Burnley Road Academy

Strengths

• Well-planned early years curriculum covering all seven areas of learning, with children well prepared for Year 1
• Phonics outcomes above the national average at the end of Year 1
• Pupils with SEND and additional needs are identified quickly and supported effectively, progressing well from their starting points
• Coherent personal development programme tailored to the school's context, including contextual risks such as water safety and British values
• Pupils behave well, are respectful and supportive of one another, and bullying is rare and dealt with effectively
• Pupil leaders, including play leaders and the school council, have a positive impact through initiatives such as the 'you said, we did' display
• Wide range of extra-curricular clubs, competitions, visits and visitors that extend pupils' talents and knowledge
• Effective pastoral and mental health support, with pupils confident that leaders respond to their concerns
• Pupil premium funding is used effectively, with a clear focus on attendance and achievement
• Staff feel well supported, with workload and wellbeing considered, and leaders have positive relationships with parents and the community
• Those responsible for governance meet their statutory duties and leaders make decisions in pupils' best interests

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged, have historically not achieved well in end of key stage 2 national tests
• Disadvantaged pupils' outcomes are well below national averages, with a large and widening disadvantage gap in reading, writing and mathematics
• The curriculum is not consistently taught well; teachers do not always select the best activities or identify and address misconceptions
• Pupils' attendance, including for those with SEND and those who are disadvantaged, is below national averages
• At the end of key stage 2, pupils are not as well prepared for their next steps in education as they might be
• Safeguarding records are not always organised in a coherent or timely manner, reducing leaders' assurance
• Leaders have only recently begun analysing attendance data with the trust, so the impact of this work is not yet known
• Professional learning opportunities for staff are not always high quality or tightly linked to school priorities
• Recent changes to the mathematics and writing curricula are too new for their impact on achievement to be seen
• Significant turbulence in school and trust leadership, with new postholders still embedding systems and structures

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools