Bramley Park Academy: Leeds primary school completes remarkable 'inadequate' to 'outstanding' Ofsted turnaround

In Bramley Park Academy’s latest Ofsted report, released last week, the school was described as “exceptional” and received praise for its strong curriculum, the “exemplary” behaviour of pupils and its range of extra-curricular activities.

During a 2017 inspection, the school was slammed by inspectors and put into special measures after being rated Inadequate in all areas and Requires Improvement behaviour.

The report said: “The leadership of teaching and learning has been weak and the quality of teaching, learning and assessment has not improved quickly enough. Pupils do not make sufficient progress in reading, writing or mathematics across the school. Not enough pupils reach the standards expected nationally in each of these subjects.”

It has since been brought under the control of the Wellspring Academy Trust, this “family” of mainstream primary and secondary schools, and SEND and alternative provision settings has overseen the school’s incredible turnaround, with Ofsted inspectors now rating Bramley Park as Outstanding.

Inspectors said: “There are no limits to the ambition that leaders and staff have for them. Pupils enjoy coming to school and live and breathe the school’s vision to ‘believe, persevere and achieve’. Leaders have an unswerving commitment to serving pupils, families and the community. They believe that every pupil can achieve great things.

“Behaviour in lessons and around school is exemplary. Pupils are polite and welcoming. They enjoy learning and are engaged and attentive in lessons."

The school’s “highly ambitious and impressive curriculum” also received praise with inspectors reporting that: “Leaders have developed a highly ambitious and impressive curriculum that begins in Nursery and continues to the end of Year 6. A well-planned sequence of learning is the bedrock for all learning.

"Pupils in key stage 2 make impressive progress in core subjects and have secure knowledge of what they are learning in the wider curriculum. The curriculum in early years is also impressive. Leaders have identified the end points they want children to reach and to prepare them for key stage 1. The children are confident and independent learners.”

Carrie Green, Executive Principal at Bramley Park Academy, said: “Everyone involved in Bramley Park Academy is absolutely thrilled with this report. The whole team has worked incredibly hard over the past four and half years to create a school which is, as the inspectors put it, ‘exceptional.’ Not only do we wrap all the children in love and care, we are ambitious for them and enable them to reach their full potential, and it is wonderful to have that recognised externally.

“Bramley Park Academy has been on a real journey since joining Wellspring Academy Trust in 2018. It has gone through a huge transformation and is now a school that parents and carers can have 100% confidence in and pupils adore attending. With the support of the Trust, we are providing the top quality, inspiring education that every child deserves.”

Mark Wilson, CEO at Wellspring Academy Trust, added: “Whilst Ofsted reports can only ever tell a fraction of the story about a school, this report is another important landmark in the transformational tale of Bramley Park Academy.

"Under Carrie Green’s superb leadership and her team’s commitment to constant improvement, Bramley Park has gone from strength to strength."