Gosberton Academy

Gosberton Academy High Street, Gosberton, Lincolnshire PE11 4NW

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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This is a school that requires improvement

 Senior leaders have not secured consistently good teaching across the school. As a result, pupils have not reached the standards they are capable of by the end of key stage 2.  Senior leaders have not rigorously checked the progress made by groups of pupils. Consequently, boys and the most able pupils are not achieving as well as they could.  Not all teachers have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve, particularly in key stage 2. As a result, pupils have not made good progress from their starting points.  Pupils misspell too many words that they should know.  Pupils’ skills to reason and problem solve mathematically are underdeveloped.  Leaders have not ensured that all teachers apply the school’s assessment procedures to help pupils improve their work.  Middle leaders have not been effective in raising standards in their subjects.  The progress of disadvantaged pupils is inconsistent. Consequently, they do not reach the

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This is a school that requires improvement

standards of other pupils nationally.  Pupils do not have enough opportunities to investigate in science, including planning their own investigations.  Leaders have not allocated all the sports premium funding, or evaluated the impact of the funding to check whether it is increasing pupils’ participation in sport.

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The school has the following strengths

 The new headteacher has had a positive impact since her arrival and pupils are now making better progress with their work.  New teaching appointments have increased the proportion of good teaching.  Pupils enjoy their school and focus well on their learning. They appreciate the improvements made by the new headteacher.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. Pupils work well together in lessons.  Children have a good start in the early years. A positive learning environment enables them to make good progress and achieve well.  Phonics is taught well. As a result, pupils make a good start in learning to read.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by: sharpening leaders’ analysis of pupils’ achievements of different groups of pupils, particularly of boys and the most able further developing the role of middle leaders to monitor the impact of their school improvement actions closely analysing the progress of disadvantaged pupils and putting in strategies to accelerate their progress checking that the school’s assessment policy is applied by all staff to help pupils improve their work allocating all the sports premium funding and analysing the participation of different groups of pupils in extra-curricular sporting activities.  Improve the quality of teaching and learning to raise pupils’ achievement by: ensuring that teachers have expectations for all pupils and set work which is appropriately challenging, particularly for the most able increasing pupils’ ability to spell age-appropriate words

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

developing pupils’ mathematical skills to reason and problem solve giving pupils more opportunities to investigate in science, including planning their own investigations to develop their scientific skills.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership may be improved.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 School leaders have not ensured that the quality of teaching is consistently good for all pupils. As a result, pupils do not make good progress through the school and do not achieve the standards they are capable of by the end of key stage 2.  Outcomes at the end of key stage 2 have been below the national average in 2014 and 2015 for all subjects. Unconfirmed end-of-key-stage 2 assessments for 2016 show the school’s outcomes for reading, writing and mathematics are also below the national average.  Leaders have not ensured that the pupil premium funding has been used effectively to accelerate the progress of disadvantaged pupils through key stage 2. As a result, the achievement of disadvantaged pupils has not risen to that of other pupils nationally by the end of key stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics.  Leaders have not ensured that the sports premium funding has been fully allocated to ensure that staff

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

receive high-quality professional development to deliver physical education lessons. Leaders have not analysed whether there has been an increase in the number of pupils from different groups participating in extra-curricular sporting activities to improve pupils’ physical fitness and health. However, all pupils in key stage 2 have represented the school this year in sporting competitions. The school has been runner- up in the local basketball, hockey and tri-golf competitions.  The curriculum is not planned well enough to ensure that pupils have enough opportunities to carry out investigations in science. Pupils do not get the opportunity to record results using a range of techniques and to justify their scientific ideas. Scrutiny of pupils’ books showed that, as a result, pupils were not making good progress in this subject.  The new head of school has quickly gained the confidence and respect of pupils, parents, staff and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

governors. She is aware of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and is working effectively to improve the quality of teaching. As a result, there is no inadequate teaching at the school and the proportion of good teaching is increasing. Pupils I spoke to were very positive about the new head of school and the responses to the staff survey show that staff morale is high.  The new middle leaders for English and mathematics have improved the quality of teaching. They have started to monitor the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievements in their subject across the school. The mathematics leader has provided tailored professional development to support individual teachers to improve their performance. However, middle leaders have not rigorously monitored the impact of their work to check that the quality of teaching is improving rapidly to accelerate pupils’ progress.  Leaders have set performance management targets which promote pupils’ achievement and are

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

measurable. Only good performance is rewarded. As a result, the quality of teaching is improving.  The school provides well for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. All pupils in Years 5 and 6 visited the Royal Opera House in London to take part in a workshop and observed a performance of opera to increase their appreciation of different types of music. Pupils’ spiritual development has been enhanced through leading services in the local church which have been well attended by parents.  The majority of parents who have expressed a view on Parent View (Ofsted’s online questionnaire) would not recommend the school to other parents. However, when the school conducted its own parental survey in October 2015, the responses showed high levels of satisfaction with the school. The parents who spoke to the inspector were very supportive of the school, and in particular about the new head of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

school, whom they find approachable and who responds quickly to any concerns they may have.  The governance of the school Governors are committed to improving the school. In the previous academic year, they were concerned about the school’s performance and requested the appointment of a permanent head of school from the Phoenix Family of Schools Trust to improve the accountability of school leaders. Governors were involved in the recruitment process and are pleased with the improvements made under the leadership of the new head of school. The governing body was also successful in applying for an extensive refurbishment of the school last summer which has improved the learning environment. Pupils’ work is attractively displayed and pupils walk around the school respectfully. Governors now participate in a range of monitoring activities to check the progress that leaders are making to raise standards. Governors use external data to compare the school’s performance with that

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

of other schools nationally and are very well aware of the need to raise standards across the school. Governors check the progress and attainment of disadvantaged pupils and know that it is a priority to raise the attainment of this group of pupils. The governing body has asked many relevant questions of the leaders of the new trust that is due to lead the school in September to ensure that the support it receives to lead the school will be much better.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders are very prompt at responding to concerns about pupils and liaise well with a number of external agencies, including social care. Records are detailed and securely stored. All staff have received training to help protect pupils from the risks of extremism and radicalisation. All safeguarding policies and procedures meet statutory requirements.  Senior leaders and governors have not had consistent good support from the Phoenix Family of Schools

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

Trust to raise standards. The assessment system to measure pupils’ progress, which was implemented by the Trust, did not help teachers assess how well the pupils were achieving. As a result, pupils did not make the progress expected of them.  Pupils show tolerance and respect to others who may have different lifestyles to that of their own. Following an assembly on British Values, one pupil wrote, ‘I am proud to be part of a tolerant community.’ Pupils study a range of different faiths, including Buddhism and Judaism, as part of the religious education (RE) lessons which prepares them well for life in modern Britain. However, pupils have not had the opportunity this year to visit places of worship, other than Christianity, to deepen their knowledge and understanding of different faiths.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 Teachers’ expectations of what pupils are capable of achieving, particularly for the most able pupils, have not been consistently high enough. Consequently, pupils’ progress has been too slow.  Not all teachers provide enough opportunities for pupils to reason and problem solve mathematically. As a result, pupils do not gain a deep understanding of mathematics by the end of key stage 2.  Not all teachers have followed the school’s assessment policy. The advice given to pupils to improve their work does not always have the intended impact. In some instances, pupils’ work is unmarked. Consequently, pupils do not make the progress that they should.  Scrutiny of pupils’ work shows that pupils are developing the content of their writing. In Year 4, a pupil wrote, ‘exploding with anger’ to describe a character’s feelings. However, teachers do not always ensure that pupils punctuate their work or correct their spellings. As a result, the standard of pupils’ writing does

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

not improve quickly enough.  Pupils are becoming more accurate in completing their written calculations. Where teaching is better, pupils are applying their calculations to problem-solving questions. In Years 5 and 6, pupils were given a challenging task to solve a mathematical problem involving prime numbers. This involved pupils finding patterns and using their knowledge of odd and even numbers to answer the question. Pupils were engrossed and were eager to find the solutions through systematic working.  In Year 2, pupils have undertaken research about the Antarctic to develop their geographical knowledge and understanding. They located Antarctica on a world map and researched how penguins have adapted to their environment. Owing to the high expectations of the teacher, pupils have written their work to the same standard as they have written in their English books, and completed all their spelling corrections. As

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

a result, pupils have made faster progress in this year group over the past two terms.  The teaching of phonics is good. Teachers and teaching assistants have good subject knowledge and ensure that pupils pronounce the correct sounds to blend the letters to make words. Younger pupils use this strategy well to help them start to read books.  Teaching in the early years is good. The children are inspired to learn. A group of children were observed composing their own sentences which were correctly punctuated. One child wrote, ‘The frog is sitting on the log’.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils are very focused in lessons and want to learn. They listen to the adults and can work with sustained concentration to complete tasks. Most pupils are taking great care to present their work neatly and join their handwriting.  Pupils enjoy the positions of responsibility and carry out their roles well. The school council has raised money for charity and for the new reading garden. The school prefects represented the school at the war memorial for Remembrance Day and the junior ‘PSCOs’ have supported the police in giving an assembly about road safety, as well as leading by example in their behaviour at breaktimes. Consequently, pupils take pride in their school.  Pupils are taught about healthy living, although not all pupils could explain what a balanced diet was. Most pupils in Year 6 can swim 25 metres, which is the standard set by the government by the end of key

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Personal development and welfare

stage 2.  Pupils say that bullying is rare. They also say that derogatory language is not used in the playground.  As part of the curriculum, leaders organised for the NSPCC charity to deliver an assembly and workshop to improve pupils’ knowledge of how to stay safe. Pupils have a good understanding of how to stay safe online and know not to give out personal details.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Incidents of poor behaviour are rare and not serious. Their frequency has reduced. Pupils behave well outside in the playground. There are a range of activities, including basketball and football, which the pupils participate in. Pupils enjoy playtime and play safely.  Disruption in the classroom is rare. Pupils are motivated to learn and are keen to earn one of the many Disney cards and have a chance to pick out a reward from the treasure chest on Fridays. As a result, pupils’ behaviour in classrooms and around the school is good.  In the classrooms, pupils work well with each other. One group of boys in Year 1 had to decide whether a number was even or odd. They could explain their thinking to each other and take turns. Occasionally, some pupils are over-enthusiastic and shout out their answers, which prevents other pupils from answering.  Pupils’ attendance is good. The attendance of disadvantaged pupils is higher than the national average

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Behaviour

and higher than that of other pupils in the school. The school’s education welfare officer has developed good relationships with parents and reinforced the importance of good attendance. As a result, the number of pupils who have been persistently absent has reduced as the academic year has progressed.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 Outcomes in reading and mathematics in 2015 fell from the results attained in 2014. Moreover, the outcomes in mathematics were significantly below the national average. Unconfirmed information from the assessments at the end of key stage 2 in 2016 shows that the proportion of pupils who reached the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics is well below the national average. Consequently, pupils are not as well prepared as they should be for the next stage of their education.  The progress made by all pupils through key stage 2 in 2015 was below average. As a result, the most able pupils did not achieve as well as other most-able pupils in mathematics. Close scrutiny of pupils’ current work from this group shows that their spelling and mathematical reasoning is not as good as it should be.  Disadvantaged pupils made below-average progress through key stage 2 in 2015 and did not attain as

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

well as their classmates or other pupils nationally in mathematics, reading and writing. Disadvantaged pupils did achieve higher than their classmates and other pupils nationally in English grammar, punctuation and spelling. Current school information shows that this group of pupils’ attainment is similar to that of their classmates across the school. However, this is largely because the attainment of other pupils has fallen.  Unconfirmed information at the end of key stage 2 in 2016 shows that boys have attained higher than girls in mathematics and that girls have attained higher than boys in reading. In writing, the attainment of boys and girls is broadly equal. However, the school’s tracking information is currently showing that girls are achieving higher than boys in all year groups except in Year 4.  Outcomes at the end of key stage 1 in 2015 were below average in reading and writing but above in

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

mathematics. Girls achieved higher than boys in all subjects except in mathematics. Pupils who speak English as an additional language achieved well below other pupils in all subjects. However, current school tracking information shows that the majority of this group of pupils are making accelerated progress from their starting points.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make inconsistent progress through the school. Current school information shows that less progress is made in Years 3, 4 and 5. The school has worked with specialist support teams and the educational psychologist to meet the needs of pupils. Consequently, some pupils have made good progress from their starting points.  Pupils receive regular homework. However, not all pupils receive feedback about how well they achieved in their learning. Consequently, pupils do not make as much progress as they should.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 Outcomes in phonics are high. The proportion of pupils who met the expected standard in the phonics (letters and the sounds they represent) screening check was well above the national average in 2015. Outcomes in 2016 are also above the national average of 2015. All disadvantaged pupils in 2015 and 2016 passed the phonics screening check. The majority of pupils who speak English as an additional language have passed the check over the past two years.

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Early years provision is good

 The enthusiastic teaching in the early years motivates the children to learn and make good progress. The children have recently enjoyed reading ‘Stick Man’ by Julia Donaldson and are trying to locate the Stick Man in the classroom. One boy was observed writing independently, ‘Please help me find Mr Stickman,’ using his phonics to spell the words.  The children are inspired to learn through the range of activities that they can complete both inside and outside the classroom. One group of children were observed digging outside for dinosaur bones and using the garden tools appropriately. Another group of pupils were very excited when the teacher opened the butterfly pavilion to release the butterflies. The teacher skilfully asked questions to check the children’s understanding of the life cycle of a butterfly.  The early years leader has developed good links with the local pre-school group. She has delivered

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Early years provision is good

training to staff on how to observe and assess children. In addition, there are many opportunities for the pre-school children to visit the school to ensure a smooth transition. As a result, the children settle well into their new school.  Assessments at the start of the school year show that most children start school with skills below those typical for their age. Children make good progress, and by the end of Reception, the proportion of children who have reached a good level of development in 2015 was above the national average. Outcomes for 2016 are also above the previous national average.  In 2015, there was hardly any difference between the percentages of boys and girls who achieved a good level of development. In 2016, all girls have achieved a good level of development but only 59% of boys. This is due to the larger than average number of boys who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. The school has worked with a range of outside agencies, including speech and language

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Early years provision is good

therapists, and as a result, all the boys have made good progress from their starting points.  Over the past three years, all disadvantaged children have reached a good level of development.  Occasionally, the children are not asked to explain their answers to questions in more detail. Consequently, their speech and language development is not promoted as well as it could be.  The most able children are challenged well. Children are writing at length and using a question mark in their writing. Close scrutiny of their work shows that children make good progress with their letter formation. Consequently, some children have exceeded some of the early learning goals by the end of the Reception Year.  The teacher and teaching assistants closely monitor the progress of each child. They regularly observe pupils to check what they can do. If a child is struggling with a concept, they plan more activities to

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Early years provision is good

enable the child to grasp the concept. As a result, the children make good progress in all areas of the curriculum and are well prepared for Year 1.  The early years leader has worked well with parents to ensure that they are involved in their child’s learning. She has organised workshops for parents which concentrated on how English and mathematics are taught and has also invited parents into the classroom for ‘stay and play’ sessions. More parents are adding observations from home to the online learning journal to help inform the staff about the progress their child is making at home. As a result, the children are making good progress.  Children move around the setting well. Resources are accessible to the children, which promotes their independence. The children’s behaviour is good and they are enthusiastic learners.  Staff have had paediatric first-aid training and there are appropriate systems in place to ensure that the

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School details

Unique reference number 139192 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 10005635

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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 138 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Peter Redman Headteacher Sarah Gray Telephone number 01775 840414 Website www.gosbertonacademy.co.uk Email address enquiries@gosbertonacademy.co.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Gosberton Academy is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils joining or leaving the school at times other than at the start of the academic year is much higher than the national average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, for whom the pupil premium funding provides support, is above the national average.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below the national average.  Most pupils are from White British backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is broadly average.  The school is currently part of the Phoenix Family of Schools Trust. It was not possible for the inspector to speak to the directors of the Phoenix Family of Schools Trust during the inspection. The school is planning to join the Boston Witham Academy Federation at the start of the autumn term 2016.  The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

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Information about this school

 In 2015, the school met the government’s floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed six lessons, all jointly with the head of school. In addition, the inspector saw a number of short parts of lessons.  The inspector looked at pupils’ work in a range of subjects.  The inspector met a group of pupils from key stages 1 and 2. The inspector also observed pupils at breaktime and listened to younger pupils read.  Meetings were held with: the head of school; leaders of English, mathematics and the early years; the education welfare officer; members of the governing body; the executive headteacher; and a head of school from the Boston Witham Academy Federation.  The inspector spoke to 20 parents informally at the start of the school day. The inspector also considered the 57 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View.  The inspector also considered the responses to questionnaires completed by six members of staff.  The inspector looked at a range of documentation including: the school’s self-evaluation; the school

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Information about this inspection

development plan; the head of school’s reports to the governing body; the school’s most recent information on pupils’ achievement; and information relating to teaching, behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Martin Finch, lead inspector Her Majesty’s 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

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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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