Edna G. Olds Academy

Edna G. Olds Academy Church Street, Lenton, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG7 1SJ

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher and head of school have cultivated a passionate and determined team who have transformed the quality of teaching and learning in all key stages. The quality of education pupils receive is outstanding.  Leaders have established a „no excuses‟ culture and a shared desire for every pupil to be valued as an individual.  The depth and quality of leadership, at all levels, is excellent. Middle and subject leaders are an effective team. Staff morale is high.  The school is highly inclusive. The provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and for those pupils who have English as an additional language, is strong.  Fundamental British values resonate throughout the school‟s values and the curriculum. Pupils are tolerant, respectful and caring. They are exceptionally well prepared for life in modern Britain.  Trustees, together with members of the academy advisory board, work as a cohesive

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

team to hold leaders effectively to account.  Outcomes for pupils are outstanding. All groups of pupils make substantial progress and attain exceptionally high standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2.  Leaders and governors ensure that the curriculum inspires and motivates pupils. Teachers plan topics which excite pupils and make them curious, independent learners.  Leaders ensure that the safety and well-being of children is paramount.  Teachers and teaching assistants have excellent relationships with pupils. They plan activities that are expertly matched to pupils‟ abilities in all subjects.  Teachers‟ subject knowledge is strong across all subjects. Teachers‟ and teaching assistants‟ use of questioning is highly effective.  Pupils are proud to be part of this multicultural school. They have outstanding attitudes to learning and high aspirations.  Pupils‟ conduct and behaviour are exemplary.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

They are polite, courteous and well mannered. Attendance is high.  Children make an outstanding start to their education in the early years.  While the teaching of writing is highly effective, there are some occasions when pupils do not spot errors in their work.  Some pupils do not always remember the knowledge and understanding they have been taught in geography.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that pupils check and proofread their writing so that errors in spelling and grammar are quickly addressed.  Improve outcomes in geography by ensuring that pupils‟ knowledge and understanding are successfully retained and remembered.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

 The headteacher is inspirational and leads the school by example. Together with the head of school, she has cultivated a passionate and determined team who have transformed the quality of teaching and learning in all key stages. Because of this, pupils receive an outstanding quality of education and are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of education.  Leaders, supported by staff, are determined that every child, regardless of their starting point, will thrive academically, personally and socially. They have established a „no excuses‟ culture and a shared desire for every child to be valued as an individual. This vision permeates throughout the school‟s work.  Leaders know exceptionally well the strengths and weaknesses of the school. Despite the school‟s outstanding provision for its pupils, leaders are not complacent. They have clear and decisive plans in place for further improvement. Leaders have successfully

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

addressed all the areas for improvement since the previous inspection.  Leaders ensure that staff access high-quality professional development to continue to improve the quality of teaching throughout the school. For example, teachers receive bespoke coaching sessions with leaders and the opportunity to analyse and evaluate their own practice, using digitally recorded observations. Staff value the support from leaders and staff morale is high. A typical staff comment was, „I would not want to work anywhere else.‟  Parents and carers value the support leaders provide and the efforts they make to include them in their child‟s learning. A typical parental comment was, „Staff have created a family environment where children can learn, and parents are part of it.‟  The depth and quality of leadership, at all levels, is excellent. Middle and subject leaders are an effective team. They have an accurate and well-informed understanding

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

of their areas of responsibility. They ensure that pupils‟ outcomes in all subjects are consistently high, by carefully tracking the progress that pupils make towards „aspirational milestones‟. They skilfully use this assessment information to identify where improvements are needed and to continually strengthen the quality of teaching and learning.  Senior leaders have innovatively used the pupil premium funding for disadvantaged pupils, with positive impact. Funding is used to provide a „holistic package of support‟, which includes bespoke small-group and one-to-one support for English and mathematics, yoga therapy, counselling sessions and music tuition. Because of this comprehensive provision, disadvantaged pupils outperform other pupils in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2.  The school is highly inclusive. The provision for pupils with SEND and for those pupils who speak English as an additional language is strong. Leaders use highly skilled

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

teaching assistants to provide tailored one-to-one support for pupils. They adapt the curriculum carefully to ensure that pupils with SEND and those who speak English as an additional language access learning alongside their peers. „I would like to commend the school for their fully inclusive approach to education‟, summed up parents‟ views.  The primary physical education (PE) and sport funding is used effectively. Leaders use the funding to provide many varied sporting activities, such as, tennis, basketball, athletics and cricket. Funding is used wisely to develop pupils‟ swimming from an early age. Children in the early years and pupils in Year 1 access weekly swimming lessons. By the end of key stage 2, almost all pupils swim 25 metres unaided. Pupils relish running „the mile‟ twice per week and enjoy the competitive sporting events they attend with pupils from other schools.  The curriculum inspires and motivates pupils to come to school and to achieve highly.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

Leaders ensure that the curriculum is built around the interests of pupils. Teachers use pupils‟ questions and thoughts from their „Edna Leader‟ books, to plan topics which excite pupils and make them curious, independent learners. Pupils receive a rich, meaningful curriculum which broadens their experiences of the multicultural community in which they live.  Leaders do not see the school‟s context as a barrier to success, but rather as something that should be cherished and embraced. Leaders have ensured that fundamental British values resonate throughout the school‟s values and the curriculum. Because of this, pupils are tolerant, respectful and caring. They are exceptionally well prepared for life in modern Britain.  The provision for pupils‟ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength of the school. Pupils understand that they represent the school as role models while they are out in the community. They visit different places of worship, such as the local

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

synagogue and gurdwara, and spend time supporting the local foodbank by delivering food to the homeless. Pupils are taught how to care for people and how to conserve the world in which they live. They raise money for local charities and research global issues such as water pollution. Leaders ensure that pupils appreciate the arts and reflect on the things they see and do. For example, they visit local art galleries and undertake weekly photography workshops to capture interesting images, which spark debate and discussion.  Pupils value the homework they receive. They enjoy it and understand how it helps them to improve their learning in school. Pupils particularly enjoy accessing the „extended learning club‟ at which they receive additional support to complete homework and support to develop their reading skills further.

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Governance of the school

 The board of trustees is highly effective in holding leaders to account. Trustees use comprehensive, quality-assurance systems to check the impact of leaders‟ actions in improving the school‟s performance. They have a precise and accurate understanding of the quality of education that pupils receive and of the outcomes they achieve, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. Leaders appreciate the support and challenge provided by the trust.  Trustees ensure that all statutory safeguarding duties are fulfilled, and leaders keep pupils safe in school. Trustees make regular checks on the school‟s safeguarding procedures, such as recruitment and vetting, and staff training. They rigorously check that leaders are making timely referrals to external agencies and that they pursue the appropriate support for pupils at risk of harm.  Trustees, together with members of the academy advisory board, work as a cohesive

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Governance of the school

team. Members of the academy advisory board visit the school frequently to monitor the school‟s plans for improvement and to see, first hand, the impact of leaders‟ actions. They have regular „engagement‟ meetings with key leaders and hold discussions with pupils. This information is well recorded in the minutes of meetings of the advisory board and is used to inform the board of trustees‟ knowledge of the school further.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Leaders ensure that the safety and well-being of children is paramount. Leaders ensure that staff are well trained and vigilant. Staff receive annual safeguarding training, termly updates and paediatric first-aid training. Consequently, staff are aware of the signs of abuse, they are quick to spot changes in children‟s behaviour and act swiftly to report these concerns to leaders.  Leaders keep detailed records of incidents and respond promptly to concerns that staff raise about the safety of children. They act quickly to ensure that children at risk of harm are referred to external agencies. They are relentless in ensuring that these pupils receive the support they need.  Leaders identify and understand the risks to pupils within the local community. For example, they have acted incisively to protect pupils who are at risk from female genital mutilation, or families at risk of radicalisation. They liaise with, and share,

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Safeguarding

information effectively with external agencies.  Pupils and their families benefit from the school‟s wide range of support, including home visits, one-to-one attendance meetings, and drop-in sessions for parents to discuss housing or debt. Leaders ensure that there is an extensive range of „in house‟ support for the most vulnerable pupils, including children looked after. This includes sports mentors who help to build pupils‟ confidence, self-esteem and resilience.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

 Teachers and teaching assistants have excellent relationships with pupils, a view endorsed by parents. They know pupils exceptionally well and have a deep understanding of their prior learning and interests. Teachers use this information to plan activities which are expertly matched to pupils‟ abilities in all subjects.  Teachers‟ and teaching assistants‟ use of questioning is highly effective. They ask probing questions which encourage pupils to think and consider ways of improving their work. For example, in an English lesson the teacher asked, „Can you think of a more ambitious word instead of “said”?‟, while in another lesson, pupils were asked, „Can you give me a direct quote from the text that supports your statement?‟  Teachers‟ subject knowledge is strong across all subjects. They skilfully use this knowledge to make links and connections between different lessons. For example, in science, pupils in key stage 2 learn about substances which will or will not dissolve.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

Teachers make explicit links with the vocabulary taught in science while teaching story writing in English. As a result, pupils write sentences containing scientific language in their stories such as, „The ground began to dissolve beneath his feet.‟  The teaching of mathematics is outstanding. Teachers model and explain mathematical concepts well using a range of strategies, including physical apparatus. They sequence learning logically, so pupils develop mathematical fluency while developing skills in problem solving and reasoning. Teachers provide activities to challenge pupils. For example, pupils in Year 1 were learning about fractions. Many pupils successfully worked out halves and quarters of amounts, with a few successfully calculating one half of 500.  Teachers and teaching assistants work successfully to develop and promote pupils‟ oracy and vocabulary. As many pupils enter the school with little or no English, this is a

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

priority for staff. Staff provide tailored support for pupils new to English, while modelling ambitious vocabulary using high-quality picture books. Pupils apply this to their own work, for example writing, „My heart pounded like a drum as I walked through the labyrinth of books.‟  The teaching of reading and phonics is highly effective. Pupils in key stage 1 use their phonic skills to successfully read many words, such as „gazing‟ and „sighing‟. They have a very good understanding of the words they read. Pupils in key stage 2 read widely and often. They are taught many strategies, such as, skimming, scanning and „reading around the text‟, to comprehend what they read.  The quality of teaching in subjects other than English and mathematics is excellent. Teachers plan dynamic and well-sequenced lessons which build upon pupils‟ prior learning. Teachers involve pupils in the planning process, asking them to generate

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

questions they would like to research. Pupils are engaged and enthusiastic about learning and remember important knowledge in most subjects.  While the teaching of writing is highly effective, teachers do not always provide pupils with successful strategies to check and proofread their work. There are some occasions when pupils do not spot errors and do not correct their mistakes in writing.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school‟s work to promote pupils‟ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  Pupils are proud to be part of this multicultural school. Pupils work and play together harmoniously. They are tolerant, caring and respectful. As a pupil said, „We are like a family. We treat everyone with respect. Everyone comes to school with smiley faces.‟  Pupils are resilient and reflective learners. Pupils enjoy being challenged. One pupil summed this up when they told an inspector, „Making mistakes is good because we can learn from it. I never give up!‟  Pupils have outstanding attitudes to learning. They value the education they receive and are aspirational for the future. For example, they enjoy visiting local universities and finding out about the choices they have in their next stages of education.  Pupils relish opportunities to take on additional responsibilities. For example, pupils enjoy serving food during „family service‟ at lunchtimes, acting as „peer mentors‟ to

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Personal development and welfare

help younger pupils to read, and being part of the „ECO council‟ to help to develop better systems for recycling and saving energy in school and at home.  Pupils understand how to lead healthy lifestyles. They enjoy PE lessons and after- school clubs. They understand which foods constitute a healthy diet, and work with the school‟s catering team to develop healthier menu options for lunchtimes based on the „healthy eating plate‟.  Pupils are taught how to stay safe in school. Leaders ensure that the curriculum has many planned occasions to develop pupils‟ safety awareness. For example, pupils learn about stranger danger and online safety. They receive visits from the local police to talk about the dangers of knife crime and gangs.  Pupils develop an understanding of how to stay emotionally and mentally well. The school counsellor runs weekly sessions with small groups and individual pupils. „It helps

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Personal development and welfare

me to talk about my deepest feelings and get them out‟ was typical of pupils‟ views of the value of these sessions.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  Pupils‟ conduct and behaviour are exemplary. They are polite, courteous and well mannered. For example, some pupils checked to see if an inspector was „having a nice day‟ and thanked him for talking with them about their work. Other pupils showed respect by holding doors open for each other and listening attentively during discussions and conversations.  Pupils maintain their excellent behaviour throughout the school day. For example, pupils in the breakfast club happily play games with each other, help each other to butter bagels and support staff by tidying up plates and cutlery.  Pupils know about and understand different types of bullying, including cyber bullying. Pupils are confident that bullying does not happen at the school, but if it did, staff would deal with it quickly.  Leaders, alongside the family support worker, have continued to improve pupils‟

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Behaviour

attendance rapidly and reduce the number of pupils who do not attend school regularly enough. They quickly identify barriers which prevent good attendance and provide timely support, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have English as an additional language. Pupils‟ overall attendance is now well above the national average and there are few pupils who are persistently absent.

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Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

 Outcomes for pupils are outstanding. Pupils enter the school with skills well below those typically expected for their age. From these very low starting points, pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils who speak English as an additional language, make substantial and sustained progress. They leave key stage 2 attaining standards well above those seen nationally in reading, writing and mathematics.  The proportions of pupils achieving the expected standard, and at greater depth, in reading, writing and mathematics has been well above the national average for the last three years.  Pupils make strong progress in key stage 1 from their starting points at the end of the early years. The proportions of pupils achieving the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics is typically in line with, or above, the national averages.  Throughout key stage 2, pupils make accelerated progress from their starting points at

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Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

the end of key stage 1. Their progress in reading, writing and mathematics is well above the national averages. Many pupils who leave key stage 1 with skills typically expected in reading, writing and mathematics, leave key stage 2 having attained the higher standard in reading and mathematics and greater depth in writing.  The workbooks of pupils currently in key stages 1 and 2 show that pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, continue to make very strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Teachers have the highest expectations of what pupils can achieve. Consequently, the quality of pupils‟ work is excellent.  The proportion of Year 1 pupils achieving the expected standard in the national phonics screening check is typically in line with, or above, the national average. The effective teaching of early reading and phonics ensures that pupils can read fluently and accurately decode words.

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Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

 Pupils make substantial progress in subjects other than English and mathematics in key stages 1 and 2. The well-planned and effectively taught curriculum ensures that pupils have a deep and secure knowledge and understanding in most subjects. However, sometimes pupils do not always retain the knowledge they have in geography as they do not revisit it frequently enough.

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Early years provision Outstanding

 The early years is outstanding. The leadership of the early years is highly effective. Leaders have a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the early years and act quickly to improve provision further.  Children enter the early years with knowledge and skills well below those typically expected, particularly in communication and language. A significant number of children have no English on arrival. The accurate assessment and high-quality teaching children receive enable them to make a flying start to their time in school.  Staff quickly establish routines and know children exceptionally well. Children settle well and are well behaved. Children show high levels of concentration and perseverance in the tasks they do.  Leaders and staff have built a curriculum around the needs and interests of the children. It is dynamic and adapted daily to identify and address gaps in children‟s

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Early years provision Outstanding

knowledge and understanding. The activities teachers plan are well matched to children‟s abilities.  Teaching in the early years is excellent. Staff have high expectations of what children can achieve. For example, in the Nursery class, many children were successfully segmenting and blending three-letter words and recording the sounds they could hear as letters.  Teachers and teaching assistants have highly positive relationships with children. They interact expertly with them to support and extend their learning. For example, in the Reception class, one member of staff was quick to spot boys engaged in pirate role play. She skilfully introduced mathematical learning into their play by encouraging them to count the bags of treasure they had discovered. They then recorded the answer using chalks on the ground beneath the pirate ship.  Staff ask questions which encourage children to think, investigate and be curious. They

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Early years provision Outstanding

model spoken language precisely. For example, children were asked, „How do you know this is a triangle?‟ during a hunt for different two-dimensional shapes.  Staff are well trained. They receive regular safeguarding updates and designated staff have paediatric first-aid training. Staff are knowledgeable about safety procedures and ensure that children are safe from harm.  Additional funding is used effectively to provide a range of support for disadvantaged children and for children with SEND, including one-to-one support, small-group support and specific interventions to improve children‟s speaking skills.  Staff use a range of external agencies to provide specialist support for children with SEND. Teaching assistants are used expertly to provide high levels of support for children with complex SEND, including physiotherapy and sensory-play activities. As a result, children with SEND access the early years curriculum and learn together with

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Early years provision Outstanding

their peers.  The partnership between staff and parents is highly effective. The use of „stay and play‟ sessions ensure that parents are fully involved in their child‟s learning and they understand the teaching approaches used in school. All the parents attended the most recent parent consultation meetings.  The outstanding teaching, learning and assessment, enable the proportions of children achieving a good level of development in 2018, to be above the national average. From their very low starting points, children make strong progress in all areas of learning. Children are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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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

Email address admin@ednagolds.nottingham.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14–15 November 2013

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Information about this school

 The school is an average-sized primary school.  The school is part of the L.E.A.D. multi-academy trust.  The headteacher is currently providing support to Birley Spa Academy in Sheffield.  The school is governed by the board of trustees. The school has an academy advisory board, which has delegated duties as directed by the board of trustees.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is below the national average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above the national average.  The proportions of pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds and of pupils who speak English as an additional language are well above those seen nationally. Currently, 28 different languages are spoken in the school.  The mobility of pupils is high.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in all classes. Inspectors listened to pupils read in Years 1, 2 and 4. Inspectors met with groups of pupils to talk about their learning and experiences in school. Inspectors scrutinised pupils‟ work with the leaders for English and mathematics and looked at pupils‟ work in other subjects. Inspectors observed pupils‟ behaviour at playtimes and lunchtimes and observed the school‟s breakfast-club provision.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the head of school, the coordinator of the provision for pupils with SEND, the leader of the early years, middle leaders and members of the board of trustees and the academy advisory board. They also held a meeting with two representatives from the trust.  A wide range of documents was scrutinised, including those relating to safeguarding, behaviour, pupils‟ performance and attendance, and records of the school‟s monitoring

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Information about this inspection

and evaluation of the quality of education. Inspectors also examined the school‟s plans for improvement, plans for the use and impact of the additional funding, minutes from meetings of the board of trustees and information available on the school‟s and trust‟s websites.  Inspectors spoke with parents informally at the start of each day. There were also 29 responses to Parent View, Ofsted‟s online questionnaire. Inspectors took account of the 16 responses to the staff survey. There were no responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Steve Varnam, lead inspector Her Majesty‟s Inspector

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Inspection team

Kate Nash 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

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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.gov.uk/ofsted

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