Blackgates Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this welcoming school.

They benefit from positive relationships with adults who care deeply for them. The school's strongly embedded, inclusive culture ensures that pupils have their individual needs met well. This is particularly the case for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

School is a place where pupils are happy and safe. The school has high expectations for pupils' behaviour and achievement. These expectations are met as pupils achieve well.

Throughout the school, pupils' behaviour is calm and sensible. At playtime and lunchtime, pupils enjoy socialising and playing games with each other. These time...s are often enhanced by the support of adults or pupil leaders.

Pupils appreciate the opportunities they have to contribute to the school through leadership roles as school councillors and sports leaders. They take pride in these roles and know that they are making a positive difference to their school and for their peers. Through these opportunities, they develop important interpersonal and leadership skills.

Pupils demonstrate the school's inclusive values when they say that treating everyone with mutual respect ensures everyone is happy.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has developed a broad and ambitious curriculum. Pupils and their community are at the heart of the curriculum design.

The school carefully develops pupils' cultural understanding by embedding it within the curriculum. There is a strongly held belief that the curriculum should be enhanced by frequent memorable experiences. For example, every pupil makes an annual visit to the seaside.

Visits to local museums and galleries are typical. These experiences broaden pupils' horizons and deepen their understanding of life in Britain.

In some areas, the school's published outcomes in 2024 were low.

However, these outcomes do not fully reflect the quality of education the school provides for its pupils. The school has intensified its focus on reading, writing and mathematics. For example, there has been close attention on improving pupils' fluency in mathematics and recall of multiplication tables facts.

The school also provides timely, expert training for staff. These approaches are enabling current pupils to progress more effectively across the curriculum.

In all subjects, pupils follow a clear sequence of learning that starts in the early years.

The school has identified the important knowledge pupils should learn and when they should learn it. Teachers make regular checks on pupils' learning. Teachers help pupils embed knowledge in their long-term memory by regularly revisiting prior learning.

The school ensures that teachers have secure subject knowledge.

Reading is prioritised and strongly promoted throughout the school. Wherever possible, learning relates to engaging books and texts that excite pupils' interest.

For example, children in early years explore, play and learn with oats whilst enjoying a story about a magic porridge pot. Children learn the basics of reading and writing from staff with the skills and expertise to deliver the phonics programme effectively. When pupils fall behind with their reading they are identified quickly.

They receive effective additional support to become fluent and confident readers. Some pupils, however, do not develop early writing skills as effectively as they could. When they form letters incorrectly, this is not addressed sufficiently well.

Sometimes staff do not ensure pupils' understanding is secure before moving on and so they are sometimes given tasks that are too difficult for them. In addition, errors in written accuracy are not consistently addressed and this limits how well some pupils express themselves in writing.

The school has particular expertise in relation to SEND.

The school swiftly identifies the needs of pupils with SEND. Staff provide expert support and well-considered adaptations to the curriculum. For example, pupils are supported to construct sentences through pictorial resources.

The school works closely with parents and carers, and external agencies, to ensure pupils with SEND receive the best possible support. Consequently, pupils with SEND achieve well.

The early years is a place of joy and discovery.

Children get off to an excellent start to their education in a vibrant, supportive environment. They quickly develop independence. They interact well with their peers, playing and learning with cheerfulness and cooperation.

Adult interactions with children are purposeful and focused on developing language and communication. Staff use familiar songs and rhymes well to support learning. Children make excellent use of the well-considered environment.

Pupils respond well to the high expectations the school has for their behaviour. Their attitudes are typically respectful and inclusive. The school prepares pupils well for life in British society.

They have a sound understanding of fundamental British values such as democracy, mutual respect and tolerance. In personal, social and health education (PSHE), pupils consider stereotypes by examining images of boys and girls in the media. They learn to eat healthily and lead healthy lifestyles.

Governance is a strength of the school. Trustees and members of the local governance committee fulfil their roles with passion and commitment. Staff appreciate the investment in their ongoing professional development.

They know that decisions are taken with their workload and wellbeing in mind.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• On occasions, some pupils undertake writing tasks that are too difficult when they have not secured the necessary foundational knowledge in writing to complete these tasks successfully.

In addition, for some pupils, accuracy with spelling and punctuation is not developed well enough. The school should ensure that staff identify where pupils have gaps in foundational knowledge in writing and that these are addressed before pupils undertake more complex tasks. The school should also take further action to improve pupils' accuracy in spelling and punctuation.

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