Hogsthorpe Primary Academy

Hogsthorpe Primary Academy Thames Street, Hogsthorpe, Skegness, PE24 5PT

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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 Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Children make rapid progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage because they are nurtured and inspired through some outstanding teaching, to work and play imaginatively together.  All staff have high expectations for pupils’ academic and personal development and are enthusiastic and skilled in teaching mixed-age classes.  Pupils of all abilities make good progress in preparation for the next stage in their learning. They enjoy taking part in stimulating activities inside and outside.  The academy promotes a strong sense of community. Hence, pupils develop an equally strong sense of belonging. They feel safe, happy and secure. Relationships between adults and pupils are excellent.  The strong teamwork among staff means the headteacher, teachers and their assistants know the needs of every pupil and work together in the most effective way to support them.  The headteacher provides inspirational

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

leadership and is supported exceptionally well by her very capable teachers. Together they successfully lead and manage all aspects of the academy’s work to improve teaching and pupils’ achievement.  Governors provide a strong steer for the long- term development of the academy. They have much educational expertise and achieve an effective balance between supporting staff and holding them to account for the academy’s performance.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils’ work is very well presented but tasks are sometimes similar for those of different ages and abilities and, on occasion, this prevents the more-able pupils from reaching the standards they are capable of in lessons.  Pupils know their individual targets but they are not always clear about what they need to do to achieve the next level in their learning.  Pupils in Year 2 do not have sufficient opportunities to record their work in books, and homework is not used well enough to progress their learning.  The two teachers do not yet benefit from opportunities to observe teaching from across the academy partnership to enable them to further develop their leadership skills.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector saw each of the two teachers teach in the four lessons observed, two of which were seen together with the headteacher. In addition, the inspector made a number of other short visits to lessons and learning areas.  Separate meetings were conducted with the Chair of Governing Body, staff, parents and a group of pupils. The inspector held a telephone conversation with a representative from the academy’s sponsor. She also talked to pupils during lessons and listened to pupils read.  The results of the academy’s own survey of parents’ views were taken into consideration as there were too few responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) for the inspector to consider.  The inspector took account of the six responses to the staff questionnaire.  A number of documents were reviewed. These included: pupils’ books, the academy’s development plan, its self-evaluation report, information about pupils’ current progress,

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Information about this inspection

arrangements for safeguarding and records of pupils’ behaviour and attendance.

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Inspection team

Cathy Morgan, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The academy is much smaller than the average primary school. It is sponsored by The David Ross Education Trust and opened in September 2012.  There are two mixed-age classes. The two Year 6 pupils were not present during the inspection as they had transferred to their secondary academy.  Almost all pupils are of White British heritage.  A higher-than-average proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is supported through school action, school action plus or have a statement of special educational needs.  The proportion of pupils for whom the academy receives the pupil premium is lower than that seen nationally. This additional government funding only applies in this academy to pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals.  A higher-than-average proportion of pupils joins or leaves the academy at different times throughout the year.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching and raise pupils’ achievement further by:  making sure that teachers plan work that is at the right level of difficulty for pupils, particularly for the more-able pupils, in each lesson  providing pupils with clear guidance about what they need to do to reach the next level in their learning  recording the work of pupils in Year 2 in a format which better enables staff to identify the progress that pupils are making  improving the effectiveness of homework for pupils in Key Stage 1.  Improve the quality of leadership and management to outstanding by enabling teachers to further extend their leadership skills and more closely monitor the quality of teaching from across the academy.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children join the academy with skills which are below those typical for their age, particularly their personal, social and emotional skills. This is also true for other pupils who join the academy at different times.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Careful nurturing in the Early Years Foundation Stage, combined with some outstanding teaching and a systematic approach to the tracking, assessment and evaluation of children’s achievement, ensure that they make good progress in preparation for Key Stage 1.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The effective teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters make) ensures that children quickly improve their skills in reading and writing. Almost all of the small number of Year 1 pupils reached the expected level in the recent national reading test.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress overall during Key Stage 1 and their attainment in reading and mathematics is around that seen nationally. Effective individual help and exciting adventures outside, for example, discovering the ‘Bear Hunt’, are helping pupils to quickly improve their writing skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In Year 2, pupils’ literacy and numeracy work is recorded in the same ‘Learning Journey’ format as for younger pupils. As a result, pupils cannot easily refer back to how they solved earlier tasks to help them with their current work. This arrangement also makes it difficult for staff to easily identify the progress pupils are making in English and mathematics, when they check their work. While these pupils are required to complete reading and spelling tasks for homework, this is not effective in progressing their learning across all subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Comparing pupils’ achievement at the end of Key Stage 2 with national averages is unreliable as there are just two pupils in this year group, one of whom joined the academy during Year 6. The inspector’s scrutiny of pupils’ work and analysis of data in the academy’s informative monitoring system for progress and attainment show that almost all pupils, including those who joined the academy during Key Stage 2, are working at, and often above, the level expected for their age in English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 A high proportion of pupils currently in Year 5 has the potential to reach the highest standards in English and mathematics by the end of Key Stage 2. However, they do not have a clear enough understanding about what is required of them in order to secure achievement at these higher levels.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The relatively large proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is making good progress because the successful organisation of support ensures that they receive timely and effective extra help from skilled teaching assistants.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupil premium funding is used effectively to provide one-to-one tuition and specialist support for eligible pupils. As a result, across the school these pupils are making similarly good progress to their peers. There are not enough pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium to comment reliably on their attainment in English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The academy has a strong reading culture and pupils read with expression and interest and talk with great enthusiasm about how they enjoy reading fiction and non-fiction books.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good and some is outstanding, particularly in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children are encouraged to think for themselves and learn, through imaginative play, to develop their problem-solving skills. For example, following an exciting exploration outside, children investigated a range of substances and objects which they discovered during their adventure and they demonstrated high levels of skill when describing and writing about their findings.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Relationships between staff and pupils are strong and greatly benefit pupils’ learning. Opportunities for pupils to discuss their ideas with one another are a positive feature of all lessons, and pupils are highly respectful of one another’s ideas. This successfully promotes teamwork and contributes well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers are enthusiastic and adept at teaching in mixed-age classes. They take great care to ensure that activities are inspiring for pupils. Staff work hard to match activities to pupils’ needs but, sometimes, similar tasks are provided for pupils of different ages and abilities and, on occasion, this prevents the more-able pupils from reaching the standards they are capable of in lessons.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ marking is thorough and, increasingly, pupils are responding to comments which encourage them to progress even further. Older pupils are clear about their short-term targets, and have plentiful opportunities to assess their own work and that of others. They are less clear about what they need to do to progress to the next level in their learning. Pupils are confident when working independently and they help one another to make good progress when working together.

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The quality of teaching is good

 All staff have high expectations for pupils’ work and behaviour, which pupils respond to well. Those with specific barriers to learning are ably supported in lessons and in extra sessions when they receive individual help by the conscientious, caring and highly competent teaching assistants.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The academy provides a calm and purposeful atmosphere for learning. The mutual respect between pupils and adults ensures that the skills of individual pupils are valued, their talents nurtured and their confidence developed.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils say they feel safe and secure at the academy. They are taught carefully about different types of bullying, and say there is none because adults help to settle any minor incidents quickly. The academy’s behaviour records show that incidents are extremely rare. One pupil said, ’We don’t need our “Golden Rules” now because everyone here behaves well’.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils are very happy, exceptionally polite and very caring towards one another. They enjoy singing together, and they say they love collecting their ‘tickets in the star box’ to celebrate their achievements.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils and staff are extremely proud of their academy and together they create a positive community atmosphere. Pupils flourish in their personal development because the academy fosters exceptionally strong relationships and pupils are taught to respect differences of all kinds.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 All parents who spoke to the inspector or responded to the academy’s own survey of parents’ views agreed that their children are safe and happy. One spoke for many in describing the academy as ‘a family’ and praising the teachers for enabling children to learn from one another and for the excellent support provided for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. Attendance levels are high and punctuality is excellent, reflecting pupils’ enjoyment of learning and the academy’s strong relationships with parents.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils have lots of opportunities to join other children from across the academy partnership and they particularly enjoyed their recent residential visit and the opportunity to visit the opera for the first time.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides inspirational leadership. All staff work closely together as a strong team and they know what needs to be done to drive forward further plans for improvement. Sharp self-evaluation identifies priorities accurately. These are very well supported by clear action plans, demonstrating a good capacity for further development.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leadership and management of the academy are very much shared responsibilities and teachers fulfil their various leadership roles well. All staff clearly understand their roles, responsibilities and lines of accountability. Teachers are set clear performance targets linked to pupils’ achievement which have to be met before a rise in salary can be considered.

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The leadership and management are good

 Staff are self-reflective and respond positively to the increasing opportunities for professional development. They value learning from one another but, to date, teachers have had limited opportunities to observe teaching from across the academy partnership to enable them to further develop their leadership skills.

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The leadership and management are good

 Each pupil’s progress is carefully tracked and discussed regularly. Staff work exceptionally well together, and if pupils are not doing as well as they should, individualised programmes are immediately put into place to help them. The curriculum is wide ranging, providing opportunities for pupils, not just in English and mathematics but also in history, geography, music and art.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and the governing body ensure that good use is made of pupil premium money to help eligible pupils to achieve well, make good progress and to take part in all aspects of school life.

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The leadership and management are good

 The academy Trust provides effective support. Strong partnerships with the local secondary academy ensure that pupils make a smooth transition to the next stage of their learning and development.

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The leadership and management are good

 Safeguarding policies and procedures are robust and meet statutory requirements.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body makes an effective contribution to the academy’s leadership and management and is fully aware of its strengths and weaknesses. Governors are well informed and have a good level of skill, knowledge and educational expertise. Governors involve themselves in all aspects of academy life and contribute strongly to the overall strategic direction of the academy. They have a good understanding of the data that shows how well pupils are achieving and this enables them to challenge and support staff effectively. Governors know what the quality of teaching is and have ensured that procedures to manage teaching quality are robust and are linked to rewarding good performance.

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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 138749 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 412353

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 45 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Kath Farrer Headteacher Karin Nicholls Date of previous school inspection N/A Telephone number 01754 872323 Fax number 01754 872323 Email address karin.nicholls@hogsthorpe.lincs.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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