Most pupils are polite and behave sensibly. They show respect to adults and to each other. Most pupils enjoy learning. A small number of pupils do not behave well. Staff deal with this and do not allow poor behaviour to disrupt lessons. Bullying sometimes happens but is dealt with quickly. This helps pupils to feel safe. Pupils enjoy an impressive variety of different clubs and activities at the school. For example, they participate in sports such as rowing, volleyball and karate. Pupils also take part in school theatrical productions, photography and origami and tend an allotment. These opportunities allow pupils to explore and nurture their talents and interests. Pupils learn important life skills, including how to manage money. They share lived experiences of different cultures and religions. For example, pupils learn about the Muslim faith and learn about religious practices during Ramadan.

What the school should improve

• The implementation of the curriculum is inconsistent. Some lessons lack consistent application of agreed pedagogical methods that help pupils know and remember more. This limits the progress that some pupils make through the curriculum. The school should ensure that staff provide consistently high quality teaching across all aspects of the curriculum.
• A significant number of pupils are persistently absent. This limits their ability to make progress through the curriculum. The school should further develop relationships with the community and improve the attendance of all pupils.
• The school's new approaches to managing behaviour are not fully embedded. A small number of pupils do not behave well. The school should ensure that new methods to manage behaviour are fully embedded and that a positive behavioural culture is further developed at the school.

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