St Ann's Well Academy

St Ann’s Well Academy Hungerhill Road, St Ann's, Nottingham, NG3 3PQ

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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 thrive in this academy because they are well cared for, well taught and feel safe.  Pupils make good progress from their starting points in developing reading, writing and mathematics skills. They are well prepared for the next stage of their education.  The quality of teaching is good, and there are examples of outstanding teaching. Pupils settle down to learning very quickly at the beginning of lessons and show a sense of excitement and anticipation.  Pupils behave well in different parts of the academy. They demonstrate positive attitudes to learning, and say that they are proud of St Ann’s Well.  Pupils are excited and engaged by the subjects and topics they learn about. There is often a buzz of creativity in the air.  Pupils show a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe, both in and out of school. Most pupils attend the academy regularly.  Staff have developed excellent relationships

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

with most parents and carers. As a result, almost all parents and carers spoken to by inspectors, or who responded to the online questionnaire, are positive about the academy.  The Trust has made a very strong impact on improving the quality of leadership in the academy. Consequently, good leadership and momentum is been maintained during a time of changes and in the absence of the headteacher.  The talented executive headteacher, and the highly skilled governing body, provide strong strategic leadership, and ensure that staff are effectively held to account.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough pupils achieve the higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2.  The features of the very best teaching in the academy are not always shared with staff as well as they could be.  Teachers do not consistently ask challenging questions of pupils to make them think hard.  Pupils do not always get enough chances to practise their writing skills in different subjects, or enough chances to develop reading and writing skills, when working outdoors, in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed pupils’ learning in 16 lessons and part-lessons. Two of these were observed jointly with the executive headteacher. Inspectors also listened to six pupils read.  Discussions were held with pupils, senior leaders, teachers, the Chair of the Governing Body, and the Chief Executive of the L.E.A.D (Lead Empower Achieve Drive) Academy Trust. Inspectors held informal discussions with parents and carers as they brought their children to school.  Inspectors observed the academy’s work and looked at pupils’ books, pupils’ progress data, governing body minutes, leaders’ documents showing how the quality of teaching is monitored and improved, safeguarding information and a range of other documents.  Eleven responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, were considered as well as those from the academy’s own parental survey. Inspectors analysed responses on 11 questionnaires from members of staff. Responses from the academy’s own survey of pupils’ views were also

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Inspection team

Jeremy Spencer, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Clare Cossor Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 St Ann’s Well converted to become an academy, as one of the founding schools of the L.E.A.D. Academy Trust, in October 2011. The academy continues to be supported by the Trust. When its predecessor school, St Ann’s Well Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted in February 2010, its overall effectiveness was judged to be ‘good’.  The academy is of broadly average size, when compared with other schools and academies of the same type.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional government funding for looked-after children and those known to be eligible for free school meals, is well-above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, supported through school action, is well-above average. The proportion supported at school action plus, or with a statement of special educational needs, is broadly average.

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Information about this school

 Pupils come from a broad range of ethnic backgrounds. The proportion of pupils whose first language is not English is above average.  The headteacher has been absent from school since April 2014 on extended medical leave. In the absence of the headteacher, the school is being led and managed by three assistant headteachers and an executive headteacher.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and accelerate pupils’ progress, to ensure that more pupils reach the higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics, by:  ensuring that teachers consistently ask more challenging questions of pupils to make pupils think harder  providing pupils with more frequent opportunities to write at length, to develop their writing skills, in different subjects of the curriculum  ensuring that children in the Early Years Foundation Stage have more opportunities to develop reading and writing skills when learning in the outdoor environment  sharing the features of the best teaching in the school more effectively, so that more teaching becomes outstanding.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children typically begin the Nursery class with knowledge and skills well below those normally expected for their age. They make good, and sometimes very good, progress during their time in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They learn in a stimulating and safe environment and form strong, positive relationships with other children and with adults.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils continue to make good progress in Key Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2) and close the gap between themselves and other pupils nationally in the development of reading, writing, communication and mathematics skills. The proportion of pupils meeting the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics (the sounds that letters make) reading check rose sharply in 2013, to be in line with the national average. This level of performance has been maintained in the 2014 check.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In recent years, despite closing the gap, pupils have still typically left Year 2 with standards in reading, writing and mathematics that are well-below the national average. The latest results in 2014 show that standards are improving further, and pupils are about to leave Year 2 with standards below, rather than well-below the national average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress in Key Stage 2 (Years 3, 4, 5 and 6). They typically leave Year 6 with standards in reading, writing, and mathematics which are broadly in line with those expected for their age. This represents good progress from their starting points and means that they are well prepared for the next phase of their education. Pupils’ good progress is underpinned by their very positive attitudes to learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 There are no significant differences between the achievements of pupils from different ethnic backgrounds across the academy.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The most able pupils make good progress from their starting points. However, not enough of these pupils make the outstanding progress required to enable them to achieve the higher levels at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2. This is because teachers do not consistently ask really challenging questions of the most able pupils in lessons, to make them think really hard, and support their very rapid progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils supported through the pupil premium make good progress from their starting points. Across the academy, most of these pupils are quickly closing the gap between themselves and their peers. This is because staff understand the needs of these pupils and provide them with good support in lessons. It is also because the academy’s leaders have invested a large proportion of pupil premium funding on sharply focused, small group catch-up sessions in reading, writing and mathematics, led by teachers. Almost all pupils working in these groups make accelerated progress, often equivalent to a year and two terms.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils, and those with special educational needs, make good progress from their starting points. Their individual needs are assessed carefully by staff and their progress is carefully checked. Intervention programmes are used to effectively help pupils to catch up, if they start to fall behind. However, leaders have identified accurately that the progress made by school action plus pupils, in writing, is weaker than in other areas of learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Leaders have successfully ensured that primary sport funding has made a positive impact on pupils’ health and well-being. The funding has been used to make a number of improvements, including a 30% increase in the number of after-school sports clubs available to pupils. This has resulted in increased take-up of sports activities by pupils.  During the inspection, pupils, including some pupils with special educational needs, were observed performing a high quality dance sequence, with a specialist teacher. Pupils told inspectors proudly about the broad range of sports clubs offered at the academy, including football, rugby, hip-hop, and street dance. Discussions with pupils also indicate that they have a good understanding of what constitutes a healthy lifestyle.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 All parents and carers spoken to during the inspection, and the large majority of those responding to the online questionnaire, believe that children make good progress at the academy and achieve well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers plan lessons well and have a sound knowledge of what they are teaching. As a result, pupils make good progress in their learning. Most teachers use interesting, and often creative, starting points to lessons which capture pupils’ interest. For example, Year 1 pupils took great delight in cutting up pieces of fruit to explore in detail what was inside, as they learned about lifecycles. Observations of learning, and work in pupils’ books, show that teaching is usually good and some is outstanding.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers know the pupils well and usually make sure that the content of lessons challenges all pupils to learn new skills as well as practise those which they need to get better at. For example, in a Year 2 literacy lesson, pupils were practising using adjectives to describe what had happened in a story but also using speech marks for the first time to record what different characters were saying.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most teachers use questions effectively to find out what pupils know and to challenge their thinking. However, this is not consistently the case, and sometimes questions could be used more effectively to ensure that pupils think more deeply about their learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have high aspirations for all pupils. Skilled and well-trained teaching assistants provide very strong support for pupils to ensure that they achieve the targets which have been set for them. Because of this, pupils are confident and are proud to talk about what they can do and what they have learned.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers mark work regularly and marking makes a strong impact on supporting pupils’ good progress. Teachers highlight ‘imps’ for pupils in marking, which show pupils how they can improve their work, or highlight the next steps of learning they need to take. This successfully helps pupils to understand what they have done well and how to correct any mistakes they have made.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Reading is taught well across the academy. Pupils read with enjoyment and confidence. They are able to apply the skills they have learned to help them ‘sound out’ difficult words. The teaching of phonics in the Early Years Foundation Stage is outstanding. However, some reading books are in a poor state of repair and the academy is aware of the need to address this.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In mathematics, teachers’ effective planning for different groups of pupils ensures that pupils acquire new skills quickly. In a Year 5 lesson, a boy was able to confidently explain a new method he had just been taught for ‘doing ratios’ and was able to accurately check and self- correct his own work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good, and, on occasion, outstanding. Adults know the children well and plan an exciting range of learning activities both inside and outside. Children are enthusiastic about exploring the outdoor environment, and during the inspection, were able to talk confidently about what they are learning about insects and wildlife. However, more could be done in the outdoor area to encourage children to begin to read, make marks, and write.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers and teaching assistants ensure that pupils’ attitudes to learning are positive by ensuring that they identify and make the most of each child’s successes and achievements. They typically do this through frequent, but well-measured praise. Pupils respond very well to this, and, as a result, most are focused and engaged learners.

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The quality of teaching is good

 All parents and carers spoken to during the inspection, and the large majority of those responding to Parent View, believe that children make good progress at the academy and achieve well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 ‘She’s not here yet, come on, quick, let’s get started with some counting!’ This comment made a lasting impression on one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors. The comment was made by a pupil at the beginning of a mathematics lesson, when pupils arrived slightly early into a classroom, ahead of their teacher. Upon hearing this comment, the whole class began spontaneously counting in multiples of five, as they had apparently practised this on the day before. This highlighted to the inspector the positive attitudes to learning that pupils in this academy typically have.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils behave well in different parts of the academy, at different times of the day, including at the very popular breakfast club. Pupils told inspectors that a very small number of individuals in the academy find it difficult to behave well. However, they also told inspectors that teachers and other staff were able to ensure that any inappropriate behaviour is dealt with effectively. Pupils also reported that bullying at the academy is very rare.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Some pupils who attend the academy have a history of exclusions in other settings. However, exclusions at the academy are rare. This is good evidence of the academy’s effective work to improve the behaviour of pupils who can sometimes find it difficult to behave well. Recently established ‘Class Ambassadors’ play an important role in helping to identify positive behaviour traits in their peers. This is a positive step forward for the academy, as pupils begin to become increasingly involved in promoting high expectations of their peers’ behaviour.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The academy’s strategies to improve pupils’ attendance are effective. Consequently, the attendance of different groups of pupils is in line with the national average, and rising. Classes with the highest attendance are recognised in assemblies and rewarded with ‘smiley faces’, which can be exchanged for whole class rewards, including extra break times. Pupils respond very well to this system. And take great pride in their improving attendance.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The academy’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. For example, pupils demonstrate an age-appropriate understanding of how to stay safe when using the internet, following input from academy staff. Older pupils also understood about the potential dangers of knife crime, and the inappropriate use of drugs, following input from specialists and the police, which was organised by the academy.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development ensures that they develop into well balanced individuals, who work, play and learn together harmoniously. This underpins the good behaviour and safety of pupils at the academy.  All parents and carers spoken to during the inspection, and the large majority of those responding to the online questionnaire, believe that pupils behave well at the academy, and are kept safe.

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The leadership and management are good

 Despite some changes in leadership, and the absence of the headteacher, academy leaders have ensured that the academy has maintained its strong momentum of improvement. The executive headteacher, deployed to support the academy by the Trust, has worked very effectively to improve the skills of the academy’s assistant headteachers. As a result, the assistant headteachers have been well-equipped to support the good development of teachers’ skills, and the quality of the work of teaching assistants. Newly qualified teachers, in particular, have received excellent guidance and support. As a result, they demonstrate strong teaching ability and are ensuring that pupils in their care make good progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 In addition to the deployment of the executive headteacher, the Trust has provided a range of other effective support for the academy. For example, leaders from the Trust have supported staff in developing their skills to check that pupils’ work is being assessed accurately. Staff have also been able to visit other academies in the Trust, recognised for their outstanding teaching practice, to pick up new ideas. Leaders understand that they must now improve systems within the academy to share the features of the very best teaching, so that more teaching can become outstanding.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have ensured that the academy’s curriculum is stimulating for pupils, and helps them to develop basic skills well. Further improvements to the curriculum have been planned for the autumn term 2014. However, pupils do not always have enough opportunities to practise their writing in longer pieces of written work, in different subjects of the curriculum, to help them to reinforce their skills. Work in pupils’ books shows that more opportunities are gradually being planned, but there are still some inconsistencies across the academy between classes.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders, in conjunction with the Trust, have developed very effective and detailed systems to track the academic progress made by different groups of pupils. The academy also tracks pupils’ behaviour patterns. However, these systems are less sophisticated and do not enable leaders to check the improvements made in pupils’ behaviour, over time, very efficiently.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders ensure that good systems are in place to keep children safe and to try to protect them from harm. Academy staff work with staff from other agencies effectively, when required, to ensure that pupils’ are appropriately cared for. The academy carries out appropriate background checks on the suitability of members of staff, and records these in a suitable format. At the time of the inspection, leaders were in the process of making staff aware of the latest statutory safeguarding guidance, ‘Keeping children safe in education’, and were revising the academy’s safeguarding policy.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage, and, separately, the leadership of special educational needs, are good. Leaders use data and other information very effectively to ensure that children achieve their potential and make good progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders successfully ensure that the academy’s resources are used to secure good value for money. Additional funding, including the pupil premium, and the primary sport funding, is used effectively to narrow gaps in pupils’ achievement and increase participation in school sport.  The governance of the school:  Effective systems have been implemented by the governing body to ensure that governors have a thorough understanding of the academy’s strengths and weaknesses. Systems include frequent visits to the academy from governors. Each visit has a clear focus, and results in governors outlining suggested actions and further challenges for leaders. In the last academic year, highly-skilled governors have visited the academy to carry out a number of activities, including a review of the academy’s safeguarding procedures, a check on the quality of the academy’s environment, a check on pupils’ behaviour, and to meet with subject leaders,

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The leadership and management are good

including the leader for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs.  Governors have a clear and accurate overview of the quality of teaching in the academy, and link this to data about pupils’ achievement.  Governors understand how performance management is used to improve the quality of teaching. There is an agreement that teachers only move up on the pay scale if they achieve their performance targets. Governors ensure that systems are in place to deal with any underperformance in teaching.  During the inspection, the Chair of the Governing Body showed a good awareness of the impact made by additional funding on improving the achievement of pupils supported through the pupil premium.

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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 137526 Local authority Nottingham Inspection number 443977

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School details

This inspection of the academy 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 230 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Alan Puckey Headteacher Stephen Parry Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 0115 9155808 Fax number 0115 9155809 Email address admin@st-anns.nottingham.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 and 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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