Elm Academy

Elm Academy is performing well overall. Inspectors found a caring, welcoming school where pupils behave well, feel safe and are proud to take on responsibilities. The curriculum is well sequenced from the early years, reading is prioritised, phonics is taught consistently, and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported, including through the school's specialist hub. Older pupils' writing is consistently high, and personal development is exceptionally strong, with pupils benefiting from a wide range of enriching experiences and community service. The main areas for improvement are early handwriting and assessment. From the early years into key stage 1, too many pupils do not secure effective pencil grip and accurate letter formation because the school has not yet decided on specific handwriting methods, which slows their progress towards fluent writing. In addition, checks in lessons are not consistently used to shape future learning, so misconceptions sometimes go unnoticed and persist in pupils' work. This was the school's first routine inspection since 2014 and the first since the COVID-19 pandemic. The school is part of the Authentic Education Group, which has seen leadership and governance changes in the past year. Under the current framework, no overall effectiveness grade was awarded.

Strengths

• Caring and welcoming community underpinned by EPIC values
• High expectations for all pupils, including those with SEND
• Positive Year 6 outcomes in the 2024 national tests
• Pupils behave well and feel confident raising concerns
• Rich and purposeful experiences broaden pupils' horizons
• Well-sequenced curriculum starting in the early years
• Teachers have secure subject knowledge and adapt learning for pupils with SEND
• Reading is prioritised and phonics is taught with fidelity
• Older pupils' writing is consistently high
• SEND support is effective and suspensions have greatly reduced
• Personal development and community service are exceptionally strong
• Staff feel supported and trust governance provides effective support and challenge
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Early handwriting and transcription are not prioritised with sufficient rigour
• Too many children and pupils do not secure effective pencil grip and accurate letter formation
• The school has not decided on specific methods for teaching handwriting in the early years and key stage 1
• Assessment checks are not consistently used to shape future learning
• In a few subjects, misconceptions go unnoticed and persist in pupils' work

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Elm Academy attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.7% of pupils at Elm Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Elm Academy had 22.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 23.1% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 12.9% of pupils at Elm Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Elm Academy received £9,188 and spent £8,728 for each of its 353 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £339,000 (£963 per pupil).

Across all 13 schools of Authentic Education Group Limited, income was £9,345 and spending £9,661 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Bournemouth · Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole local authority: places and applications

Elm Academy is part of Authentic Education Group Limited, which runs 13 schools. The nearest others:

• Oak Academy Bournemouth
• LeAF Studio Bournemouth
• Kinson Academy Bournemouth
• Manorside Academy Poole
• St Aldhelm's Academy Poole
• Queen's Park Academy Bournemouth
• Longspee Academy Poole
• King's Park Academy Bournemouth
• Tregonwell Academy Bournemouth
• Bayside Academy Poole

What is Elm Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Elm Academy is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Elm Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Elm Academy was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Elm Academy have?

Elm Academy has 364 pupils on roll.

What age range does Elm Academy cover?

Elm Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Elm Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Elm Academy?

Elm Academy is at Holloway Avenue, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH11 9JN.