Knottingley St Botolphs C of E Academy

Knottingley St Botolph’s Church of England Academy Primrose Vale, Knottingley, West Yorkshire WF11 9BT

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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This is an inadequate school

 Leadership is inadequate because leaders have not been diligent in their safeguarding duties.  Governors have failed to check that leaders are applying safeguarding policies with rigour.  Leaders have failed to address weaknesses in pupils’ outcomes in writing over a number of years. They do not have a clear enough view of whether pupils are making enough progress in any subject over time.  The quality of teaching is not consistently good, especially the teaching of writing. Teachers do not challenge the most able pupils well enough in a range of subjects, so too few pupils reach above average standards.  Too many pupils are persistently absent, especially those who are disadvantaged. This limits their progress.  Leaders do not prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain. Many pupils know too little about other cultures and beliefs in this largely mono- cultural community.  The behaviour of a minority of boys at social times

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This is an inadequate school

is boisterous and unsafe. Some pupils use discriminatory language.  Too few children in the early years make more than typical progress from their starting points.

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The school has the following strengths

 Most pupils generally make good progress in mathematics because of better teaching in this subject.  Most pupils who have special educational needs or disability make good progress.  Attendance overall has improved.  Early reading is taught well so almost all pupils reach the required standard in learning letters and sounds by the end of key stage 1.

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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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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Leaders and managers must ensure that safeguarding is effective, by: responding in a timely and rigorous way to any allegations or concerns that pupils may be suffering, or are at risk of suffering, harm and sharing information in a timely manner with the relevant authority following up on any referrals made to the local authority to make sure that prompt action is taken reviewing all safeguarding procedures to ensure that they meet statutory requirements and applying safeguarding policies with rigour.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that the rate of pupils’ progress improves and standards are raised, especially in writing, by: checking that each pupil is making enough progress from the standard they reached at the end of the previous phase of their education ensuring that all teachers challenge the most able pupils in all subjects, so more pupils reach above average standards providing teachers with the knowledge and skills to teach writing well, so that pupils’ vocabulary, sentence-making skills and handwriting improve ensuring all support staff are used well throughout lessons demanding more of pupils in a wide range of subjects and making sure pupils always produce their best work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve provision in the early years, by: helping more children to make more than typical progress by the time they leave the Reception class making sure the assessments of children’s knowledge, skills and understanding as they enter the Nursery are accurate providing more purposeful and challenging opportunities for children to write across the range of provision more fully involving parents in their children’s learning and assessment.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ behaviour, by: eliminating boisterous and aggressive behaviours addressing the use of any discriminatory language helping those pupils who struggle to control their own behaviour to become more self-disciplined.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Better prepare pupils for life in modern Britain by ensuring the curriculum provides more opportunities for pupils to learn about a range of cultures

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Reduce persistent absence rates for disadvantaged pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

 Leaders have not properly followed the school’s safeguarding procedures. They have not carried out investigations nearly rigorously enough, nor have they contacted the local authority when they should. Additionally, they have not been tenacious in following up referrals to the local authority to make sure prompt action has been taken. These inadequacies are unacceptable because they potentially undermine children’s safety.  The poor teaching of writing has gone unchecked over a number of years, when leaders ought to have made it a higher priority. Consequently, pupils’ outcomes in writing require improvement.  Leaders do not have a clear view of the progress of groups of pupils over time from different starting points. Too much emphasis has been placed on the progress of pupils since the previous term, and not enough on progress since the previous phase or key stage. As a result, many pupils have not made enough progress,

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

especially in writing, and too few pupils have reached above average standards in any subject.  Senior and middle leaders check the quality of teaching by visiting lessons and looking in pupils’ workbooks. This has resulted in some better teaching in some classes, but has not resulted in consistently good teaching across the school and in all subjects.  As a result of training, there have been recent improvements in the way teachers ask questions to probe pupils’ thinking, and in the way they involve pupils in discussions. As a result, the quality and quantity of pupils’ speaking and listening, and their ability to reflect and explain their thinking, has improved.  The leader of provision for pupils who have special needs or disability is shared among five local schools. The leader has a good knowledge of each pupil’s needs and communicates well with teachers. The leader tracks the progress of each pupil and makes sure each one receives the support they need. As a result, the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

few pupils on the school roll who have special educational needs or disability generally make good progress.  Leaders’ use of the government pupil premium funding, intended to close gaps between the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and others, has not had the required impact. In some year groups and subjects gaps have narrowed and in some the gaps have widened.  The curriculum is broad and balanced. However, teachers’ expectations of pupils in their topic work, including in science, are too low. Teachers do not demand enough of pupils, so much of the work that they set is too easy. In addition, teachers do not ensure that pupils produce their best and neatest work in all areas of the curriculum.  The work of leaders to promote pupils’ spiritual moral, social and cultural development has been variable in its success. Pupils reflect in collective worship sessions and are involved in fundraising efforts. Some pupils

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

have been on visits to Christian and other places of worship. However, the knowledge of many pupils about world faiths, other cultures, and different types of family groups is limited. Pupils have been involved in elections of school councillors, giving them some insight into democracy, but many do not understand what the school councillors and ‘eco-warriors’ do. Pupils are not being prepared well enough for life in modern Britain.  Leaders make effective use of additional government funding for physical education (PE) and sports to improve teachers’ knowledge and expertise in teaching PE, and to secure professional coaching for pupils, for example from Castleford Tigers Rugby Club. Pupils have participated in rugby, soccer and athletics competitions, and take part in after-school clubs such as cheerleading.  Involvement of professionals from the multi academy trust to which the school is affiliated has had minimal

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

impact on leadership, teaching and outcomes. Representatives from the local diocese have not provided school leaders with support or challenge since the principal took up post.  The governance of the school Governors have ensured that safeguarding policies are in place that meet statutory requirements, but they have not checked closely enough that leaders are acting properly on the agreed policies. Governors have begun to ask more probing questions of leaders. However, they are not tenacious enough in challenging leaders, and in particular have not been effective in challenging areas where there has been underachievement over time. The governing body has secured an external review of governance. However, the external reviewer, who is the local authority, is the same organisation that provides support services to the governing body, and this calls into question the independence of the review process.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

 The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective. Leaders do make sure that adults recruited to work or volunteer in school have been checked to ensure they are suitable to work with pupils, and leaders carry out assessments to minimise risk to pupils on educational visits. However, as well as the more serious shortcomings related to investigating and reporting safeguarding concerns, not enough fire evacuation practices have been carried out and more care is needed to ensure the playground and paths are well swept and not slippery underfoot, and that climbing equipment is properly cared for.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 The quality of teaching is variable across the school. The teaching of writing is particularly weak, so pupils do not make enough progress. Teachers do not challenge the most able pupils sufficiently, so too few of them reach above average standards.  Teachers’ weak knowledge about how to help pupils improve the range of words they use and to write better-quality sentences means that in writing lessons, pupils are not clear about what they need to improve. Teachers do not teach handwriting well, so pupils’ handwriting across most of the school is weak.  Some examples of more effective teaching of writing are beginning to emerge. Pupils in Year 1 are beginning to form letters correctly, preparing them for joined-up writing. Some of the Year 1 pupils whose prior attainment in writing is low are being taught effectively by a teaching assistant, so are beginning to make progress. Pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 have recently begun to make better progress in writing due to

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

some more effective teaching, but not enough to catch up. Improvements are not rapid and sustained.  Some teachers ask carefully worded questions and probe pupils’ responses to help them think more deeply. Some questioning is less effective, requiring pupils to give only one-word answers. Occasionally, pupils’ misconceptions go unnoticed so are not corrected.  Some teachers do not make the best use of teaching assistants, especially during whole-class teaching, so pupils who would benefit from extra help at these times do not always receive it.  Teachers generally involve pupils fully in lessons, and provide them with lots of opportunities to discuss their ideas with each other. All pupils are required to respond so there is no hiding place for those who are reticent. Because of these recent improvements in practice, pupils are growing in confidence.  The teaching of mathematics is stronger than in writing and reading, resulting in better achievement in

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

mathematics than in other subjects. Teachers follow the school’s calculations policy, and pupils do well in this aspect of mathematics. Following some training, teachers are beginning to set problems that are more challenging for pupils to solve. However, this is a recent development and variability in this aspect of practice is the main reason the most able pupils are not challenged well enough in mathematics.  Phonics teaching (knowledge about letters and the sounds they make) is effective, so most pupils reach the required early reading standard by the end of year 1, and those who do not catch up by the end of Year 2. However, teachers do not help pupils develop their comprehension skills well enough, so progress in reading slows by the end of Year 2. The teaching of reading in key stage 2 is better, helping pupils to make generally good progress. Weaker readers get regular practice, and most pupils enjoy reading. However, as

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

in other subjects, too few pupils are working at above expected standards.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.  Pupils are generally more compliant in lessons than deeply engaged. When pupils are left to get on with their work, they sometimes lose focus, particularly those pupils who are less self-disciplined. Many pupils do not develop resilience and independence as learners because teachers do not challenge them well enough. Few pupils take real pride in their work.  Relationships between adults and pupils are positive and pupils listen to each other’s viewpoints. Pupils are increasingly confident in sharing their ideas with each other as they take turns in such activities as ‘rally robin’, where they share as many ideas with each other about a subject as fast as they can. Attention is strongest at these times.  Pupils demonstrate good knowledge about the potential dangers of the internet and social networking.

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Personal development and welfare

However, the attitudes of some pupils to such topics as online bullying are less than positive and a few pupils are inclined to disregard the advice they are given.  Pupils’ personal development is undermined by their limited knowledge about other cultures and different types of family relationships. Some pupils use discriminatory language. However, pupils say they feel safe. They report that bullying does not happen very often and that when it does, adults are effective at sorting things out.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.  A minority of boys are boisterous at playtimes. They play rough games that result in too many accidents in the playground. Much of this play goes unchecked by adults. Some pupils show limited awareness of how to behave around visitors and do not exhibit good manners.  Most pupils are well behaved in lessons and around the school site. They respond well to routines such as lining up, and they follow instructions. Where needed, they respond to adult correction.  Attendance has improved over the last year so that it is almost in line with the national average. This is due to the effective work of the local cluster of schools inclusion team, and the efforts of the school to help pupils see the importance of good attendance. However, too many pupils are still persistently absent, particularly those who are disadvantaged. Some of these pupils are falling behind in their learning. A small

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Behaviour

minority of pupils are regularly late for school each day.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 Outcomes require improvement because there has been an inconsistent picture of pupils’ progress over time and progress remains variable. For example, pupils in Year 2 last year made limited progress in reading and writing from their starting points at the end of the early years. Progress in writing across the school has been weak over a number of years, and is not improving at a fast enough rate. Progress in mathematics, however, is better.  Too few pupils have reached above average standards in reading, writing or mathematics in any phase of their schooling, and too few pupils currently in the school are working at above the expected standard. This is because teaching does not challenge the most able pupils well enough.  The few pupils who have special educational needs or a disability make good progress because of the strong leadership of this aspect of the school’s work by the locally shared special educational needs leader.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 Gaps remain between the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and others. Last year, by the end of key stage 2, none of the disadvantaged pupils made greater than expected progress to enable them to do as well as other pupils from similar starting points. Throughout the school, achievement gaps between disadvantaged pupils and others are too variable.  Pupils make good progress in their early reading. However, progress is slowed in reading by the end of key stage 1 because pupils’ reading comprehension skills are not as well developed as their reading fluency. Pupils’ reading improves as they progress through key stage 2, where generally good progress is made.

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Early years provision is inadequate

 The early years provision is inadequate because the shortcomings in safeguarding that potentially undermine the safety of pupils in the rest of the school also potentially affect the youngest children. However, all other aspects of the early years provision are not inadequate, but do require improvement.  Children enter the nursery with skills, knowledge and understanding that are broadly typical and below those expected for their age. The proportion of children achieving a good level of development by the time they leave the early years is broadly in line with the national average. Therefore, from their starting points, almost all children make typical progress, but too few make more than typical progress. Not enough pupils are as well prepared as they should be for Year 1.  The early years leader has a generally accurate picture of the strengths and weaknesses in provision and has a clear vision for the development of the early years provision. The leader has made positive changes;

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Early years provision is inadequate

for example, improvements have been made in the resource areas to better challenge children. However, these developments have not been in place long enough to have an impact on children’s outcomes.  Leaders and teachers involve parents by holding special events and inviting parents in for ‘stay and play’ sessions. Teachers meet with parents before the children start Nursery to find out what the children already know, understand and are able to do. Some parents are hard to reach and less involved. Leaders are not always persistent enough in pursuing parental involvements in the assessment and learning of their children.  Adults interact with children as they play and explore with the thoughtfully arranged resources, asking questions that encourage children to talk and think. For example, children were helped to share predictions about what would happen as they excitedly floated objects down water chutes. The outside provision is

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Early years provision is inadequate

particularly well developed and popular with children.  Adults encourage children to develop independence and the confidence to make decisions. For example, children are helped to choose when to put their coats on when they go outside, and when to have their snacks. Children behave well. They interact well together and follow instructions, stopping and tidying up when asked. They are confident to talk with visitors.  The opportunities teachers provide for children to practice their knowledge of letters and writing are limited in scope, too often only resulting in children recording single words, and not offering enough challenge to some children.

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School details

Unique reference number 139107 Local authority Wakefield Inspection number 10010996

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 353 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Steve Jackson Principal Cathy Lloyd Telephone number 01977 677494 Website www.stbotolphsacademy.org.uk Email address info@stbotolphsacademy.org.uk Date of previous inspection 16–17 October 2012

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Information about this school

 Knottingley St Botolph’s Academy is a larger than average-sized primary school.  The school is a stand-alone academy that is affiliated, but not accountable to, the Schools Partnership Trust Academies (SPTA), a multi-academy trust.  The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage. Very few pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is a little below the national average. The pupil premium is additional government funding for disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and for children who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is well below the national average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards. These are the minimum expectations of pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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Information about this school

 The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information about governance, admission arrangements and the curriculum on its website.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited nearly all the classes at least once to observe learning. Some of these visits took place with school leaders.  Pupils were questioned about their learning and what it is like to be a pupil at the school. Inspectors scrutinised pupils’ workbooks and listened to a number of pupils read. Pupils’ behaviour was observed around the school, including at breaktimes and at lunchtime.  Discussions took place with the headteacher, senior and middle leaders, five members of the governing body and representatives from Schools Partnership Trust Academies. The lead inspector spoke with a representative of the diocese, and the local authority designated officer (LADO) on the telephone.  Inspectors questioned parents at the start of each day of the inspection and analysed the responses of 34 parents to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View.  The inspectors analysed 21 responses to the staff questionnaire and 22 responses to the pupils’

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Information about this inspection

questionnaire.  Documents were analysed, including school development plans, governing body minutes and information about pupils’ achievement.  Records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding were scrutinised.

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Inspection team

Philip Riozzi, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Lynn Kenworthy Ofsted Inspector Clare McGarey Ofsted Inspector James Reid Ofsted Inspector guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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