The Flying Bull Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 9 June 2026

Pupils are benefiting from recent significant changes at the school. Leaders and governors are revitalising pupils' experiences. There is a genuine sense from pupils, staff and the trust that the school is restoring the standards that the community expects and its pupils deserve. Pupils arrive each morning at The Flying Bull Academy ready to be welcomed warmly. This is consistent across the school, whether in Nursery, Year 6 or the specialist resource provision. Pastoral support plays an important role in helping pupils feel safe, cared for and ready to learn. Pupils who struggle to behave are given the support they need. Pupils know that if someone is unkind, they will get support from staff if they need it. Pupils take their own school leadership roles seriously. They make sensible suggestions on how to improve the school environment, or what clubs could enhance the currently limited choice. Pupils are well-prepared for life in modern Britain. They develop an understanding of a range of faiths, cultures and different types of families. Pupils who have had difficult experiences at previous settings, particularly those in the specialist resource provision, find a genuine sense of belonging at this school. Most pupils attend school regularly. However, some pupils are absent too often, despite the school's efforts to encourage them in. This has a detrimental effect on these pupils' learning. Pupils enjoy learning about the interesting topics that they study. Staff are getting better at meeting the needs of individual pupils. Leaders have recently developed the curriculum to ensure that pupils are now learning more key knowledge, skills and vocabulary. However, it is not delivered consistently well across all year groups and subjects. This affects pupils’ achievement in national tests at the end of Year 6, which is typically lower than the national average.

What the school should improve

• Governors and trustees must ensure that the clear systems that have now been established provide effective support and challenge to school leaders, so that the school continues to improve.
• Leaders should ensure that adaptations for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are well-planned and consistently implemented, so that teaching and activities match pupils' needs, enabling pupils to build securely on what they know and can do.
• Leaders should ensure that high quality teaching is embedded across all year groups and subjects.
• Leaders should ensure that they embed the changes to how they manage attendance, so that attendance continues to improve.
• Leaders need to continue to develop the range of purposeful opportunities pupils can access to broaden pupils' experiences and enable them to develop their talents and interests.

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