Cherry Tree Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 2 February 2022

This is a warm and welcoming school. Pupils and families are known very well by staff. Pupils' relationships with each other are positive. They play well together in the playground and no child is left without a playmate. Pupils are treated as individuals. This creates mutual respect between adults and children. This, in turn, helps to create a calm school environment. Pupils are courteous and polite. They are interested in sharing their learning experiences with visitors and are keen to chat. Pupils behave well in class and around the school. Disruption to learning is rare because staff are quick to intervene and redirect pupils back to their learning. Pupils know about differences among people. Pupils talk knowledgeably about bullying. They say it rarely happens in school. Pupils are confident that adults will always help them quickly if they have a problem. Pupils follow a broad and interesting curriculum. They are enthusiastic learners. Pupils who are supported by the speech and language base participate fully in all aspects of school life. As a result, they thrive. The school is a central part of the community. Pastoral care for pupils and their families is effective. Most parents are very positive about the school.

What the school should improve

• Leaders' curriculum thinking is not as strong as it could be in some areas of the curriculum. This is because leaders have not been specific in the precise knowledge pupils need to learn. Leaders have not ensured that teachers have received the high-quality training throughout the curriculum that they have received for some subjects. Leaders need to ensure that teachers are clear and have had the appropriate training so they know what they need to teach and when in all curriculum areas.
• The early years curriculum is well matched to the needs of the children. In a few subjects, it is not clear to staff how the children's learning will form the building blocks for key stage 1. As a result, staff are not always clear on what key knowledge and skills children need to learn before moving on. Curriculum thinking for the early years needs to make clear how the curriculum links with the key stage 1 curriculum.

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