Sunnyside Primary Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 10 June 2025

Sunnyside Primary Academy promotes an encouraging ethos where 'every child can shine'. Pupils feel secure due to the positive and caring relationships staff build with them. The school has high expectations for pupils' behaviour and attitudes. Staff encourage pupils to strive for 'positive points' and earn rewards. Typically, pupils behave well and are proud when staff recognise their efforts. Staff support pupils who need extra help with managing their feelings or actions sensitively. Pupils respond positively to guidance from staff. This provides for the school's calm and purposeful atmosphere. Pupils benefit from a range of carefully considered experiences that enrich and enhance their learning and help to develop their character. Pupils speak enthusiastically of trips to museums, the farm, places of worship or the pantomime. Pupils appreciate the new range of clubs that are available. They have greater opportunity than before to develop their interests in music, sport, dance, design and craft, for example. Pupils enjoy their time in school and attend regularly. This means that they do not miss essential learning. The school wants pupils to do well. However, pupils' achievement throughout the curriculum is not as secure as it should be. That said, the school is working determinedly to make improvements.

What the school should improve

• The new curriculum and how it is implemented are in the early stages of embedding. The school does not check the introduction of some of the changes closely to identify swiftly where staff might need extra training or support. As a result, pupils' learning does not benefit from some of the improvements as quickly as it could. The school should refine its approach to checking the implementation of changes, ensuring that staff receive timely support to make improvements.
• Sometimes, the checks on pupils' knowledge and understanding are not thorough enough or used to adapt teaching. This means that pupils' misconceptions or gaps in knowledge are not addressed, which hinders pupils from building on their knowledge successfully. The school should ensure that assessment is used effectively so that pupils can achieve consistently well.
• The adaptations teachers make for pupils with SEND and those at the earlier stages of learning English sometimes do not meet their needs precisely enough. This limits how well these pupils can learn. The school should ensure that the curriculum is adapted consistently and appropriately to meet the needs of these pupils.
• Sometimes, the school does not ensure that pupils develop a firm enough understanding of fundamental British values, equalities and discrimination. As a result, pupils do not have an age-appropriate depth of understanding of these important topics. The school should ensure that it prepares pupils well to become respectful and responsible members of modern society.

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