Landau Forte Academy Moorhead

School report Landau Forte Academy Moorhead Bracken’s Lane, Alvaston, Derby DE24 0AN

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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 Inadequate

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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

 Pupils’ outcomes are inadequate. Pupils do not make fast enough progress across key stages 1 and 2; pupils’ attainment remains low by the time that they leave the school. Consequently, they are not well prepared for the next stage of their education.  Leaders and governors lack an accurate view of the school’s performance because they have not evaluated the quality of teaching and its impact on pupils’ outcomes sharply enough. As a result, teachers and support staff have not been provided with the training that they need in order to improve their practice.  Leaders’ plans for improvement are not clear enough to show how teaching is going to be improved.  Leaders lack a thorough understanding of the performance of different groups of pupils. Consequently, they are not accelerating the progress of disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities quickly enough.  Leaders have not tackled the areas identified for

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This is an inadequate school

improvement at the previous inspection. Therefore, they have not shown a capacity to secure improvements.  Teaching, learning and assessment are inadequate, particularly in mathematics. Teachers do not match work to the needs of the most able pupils, which means that they make less progress than they should.  Teachers are not implementing the school’s marking policy consistently. Pupils lack guidance on how well they are doing, or how to improve.  Attendance is below average. Too many disadvantaged pupils are persistently absent and this affects the rate at which they learn.  Pupils’ behaviour requires improvement; low-level disruption in classrooms occurs because pupils are not challenged consistently in their learning. Adults do not correct the behaviour of a few pupils well enough.

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The school has the following strengths

 Pupils’ presentation of their work is typically good.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. Pupils have a range of opportunities to develop their skills in sport, music and the arts.  Leaders and teachers work effectively with parents.  Pupils in the early years make a steady start to their education.

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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?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management by:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

making sure that school improvement plans are detailed and precise so that it is clear what actions are to be taken to improve teaching, and ensuring that the action plan is evaluated regularly in terms of the extent to which actions have had a positive impact on pupils securing an accurate self-evaluation, so that school leaders and the governing body agree about the school’s strengths and areas for improvement giving accurate feedback to teachers about the quality of their practice, so that they know how to improve, and provide them with the support and training to do so ensuring that teachers with responsibilities for subjects make a major contribution to checking and evaluating the quality of teaching monitoring the impact of support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities to ensure that they make good progress developing the content of the whole-school curriculum, in order to ensure that it is delivered with

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

clear learning intentions, outcomes and assessment opportunities improving governance, so that overnors challenge senior leaders more closely about the progress that is made by different groups of pupils ensuring that governors monitor the use and impact of additional school funding for disadvantaged pupils and the use made of the primary school sport funding.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment rapidly to accelerate pupils’ progress by:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

using information about pupils’ prior learning to plan accurately the knowledge, skills and understanding required to deepen pupils’ learning, particularly in mathematics using information about pupils effectively to support the achievement of groups of pupils such as those who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, so that they make faster progress providing work to pupils that provides sufficient challenge for all groups of pupils, particularly the most able pupils checking on pupils’ learning more closely to identify misconceptions and to address them quickly developing teachers’ subject knowledge of mathematics, so that they have a better understanding of how to deal with pupils’ misconceptions and help them to develop their skills in problem solving and ability to reason applying the whole-school marking and feedback policy consistently, so that pupils understand how

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

well they are doing and how to improve their work ensuring that pupils’ reading books are appropriate for their ability.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare by:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

ensuring that the behaviour policy is applied consistently across the school in order to eradicate low- level disruption in lessons dealing with the persistent absence of pupils and ensuring that there are effective systems in place to secure improved attendance, particularly of disadvantaged pupils.  Improve the quality of provision in the early years by:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

ensuring that all adults have secure subject knowledge, particularly in mathematics, so that children learn key vocabulary and concepts accurately ensuring that leaders’ evaluation of the quality of early years provision is accurate through the use of effective monitoring practices.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance, to include a specific focus on the school’s use of the pupil premium and sport funding, 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’ plans for school improvement are not based on an accurate evaluation of the school’s current strengths and weaknesses. The plans do not contain milestones and success criteria relating to pupils’ outcomes. This makes it difficult for governors and senior leaders to monitor the success of their actions and to hold staff to account for any underperformance.  Governors and senior leaders have not addressed the key issues identified for improvement at the previous inspection sufficiently or quickly enough. The improvements are too slow and external support has had little impact on improving outcomes for pupils.  Leaders have not been clear enough in the delegation of roles and responsibilities to subject leaders. Consequently, subject leaders do not have enough impact on raising standards in their subject. For example, the mathematics leader’s limited opportunities to check the quality of teaching in the subject

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

and to act on findings has been a barrier to securing good outcomes for pupils.  Leaders do not routinely share information about the progress and attainment of groups of children with governors. As a result, governors are unable to fully hold leaders to account about the progress of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.  When evaluating the quality of classroom practice, senior leaders place too much emphasis on what they observe the teachers doing and not enough on the extent to which this has an impact on pupils’ learning. As a result, teachers are not being provided with accurate guidance on how to improve their practice.  Leaders do not provide teachers with effective training and development, including opportunities to observe good practice and to work together, to secure improvements in pupils’ outcomes.  The leadership of the provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is not

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

effective enough in securing good outcomes for this group of pupils. Systems for identifying these pupils and providing appropriate support are firmly established; however, systems to check on the extent to which this is having a positive impact on pupils’ learning are not rigorous enough.  The curriculum in Years 1 to 6 is inadequate because the content of subjects and the ways in which they are delivered are not helping pupils to deepen their understanding and make good progress, particularly in mathematics. Nevertheless, pupils have access to a wide range of enrichment activities and after- school clubs, which helps them to develop their skills in sports, music and the arts.  Senior leaders have not evaluated effectively enough the impact of additional funding provided through the primary school sport funding. They have not checked closely enough on the extent to which this funding is having a positive impact on pupils’ physical development, or how this is challenging the most

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

able pupils in physical education. Nonetheless, clear links are made with other curriculum areas, so that pupils are aware of the importance of a healthy lifestyle and how that contributes to their well-being.  The school’s work to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is effective. Pupils’ diverse backgrounds are celebrated through specific lessons and collective celebrations in assemblies.  Pupils are respectful of each other and enjoy working and playing together. Pupils are developing an appropriate understanding of the fundamental British values of respect, tolerance and democracy through elections to the school council. They are involved in organising charitable events and understand the importance of the wider community.  Leaders and teachers deal with parental concerns effectively, ensuring that parents are informed about their children’s learning and individual needs. Leaders and teachers meet with parents regularly where

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

there is an ongoing concern and provide curriculum events. The majority of parents feel that their children are safe, happy and enjoy coming to school.  The academy sponsor has been aware of the emerging weaknesses in the performance of the school since it took over in 2012. While additional support has been provided recently from within the academy trust, the school has not moved forward sufficiently during the time it has been part of the trust.  The local authority has been commissioned by the academy trust to provide a wide range of support to the school; however, this has not had the impact needed in order to improve the quality of teaching and to raise standards.  Inspectors strongly recommend that the school should not seek to appoint newly qualified teachers.  The governance of the school – The governing body has not been effective enough in challenging and supporting the work of senior

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

leaders, in order to ensure that the necessary improvements have been made to teaching and in accelerating pupils’ progress. It has not had a positive impact on raising standards. – The governing body is not knowledgeable enough about the attainment and progress of specific groups and about the impact of the school’s actions. – Members of the governing body and senior leaders do not have an accurate understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement at the school. Consequently, their plans for improvement are not focused sharply on how they intend to improve the school. – The governing body is not using additional funding well enough to support disadvantaged pupils in key stages 1 and 2, in order to help to narrow the gap in attainment between those pupils and other pupils in the school. – The governing body is not checking closely enough on the work of leaders of subjects, or on aspects of learning. For instance, the leader for the provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

disabilities is not held to account for the progress made by this group of pupils. – The governing body has ensured that arrangements for the safeguarding of pupils are effective. School staff understand the importance of safeguarding and can demonstrate their understanding of the need to protect children from the risks of radicalisation and extremism. Records of safeguarding concerns are filed securely. They provide an accurate and comprehensive view of all of the work done to support pupils and families who may find themselves vulnerable, or at risk of harm. Parents consider that their children are safe at school; pupils say that they feel safe during their time at school.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

 Teaching is inadequate. Too much teaching does not secure good progress for pupils.  Pupils are not supported well enough to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding of mathematics. Teachers are not consistently providing pupils with resources, or precise guidance to help pupils to master their mathematics learning. Teachers are not helping pupils well enough to develop their skills in solving mathematical problems, or developing pupils’ ability to reason.  Teachers are not using their assessments of pupils’ prior learning accurately enough to plan learning that systematically develops pupils’ skills and knowledge. The most able pupils, in particular, are not being provided with work with sufficient levels of challenge and, as a result, these pupils can become bored and disengaged.  Pupils’ awareness of what they have to do to improve their work is dependent on which class they are in.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

This is because a minority of teachers are not following exactly the whole-school policy on marking and feedback which has been introduced by senior leaders. As a result, pupils are not given consistent guidance on how to improve their work.  Teachers’ expectations of pupils’ behaviour are inconsistent across the school. The most able pupils consider that low-level disruptive behaviour affects their learning during lessons.  Often pupils are not motivated to learn because their work is not set at the correct level for their ability, or teachers’ presentation and explanation of learning tasks do not inspire them to concentrate fully.  The lack of clear rules and routines, lack of insistence on pupils listening, and inconsistent classroom management routines have resulted in adults not making full use of learning time.  The quality of the teachers’ questioning of pupils during lessons varies across the school. It is not always

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

precise enough to probe pupils’ understanding of their learning, or to challenge their thinking further. Teachers are not adapting their teaching in order to provide additional and appropriate challenge to pupils who were finding the work easy and not providing effective support to pupils who were finding activities difficult.  Pupils in key stage 1 are supported well with their reading by teaching assistants. Pupils demonstrated their use of phonics knowledge and were able to decode some complex words.  Some pupils’ reading books are not challenging enough and, therefore, not supporting the pupils to make rapid progress in their reading.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils take pride in their school. They are keen to be involved in the many enrichment opportunities and extra-curricular clubs on offer.  Pupils feel safe at school and say that, if something goes wrong, there is always an adult to whom they can turn for support.  Incident logs show that episodes of bullying have occurred, but that these have been dealt with by school leaders.  School records show that senior leaders manage the very few instances of racist and homophobic incidents promptly and leaders take firm action to prevent any re-occurrence.  The school is effective in promoting healthy lifestyles for pupils. Pupils are aware of the importance of eating healthily, having enjoyed a ‘Healthy Living Week’ curriculum week, when they made smoothies using the leftover fruit.  The school promotes the emotional well-being and social welfare of pupils successfully. Pupils speak

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Personal development and welfare

positively about how well the learning mentors and the school’s nurture group help them to feel cared for. For example, pupils told inspectors how much the individual support that they receive helps them to manage their feelings effectively.  Pupils demonstrate a thoughtful and caring approach to each other around the school. Teachers lead assemblies that focus on feelings and managing emotions.  Senior leaders have drawn on the support of other organisations to help them to promote pupils’ self- awareness, for example working with Derby City Football Club to promote tolerance through the ‘showing racism the red card’ initiative.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning in lessons are not always conducive to ensuring that all achieve well. Occasionally, pupils shout out answers to teachers’ questions and a small minority of pupils do not always follow instructions immediately.  A few pupils do not focus on their tasks when not supervised directly by an adult.  Teachers do not apply or follow the school’s behaviour policy consistently. Not all incidents of low-level disruption are followed up routinely by senior leaders. As a result, a few pupils tend to be repeat offenders and improvements in their behaviour are not effective enough.  Rates of attendance have not improved since the previous inspection and remain below average. The proportion of pupils who are persistently absent has remained above the national average since the previous inspection. This is particularly the case for disadvantaged pupils.

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Behaviour

 Pupils take care of school equipment and look after the stimulating learning environment that has been created by their teachers.  Pupils take pride in their work; the presentation of pupils’ work is typically of good quality.

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Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

 Not enough pupils make sufficient progress between Year 1 and Year 6, particularly in mathematics. This has resulted in standards of attainment at the end of key stages 1 and 2 remaining well below average since the previous inspection.  Children enter the school at the start of the Reception Year with skills and development which are typically below those expected for their age. Children make steady progress during their time in the Reception Year. In 2015, the large majority of children secured a good level of development, which was above the national average.  Currently, the proportion of children who are on track to attain a good level of development is similar to the proportions found nationally in 2015. Children make particularly good progress in their personal, social and emotional development.  Pupils do not make enough progress across key stage 1. The secure start which children make in the

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Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

early years is not built on.  While standards have risen slightly since the previous inspection, pupils’ attainment at the end of key stage 1 remains well below average in reading, writing and mathematics and is not rising quickly enough.  Pupils’ rate of progress in key stage 2, particularly in mathematics, is inadequate. Year 6 pupils who left the school in 2015 had not made fast enough progress since the school opened. As a result, pupils left the school with standards which were well below average overall; these pupils were not well prepared for their next stage of their education.  Current pupils across the school are not making sufficient progress, especially in mathematics. While pupils are provided with activities that help them to develop their skills in written calculation, they are not able to apply their knowledge and skills to solve problems in mathematics and in other subjects well

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Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

enough. Pupils’ skills in reasoning are underdeveloped.  Currently, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are making slower progress than others in mathematics.  Disadvantaged pupils who left the school at the end of Year 6 in 2015 did not make enough progress during their time in key stage 2. Consequently, the gap in achievement between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally is wider than that found in other schools. The gap in attainment between current disadvantaged pupils and others in school is not narrowing quickly enough.  The proportion of pupils meeting the expected standard at the end of Year 1 in the phonics screen check has been below average in each of the last three years.  Pupils’ attainment in reading at the end of key stage 2 is significantly below the national average. The proportions of pupils who made expected and more than expected progress in reading were below the

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Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

national averages in 2015.  Pupils’ attainment in writing at the end of key stage 2 has been significantly below the national average for each of the last three years. Pupils’ attainment in English grammar, punctuation and spelling was well below average in 2015.

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Early years provision requires improvement

 Early years provision is not yet good because the quality of teaching and learning over time has been inconsistent. Senior leaders have not ensured that early years staff have received regular training to secure the quality of their subject knowledge, particularly in mathematics.  Leaders do not have an accurate view of the quality of teaching in the early years. Practices for the monitoring of teaching and learning are not well established. Consequently, leaders’ evaluations of the quality of teaching and learning are inconsistent and at times overly generous.  Teachers’ and teaching assistants’ subject knowledge in mathematics is not consistently secure. On occasion, adults’ explanations of mathematical concepts are not fully understood by children and children’s misconceptions are not corrected quickly enough. As a result, children’s understanding of numbers and shape are not as well developed as they should be.

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Early years provision requires improvement

 Teachers’ planning for additional adults in the classroom is not precise enough. Consequently, teaching assistants do not have as much impact on children’s learning as they could have, particularly during whole-class activities such as carpet time.  Typically, pupils enter the Reception class with levels of development below those expected for their age. The proportion of children achieving a good level of development has been below average for two consecutive years. However, the most recent group of pupils who are now in Year 1 were well prepared to commence their learning in key stage 1. This was because a large majority of children attained a good level of development by the time they left the early years in 2015. While outcomes are improving, they are not yet sustained over time. Children’s work shows that they are making secure progress over the year.  Safeguarding is effective. This is because there is a positive culture among all staff of keeping children

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Early years provision requires improvement

safe. Adults have a clear understanding of the procedures and what they must do if a concern should arise. As a result of adults’ vigilance and effective use of whole-school safeguarding procedures, children are safe in the setting.  Specific support is given to groups of children to help them with their speech and language development and their ability to use their knowledge of phonics to read books appropriate for their age. Consequently, children are developing confidence when speaking in small groups and are able to apply their phonics knowledge well to reading activities.

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School details

Unique reference number 138790 Local authority Derby Inspection number 10011759 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 converter Age range of pupils 4-11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 282 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Adey Greaves Headteacher Sally Greenbank Telephone number 01332 571 162 Website www.lfadm.org.uk Email address post@lfadm.org.uk Date of previous inspection 1–2 May 2014

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Information about this school

 Landau Forte Academy is larger than the average primary school.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium funding is above average. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, or who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is below average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum requirements for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6.  The school converted to become an academy in September 2012. It is a member of Landau Forte Trust.  The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed each class in the school, some on more than one occasion. In total, they observed 18 lessons or parts of lessons. Inspectors checked pupils’ behaviour at breaktime, lunchtime and as pupils moved about the school during the day.  Inspectors held meetings with senior and middle leaders in the school, including the leader for special educational needs, the leader of the early years and the subject leaders for mathematics and English.  Inspectors discussed pupils’ work with them in lessons, heard pupils read aloud, and met more formally with them in a group to discuss particular aspects of their experiences at the school.  Inspectors looked at a range of school documentation, including the school’s improvement plan, the school’s information for tracking pupils’ attainment and progress, minutes of meetings of the governing body and the school’s self-evaluation document. They also looked at a large sample of work in pupils’

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Information about this inspection

books, anonymised records of the performance management of staff, and school documentation relating to safeguarding. Inspectors also examined the school’s website.  Inspectors analysed the responses, including the comments made, from 10 parents on Parent View, the Ofsted online questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Emma Nuttall, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector David Carter Senior Her Majesty’s Inspector Heidi Malliff Ofsted Inspector Michael Wilson 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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