Edward Heneage Primary Academy

Edward Heneage Primary Academy Edward Street, Grimsby, Lincolnshire DN32 9HL

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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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

Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is an inadequate school

 The school has serious weaknesses because pupils’ outcomes are inadequate. This is reflected in the underachievement of groups of pupils, including the most able, disadvantaged pupils, and those with special educational needs.  Leadership and governance requires improvement because over time leaders, governors and the sponsor have not had an effective enough impact on the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes. The school is not improving quickly enough.  Teaching requires improvement because over time some groups of pupils have received inconsistent and ineffective teaching in reading, writing and mathematics which slowed their learning. It is only more recently that they have benefited from stronger teaching which is enabling them to begin to catch up to where they should be.  Rates of persistent absence among disadvantaged pupils, those who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs

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This is an inadequate school

are high.  Staff do not always have the highest expectations of pupils, including the most able, who can lose motivation when they are not sufficiently stretched or stimulated. This slows their progress.  Pupils’ behaviour requires improvement because it is too variable, ranging from excellent to unacceptable. There are a small minority of pupils who offend repeatedly and some low-level disruptive behaviour in classrooms.  Early years provision requires improvement because children’s progress is not consistently good. Children, including the most able, are not always suitably challenged and assessment is not wholly secure.  The outdoor environment is not used as effectively in the early years as the indoor area in relation to developing children’s writing and language skills.

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The school has the following strengths

 Actions taken by leaders, governors and the sponsor over the past nine months are leading to improvement in: the impact of teaching on some pupils’ learning; some pupils’ attendance; and the suitability of the curriculum for certain pupils.  Pupils enjoy coming to school and feel safe in the welcoming and caring climate the school exudes.  Teaching has improved recently and currently is largely good. This is enabling pupils to regain some of the lost ground in their learning caused by their exposure to weaker teaching over time.  The school effectively promotes pupils’ personal development and welfare and their social, moral, spiritual and cultural awareness and skills.

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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 significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning and development so that it is consistently good or better and enables all pupils in all classes to make good or better progress in all subjects by:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– substantially improving the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs who make the slowest progress from their starting points in mathematics, reading and writing – improving pupils’ behaviour, ensuring all pupils know how to be successful learners, and ensuring all pupils receive a staple diet of effective teaching that enables them to regain the lost ground in their learning – ensuring marking and feedback strategies are consistently effective in helping pupils to understand and implement what they need to do to improve their learning and progress in all subjects – reinforcing the awareness among all staff of the high expectations they should have of what all pupils, but especially the most able pupils, are capable of, given their high prior attainment.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of provision and the extent of children’s outcomes in the early years by:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– increasing the challenge provided for all children but especially the most able so that they are suitably stretched and reach their potentials, which they do not consistently achieve at present – eradicating the inconsistency in the quality of teaching that remains so that children make rapid progress in their learning and development of wider key skills and dispositions, especially disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs, who are most vulnerable to underachieving – improving the quality of the outdoor provision so that children have more opportunity to develop their writing and language skills – developing the accuracy of assessment so that there is a consistently clear picture of the relative progress all children are making during their time in the early years unit.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the effectiveness of all leaders, managers and governors, and the impact of sponsor support and challenge, in improving the quality of the academy’s provision, accelerating pupils’ achievement and supporting pupils’ learning and progress better by:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– embedding the improvement strategies which are showing signs of initial success linked to improving teaching, learning and assessment; and developing the suitability of the curriculum – ensuring more effective monitoring and evaluation of the impact of educational provision and using the data collected to better focus challenge and support to staff to further improve the impact of their work and refine provision where necessary – increasing the effectiveness of strategies to improve pupils’ attendance so that it is consistently good across all groups, and reduce rates of persistent absence, particularly among disadvantaged pupils, those who speak English as an additional language and pupils with special educational needs – reviewing the use of special educational needs funding in order to assess how it might be used more effectively to drive up improvements in the quality of provision and the outcomes achieved by this

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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. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium (additional government money to raise the achievement of disadvantaged pupils) 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 requires improvement

 The pace of change has been too slow over time and leaders know it must accelerate significantly if the school is to have any chance of fully tackling the deep-rooted serious weaknesses it has before it is re- inspected.  The school’s improvement since the previous inspection was hampered by unsuitable initial leadership and support arrangements and by ineffective challenge from governors and the sponsor.  Despite leaders cultivating a tangible collective will and ambition among most pupils and staff, this has not translated into major improvements in the school’s effectiveness, especially in relation to pupil outcomes. More needs to be done to ensure that intent and the raft of actions being taken materialise into secure and embedded improvements. The tide is turning though.  On occasion, leaders over-state the extent of their impact on pupil outcomes, behaviour management and the leadership of teaching in meeting the needs of disadvantaged and the most able pupils, and those

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

with special needs. They have a broadly accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses.  Leaders have not been effective enough in evaluating the impact of educational provision, including teaching and learning. This has prevented them from focusing their challenge and support effectively so that the impact of staff’s work increases.  Over time, the actions leaders have taken to close the achievement gap between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils in the school have been unsuccessful. Although pupil premium funding has been used to give the targeted pupils extra experiences and support designed to raise their achievement and enhance their social and emotional development, these strategies have not provided good value for money.  Over time the curriculum has not been fit for purpose and did not promote pupils’ learning and development well enough. It is now broader and more balanced and is evolving to better meet the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

diverse needs of the pupils in the school.  A systematic approach to developing pupils’ reading, writing and mathematical understanding is supplemented by an emphasis on making the connections between these and other subjects more explicit to pupils. This approach is helping pupils to develop key skills and concepts in interesting ways. Opportunities are now available for pupils to be creative, and apply their skills and knowledge in a practical way and through projects. For example, pupils talked excitedly about the visitor who taught them about the life of a Roman soldier.  Since September 2015 there has been a shift in momentum and consequent fledgling improvements in teaching, outcomes and the efficiency and impact of strategic leadership and governance. The challenge for the school will be to sustain and build on the improvements already secured.  There are some strengths in middle leadership. They have a good understanding of the subjects and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

projects they are leading on, and have action plans in place to improve. They check the impact of their work and identify the next steps for development suitably.  Current leaders, governors and the sponsor have shown they have the capacity to improve the school in key areas of its work including teaching and learning, the curriculum and raising standards.  Pupils are suitably prepared for life in modern Britain. They play an active role in decision-making in the school through their role on the school council and can discuss values such as equality and freedom confidently. They learn about a range of different customs, cultures and world religions. They are taught how to stay safe in school, online and in the community. The aforementioned activities, and assemblies, visits and visitors all help to promote pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development effectively. Pupils are respectful, raise funds for charity and know the difference between right and wrong.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 Pupils are encouraged to live healthy lifestyles. The physical education and sport premium funding is used well to increase pupils’ participation in a range of competitive sport and leisure activities, including less traditional pursuits such as archery. Specialist coaches provide quality teaching for pupils and training for staff.  The school liaises well with parents via regular newsletters, its website, and by inviting them into school for events such as open days and consultation evenings. Most parents are positive about the work of school staff and leaders. However, some parents feel the school does not ensure pupils are well behaved.  Over time, the impact of the sponsor has not been effective. Since September 2015, the involvement of the director of school improvement, who is a national leader of education (NLE), and a local leader of education (LLE), is providing more effective challenge and support which is helping the school to improve.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school More recently, the governing body has strengthened its membership by appointing governors with relevant skills and knowledge to support the strategic leadership of the school. Governors carry out their duties diligently and ensure that statutory requirements are met. However, over time they have not exerted sufficient influence to ensure that the quality of education pupils receive is good enough. Scrutiny of more recent governing body minutes shows that governors ask leaders searching questions about the school’s effectiveness. They are realistic and recognise the school is underperforming in key areas, such as the use of pupil premium funding. Governors understand how the performance of teachers is managed; it is linked directly to pay, and is derived directly from the school’s identified priorities for improvement.  Safeguarding arrangements are effective. Leaders implement robust systems and ensure staff are trained

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

to use them. School records show that staff are vigilant and follow through any concerns they have.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 The overall impact of teaching and assessment on pupils’ learning particularly in reading, writing and mathematics requires improvement. This was abundantly clear from inspectors’ observation of pupils’ learning, scrutiny of pupils’ work and their assessment information, along with discussions with pupils about their knowledge, understanding and skills. Interventions for pupils who require additional support to help them to catch up are at an early stage of development and evidence of impact is anecdotal.  The variability in teaching is exemplified by the gulf that exists between the most and least effective practices seen in lessons. On the one hand inspectors witnessed pupils thoroughly enjoying every minute of progressively taxing lessons which really captured their imagination and supported their effective learning. This contrasted with lessons in which pupils became restless and distracted because the

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

mundane work was too easy. This descended into persistent low-level disruption which slowed their learning considerably.  Expectations of what pupils are capable of are mixed. Teaching does not cater well enough for the needs of disadvantaged pupils, the most able and pupils with special educational needs so that they are stretched appropriately and develop a thirst for knowledge and a resilience in tackling challenges independently.  Opportunities for teachers to question pupils in order to test deeper understanding are being missed. Some teachers ask perfunctory questions which do not encourage pupils to think and are happy with one- word answers. This is preventing pupils from consolidating deeper understanding.  The teaching of mathematics is inconsistent across the school, and staff’s subject knowledge and confidence varies. For example, the most able pupils are not consistently given activities which will

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

deepen their reasoning skills when solving more complex mathematical problems. Consequently, not enough of them are achieving the higher levels they are capable of, particularly in key stages 1 and 2.  The impact of literacy teaching is also inconsistent; pupils’ spelling, punctuation and grammar remain an Achilles heel and require major improvement. However, the more recent approaches to developing pupils’ skills, confidence and fluency when reading, writing and speaking are beginning to pay dividends, but it is still too early for the impact to be fully evident in pupils’ outcomes.  The extent to which staff make clear to pupils precisely what it is they need to do to improve their learning and progress or exactly how well they are doing is inconsistent. In line with school policy, pupils have time to reflect and respond to and act on any written feedback staff provide, but it is not yet embedded in pupils’ psyche to do so routinely. The school’s assessment procedures have been modified

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

and strengthened more recently. Most teachers mark pupils’ work in line with the school’s own policy.  Much of the teaching inspectors saw in classrooms is currently having a good impact. However, inspectors judge that teaching requires improvement overall because there has not been enough of this stronger practice over a long enough period to ensure a greater impact on pupils’ outcomes. This is supported by the school’s own data. Nevertheless, there is credible evidence that teaching is improving, including more focused teaching for pupils with special educational needs.  The school has taken some effective steps to ensure teaching assistants consistently provide meaningful support and guidance to the pupils they work with and are clear about their roles and responsibilities.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  The school has a an inclusive and caring ethos which helps to ensure that pupils, including those deemed more vulnerable, such as disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs, feel secure.  Developing pupils’ self-confidence and self-esteem by supporting their physical, social and emotional well- being are core priorities of the school and a real strength of its work. The more recently introduced academic support unit is having a positive impact on the well-being of the targeted pupils.  The school’s use of the Western Resource Base is also helping to ensure that some of the school’s most vulnerable pupils receive the specialist social and emotional support they need to help them get back on track before they are reintegrated into the school.  Pupils are taught how to stay safe in a well-planned, structured way. Consequently, they know how to

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Personal development and welfare

keep themselves and others safe and are aware of the potential risks they might face including extremism and online grooming. As a consequence they are vigilant. Pupils know who to go to if they want support or guidance and are confident staff would help them.  Staff encourage pupils to take on responsibilities around the school, including becoming members of the school council. Pupils learn about democracy, freedom of choice and equality as part of this process.  The school recognises that they need to do more to ensure all pupils fully understand how to be successful learners.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.  A small minority of pupils are persistently withdrawn from lessons due to their inappropriate behaviour. Inspectors also saw low-level disruption and off-task behaviour in classes, which slowed pupils’ learning.  Persistent absence rates among disadvantaged pupils, pupils with special educational needs and pupils who speak English as an additional language are high.  Behaviour has to be tightly managed by staff because pupils’ attitudes to learning are not universally positive. On occasion, they struggle to self-regulate their behaviour when they think no one is watching.  Pupils say that bullying does occur. This is backed up by a number of recorded incidents of bullying including racist incidents, which seem to occur mostly at social times. Pupils say staff deal swiftly with bullying when it occurs.  A minority of parents expressed concerns about bullying and pupils’ behaviour generally.

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Behaviour

 Most staff set high expectations for behaviour, which results in most pupils complying with the behaviour expectations in lessons and around the school. Most pupils are polite and orderly. They relate well to each other and to staff. The number of fixed-term exclusions has reduced over time.  Staff have worked hard to engage with pupils and their families to raise the overall rate of attendance. As a result, attendance is now in line with the national average, which is the first time it has been so for several years. Most pupils arrive in school promptly, ready to learn with positive attitudes.

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Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

 School and published data clearly shows that pupils’ achievement over time is inadequate when set against their starting points. This is exemplified by the fact that pupils leave key stage 1 with outcomes that are similar to national averages but by the time they leave key stage 2 their attainment and progress have plummeted to significantly below average. This is the case for most groups of pupils, including the most able, pupils with special educational needs and disadvantaged pupils in reading, writing, mathematics and other subjects. Very few pupils make more than expected progress.  Pupils’ attainment in the Year 1 phonics check fell dramatically between 2014 and 2015.  Pupils’ grammar, punctuation and spelling skills are particularly weak. The school has been ineffective in ensuring that pupils who need to catch up as a result of their prior low achievement do so. Not enough of the most able pupils reach the higher levels of which they are capable. The academic progress of pupils

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Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

accessing alternative provision is slow. Collectively, this means that significant numbers of pupils are ill- prepared for the next stage of their education.  The attainment and progress gap between disadvantaged pupils and non-disadvantaged pupils has been wide over time. Although it has begun to close more recently this gap remains a concern. On occasion, the gap has only narrowed because the attainment and progress of non-disadvantaged pupils has deteriorated. Similarly, the progress made by the most able pupils and those with special educational needs is not good enough and is poorer than the performance of their peers nationally. Minority ethnic pupils’ outcomes are similarly poor.  Work in pupils’ books, the school’s tracking information and inspection evidence confirm that the large majority of pupils throughout the school are not on course to meet their age-related expectations or the progress targets based on their starting points, despite a more recent boost.

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Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

 Currently, pupils’ progress is being accelerated across the school and while this is not reflected fully in the school’s data, it was apparent from a range of inspection evidence. This is an encouraging sign.

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Early years provision requires improvement

 Early years provision requires improvement because most children enter and leave the early years with skills, language and knowledge below those expected for their age. Generally, pupils get off to a good start in Nursery, but the quality and pace of learning stalls in the Reception classes where high expectation and suitable challenge is not consistent.  The proportion of children achieving a good level of development is not improving over time and is lower than the national average. Moreover, boys do much less well than girls and the gap has grown over time. As a result, not enough children make a good start to their education and they are not as well prepared as they could be to make a successful transition into Year 1.  Leadership has not been effective enough over time in securing improvements in the quality of the provision. The more recently appointed early years leader, who is also the vice-principal and responsible

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Early years provision requires improvement

for leading teaching and learning across the school, has many demands on her time and this has affected her ability to really get to grips with improving the effectiveness of the early years unit quickly.  There is some inconsistency in the quality of teaching and some staff have not been wholly effective in promoting and developing children’s speaking, listening, early reading and writing and number skills.  The outdoor environment, although generally suitable, is not utilised as effectively as that indoors, resulting in learning opportunities to develop pupils’ writing and language skills being limited.  The extent to which staff stretch and stimulate children, including the most able, is inconsistent and this is affecting the pace and extent of their learning and development. This is especially the case for pupils with special educational needs and disadvantaged pupils, who are the most vulnerable to underachieving.

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Early years provision requires improvement

 There is some inconsistency in assessment procedures; staff have not yet developed a consistently clear picture of the relative progress all children are making during their time in the early years unit.  Behaviour in the early years is variable and can deteriorate when children are not tightly supervised, suitably engaged or challenged by teaching. Staff do not always recognise when children lose focus or direction. However, the behaviour of many children in the early years is good. Children generally work and play well together and can concentrate on their learning for sustained periods of time.  Additional funding to support disadvantaged children has resulted in these pupils making stronger progress and attaining higher outcomes than non-disadvantaged children.  Child protection and safeguarding arrangements are thorough and there are no breaches in welfare arrangements. Staff ensure that children are kept safe and know how to stay safe.

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Early years provision requires improvement

 Staff afford children a high degree of care and support, which meets their social and emotional needs well.  Staff build positive relationships with parents, who are encouraged to support their child’s learning.  The early years leader knows exactly what needs to be done to improve the provision. A start has been made and there are initial signs of impact.

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School details

Unique reference number 138857 Local authority North East Lincolnshire Inspection number 10012079 This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Academy sponsor-led Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 322 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jenny King Principal Michelle McMahon Telephone number 01472 320 016 Website http://www.edwardheneage.co.uk/content/contact-us Email address m.mcmahon@edwardheneage.co.uk Date of previous inspection 21–22 May 2014

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Information about this school

 The school converted to become a sponsored academy in October 2012. It is part of the David Ross Education Trust.  There have been a number of changes in staffing since the previous inspection, including the appointment of a new principal in January 2015 and a new chair of the governing body in October 2015.  The number of pupils on roll at the school is above average for primary schools.  Children attend part-time in the Nursery and full-time in the Reception classes.  Most pupils are of White British heritage. The remaining pupils originate from a range of minority ethnic heritages, and countries in south-east Asia, western and eastern Europe.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is above average. The pupil premium is additional government funding for children looked after and pupils known to be eligible for free school meals. These pupils are also known as disadvantaged pupils.

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Information about this school

 The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and disability is above average.  The school occasionally refers pupils to the Western Resource Base, which is an alternative provision that caters for pupils with particular social, emotional and/or mental health needs.  The school does not meet the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.  A greater proportion of pupils than nationally join or leave the school at other than the expected times.  The school manages its own breakfast club and offers a range of after-school activities.  The school’s website complies with the Department for Education statutory requirements.  The school is currently receiving support from an NLE from Wold Academy and an LLE from Swinemoor Primary School.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in 11 of the 12 classes on day one of the inspection, including two joint observations with the principal and vice-principal. Inspectors also visited 11 of the 12 classes on day two with the school’s leaders, including the class that was not observed on day one.  Inspectors listened to a range of pupils read, observed the teaching of literacy skills to targeted pupils and reviewed work in pupils’ books, both alongside school leaders and independently.  Inspectors observed a whole-school assembly, visited the school’s breakfast club and discussed the work of the very recently opened academic support unit for pupils with additional social and emotional needs.  Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and during break and lunchtime was observed.  Inspectors talked informally to pupils in lessons and around the school and held formal meetings with pupils from across key stage 1 and key stage 2.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors held discussions with the principal, other senior leaders, subject leaders, class teachers, governors, and the Director of School Improvement from the trust. Inspectors also spoke to a representative from the alternative provision used by the school.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation including the school’s evaluation of its own performance, improvement planning, documents monitoring the effectiveness of teaching and learning, minutes of governing body meetings, policies and documentation relating to safeguarding, behaviour and attendance, assessment procedures and curriculum arrangements.  Inspectors spoke to newly qualified teachers and trainee teachers about their experiences and assessed the quality of support and professional development put in place for them by the school.  Inspectors took into account the views of parents at the start and end of the day, in addition to 10

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Information about this inspection

responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View).  Inspectors took into account the 30 responses to Ofsted’s online staff questionnaire and the six responses to Ofsted’s online pupil questionnaire.

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Inspection team

John Young, lead inspector Senior Her Majesty’s Inspector Elaine White Ofsted Inspector Michael Smit 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

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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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