Auckley Primary Academy

Auckley School School Lane, Auckley, Doncaster, DN9 3JN

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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This is a good school. Select

 Auckley is a welcoming and friendly school where pupils are very safe and happy. The great majority of parents like the school and are pleased with its results.  Pupils make good progress and, overall, they achieve well. They all make the at least progress they should in English and mathematics. However, progress in English is outstanding because the majority of pupils make more than expected progress, in much higher proportions than found in most primary schools.  Children in Nursery and Reception years make good progress in all areas of learning as a result of good teaching and activities.  Teaching is mainly good and sometimes outstanding. It is often expertly planned and finds effective ways for pupils to learn and to enjoy achieving. Teachers’ good subject knowledge gives many lessons the sharp focus and high expectations that lead to pupils’ good or outstanding progress.  Pupils behave well and have a good regard for

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This is a good school. Select

each other.  Leaders, including the governing body, are an ambitious and effective team driving improvement. They set high expectations for the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Even though pupils’ progress in mathematics is good, it is not as strong as in English. The development of resources, topics and teaching methods in mathematics is not as advanced as in English.  A small amount of teaching requires improvement to ensure even better consistency in learning and progress across the school. 

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection was carried out over two days by two additional inspectors.  Inspectors visited 13 lessons, observing eight of the nine teachers.  Discussions were held with senior leaders, other staff in leadership roles, pupils, parents and representatives of the governing body.  Inspectors examined a range of school documentation including policies for safeguarding pupils and data on pupils’ attainment and progress.  Account was taken of the views of parents who responded to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in addition to parents who had met or written to the inspectors.

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Inspection team

Alan Lemon, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Mick Blaylock Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Auckley School converted to become an academy school on 1 September, 2010.  The school is of average size compared to all primary schools. The very large majority of pupils are of White British Heritage. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is well below average.  While the proportion of pupils supported through school action is broadly average, that supported through school action plus or a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The headteacher is away from school and the headteacher of another primary school is acting as the executive headteacher of both schools. He took charge at Auckley School in the week of the inspection.  The school meets the current government floor standards, the expected minimum standard set for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the small amount of teaching requiring improvement by:  making sure planning for all lessons takes note of what all pupils can do so the work set is challenging for all and leads to a faster pace of learning

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement in mathematics by prioritising and giving clear leadership to developing the curriculum and resources for mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2012, all pupils made at least the progress expected by the end of Year 6 in English and mathematics. However, in reading and writing the large majority made more than expected progress. The proportion of pupils doing so was much higher than in most primary schools. Fewer pupils made the same strong progress in mathematics although pupils’ progress was still good given their starting points were below average.  The starting points of each of the year groups vary between below and above average and are mostly above average. The standard of reading, writing and mathematics across the school is above average.  Consistently good teaching and the high quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage make sure Nursery and Reception year children make good progress in all areas of learning. They enjoy their experiences thoroughly and approach their work and activities with enthusiasm and energy. Nursery children are quick to make friends and play together happily. With the

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The achievement of pupils is good

encouragement from staff their language and knowledge increase rapidly. One boy named the models of the polar bear, penguin and walrus and a girl confidently counted to 20 and beyond.  By the end of Reception year, children link letters and their sounds to read words and have developed the skills to write the letters of the alphabet and produce some simple writing. They are finding out the differences in cylinders, cubes, pyramids and spheres and learning how to program a robotic toy.  The skill in linking letters and sounds develops rapidly in Years 1 and 2 as the result of expert teaching. Tests at the end of Year 1 show that a much greater proportion of pupils reach the required standard than seen nationally. This underpins the high standard of reading which is established at an early stage. Pupils enjoy reading stories and discuss these in depth. They skilfully search books and the internet for information. The few pupils who learn more slowly to

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The achievement of pupils is good

read are well supported and over time the gap between them and others closes.  The progress of pupils supported through the pupil premium is good and results in 2012 show that they performed at least as well as all other pupils in English and mathematics. The picture is the same for the few pupils with disabilities or special educational needs. Where these are complex the good knowledge of pupils’ needs, detailed planning and expert support all ensure good learning and progress is sustained.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers usually use all of their resources well to support learning, normally ensuring pupils of all abilities are challenged by their work and helped to make progress. Teaching assistants across the school are well briefed on how to support individuals and groups of pupils and they work with a good level of expertise in promoting learning.  Very occasionally, teaching is not effective enough to ensure pupils make good progress and learn what is intended. Here, lesson planning does not give sufficient consideration to what pupils already know and how they can take the next step. Pupils are therefore not experiencing the good challenges they do in most of their lessons and the pace of learning is slower than usual.  Good curriculum plans, especially in English, ensure pupils are taught knowledge and skills in a careful step-by-step way so their understanding develops systematically. In Year 5, by the time

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The quality of teaching is good

they came to write using complex sentences, the whole class had learnt the features of simple, compound and complex sentences. As a result, they worked quickly and successfully in producing more elaborate writing. Similarly, good ways of adding and subtracting numbers helped Year 2 pupils work independently on solving problems.  Pupils are given good amounts of time in lessons to work by themselves. They understand what they are learning and how to improve because teachers make this clear during lessons and in marking their work. Pupils really enjoy the chance to get on with work on their own or together as pairs and small groups. Learning and progress are improved by the opportunities for practical work involving prediction and experiment. Year 4 pupils were thoroughly engaged by estimating the weights of different objects and testing them with scales.  Much of the learning and good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage takes place through

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The quality of teaching is good

children’s discoveries and in playing together. Teaching is well planned to promote this and all the adults in Nursery and Reception years encourage conversation, introduce new words and get children to explain what they have found out. When children are brought together as groups, exciting teaching captures their interest and leads to lively contributions.  Teachers question pupils skilfully and gain a clear picture of what they know and have learnt. Lessons are often finished off effectively with time given to recapping what has been learnt, allowing pupils to show this and to weigh up how good the lesson has been for them.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s good care and support and its promotion of pupils’ well-being through the curriculum lead to their good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils feel safe, they are happy at school and they adopt its values.  Attendance is above average and attitudes to learning across the school are always positive. Pupils enjoy the good relationships with staff and each other which boost their sense of self- worth and confidence. Pupils see their teachers as being very good to them and helpful. During lessons pupils are cooperative and add to the quality of learning with their insightful contributions and good efforts.  Pupils have well-developed social skills, work constructively together and are keen to be helpful to others. Good social skills are evident in the dining hall where Year 6 pupils take charge of tables and serve food, modelling kind and responsible behaviour. Many pupils take part in

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

performing a number of duties such organising and managing the school library.  Pupils acknowledge there has been some bullying and this is confirmed in the school’s record of incidents and in the comments made by a few parents. Incidents are isolated rather than regular and frequent and, as far as pupils are concerned, they are dealt with swiftly by teachers. Pupils are aware of the sorts of risks they could encounter, particularly different forms of bullying. They are clearly conscious of staying safe when using the internet.  Pupils demonstrate respect for each other and differences such as race or religion do not interfere with this. There are good opportunities through their work and activities for pupils to study different cultures and religions and learn about these at first hand through visits to galleries, museums and places of worship.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders and managers work closely together and make an effective team in evaluating the school’s work, setting a clear direction and bringing about improvement. Self-evaluation is thorough. The school benefits from consultants recruited to give an external expert evaluation and the local authority provides an annual review of the school’s work.  Teachers and all other staff are fully behind the work of leaders, in particular their continual drive to improve teaching. The close check kept on teaching and pupils’ progress effectively tackles any weaker areas found in teaching or pupils’ outcomes.  Teachers are as concerned as their leaders that their work is always effective. They treat the evaluation of their teaching and the accountability they have for pupils’ progress in a serious and professional manner.  The pupil premium is well spent on additional literacy resources so pupils entitled to the extra

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The leadership and management are good

funds achieve as well as others in reading and writing.  The teachers who take the lead in managing and developing subjects and others areas of the curriculum are effective in their roles. The strong leadership in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in English has made sure of a high quality curriculum that impacts positively on learning and progress. Both leaders have applied their considerable expertise to drive significant improvement and both their areas have benefitted from being the focus of the school’s development plan.  Mathematic has not had as much leadership time and is behind English in terms of new ideas and resources. Expectations for high achievement in mathematics are not as well defined as they have been in English.  The focus of the school’s development plan at the moment is on raising achievement in literacy further and this informs the targets set for improving teachers’ performance.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors are effective and efficient in performing their duties and manage their responsibilities well. They check carefully that pupils are kept safe and make sure the school’s arrangements for safeguarding are robust. Governors are closely involved with the school and keep up to date with what is happening with the quality of teaching and pupils’ performance. They pay particular attention to the use and benefit of the pupil premium. Governors use their meetings, visits and the reports received from leaders to evaluate the school’s work and are astute in seeing its strengths and weaknesses. They fully understand the weight of their responsibilities and challenge when they believe action is required. They are resolute in seeing issues through to a satisfactory conclusion. Governors know it is time for the school to give attention to improving the mathematics curriculum and are developing their strategy for

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 137335 Local authority Not applicable Inspection number 406667

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Academy converter School category Non-maintained Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 250 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rebecca Milner Headteacher Maggie Evans Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01302 770701 Fax number 01303 770106 Email address admin@auckley.doncaster.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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