Bursley Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 20 February 2024

The family feel of Bursley Academy is tangible the minute you walk through the doors. Caring relationships between staff and pupils are built into the foundations of the school. Pupils trust the staff to look after them, they describe the staff as their 'guardians'. Pupils are friendly, cheerful and well mannered. They embody the welcoming nature of the school. Leaders at all levels, including governors and the multi-academy trust (MAT), are always looking for ways to improve the school. They know that more work needs to be done to further improve the quality of education, so that pupils achieve well across the curriculum. There is a relaxed atmosphere around the school. Pupils enjoy coming to school and are rarely absent. Pupils enjoy learning alongside their friends, and they play cooperatively on the playground. In lessons, pupils listen well and focus on completing their work most of the time. However, if the work set for pupils is not matched to their needs, they become distracted and lose interest. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. In particular, they value the fact that staff go above and beyond what is expected of them to help their children.

What the school should improve

• The writing curriculum is not yet fully developed. As a result, some pupils are not achieving as well as they could in writing. The school should continue to develop opportunities for pupils to apply their spelling, punctuation and grammar knowledge in sustained pieces of writing.
• The school are not using formative assessment effectively to inform teaching and the selection of learning activities. As a result, some learning activities are too easy and some are too difficult, which limits pupils' progress through the curriculum. The school should use formative assessment to inform next steps in pupils' learning more consistently.
• In some subjects, the school is not making effective checks on how well the curriculum is being taught. In these instances, inconsistencies relating to the implementation of the curriculum remain and pupils do not achieve as well as they could. The school should make effective checks on how well the curriculum is being delivered in all subjects, so that inconsistencies can be identified, and appropriate support put in place.
• The school is not ensuring that pupils take pride in their work across a wide range of subjects. As a result, the quality of handwriting and presentation in pupils' books is variable. The school should take action to ensure that pupils consistently take pride in their work across the curriculum.

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