Easington Church of England Primary Academy

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mrs S Smith Executive headteacher Easington Church of England Primary Academy High Street Easington Hull HU12 0TS

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Primary Academy

Following my visit to your school on 21 and 22 June 2017, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave during the inspection and for the time you made available to discuss the actions that have been taken since the school’s recent section 5 inspection. Thank you for agreeing to a Her Majesty’s Inspector shadowing this inspection.

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Primary Academy

The inspection was the first monitoring inspection since the school became subject to special measures following the inspection that took place in January 2017.

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Primary Academy

Having considered all the evidence I am of the opinion that at this time:

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Primary Academy

Leaders and managers are not taking effective action towards the removal of special measures.

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Primary Academy

The trust’s statement of action is not fit for purpose.

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Primary Academy

The school’s improvement plan is not fit for purpose.

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Primary Academy

Having considered all the evidence I strongly recommend that the school does not seek to appoint newly qualified teachers.

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Primary Academy

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the Diocese of York, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for the East Riding of Yorkshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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The areas for improvement identified during the inspection that took

 Improve the safety of pupils by ensuring that they are always appropriately supervised and that any serious incidents are suitably shared and recorded.  Improve leadership and management to ensure that: – all leaders have a clear idea of their roles and responsibilities and are held to account rigorously – the progress of pupils is more carefully tracked from starting points.  Improve the progress pupils are making so that it is equal to, or better than, that of other pupils of the same age nationally with the same starting points.  Improve the quality of teaching by ensuring that: – teachers plan lessons to take into account pupils’ developmental needs and progress information, including starting points, so that the range of age and abilities in each class can be met – most-able pupils are set work that more accurately meets their needs – lessons start on time and that time in lessons is spent on productive learning

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The areas for improvement identified during the inspection that took

activities. An external review of governance and of pupil premium spending is recommended in order to improve these aspects of leadership and management.

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Evidence

The inspector observed the school’s work, scrutinised documents and met with the executive headteacher, the head of school designate, the administrative officer, groups of pupils, representatives from the local governing committee, including the chair, and representatives from the William Temple Academy Trust and the Ebor Academy Trust. Learning in classrooms was observed alongside the head of school designate. The inspector looked at examples of pupils’ work with the executive headteacher and the head of school designate. The inspector spoke to the chief executive officer of Ebor Trust on the telephone. The inspector considered the views of some of the parents and carers who were waiting to collect their children in the playground.

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Context

The headteacher will retire in the summer. The school is in the process of moving from one academy trust to another: while the William Temple Trust continues to have overall responsibility, plans are in place for the school to become part of the Ebor Trust in the autumn term 2017. The current arrangement, with shared leadership across Easington Church of England Primary Academy and Patrington Church of England Primary Academy, will cease. The William Temple Trust have delegated some responsibilities to senior members of the Ebor Trust this term. A new head of school has been appointed on a one-year contract by the incoming trust, with effect from September 2017. Since May half term he has been working in the school for three days a week. At the same time, the deputy headteacher became permanently based at Patrington. Changes are currently being made to the staffing structure.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

The school has gone through a number of significant changes. For some time, leaders have known that the current trust, William Temple Academy Trust, is not a sustainable option for the school. The trust, local governing committee and school leaders have focused their priorities on movement to a trust that will have the capacity to improve outcomes for pupils.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

While focus has been on the management of a change in trust and keeping staff and parents informed about this process, leaders at all levels have failed to address weaknesses in the quality of teaching and learning. School leaders, the William Temple Trust, the diocese and the incoming Ebor Trust, who have been commissioned to undertake some aspects of leadership work, have not checked on teaching and learning since January. Consequently, they have not identified that pupils are not making enough progress and many pupils are working below the standard expected for their age. The submitted statement of action was deemed not fit for purpose in March 2017. It has not been modified or shared between school leaders since. The school development plan does not focus sharply enough on actions needed to ensure that pupils’ outcomes improve. There are no time scales and no identification of who will carry out actions. The lack of a comprehensive plan has resulted in confusion over

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

who should do what and lines of accountability are unclear. Leaders do not have an accurate enough view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Leaders at all levels and across both trusts and the diocese, admit their part in the significant failings in checking on, and directing improvement for, the quality of teaching and learning.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

A lack of checks on pupils’ learning has meant that underperformance has gone unnoticed and undocumented. Learning in lessons has not been checked by leaders and neither has progress in pupils’ work. Therefore, no specific actions have been put in place to support teachers in raising pupils’ standards.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

An external review of governance took place in May 2017. It is too soon to see the impact of this work, but governors say that the process was rigorous and has provided clear direction of how to improve their practice.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

Pupils overall are underachieving: this includes the higher than national proportion of pupils who are eligible for pupil premium funding. The funding has not been directed appropriately this year to have a positive impact on the progress that disadvantaged pupils make. The gap between the attainment and progress of these pupils and others nationally remains. The review of pupil premium spending has now taken place. The resulting action plan focuses on the allocation of spending and actions to be in place from September 2017.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

The weaknesses found in safeguarding measures in the last inspection have been addressed. Pupils are now appropriately supervised at all times. Adults and pupils have a clear understanding of procedures in place. For example, all pupils asked by the inspector clearly explained the rules for going outside into the playground and field area. They spoke with confidence about how measures were in place to keep them safe. School records of incidents and concerns are clear, shared appropriately and followed up, with external agencies if necessary.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

The leader for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities works closely with teachers and teaching assistants each fortnight to ensure pupils have specific programmes of work that are well matched to their needs. This is starting to have a positive impact on these pupils’ learning, although this work does not currently take into account pupils’ overall assessments within class. The care, nurture and emotional development for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is of high quality and inclusive.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

Teachers have not received effective support in improving outcomes for pupils. School assessment information, pupils’ work and lessons show that pupils continue to make progress that is less strong than their peers nationally, from their broadly typical starting points. Some pupils in key stage 2 in particular have made weak progress from the end of their time in key stage 1. Too many pupils do not reach standards that are typical for their age across the school.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

Adults in the early years are starting to improve the provision in the classroom to better support children’s developmental needs. Consideration is given to children’s starting points and adults know the children well and what their next steps are. However, sometimes children are not moved on quickly enough when they have understood a concept, for example in phonics. The most able children are not always given work that keeps them engaged and moves their learning forward.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

The most able pupils across school often do not receive enough direction to improve and extend their learning. Children who have skills which are exceeding those typical for their age at the end of the early years do not always sustain this standard of work.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

Pupils have opportunities to develop skills in other areas of the curriculum. Work in the forest schools, in particular, enthuses and engages pupils. Pupils of all ages work successfully together to solve problems, develop life skills and discuss and share their learning. Pupils are confident in sharing the potential risks when working outdoors with different equipment and know how to manage these risks carefully.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare

Strong moral and social values stand out as a strength within the school. The inclusive, respectful relationships enable all pupils to feel valued, cared for and safe. Pupils treat each other with kindness and respect. They say that where anyone forgets these important values, teachers step in and get them back on track. They are eager to share a number of rewards and celebrations they have for good behaviour and great learning. For example, one pupil was delighted to share the special pen he had received from the ‘dip in the box’. Pupils are proud of their school and their own achievements.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare

Keeping themselves and others safe is, pupils say, very important. They clearly understand rules and routines for trips in the local community, safe play at break times and keeping safe online.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare

Pupils show a good understanding of other faiths and cultures. They know that we are all different and are clear about why differences should be respected. Assemblies centre on themes such as friendship, wisdom and hope. Pupils’ careful listening and engagement with these themes have instilled them with strong values and clear acceptance of physical differences and differences in points of view.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare

Pupils’ attendance is similar to that of other pupils nationally. Persistent absence figures are higher for some pupils due to their medical needs, but this is carefully monitored by leaders and supported as appropriate. Pupils arrive at school on time and lessons start promptly.

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Outcomes for pupils

Not enough has been done to improve outcomes since the last inspection. School assessments and pupils’ work confirms that there continues to be a large proportion of pupils working below the national standards across school. Very few pupils are working at higher standards.

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Outcomes for pupils

In writing, expectations in the quality of handwriting, and content of work are not high enough. There is not always clear direction of how to improve, and where there is, pupils are often not given time to complete this. Sometimes pupils are set work which does not match their ability or the national expectations for their year group.

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Outcomes for pupils

In mathematics, leaders agree that there needs to be greater emphasis on pupils’ application of the skills they have learned. Pupils are not always moved on quickly when they have understood and successfully practised a concept.

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Outcomes for pupils

Pupils skills in phonics in Reception and key stage 1 are developing and pupils attempt to apply these skills to their reading and writing. However, sometimes learning does not move on quickly enough and opportunities are missed to extend the learning of the most able pupils.

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External support

There has been a lack of external support and challenge to the school in terms of improving teaching and learning. No external checks or reports have taken place or been provided since the school became subject to special measures, other than local authority statutory moderation of key stage assessments visits. Teachers have attended local authority moderation sessions and have found these useful in ensuring that their assessments in Reception, Year 2 and Year 6 are accurate.

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External support

Leaders have spent their energies on devising a longer term, sustainable option for the school, but taken their eye off the ball with regards to the outcomes for current pupils.

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External support

Brokered support from the incoming trust, Ebor, has been successful in supporting the new head of school’s transition to the school. This trust’s communication and engagement about the new academy structure has been good. Staff and parents feel well informed about and confident in the proposals.

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