Benjamin Adlard Primary School

Benjamin Adlard Community School Sandsfield Lane, Gainsborough, DN21 1DB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 This inspection: Inadequate 4 Leadership and management Inadequate 4 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Inadequate 4 Achievement of pupils Inadequate 4 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires special measures.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leadership at all levels is inadequate because too little action has been taken to improve teaching or pupils’ achievement since the last inspection.  Governance does not provide effective support or challenge to the academy’s leaders and the newly formed Rapid Improvement Board is not yet providing these.  The academy website does not meet statutory requirements.  Information on pupils’ progress is unreliable and systems for checking pupils’ progress are inefficient.  Not all subject leaders have the skills to improve pupils’ achievement and some leaders have too many responsibilities.  Subject leaders do not rigorously check that teaching in every class is making sure all pupils make good progress.  Teaching, particularly of writing and mathematics, and especially in Years 3 to 6, is not good enough. As a result, pupils are not making the progress they should.  Teachers’ expectations are not high enough,

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

especially of the most-able. Marking does not give pupils enough help to improve their work and learn from their mistakes.  Pupils have too few opportunities to write in subjects other than English or to apply their mathematical skills in other subjects.  Pupils’ grammar, punctuation and spelling skills and their calculation skills are not good enough.

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The school has the following strengths

 Children in the early years make good progress as a result of good teaching and effective leadership of that area.  The teaching of reading is good in the early years and in Year 1.  Attendance is improving and is now average.  Pupils conduct themselves around the academy and in classrooms well.  Pupils say they feel safe in school and that adults care for them.  Pupils with emotional difficulties are supported well in the nurture unit.  Despite the uncertainty in leadership, staff morale is high with many appreciative of the recent changes that have been made.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed lessons, playtimes and lunchtimes. Pupils’ work in books was scrutinised and the acting headteacher was involved in much of this work. Pupils’ work on display around the academy was also examined.  Meetings were held with pupils, the consultant headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders, other staff and a representative of CfBT Schools Trust.  A range of documents were considered. These included the academy’s analysis of how well it is doing, its improvement plan and policies, minutes of the Rapid Improvement Board’s meetings, safeguarding documentation, behaviour and attendance records.  Account was taken of the 13 responses in the online questionnaire for parents, Parent View. Inspectors also gathered parents’ views at the start of the academy day and considered the responses to the recent parent questionnaire administered by the academy. The questionnaires completed by 17 members of staff

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Inspection team

Lois Furness, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Full report

In accordance with the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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Information about this school

 This is the academy’s second inspection since it converted to become an academy in April 2012. It is part of the CfBT Schools Trust.  The academy is smaller than the average-sized primary school. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds and few speak English as an additional language.  Nearly six in every ten pupils come from disadvantaged backgrounds, which is well above the national average. These pupils are supported through the pupil premium, which provides additional government funding for pupils in local authority care and those known to be eligible for free school meals.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is well above average.  The academy meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  A well above-average proportion of pupils (nearly one in every three) joins or leaves the academy at other

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Information about this school

than the usual times  At the time of the inspection, the substantive headteacher had been absent since the middle of September and has now resigned. The deputy headteacher and assistant headteacher are leading and managing the academy. Since October, a consultant headteacher, employed by the CfBT Schools Trust, has been supporting the leadership. This is a temporary arrangement and the consultant has been allocated 15 days in the academy up until the end of December 2014.  The governing body was dissolved during the spring term 2014 and a new governing body known as the Rapid Improvement Board (RIB) was established in June 2014 with full delegation from the CfBT Schools Trust for all aspects of governance. However, in September 2014, this was also dissolved. In October 2014 a new RIB was established as the governing body of the academy. One meeting had been held at the time of the inspection by the new RIB.

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Information about this school

 Early years provision is in a part-time Nursery class and a full-time Reception class.  The academy has a nurture resource base for eight pupils which is known as the ‘Launchpad.’ Pupils within the academy who are experiencing emotional difficulties attend this facility for a maximum of one term after which they are then re-integrated back into class.  The school has two newly qualified teachers, one of whom joined the academy at the beginning of the week of the inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching, especially in Years 3 to 6, so that it is consistently good or better by:  raising teachers’ expectations of what pupils are able to do, especially the most-able pupils  all teachers regularly checking throughout their lessons that different groups of pupils, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, are making sufficient progress and, if necessary, adapting the tasks given  providing pupils with focused guidance in marking on how to improve the quality of their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Urgently improve the effectiveness of leadership and management, including governance, by:  resolving the issue of the permanent leadership of the academy and distributing leadership responsibilities more evenly throughout the staff  developing the support and challenge roles of the members of the Rapid Improvement Board who are not members of the academy’s staff  making sure information about pupils’ achievement is accurate and the systems for tracking progress are efficient  ensuring that leaders check more often that pupils’ work is of a high quality and provide teachers with written feedback to help them improve their teaching  helping subject leaders to make an effective contribution to improving the quality of teaching and raising achievement.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve achievement in writing and mathematics by:  improving pupils’ grammar, punctuation, spelling and handwriting skills  giving pupils regular opportunities to practise their writing skills in other subjects  developing pupils’ calculation skills, including their knowledge of multiplication facts  giving pupils regular opportunities to use and apply numeracy skills in different contexts, including problem-solving.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 An external review of governance, to include a specific focus on the academy’s use of pupil premium funding, should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Inspectors strongly recommend that the academy should not seek to appoint newly qualified teachers.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 Too little has been done to improve the academy since its last inspection. The temporary leadership team is enthusiastic and has begun to make changes but there is much to do to move this academy forward. Self-evaluation is too optimistic and leaders have too positive a view of the quality of teaching in some classes.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 The arrangements for the senior leadership of the academy are currently uncertain because of the sudden resignation of the headteacher. The deputy headteacher, who has assumed the role of the acting headteacher, is also the special educational needs coordinator, the English subject leader and has responsibility for assessment. Other staff have taken some of these roles but they are inexperienced and are reliant on support from the deputy headteacher. Other subject leaders do not have the necessary skills to influence teaching and pupils’ achievement. Without considerable external support the leadership does not have the capacity to bring about the necessary improvements to the academy.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 Monitoring and evaluation of the academy’s work lack rigour. Checks on pupils’ progress, especially in their workbooks, have been limited and are not systematic. Teachers do not receive regular feedback about how to improve their teaching skills. The information the school records about what pupils know and can do is inaccurate and consequently the targets set for pupils in Year 6 are unrealistic and unachievable.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 Performance management is used to hold teachers to account for pupils’ achievement. Targets are linked directly to the standards set out nationally for judging the quality of teaching and to the progress pupils should make across the year. It is unclear what happens if teachers do not meet their targets, and the current arrangements for performance management have not brought about the improvements that are needed in the quality of teaching.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 The primary sport funding is used to improve sporting provision within the academy, to improve teachers’ expertise and to buy additional resources. As yet, however, there has been no analysis of the effect this funding has on pupils’ well-being and their achievement and whether it has brought improvement.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 Pupil premium funding is used to support the nurture resource, pastoral care, additional teaching of individuals and small groups in class time, and extra booster sessions. The pastoral support has been very successful in supporting pupils with emotional needs, in reducing exclusions and improving attendance. The use of pupil premium funding has not improved academic achievement strongly in all year groups. The system for tracking the progress of different groups of pupils is unwieldy and does not easily provide useful information to make sure additional resources are targeted accurately.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 The curriculum does not ensure pupils’ good achievement and pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to use and apply their literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects. Leaders are introducing the new national curriculum and staff have attended training to help them with planning. They are at an early stage of introducing a new system of assessment.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 There is a good range of enrichment activities, such as after-school clubs, visits and visitors to the academy. Aspects of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are promoted well in certain subjects, such as English, art and religious education. Core values of care, kindness, respect and tolerance are effectively promoted so pupils understand about life in modern Britain.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 The academy’s promotion of equality of opportunity is not fully effective. This is because, although the academy tackles discrimination well, the good achievement of different groups of pupils has not been assured.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 Discussions with parents, information from Parent View and the academy’s own questionnaire analysis show that the majority of parents are mainly happy with the school’s work. Most parents who stated a view would recommend the academy to others.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 The early years leader provides effective leadership and this helps children to achieve well by the end of the Reception year. She is providing effective support to the deputy headteacher. Together these two leaders are raising staff morale and ensuring that staff understand the reasons why change is necessary. For example, support staff have had their hours increased so that pupils can now be supported on Fridays, when previously this was not the case. Staff questionnaire returns are very positive about the temporary leadership arrangements. The staff member responsible for pastoral care is effective and this is reflected in the reducing number of exclusions and pupils’ improving emotional development.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 The educational director of the CfBT Schools Trust very quickly recognised on his appointment in May that the reports given to the Trust were not providing an accurate picture of the academy’s performance. He was instrumental in the forming of the Rapid Improvement Board (RIB). The Trust is supporting the academy’s leadership with an experienced consultant headteacher to work alongside the temporary leadership team. Specialist leaders of education from Mount Street Academy, a local teaching school, have also been commissioned to work with staff to improve their teaching skills.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 The governance of the school:  Governance is weak. The Rapid Improvement Board (RIB who are the governing body has not challenged leaders well enough about school improvement issues. The Trust recognised that, despite training, governors were not providing adequate challenge. The Educational Director of the Trust is the Chair of the latest RIB. The RIB has another member who is experienced in school improvement. This board, however, has had limited impact and is not holding academy leaders to account for pupils’ achievement. It is too newly established for members to be able to speak about their influence on provision and know about the use of primary sport funding and pupil premium funding.  Governors are aware that the academy is underperforming and that teaching is not yet good, but have only recently come to understand the seriousness of the situation. Their knowledge of way teachers are rewarded for their performance is limited.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 The RIB have agreed two positive actions. They have appointed an additional teacher for Year 5 pupils, who were previously taught with either Year 4 or Year 6 pupils. They have also established a parents’ forum so that the RIB can receive information about parental concerns through a representative who attends the meetings of the RIB.  The academy website does not meet statutory requirements and does not provide all relevant information such as the use and impact of sports funding and statistical information about the achievements of pupils eligible for pupil premium.  Arrangements for safeguarding meet statutory requirements.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. This is because although pupils generally have positive attitudes towards learning, the quality of the work in their books does not consistently reflect these positive attitudes. Pupils do not take sufficient pride in their work and presentation is often careless and untidy.

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Behaviour

 Pupils are polite and well mannered. The relationships among pupils, and between pupils and adults, are good. They behave well in their classrooms and around the academy, including during playtime and in the dining hall. Children in the Nursery and Reception classes are developing good social and moral skills. They get on well together and respond positively to adults.

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Behaviour

 Attendance has improved since the previous inspection and is average. Pupils enjoy coming to school although a few pupils do not arrive punctually in the morning.

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Safety

 The academy’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. All statutory arrangements for safeguarding are met. Pupils learn how to keep safe, for example, when using the internet or when near roads. Discussions with pupils showed they understand about different types of bullying, including cyber bullying. They stated that bullying rarely happens at this academy.

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Safety

 All parents who spoke with inspectors and the vast majority who completed the on-line questionnaire agreed that their children are kept safe in the academy. The staff questionnaire also commented on the good safety and care of pupils.

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Safety

 Pupils are safe and happy at the academy. They are eager to talk to visitors about the many things that they enjoy about the academy and how the teachers ‘care about us’. The nurture unit is successful in supporting the pupils who have emotional difficulties. Pupils who join the academy at times other than is usual are integrated quickly into academy life and say how they were made to feel welcome. All staff try hard to ensure each pupil feels valued and phrases such as ‘Whatever people say, I am me and that’s OK!’ are displayed in communal areas for pupils to remember and reflect upon.

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

 Teachers’ expectations of what pupils are able to do are not high enough. Although this is better in some year groups than in others, the most-able pupils are not being moved forward in their learning fast enough in all classes. Teachers’ information about the things pupils know already is not always accurate and this means that pupils are not making consistently good progress in their learning.

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

 Teachers do not routinely check pupils’ skills and understanding during lessons to find out whether work is at the right level of challenge. Too often, time is wasted as the work is too hard for some and too easy for others. Teachers do not consistently adapt or change tasks in lessons to take account of this.

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

 Marking and feedback from teachers does not help pupils to know how well they are doing and how they can improve their work. In classes where pupils’ achievement is improving, marking is better and pupils use teachers' comments well to make changes. Teachers do not yet use subjects other than English and mathematics sufficiently well to develop reading, writing and mathematical skills.

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

 Although teachers encourage pupils to write for different purposes, they do not give enough guidance to pupils about how to improve their grammar, punctuation, spelling and handwriting skills. In mathematics there is an increasing emphasis on teaching different methods of calculation but not enough is being done to improve pupils’ knowledge of numbers facts.

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

 Staff have established an atmosphere of respect in lessons and they use rewards for good behaviour well to encourage pupils to work hard. Teaching assistants are developing effective skills in supporting pupils with emotional difficulties. However, they are less effective in helping disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. The work given to these pupils is often too hard and teachers rely too heavily on teaching assistants to help pupils through it.

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

 All staff encourage the development of spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness within the subjects taught and in experiences outside the classroom. For example, during mathematics, pupils learn how to share equipment and, in other subjects, they learn to take turns and to respect each other’s views as was seen in a debate in Year 4. Classrooms and areas around the academy are attractive and tidy with interesting displays of pupils’ work.

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

 Well-organised and effective phonics teaching in the early years and Years 1 and 2 is helping secure improvements in pupils’ reading skills and the standard of reading is rapidly improving in these year groups. Pupils are confident in tackling new words and are developing a love of books. Guided reading is taught well in Years 3 to 6.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Pupils do not make consistently good progress especially in writing and mathematics and standards are declining. In 2013, pupils’ attainment by the end of Year 6 was well below average in writing, including grammar, punctuation and spelling, and in mathematics. It was average in reading. Pupils in the upper part of the academy made good progress in reading and writing in 2013 from their low starting points in Year 3, but made much slower progress in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 The attainment of pupils in Year 6 declined in 2014. Although this was a small year group in which over a half of pupils had special educational needs and mobility since Year 4 was high, the progress made by these pupils was too slow in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Progress between year groups and subjects varies too much. The work in pupils’ books shows that pupils make faster progress in Years 1, 2 and 4 because of mainly good teaching. However, in Years 3, 5 and 6, their progress is particularly slow. In all classes, the progress made by different groups of pupils varies too much.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 The most-able pupils do not move onto more challenging work quickly enough. A check of pupils’ books showed that too often they are made to repeat easy activities they can already do before they move on to harder work. This is particularly evident in mathematics, when pupils are simply given bigger numbers to calculate rather than having opportunities to apply their knowledge, for example in solving problems.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 The achievement of disabled pupils and those pupils who have special educational needs is inadequate. Time is wasted as they struggle with work that is too hard for them. The support they receive is not always effective and teachers do not check whether groups taught by teaching assistants are making enough progress.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Pupils who join the academy at times other than is usual make varied progress. Sometimes it is good when they receive tailored support, but too often the work they are set is not matched well to their ability and is too easy or too hard.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 In 2014 disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 were over four terms behind others in the academy in mathematics, nine terms behind in reading, six and a half terms behind in writing and seven terms in grammar, punctuation and spelling. In comparison with other pupils nationally, the difference was seven terms behind in mathematics, eight terms in reading and grammar, punctuation and spelling, and nine terms in writing. Although two thirds of these pupils joined the Year 6 cohort during Years 5 and 6, teaching is not good enough to ensure the gap narrows over time.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 There has been an upward trend in attainment by the end of Year 2. In 2014, pupils’ attainment overall was well below average but an increased number of pupils reached the expected level in reading writing and mathematics compared with previous years. There was a marked difference between boys’ and girls’ attainment in 2014, but this was not evident during classroom observations or in the analysis of pupils’ work.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Children join the Nursery with skills and abilities that are below those typical for their age in communication, language and literacy and in their personal social and emotional development. Most children, including those who need extra help, get off to a good start and this year in 2014 children are reaching standards similar to those of other children nationally and so are well prepared for Year 1. Attainment at the end of the Reception year has improved rapidly over the last five years.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 In the Year 1 screening check of how well pupils know the sounds letters make (phonics), a broadly average proportion of pupils achieved the level expected nationally. This reflects the good progress they make in reading in the early years and Year 1. Pupils develop good independent reading skills and older pupils say they enjoy reading a wide range of books. Throughout the academy, the majority of pupils have attainment at age-related expectations in reading. Most pupils read regularly at home and have plenty of opportunities to practise their skills in class.

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The early years provision is good

 Children’s attainment on entry to the Nursery is lower than that typical for their age in communication, language and literacy and their personal, social and emotional development. In physical development their attainment is typical.  Provision in the early years is effectively led and managed. Children are offered a wide range of interesting indoor and outdoor learning activities. There are effective systems for checking and recording their attainment and progress. Detailed learning journals for each child provide an annotated and photographic record of their progress and learning experiences.

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The early years provision is good

 Adults have established very good relationships with the children and create a safe and stimulating environment for them to learn and flourish. The children feel safe and relate well to adults and to other children. In the Nursery, even though they have only been at the academy a few weeks, children are happy, settle down well to routines, are eager to learn and enjoy school life.

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The early years provision is good

 Children share the learning resources and take turns willingly. They are well behaved in the Nursery and Reception classes and children are taught from an early age to try and manage their own and others misbehaviour. This was seen when one child was reluctant to allow another to use the whiteboard. Other children patiently explained that this wasn’t fair and the situation was resolved peacefully.

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The early years provision is good

 All groups of children are making good progress in the different areas of learning. This is because of good teaching and the interesting activities provided. Children make good progress in speaking and listening because teachers and helpers successfully encourage them to talk about their learning. In the Reception class children considered carefully the sequence of activities they would choose to do, using language such as ‘first’, ‘next’ and ‘after that’. In a one-to-one reading session, children were effectively encouraged to sound out letters to read unfamiliar words. The teaching assistant modelled this well.

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The early years provision is good

 As a result of skilful teaching and the high expectations of the early years leader, attainment at the end of the Reception year has been improving rapidly. This year, the proportion of children who reach a good level of development at the end of the year is average. Children are well prepared to start Year 1.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 138063 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 449063

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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 184 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Tim Culpin Headteacher Bernadette Glabus Date of previous school inspection 3 October 2012 Telephone number 01427 612562 Fax number 01427 612562 Email address enquiries@benjaminadlard.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 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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