Marton Primary Academy and Nursery

Marton Primary Academy and Nursery Whernside, Off Highfield Road, Marton, Blackpool, Lancashire FY4 5LY

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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This is a good school

 The principal’s drive and determination ensure that pupils learn and thrive in a happy, inclusive environment.  Leaders work as a coherent team to continue to improve the performance of the school. The curriculum provides opportunities for pupils to practise key skills across a range of subjects.  Governors are proud of the school’s inclusive culture. They welcome the support the school receives from the academy trust.  Pupils’ behaviour is good and safeguarding is effective. Pupils said that they feel safe in school.  Teaching across the school is good. Teachers use their strong subject knowledge to plan effectively for pupils’ learning.  Pupils make good progress in writing and mathematics. In the national assessments in 2017, pupils in Year 6 made progress in mathematics and in writing at least in line with that of pupils nationally. Progress for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities was in line with and sometimes

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This is a good school

better than that of their peers.  Progress in reading was below that of pupils nationally and leaders have made this a priority for improvement.  Sometimes, the most able pupils do not make as much progress as they could because the work teachers give them does not always challenge them enough.  Children in early years make good progress from their starting points.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that more pupils make better progress in reading so that they can reach higher standards, ready for the next stage in their education.  Ensure that the most able pupils reach their potential through work that is more challenging.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Leaders, governors and trustees are ambitious for the school. They have worked successfully together to establish a culture of inclusion and resilience in the school.  The principal and senior leaders are passionately committed to inspiring all pupils to learn and achieve. They lead by example in living out the school’s motto, ‘Working together to be the best we can be.’  Leaders and staff focus strongly on enabling pupils to overcome significant barriers to learning. Leaders give a high priority to developing pupils’ resilience and emotional well-being as a means of helping them to be better learners. The school has its own therapy dogs, Marty and Murphy. Pupils talked about how the dogs help them to feel calm in school.  The school has evaluated accurately its many strengths as well as where improvement is needed. This is because leaders use all available information to check on the success of planned actions. They analyse carefully information on pupils’ progress and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

attainment, together with views from parents and carers and pupils to make improvements.  Leaders take advantage of the range of professional development opportunities presented locally, as well as through the academy trust. Leaders and governors use performance management effectively. This results in improvements to the quality of teaching, learning and assessment.  Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. This is because leaders and governors ensure that the curriculum fosters British values. For example, pupils learn about different cultures and faiths and about the importance of tolerance and kindness towards others. Year 6 pupils develop their understanding of democracy through the election of members of the school council. Leaders promote well pupils’ social, moral and cultural development. For example, pupils take an active part in class and school assemblies. They participate in singing festivals with other local schools and take part

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

in fund-raising activities for charities.  The exciting curriculum reflects the needs and wider interests of pupils as a means of engaging them in learning. Staff plan activities based on questions pupils raise about topics that interest them, such as animals, dinosaurs or planets. For example, the questions pupils asked about planets and space led to learning and research on the solar system. In mathematics, teachers expect pupils to explain their thinking and to write about problem solving. As a result, they develop a wider vocabulary and the ability to speak more clearly and fluently.  A clear strategy for the use of the pupil premium funding leads to spending directed at improving pupils’ outcomes. For example, pupils are able to learn in smaller groups for reading. The school’s own information shows that currently, disadvantaged pupils are making progress in line with, or in some cases better than, that of their peers.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Leaders have used audits to identify where best to spend the physical education (PE) and sport premium grant. Priorities include the provision of swimming lessons for pupils in key stage 1, specialist dance and gymnastics teaching as part of the Change 4 Life health programme and activities such as boccia that can be adapted for pupils who have physical disabilities.  Parents are overwhelmingly satisfied with the work of the school. When speaking highly of the support their child receives, one parent said, ‘You wouldn’t get this anywhere else.’

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Governance of the school

 Governors are highly supportive of the school. They are fiercely proud of its inclusive culture and of the difference it makes to pupils and families.  They understand fully the challenges that the school faces in ensuring that the school population is stable over time. They give their own time generously to make sure that families in the local and wider areas recognise the school’s many strengths.  Governors ask important questions about the actions leaders are taking to improve outcomes for pupils. They welcome the support the school receives from the academy trust and are clear about their responsibilities within the wider organisation.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All staff receive training in how to keep pupils safe and they understand how to report concerns when they arise.  Leaders carry out promptly the necessary checks on the suitability of staff to work with children. Records are organised and up to date.  Leaders and governors have established a culture of safeguarding in the school. Staff and pupils are clear about what to do if they are worried. The inclusive nature of the school means that leaders and staff work well together with other professionals to share important information in a timely way.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teachers have secure subject knowledge and plan effectively for pupils’ learning. This is especially the case in mathematics, where all teachers have the same approach to using mathematical words and resources. Pupils spend their time well in almost all lessons and they maintain concentration as well as good behaviour. In a very small minority of lessons, pupils lose concentration because they have to wait for the teacher’s help to move on.  Recent improvements in science teaching across the school mean that pupils are now learning how to work scientifically. For example, when pupils in Year 4 were learning about solids, liquids and gases, they carried out experiments on chocolate to find out the temperature at which it melted.  Pupils learn how to assess their own understanding through simple systems that alert the teacher when they need help. This means that teachers correct misconceptions during the lesson and pupils make good progress. However, teachers do not always

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

challenge the most able pupils sufficiently for them to reach their potential.  Pupils who read to inspectors did so confidently, with fluency and expression. Teachers encourage pupils to develop a love of reading and celebrate their achievements in special assemblies that recognise ‘reading millionaires’.  In most lessons, teachers and support staff are skilful at asking questions that encourage pupils to explain their thoughts and ideas in more detail. As a result, pupils develop important reasoning skills as well as expanding their vocabulary.  Teachers use assessment well to adjust planned activities to suit pupils’ needs. They provide feedback in line with the school’s assessment policy and books show that this is consistent across classes. Teachers provide pupils with homework, including reading, and practising multiplication tables. All of the parents who responded to Ofsted’s Parent View survey were happy that the homework teachers set is appropriate for their

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

child.  Pupils use reading, writing, communication and mathematical skills across other areas of the curriculum. For example, in mathematics, they write clear explanations of the methods they have used to solve problems. In science, pupils use their mathematical skills to make calculations, for example when measuring how far a vehicle travels down a ramp.  Teachers encourage pupils to learn from their mistakes. They focus in lessons on the development of pupils’ emotional well-being and resilience, for example by interpreting ‘fail’ as a ‘first attempt in learning’. Consequently, pupils told the inspectors that their teachers support them.  Teachers use a range of assessments to identify pupils’ SEN and/or disabilities. Those in the school’s designated provision for pupils who have physical disabilities are fully integrated in the mainstream classes throughout the day. Teachers adjust tasks appropriately where necessary so that pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

good progress.  Parents appreciate the information they receive about their child’s progress and speak highly of the quality of education that the school provides. They enjoy the activities that enable them to join in with their children’s learning in school, especially in early years.  Teachers help pupils to develop an appreciation of the diversity of the school community and the wider world. All staff challenge pupils on the rare occasions when they use derogatory language.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils are confident and show self-assurance in school. They talked readily to inspectors about what they enjoy and about the work they were doing.  Pupils explore in philosophy lessons the qualities that make a ‘good learner’. For example, in Year 6, they learn about how to develop ways of thinking that help them to approach problems.  Leaders and staff see self-esteem and emotional well-being as prerequisites for good learning. Teachers use a range of assessments to identify when pupils might need emotional support to overcome barriers to learning. Pupils understand how a mistake can be an opportunity to learn. Consequently, pupils have positive attitudes to learning and about life in school.  Pupils enjoy responsibilities, such as acting as anti-bullying ambassadors. They spoke enthusiastically about the wide range of extra-curricular activities they take part in.

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Personal development and welfare

 Pupils said that they feel safe in school. They understand the steps that the school has taken to keep them safe on site, such as the locked gates and regular fire drills. They are confident about how to keep themselves safe online, for example by keeping their personal details and passwords private. The school provides important information for parents on the school’s website, to encourage safer use of the internet at home.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils behave well in this orderly environment and are able to get on with their work.  Almost all pupils engage well with their learning and continue to do so throughout lessons. Where concentration wavers, pupils are re-focused quickly and there is minimal disruption in lessons. Pupils said that behaviour is good ‘most of the time’. They said that if they ‘fall out’ with a friend, staff deal with it.  Pupils said that bullying is not a problem in the school. They said that where it does happen, staff deal with it quickly. The majority of parents agreed with this view.  Leaders have put in place measures to improve attendance, such as using minibuses to collect pupils who live further away. Pupils value the incentives and rewards for good attendance such as ‘Marton money’, which they can spend in school. Leaders constantly review processes that encourage better attendance and punctuality as part

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Behaviour

of their wider safeguarding practices. As a result, attendance is improving over time.  Leaders work very hard with the local authority education welfare service to reduce the percentage of pupils who are absent persistently from school. A number of schools in the area face these difficulties, which result from movement of pupils from one school to another. Staff work well with other professionals, including those from social-care teams, to make sure that those children who need help and protection are safe.  Pupils are well behaved at lunch- and breaktimes, playing happily together. Some pupils use the outdoor trim trail to develop their muscles or improve their balancing skills. Others play football in the dedicated space that the school has set aside. Fewer girls join in with this activity. Some pupils would welcome more equipment such as games resources to use at lunchtime.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Pupils make good progress at Marton. Children make a strong start in early years, which prepares them well for key stage 1. By the time they leave Year 6, pupils make progress at least in line with or above that of other pupils nationally in writing and mathematics.  Attainment at the end of key stage 2 in writing and mathematics is consistently above the national average. This is because the quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good.  Work in books shows that most current pupils are making good progress. For example, Year 2 pupils’ books show that they progress from writing sentences with adjectives in September to writing more complex sentences and composing letters by December.  Pupils in key stages 1 and 2 follow the same mathematics scheme in which they work systematically through workbooks. While they all work on the same problem initially, their mathematics journals show how they are making progress in expanding the

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Outcomes for pupils Good

different methods that they are learning to use to solve these problems.  The proportion of pupils reaching a greater depth in reading, writing and mathematics is below the national average. Most-able pupils do not always make the same progress as other pupils nationally with similar starting points. This is because the needs of the most able pupils are not always as clearly identified and teaching does not always challenge them sufficiently or often enough.  Results in reading in 2017 were not typical for the school. Leaders investigated the reasons for the drop in progress and took swift action to remedy the problem. They have taken steps to teach pupils a wider range of words and the skills to understand the meaning of more complicated texts. Progress is now improving and attainment is on the rise.  The percentage of pupils reaching the expected standard in science in 2017 was below that in 2016. However, the new science subject leader has been swift and energetic in

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Outcomes for pupils Good

her actions to improve pupils’ learning across all year groups. Consequently, achievement is already improving and work in science books shows that pupils are making good progress.  Disadvantaged pupils make progress in writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2 that is in line with, or better than, that of other pupils nationally. Their progress in reading is below, but close to, that of other pupils nationally.  The progress of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is consistently strong because of the quality of the support they receive.  Results in the phonics screening check in key stage 1 were below the national average in 2017, having been above the national average in 2016. The transfer of a number of pupils in and out of the school in key stage 1 immediately prior to the screening period affected outcomes. In-school data for the current year shows that achievement is improving.

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Early years provision Good

 Children settle in quickly at the start of the year because teachers work closely with parents to support transition from home. In Nursery, each member of staff takes responsibility for getting to know a small group of children. This helps the children to feel very secure and to make good progress right from the start.  Good working relationships with local private nurseries have helped to make it easier for children when they move into Marton. Teachers from the early years share their good practice with other providers, for example by providing advice and guidance to a group of Nursery settings.  Most children start Nursery with skills lower than those expected for their age. This is especially the case with their speech, language and communication skills. However, within a short time of starting, they have made rapid progress because teaching, learning and assessment in early years are good. By the time they leave Reception

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Early years provision Good

class, more than two thirds of children have reached a good level of development. This means that those children have the skills they need to start Year 1.  Leaders have staffed the classes generously, so that adults can support children closely. Teachers and support staff work well with children. Through effective questioning, adults in both Reception and Nursery classes encourage children to answer with new vocabulary and longer, more considered answers. Children develop communication and language skills less well on those occasions where questions demand only simple answers.  The learning environment across early years is very well planned and organised. A wide range of resources are available so that children can select what they need to help them learn. Good routines mean that children tidy away at the end of the session.  There is a balance of adult-supported learning alongside activities that children have

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Early years provision Good

initiated themselves. This allows them to practise in their play the skills they learn with their teachers, for example making up story themes with toy trains and animals.  Children in Nursery are able to persist and concentrate for extended periods of time. This is because adults give them time to develop their own ideas without unnecessary interruption.  In Reception class, children are able to practise re-telling familiar stories with puppets, which again supports their language development.  Phonics teaching is enabling children to make good progress in their learning of letter sounds and shapes. Consequently, they are able to make good attempts at writing simple sentences, with some words spelled correctly.  Numeracy and literacy have a high profile in the early years classrooms, with letters and numbers displayed prominently. However, adults do not always draw children’s attention to these, or to the wide range of books attractively displayed in areas of the

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Early years provision Good

classrooms. This means that children do not always practise reading independently.  Assessment of children’s skills and strengths is underpinned by a range of information, including observations, work in books and sometimes information from home. This provides adults with a broad picture of what children know and can do and therefore assessments are accurate.

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Appropriate authority Bright Futures Educational Trust

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium funding is above average.  The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is above average.  The proportion of pupils who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is above average.  The school runs a designated provision for pupils who have physical disabilities. There are currently five pupils in the provision, aged between three and nine years of age.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  Early years provision is part time in the Nursery and full time in the Reception class.  The school runs a breakfast club, and an after-school club, which is managed by the

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Information about this school

governing body.  Marton Primary Academy and Nursery converted to become an academy on 1 July 2015. When its predecessor school, Marton Primary School and Nursery, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall .

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in lessons and parts of lessons. Some of these were observed jointly with the principal.  Meetings were held with senior and middle leaders, school staff and the chair of the governing body. The lead inspector also spoke with a representative from the local authority education welfare service, and with the chief executive officer of the academy trust.  Inspectors spoke informally to pupils in lessons, during breaks and at lunchtimes. The lead inspector also met with parents and carers.  Inspectors scrutinised the pupils’ work during lessons and work produced over time in a range of their books. They also listened to a few pupils from Years 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 reading.  Inspectors observed the work of the school and looked at the latest school performance information showing the progress pupils currently in school make.  Other documentation scrutinised included plans for school improvement, safeguarding

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Information about this inspection

information, behaviour logs, attendance records and minutes of governing body meetings.  Inspectors took account of 49 responses to the pupil survey and 31 responses to the staff questionnaire. Inspectors considered 19 responses from parents to the free-text service and 18 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View).

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Inspection team

Mavis Smith, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Barbara Harrold 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

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

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 .

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Inspection team

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, 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.gov.uk/ofsted

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