Djanogly Northgate Academy

Djanogly Northgate Academy - Primary Suez Street, New Basford, Nottingham, NG7 7GB

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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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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils make good progress in all subjects and particularly good progress in reading.  Teaching is lively and enthusiastic and good use is made of praise to encourage the pupils.  Leaders and managers are a successful team who all work together well to ensure pupils succeed.  Effective arrangements are in place to support pupils who are new to the school or who speak English as an additional language.  Pupils enjoy school. They say they feel safe and very well cared for. Their behaviour is good and parents agree.  The leadership of the headteacher is particularly strong in raising achievement and improving teaching.  Effective arrangements are in place to involve parents. Parents are very positive about all aspects of the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching is not yet outstanding. It is not consistent across the whole school.  Pupils do not always understand what they are expected to learn in each lesson.  Written feedback to teachers does not always give clear guidance about how to make all lessons outstanding.  Pupils’ writing is not always lively and imaginative.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in all classes, visiting 24 lessons and part lessons and observing all teachers. All the full lessons observed were carried out jointly with senior leaders.  Discussions were held with pupils, the headteacher and other leaders and managers, as well as representatives of the governing body and of the academy chain.  Inspectors looked at a range of documents, including the school’s development plan, records of the governing body meetings, safeguarding arrangements and work in pupils’ books.  Inspectors heard pupils read.  Parents were asked for their views at the beginning and end of the school day and the views of the 13 parents who contributed to the online Parent View survey were analysed. Inspectors took account of the responses to the questionnaire for staff.

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Inspection team

Simon Griffiths, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Elaine Williams Additional Inspector David Channon Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Djanogly Northgate Academy converted to become an academy school in September 2011. When its predecessor school, Northgate Primary and Nursery School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good.  The proportion of pupils eligible for pupil-premium funding is much higher than the national average. This is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or looked after by the local authority.  There are an above average number of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and those who speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average but the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is average.  The number of pupils at the school is rising quickly.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school runs its own small nurture unit for children with social or behavioural needs.  The headteacher is a local leader of education and provides support to Seagrave Primary School.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure teaching is often outstanding and never less than good by making sure that:  leaders’ observations of lessons include clear written guidance on what needs to be done to make good lessons outstanding  all pupils fully understand what they are expected to achieve in every lesson  best practice is shared so that all lessons, particularly those in phonics (the sounds that letters make), are as good as the very best ones.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure writing is lively and imaginative by helping pupils to develop the ideas and enthusiasm they need to become successful writers.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children join the school with knowledge and skills which are below those typically found, particularly in speaking and listening. Activities, including good use of the outside area, help children to learn to work together. Careful recording of children’s achievements are used to plan effective activities. As a result, they make good progress and join Year 1 with levels which are close to average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 A smaller proportion of pupils than normal reach the expected levels in phonics in Year 1. They make good progress and by the end of Year 2 most pupils have reached the expected levels. Pupils are able to use these skills in their reading.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In Key Stage 1 pupils typically reach broadly average levels by the end of Year 2. Results fell last year and were significantly below those expected. However, pupil records show that those pupils who joined the school from the start of Early Years Foundation Stage made good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make rapid progress in Key Stage 2 in reading and achieve well above average levels. In mathematics pupils consistently achieve standards which are slightly above average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils do well in spelling, punctuation and grammar. Their writing though is average and not as strong because the content is not always as interesting and lively as it needs to be. The school is focusing on the quality of pupils’ talking skills to improve these aspects of their writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who are supported by pupil-premium funding generally make similar progress to other pupils in the school. School tracking shows that in most year groups the gap between their results and other pupils is closing. The 2013 Year 6 results show that although these pupils did better than those nationally there was a small gap in reading between eligible pupils and the others in the school. The gap was over a year behind in writing and a year and a half in mathematics because other pupils did particularly well.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ books show they consistently produce work of a good standard. Books are neat and tidy and cared for. The work of more-able pupils is particularly strong.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who speak English as an additional language and those joining the school during the year also make good progress because there are good systems to support them by finding out their needs quickly and providing extra help. It is the same for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ achievements in sport are growing. They are playing a wider range of sports and also their physical education is improving. The school recently won an inter-school basketball competition. Leaders rightly place importance on this.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is nearly always good with examples of some outstanding teaching. Teachers know their pupils well. Relationships are very good and pupils are given confidence to answer questions and also give longer answers. The school sees talk as an important skill in raising the quality of writing to make it more interesting.  Teachers are good at checking how well pupils are doing, making sure they understand their tasks and also that they are working quickly enough to make sure they finish in the time.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants make a strong contribution to learning, often supporting pupils with basic skills. They are clear in what they expect pupils to learn and break down the learning into small steps. Pupils grow in confidence in these small-group sessions.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of phonics varies. In some groups pupils are given time to practise their sounds and letters but also move on quickly when they understand. The teaching is more accurate in some groups than others and is not yet consistently good.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers in the nurture unit are skilled at ensuring pupils have interesting activities, opportunities for making choices but also acquiring the learning skills needed to succeed in whole-class lessons.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Where teaching is outstanding it is because questioning is sharper and makes pupils think hard and quickly. Expectations are high and pupils know they are expected to do well. The questions and activities are well planned to ensure no time is wasted and new learning is introduced by building carefully on what different pupils already know.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In most lessons pupils make good progress because they have good learning habits and this helps them to make the most of the activities and discussions. They listen carefully to each other and good use of talk helps them to learn well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the few lessons where teaching requires improvement teachers do not make it clear what they expect children to achieve from their different starting points. Sometimes the learning shared at the start of the lesson is repeated in the group sessions and pupils do not have time to complete the task.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Books are usually regularly marked and teachers make helpful comments on what pupils need to learn next. Pupils take pride in their books and they are neat and tidy.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching in physical education and sport is improving as teachers are benefiting from working alongside specialist staff funded by the school’s sports funding.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of pupils who speak English as an additional language and those new to the school is effective because work is tailored carefully to their needs. This is the case both in small groups and in full lessons.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They behave well in lessons and around school. Teachers are able to concentrate on teaching because pupils want to learn and interruptions are rare. Behaviour in the dining room and on the playground is good. It is noticeable that all adults, including, for example, lunchtime staff, show interest in the pupils and make sure they are happy.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have good learning skills. In most lessons they are able to concentrate well, join in discussions and also work by themselves. They are particularly good at talking in pairs about their learning and helping and supporting each other. However, when teaching is less strong they sometimes do not contribute or focus on their learning as fully as they should.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure in school is good. Pupils say that if any bullying does occur it is quickly sorted out. They have a good awareness of what bullying is and the different forms of bullying. They know what to do, for example, in the case of internet or text bullying.  Attendance has been below average but is improving and the school is close to its attendance target. There are effective systems to improve attendance and enjoyable activities such as themed days encourage children to come to school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils get on well together regardless of backgrounds or ability. Parents say how happy their children are and how pleased they are they go to this school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has improved over time and pupils are now consistently making good or better progress. The school is growing rapidly in size and leaders recognise the challenge to ensure the typically high standard of teaching reached over time is maintained and improved.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher have been relentless in bringing about improvements both in standards and the all-round experiences offered to pupils. They have created a team who are fully committed to the pupils. They expect high standards of all staff.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have an excellent understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Clear plans make sure that strengths are maintained as the school grows in size. Leaders make sure that the management of teaching is rigorous and that teachers’ pay is linked to pupils’ progress and the teachers’ contribution to the whole school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders are able to judge the quality of teaching very accurately. Sometimes written records of observations are not clear on the progress of different groups of pupils and what needs to be done to make teaching outstanding.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders are knowledgeable and effective in managing their areas of responsibility. They are well supported by keen and enthusiastic subject leaders. Several members of the team are new and they are growing in confidence and starting to drive forward new ideas and improvements.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school successfully promotes equality of opportunity, fosters good relations and tackles discrimination by ensuring the needs of different groups of pupils are met and provides good support to those recently joining the school from different backgrounds. This aspect of the school’s work was commented on by parents.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum is helping pupils to succeed and the range of after-school clubs is growing.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupil-premium funding is used carefully and has been particularly effective in supporting catch- up programmes for reading. The school’s sports funding is being used to pay for specialist teachers who are helping to improve the skills of the teachers, as well as increasing the range of sporting activities. Consequently, the teaching of sport and physical education is improving and pupils are getting better at a wider range of sports.

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The leadership and management are good

 The academy chain provides light touch support because the headteacher and leaders are a strong team. Improvement since the last inspection across many areas of school life show the school has strong capacity to get even better.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors use the available published performance data to judge how well the school is doing. Records of meetings show governors challenge senior leaders about pupil performance, particularly with regard to the lower results last year in Key Stage 1. There is a good sense of teamwork between governors and staff based on mutual respect. They know about the quality of teaching and visit school regularly and are seeking training to improve this aspect of their work. Carefully thought through arrangements to link governors with aspects of the school are helping to improve this knowledge further. They are aware of how the pupil-premium funding has been spent and have monitored the outcomes of that. Likewise, the benefits of the school’s sports funding are monitored. For example, one governor has close firsthand knowledge of the benefit it has brought to pupils in taking part in more competitions and also

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The leadership and management are good

the pride felt by pupils in having proper kit when representing the school. They are clear on the need to reward good teachers and tackle any underperformance. Governors carry out their statutory responsibilities. The school is well managed financially and clear systems are in place for health and safety.

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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 137182 Local authority Nottingham Inspection number 431553

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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 Primary School category Academy converter Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 362 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Gordon Anderson Headteacher Elizabeth Anderson Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 0115 9156896 Email address headteacher@northgate.djanogly.org 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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