Epworth Primary Academy

Epworth Primary Academy Birchfield Road, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN9 1DL

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The Principal’s drive and rigorous approach has been pivotal in bringing about significant improvement in all aspects of the academy’s work since the previous full inspection.  In this, she has been well supported by an effective senior leadership team and academy staff who together have ensured rapid improvements in teaching and pupils’ achievement.  Governors, with their effective and diverse range of skills, have challenged the academy well on its journey of improvement. Through regular checks, they have accurate knowledge of the academy’s work and understand their role in securing improvement.  Pupils achieve well and make good progress overall from their starting points. Pupils’ results at the end of Year 6 are similar to the national average, with achievement at higher levels above average in reading and writing.  Children in the early years provision get off to a good start and also make good progress.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The quality of teaching is good. Skilful questioning and well-targeted activities ensure that pupils are challenged well. Teachers use a wide range of methods to engage pupils in learning, so they have every opportunity to succeed.  Pupils’ behaviour and safety are good. Pupils have good attitudes to learning; they are responsible and show care and respect for one another. They are well cared for by the academy staff.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Variation still exists in the progress pupils make over time, particularly in mathematics and for some younger pupils in Key Stage 2.  There is not enough outstanding practice to ensure that pupils are able to reach and sustain the highest levels of achievement over time.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 17 lessons, including two joint observations with the Principal. In addition, inspectors listened to pupils read and scrutinised a full range of pupils’ written work.  Meetings were held with the Principal, senior and subject leaders, teaching staff, pupils, members of the governing boards, including the Chair, sponsor representatives from the Isle Education Trust and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors examined a number of documents including the academy’s information on pupils’ achievement, records on monitoring the quality of teaching, and information on safeguarding, governance, behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors took account of the academy’s parental survey and the 18 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire Parent View.

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Inspection team

Angela Headon, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Full report

In accordance with section 13 (4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures.

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Information about this school

 The academy is similar to the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium (additional funding for pupils who are looked after by the local authority and those who are known to be eligible for free school meals) is average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is average.  Since October 2013, the academy has been sponsored by the Isle Education Trust.  There is full-time early years provision in the Reception class.  The academy meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress at the end of Year 6.  At the academy’s previous inspection in February 2013, it was judged to require special measures. Since the previous inspection, regular termly monitoring visits by Ofsted have taken place.  The academy’s current leaders have all been appointed since the previous inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further accelerate the rate of pupils’ progress over time, particularly in mathematics, by:  ensuring that all lesson activities make high demands of pupils, and that any variation in performance within Key Stage 2, particularly for younger pupils, is eliminated  routinely sharing the best practice to increase the proportion of outstanding teaching  increasing the opportunity for pupils to evaluate for themselves how they are doing in lessons.

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The leadership and management are good

 The Principal’s clear vision for the academy’s success, and the high expectations set for staff and pupils, have been the key factors in the academy’s significant improvement since the previous full inspection. There is a strong sense of purpose within the academy community, and all staff make an effective contribution to academy improvement. As a result pupils’ achievement has improved significantly.  The impact of work to improve the quality of teaching, led by the Principal, has been central to the academy’s success. Significant previous weaknesses were confronted, new appointments were made and targeted training and professional development, linked to teachers’ appraisal targets, have now resulted in good and improving teaching overall.  All the academy’s current leaders have been appointed since the previous inspection. The senior leaders’ roles have been restructured and they now play a full part in driving the academy’s improvement. They

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The leadership and management are good

provide secure guidance for their colleagues, monitor teaching quality and lead curriculum teams.  Leaders of subjects other than English and mathematics are also developing their roles well in planning, resourcing and assessing their subjects, particularly in light of the new curriculum changes at the academy.  All teachers and teaching assistants are subject to frequent monitoring by senior leaders to assess the quality of teaching and its impact on pupils’ learning, through lesson observations and checking pupils’ workbooks. Regular checks on pupils’ progress add to the information on pupils’ ongoing, and overall, achievement. Academy leaders have an accurate view of the quality of teaching across the academy. However, to ensure that the remaining variation in performance is eliminated, more teaching at the highest level is required.  Although the academy has a strong focus on English and mathematics, opportunities across subject areas

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The leadership and management are good

within the new curriculum, including enrichment and extra-curricular activities in sport, arts and language are ensuring that pupils are prepared for life in modern Britain and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well.  The promotion of sport and physical education has developed well through the effective use of the academy’s sports funding. Training for teachers, the purchase of additional resources and a full range of sports clubs have helped to improve pupils’ participation and skills. Staff report positively on the benefits of working in partnership with the sponsor’s secondary academy.  The pupil premium funding has been used well to tackle the significant legacy of underachievement of disadvantaged pupils. Through focused one-to-one support, increased staffing for key age groups and the development of targeted resources, each pupil now has an equal opportunity to succeed and do well, both

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The leadership and management are good

academically and personally.  The academy’s safeguarding arrangements meet statutory requirements to ensure that pupils are kept safe and secure.  The sponsor has given effective support to the academy, including with leadership, personnel and financial matters. The academy’s work is regularly checked by a member of the Trust Board and members of the advisory governing board who, in turn, report to the sponsor. The local authority also works in productive partnership with the sponsor to support the academy’s work. This work includes regular visits from a School Improvement Partner and reviews on the quality of teaching and learning.  The governance of the school: Governors are knowledgeable about all aspects of the academy’s work and their wide range of expertise enables them to provide good challenge and support in equal measure. They check the academy’s progress through regular visits and meetings with senior leaders and have a secure understanding of the

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The leadership and management are good

school’s data and also know where the academy needs to improve further. They understand the link between teachers’ performance and pay progression and have taken action to tackle weaker practice in the academy. Governors know how the pupil premium funding is spent and the difference it is making to those pupils who are eligible.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils enjoy coming to the academy and this is reflected in their attitudes to learning in lessons and their conduct around the academy. The academy’s promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and its commitment to pupils’ personal development is evident in the way pupils work and play cooperatively together and their responsible approach to academy life.  Good relationships between adults and pupils are evident across the academy. Pupils understand the academy’s expectations on behaviour, including the ‘golden rules’, and they report that there is no bullying. Academy records support this view. The academy takes any poor behaviour seriously and any incidents, for example name-calling, are dealt with quickly.  Pupils are given many opportunities to take responsibility, including as school councillors and pupil buddies. In particular, ‘buddies’ are also involved in actively promoting good behaviour among their peers

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Behaviour

through the ‘good job’ system, where pupils are rewarded for helping each other.  The profile and importance of attendance across the academy has been raised over time, with a range of strategies in place, led by key support personnel, notably the learning mentor. Attendance has continued to improve over time overall and for key groups and is now above average.  Parents who responded to the academy’s surveys and to Parent View indicated that they were very positive about pupils’ behaviour.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. This is supported by a very large majority of parents who indicate that their children feel safe in the academy.  Pupils have a good understanding of how to stay safe and know about risk. This was particularly evident in lessons when pupils were using practical equipment. Pupils are aware of the risks when using the internet.  Pastoral arrangements and interventions, including links with external agencies, ensure that the most vulnerable pupils are supported well.  All staff have completed safeguarding training, with key leaders trained to a higher level, and risk assessments are in place for external trips.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Staff have responded well to the training they have undertaken and also the increased expectations and responsibilities that changes in leadership have brought about. Systems for checking on the quality of teaching are rigorous. As a result teaching has improved significantly since the previous full inspection.  Teachers and teaching assistants are an effective team, As such, they ensure that pupils’ different needs and abilities are well provided for, and that pupils make good progress. This is particularly the case for key groups of pupils who previously underachieved, including disadvantaged pupils and boys.  Pupils listen carefully in lessons, enjoy answering teachers’ questions and have opportunities to discuss their ideas and take on challenging activities. However, in some lessons, pupils can lose interest and quietly disengage when the pace of learning stalls.  Teaching and learning in mathematics remains a key focus of the academy’s work. Targeted training,

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The quality of teaching is good

including peer coaching, has helped to improve practice and this is now allowing pupils to catch up and, in turn, tackle the variation in achievement. Basic skills, for example, are developed every day and applied creatively to a range of problems in different purposeful ways. In one class, for example, pupils’ knowledge of perimeters, areas and budgets was challenged very well, when they had to calculate the cost of carpets and skirting boards of different quality for different house designs within a fixed budget.  Pupils’ mathematical and literacy skills are also developed well in other subjects, including science. In one lesson, the teacher’s secure subject knowledge ensured that pupils had good opportunities to discuss, use mathematical language and develop their scientific thinking in relation to a flight, air resistance and gravity. Similar good progress was evident in other subject areas.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Assessment is used effectively across the academy and leaders have already thoughtfully integrated new systems of assessing pupils, without using national curriculum levels, into the academy’s current practice. Pupils in key year groups are using target books with the new assessment steps. In pupils’ workbooks, teachers regularly give points for improvement and pupils are given time to respond and correct their work. This has supported pupils’ development well as they have strived to catch up over time.  In literacy lessons across the key stages, pupils enjoy discussing their writing. They are able to successfully make the links between stories, characters and events in their reading and their real-life experiences to make good progress, reflecting the academy’s significant work to improve both the content and presentation of pupils’ written work.  Similarly, the academy’s systematic approach to developing reading using a whole-school literacy

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The quality of teaching is good

programme, involving pupils, staff and parents, together with the opportunity for pupils to now purchase books in the academy bookshop has promoted pupils’ enjoyment of reading and improved their skills. This is evident in the academy’s improved phonics results and pupils’ good progress in reading.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ progress as they move through the school is good overall. They make a good start in Reception and this progress is maintained in Key Stage 1.  Across Key Stage 1, a high proportion of pupils are making better than expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics. The academy’s own attainment tracking data indicates that pupils are on track to at least match the above-average results attained in 2014 at the end of this academic year.  In recent years, the progress of some pupils in Key Stage 2 has been variable, including that of boys, lower-ability pupils, disadvantaged pupils and those with additional learning needs. Currently, all these groups are making good progress. This is reflected in pupils’ work rate in lessons and the quality of the work in their books.  Due to this acceleration in progress, over time pupils are now rapidly making gains in their learning, particularly those pupils in Years 3, 5 and 6, with an above-average proportion of pupils making better

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The achievement of pupils is good

than expected progress, particularly in reading and writing. Leaders are continuing to support and closely monitor those younger pupils in the key stage who have yet to fully catch up, and to ensure that the rate of progress in mathematics, over time, matches that in English.  Gaps in attainment between disadvantaged pupils and others are closing rapidly. Previously, disadvantaged pupils were more than two years behind their peers. Currently, this group is now two terms behind others in the academy and four terms behind those pupils nationally. Leaders are working hard to further accelerate this improvement to ensure the gap in English, and particularly mathematics, continues to close.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs achieve well across all key stages, with a significant proportion making better than expected progress. Focused staff training and carefully planned and targeted intervention work with groups and individuals has supported this improvement well.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The progress of the academy’s higher-ability pupils reflects that of other groups and they are achieving well. With the exception of mathematics in Key Stage 2, recent results showed an increase in the proportion of Year 6 pupils who secured at least a Level 5 in Key Stage 2 or Level 3 in Key Stage 1. Pupils’ attainment at the higher levels is similar to, or above, the national average.  In subjects other than English and mathematics, pupils are also achieving well. The new curriculum is enabling pupils to continue to successfully make the links between subjects, extend their knowledge and develop further their literacy and numeracy skills. Evidence in pupils’ workbooks and lessons reflects this good progress.

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The early years provision is good

 Overall, children’s skills and abilities on joining Reception vary from year to year, and can range from similar to below what would be expected, particularly in literacy and mathematics. Children, however, are able to make good progress from their starting points and the large majority achieve a good level of development, above that seen nationally.  Teaching is good. Children have many opportunities to be creative in their thinking and language development, with a wide range of activities to motivate their learning. Adults question children well to develop their language and communication skills and their confidence in solving problems. The teaching of phonics carefully ensures that children of different abilities are challenged well.  Children are well cared for and the early years is a secure place for children to thrive. Relationships are positive and children behave well, cooperating with each other and with adults. Children are interested in

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The early years provision is good

their work and keen to learn. Staff work closely with parents to engage them in their children’s learning.  Leaders work effectively with the Principal on implementing new developments in the provision. Frequent assessment ensures children’s progress is regularly checked in relation to their starting points and the development of good provision has ensured that children are well prepared for the next stage of learning.

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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 138712 Local authority North Lincolnshire Inspection number 450807

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Academy converter Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 262 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Paul Barratt Headteacher Julia Gallagher Date of previous school inspection 27 February 2013 Telephone number 01427 872345 Fax number 01427 875143 Email address headteacher@epworthcp.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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