Shepherdswell Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 28 November 2023

Pupils are thriving at this small, nurturing school. They embody the school's core values of 'collaboration, community courage, curiosity and creativity' in all that they do. Pupils develop a deep understanding of different faiths, cultures and protected characteristics. They welcome everyone at their diverse and inclusive school. A sense of kindness and care emanates through the school atmosphere. Pupils keenly and routinely attend, greeting their peers, staff and visitors to the school with enthusiasm. They are consistently considerate and calm in their conduct. Staff put all pupils' emotional needs and academic development at the centre of everything they do. This helps pupils to achieve well and be happy in their learning. Staff provide interesting ways for pupils to learn, which keeps pupils motivated. Pupils appreciate that teachers make their learning enjoyable and challenging. They are keen to learn and proud of their work. There are extensive opportunities provided to widen their learning experiences through interesting trips and visits. Pupils relish the opportunity to celebrate their achievements. There are weekly reward assemblies to recognise pupils as a 'star of the week' and a 'remarkable reader'. They love receiving star badges and reading tokens, which they exchange for books at the vending machine.

What the school should improve

• The strong implementation of the curriculum seen across some subjects is not yet fully implemented consistently. This means pupils do not yet achieve as well as they could across the full breadth of the curriculum. Leaders should continue to provide support to staff, as required, to embed the curriculum securely and consistently in every subject.

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