Edward Heneage Primary Academy

Edward Heneage Primary Academy Edward Street, Grimsby, Lincolnshire DN32 9HL

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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 Inadequate

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The principal has taken effective action since the last inspection. Her relentless drive has led to rapid improvements across all aspects of school life.  The multi-academy trust has provided effective support. The high-quality training the trust has arranged has improved the effectiveness of senior and middle leaders.  Trustees have made strategic decisions to accelerate the rate of improvement. They appointed skilful professionals to the academy scrutiny committee. Governors have continued to provide effective challenge.  The quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection and is now good. This has resulted in most pupils making good or better progress in English and mathematics.  The teaching of phonics is consistently strong. Teachers all follow the phonics scheme to the letter and reading books are well matched to pupils’ knowledge and skills. This is building pupils’ confidence as early readers.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders use assessment information precisely. Strategies to help key stage 2 pupils achieve greater depth in reading are working well.  Leaders have introduced a new method for the teaching of writing. This is used consistently by all teachers. As a result, a greater proportion of pupils are now writing at the expected standard.  Teaching of mathematics has also improved. Most pupils are now making good or better progress in mathematics. Teachers’ expectations of the most able mathematicians, however, are not always high enough.  Leaders have begun to improve the quality of teaching and learning across the wider curriculum. However, this is at an earlier stage of development. The standards pupils are achieving is variable across different subjects.  In early years, high-quality areas of learning are very well planned and resourced. This is helping children make good or better progress in Nursery and Reception.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders have designed a curriculum that raises pupils’ aspirations. This is helping pupils make good progress in their personal development.  Pupils are polite and well mannered. They behave well in lessons and around the school. Most pupils also behave well at lunchtime, although a small minority of pupils do not. Some parents and carers are concerned about this.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve the quality of teaching and learning, by ensuring that: – there is enough challenge to the most able pupils in mathematics – pupils are achieving consistently well in all subjects beyond English and mathematics – pupils are given frequent opportunities to develop their enquiry skills in science.  Improve the quality of leadership to ensure that: – all pupils behave well at lunchtime – there are closer communication links with parents to improve their confidence in this aspect of the school’s behaviour management policy and practice.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The principal is relentless in taking the necessary steps to ensure that the quality of teaching and learning is consistently good. Leaders, including governors, have taken decisive action to eradicate inadequate teaching from the school.  Pupils take great pride in their new school uniform and they look very smart in their blazers. Leaders model and encourage these high standards, explaining to pupils about careers where formal dress is expected. They encourage pupils to aim for academic success so that they can go to university and gain access to these professions when they grow up.  Leaders have designed a well-thought-out curriculum that is based on raising pupils’ aspirations. Homework is relevant to learning as it reinforces work in class. Curriculum teams plan themed weeks to inspire pupils and widen their knowledge and experience. The new curriculum is beginning to improve pupils’ enjoyment and progress across a

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

wider range of subjects.  The multi-academy trust provides a wealth of opportunities for professional development. For example, the trust provided intensive training on a new method for the teaching of writing. The trust also arranged for subject leaders of English to visit one of its other schools in a different region to see these methods working in practice. This training helped leaders get off to a flying start when they introduced this method.  Leaders have ensured that the curriculum prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. Collective acts of worship and planned work in classrooms contribute strongly to pupils’ good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils show respect and tolerance for other faith traditions.  Leaders use additional funding effectively to ensure that disadvantaged pupils are catching up quickly. Senior and middle leaders check frequently that the extra things

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

they are doing are working as intended. As a result, the difference in outcomes between disadvantaged pupils and their peers is closing quickly.  The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) writes detailed plans to help pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make good progress. The SENCo makes sure teachers are using the targets set within these plans every day and that they review these targets frequently. This ensures that the additional learning needs of pupils with SEND are met.  There is a mixed response from parents about the changes leaders have made. Very few parents gave their views to inspectors. Those who did were less positive than the few parents who submitted their views during the last inspection. There is further work for leaders to do to prove to parents that they are listening and responding to the concerns that parents raise.

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Governance of the school

 The multi-academy trust has given the school intensive levels of support since it was judged to be inadequate in 2017. This included selecting governors with the right combination of skills to form an academy scrutiny committee. The board of trustees has maintained close oversight to ensure that these governors are making a difference.  The chair of the academy scrutiny committee already had a key role in leading school improvement within the trust in 2017. His continuing role as chair of the academy scrutiny committee gave much-needed stability at this challenging time in the school’s improvement journey. Minutes of meetings show that the academy scrutiny committee is providing effective challenge to school leaders, and this has accelerated the school’s rapid pace of improvement.  The board of trustees has ensured that the school’s ambitious plans for improvement include sharp targets and timescales. The academy scrutiny committee is stringent in

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Governance of the school

holding leaders to account against these targets. Regular reports to the board of trustees ensure consistent lines of accountability throughout the multi-academy trust. As a result, the urgency for rapid school improvement has sustained momentum.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff follow the multi-academy trust’s policies. Recruitment procedures are robust in ensuring pupils’ safety.  Leaders have used additional funding to establish a team of specialist safeguarding staff. These staff are well trained, and they provide effective support for pupils and families who need extra help. This team and the principal meet weekly to discuss individual cases. This frequent system of review is helping to keep pupils safe.  Leaders have recently introduced electronic methods of recording child protection issues. However, certain weaknesses in the system for recording concerns raised by some non-teaching staff were also identified by inspectors. During the inspection, leaders changed their procedures to ensure that these problems were resolved.  Leaders closely monitor the absences of vulnerable pupils and there is clear evidence

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Safeguarding

that the attendance of these pupils has consequently improved. Further training on the heightened risks of criminal exploitation of frequently absent pupils has been scheduled.  In 2018, the majority of Year 6 pupils reached competent swimming standards, and many were confident in safe water-rescue techniques.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 The teaching of early reading is a strength of the school. Leaders have sustained the effective teaching of phonics identified in the 2018 inspection. All teachers in Reception and Year 1 follow the school’s phonics programme systematically and pupils’ reading books are well matched to the sounds they know. As a result, Year 1 pupils have a secure understanding of phonics and all key stage 1 pupils are gaining fluency and confidence as early readers. This is helping them to make good or better progress.  Teaching assistants are well trained and they hear pupils who need extra help read individually. This often happens daily. This is helping the less able pupils, disadvantaged pupils and those pupils with SEND to catch up quickly.  Leaders’ evaluations of assessment information identified that some key stage 2 pupils’ limited vocabulary was holding them back in their reading comprehension. Pupils could

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

not answer some questions in reading tests because they did not understand what some of the words they were able to read meant. Key stage 2 pupils now have daily lessons to extend their vocabulary, so pupils are learning new words every day.  Leaders have introduced a new strategy for the teaching of writing. This method of teaching and learning is securely and consistently embedded. Pupils are using their new vocabulary knowledge in their writing and in the right context. This has led to rapidly improving standards in the quality of pupils’ writing across the school.  Although mathematics teaching has focused on improving pupils’ core number skills, there are limited opportunities for pupils to apply these in reasoning and problem solving. Expectations of the most able mathematicians are not always high enough.  Leaders have designed a curriculum that provides pupils with exciting new learning opportunities. For example, pupils visited a mobile planetarium in school. Leaders also

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

give pupils the chance to try different sports that they might not have experienced, such as fencing and archery. This is helping pupils gain new knowledge and skills and increasing their enjoyment of school.  Singing is a strong feature of school life, with all pupils being involved in a class choir. Following successful auditions, some pupils have been selected to sing in the Grimsby Minster Choir.  The progress pupils are making is not consistently high across all subjects. For example, the progress pupils are making in science is variable. In some year groups, pupils record facts in science, but they are not given sufficient opportunity to develop their skills through scientific enquiry.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. There are many examples of work relating to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development in displays around the school and in pupils’ work. Pupils can talk about their learning with confidence.  The ethos statement has links to British values. Pupils have a good understanding of other faiths and cultures. Pupils respect different beliefs, opinions and feelings and they are polite and respectful of differences.  Pupils are happy and confident learners. They show persistence and resilience. One parent said, ‘I hate seeing how poorly rated the school is. My children have been so happy at Edward Heneage. It’s the only reason I am living in the area.’  The curriculum is helping raise pupils’ aspirations. Pupils are ambitious for their future. Improved standards of attainment, coupled with increased confidence, are helping

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Personal development and welfare

pupils to believe in themselves.  Lots of equipment is provided to keep pupils moving at morning breaktime. Older pupils are given responsibility for organising equipment and leading games. Inspectors observed pupils skipping with individual ropes and taking turns to skip together with longer ropes. Leaders arrange visits from elite female professional athletes to further inspire girls and boys to take part in sport equally.  Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of how to stay safe online. If pupils have worries, they know they can speak to one of the members of staff in the academic support unit. Pupils’ emotional health and well-being receive good support.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Teachers use the school’s behaviour policy consistently. All pupils respond at once when the teacher prompts the class to stop their discussions and pay attention. Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning and they behave well in lessons, around the school and at breaktime.  Pupils all wear the very smart school uniform and they take pride in belonging. Year 6 pupils told inspectors that they think pupils’ behaviour improved when the new uniform was introduced. Pupils are polite and welcoming to visitors.  Attendance is improving for all pupil groups and it is close to the national average. Approximately 76 pupils attend breakfast club every day. Leaders use additional funding to pay for some pupils, hitherto persistently absent, to attend breakfast club, and this has improved their rates of attendance.  Some parents raised concerns with inspectors about pupils’ behaviour. A very small

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Behaviour

number of pupils behave poorly at lunchtime. Leaders seek to avoid exclusions and plans are in place to improve lunchtimes.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 In some key stages, pupils’ outcomes have remained below the national average in recent years, but there is an improving trend across the school. Pupils are now making good progress in a range of subjects.  The school’s highly effective teaching of phonics is evident in the results Year 1 pupils achieve in the phonics screening check. These results have continued to rise year on year. In 2018, 94% of Year 1 pupils met the phonics screening check, a proportion that was well above the national average.  In 2018, Year 2 pupils also performed above the national average in reading and writing. Their mathematics results were slightly below the national standard. Current pupils’ work reflects this pattern of attainment.  Year 6 pupils performed well below the national standard in 2018, with 43% achieving the combined standard in reading, writing and mathematics. However, this was a substantial improvement on the 16% of Year 6 pupils who achieved this standard in

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Outcomes for pupils Good

2017. Current work shows that pupils are now making much stronger progress throughout key stage 2.  Pupils with SEND, including those pupils with education, health and care plans, are making good progress from their individual starting points. Differences in the progress and attainment of disadvantaged pupils compared with other pupils are diminishing quickly.

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Early years provision Good

 The multi-academy trust has given effective training to develop the skills of the recently appointed early years leader. The principal is offering continuing support.  A large proportion of children start the school with skills and abilities that are below those that are typical for their age. From their very low starting points, children are catching up quickly.  In 2018, the number of children reaching a good level of development was just below the national average. The very effective teaching of phonics led to children achieving reading scores that were above the national average for children of their age. This is helping Reception children to be well prepared for Year 1.  Leaders are continuing to strengthen links with pre-school providers. Strong links are already well established with other professionals, who help to ensure children’s health and well-being. For example, the dentist came in to talk to children about cleaning

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Early years provision Good

their teeth and he gave children toothbrushes and toothpaste to encourage them to have a go. The school nurse checks children’s sight and hearing. All children’s care and welfare needs are met.  There are very positive and nurturing relationships between all staff and children. There is a calm and happy learning environment in Nursery and Reception. The beautiful outdoor classroom is very well resourced, and children have lots of space and equipment to improve their gross motor skills and physical development. Children wear sun hats to keep them safe outside, and parents are reminded to ensure that their children are protected with sun cream.  Links with parents are strong and there are many opportunities for parents to be involved with their child’s learning. Parents are encouraged to attend ‘stay and play’ afternoons and pencils are sent home with homework. Parents can access the electronic records of children’s learning and some parents add their own comments.

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Early years provision Good

 Children’s independence is developed skilfully. The high-quality areas of provision entice children to join in. Pupils Children put on their own aprons and they help each other to fasten them without any adult intervention. Language skills are developed effectively through the wide range of well-resourced activities on offer.  Children are all interested in phonics lessons and they sustain their concentration. Staff have high expectations about what children are expected to do and children respond enthusiastically. Children can write a sentence independently.  There are equally high expectations of children’s behaviour. Children are confident to have a go at something they find difficult because staff are very supportive and activities are so well planned. These children are learning and thriving.

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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 office@edwardheneage.co.uk

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Information about this school

 This school is part of the David Ross Education Trust.  The board of trustees is accountable for the school’s performance. The scheme of delegation is published on the school’s website.  The board of trustees has appointed governors to a local academy scrutiny committee to challenge leaders about curriculum and standards. This committee reports to the board of trustees.  The multi-academy trust has provided intensive support to the school since it was most recently judged to be inadequate in 2017.  The school includes pupils from eight out of 17 possible ethnic groups. Most pupils are of White British heritage.  More than half of pupils are disadvantaged. This is much higher than the national average and within the top 20% of all schools.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in all year groups from Nursery to Year 5. Most of these observations were undertaken alongside school leaders.  Year 6 pupils were taking their statutory assessment tests during the inspection. Their usual English and mathematics lessons were not taking place that week. Inspectors met Year 6 pupils individually to talk to them about their learning and progress.  Inspectors reviewed children’s learning journeys and pupils’ written work across the curriculum. In some subjects, pupils’ learning was evaluated alongside subject leaders.  Inspectors held discussions with pupils throughout the inspection, at breakfast club, in lessons, during breaktime, and in more formal meetings.  Inspectors reviewed the four responses to Parent View and talked to parents before school. There were no responses to the staff or pupil surveys.  The board of trustees nominated the multi-academy trust’s chief executive officer and

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Information about this inspection

the director of primary education to represent them. A meeting was also held with local governors, including the chair of the academy scrutiny committee and the regional director for the multi-academy trust.  Meetings were held with the principal and various senior and middle leaders. A meeting was also held with three deputy safeguarding leaders.  Inspectors reviewed several school documents, including the academy improvement plan, monitoring records, curriculum planning documents, the school’s records of attendance, behaviour and exclusion records, records of pupils with SEND, and minutes of meetings of the academy scrutiny committee.

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Inspection team

Tracey Ralph, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Adrian Fearn 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

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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