Byron Wood Primary Academy

Byron Wood Primary Academy Earldom Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S4 7EJ

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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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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils make strong progress from their much lower than typical starting points and leave school at the end of Year 6 well prepared for the next stage of their education.  Strong leadership, in school and in the trust, motivates staff and provides well-understood systems and strategies that help to secure school improvement.  Leaders make careful adaptations in their curriculum and provision to meet the diverse needs of pupils and their families.  Leaders promote the development of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding well. They ensure that pupils learn about important local and national issues and about how to be good citizens.  Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They are polite and respectful and want to do well at school.  Effective systems are in place to ensure that everyone understands their responsibility in keeping pupils safe. Staff are vigilant in following up absences. Pupils’ attendance has

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

improved and is now similar to the national average.  Children make good progress through the early years. However, while the vast majority of girls reach a good level of development at the end of Reception, a considerable proportion of boys do not.  Children’s transition from the early years to Year 1 and the quality of teaching and learning through key stage 1 have varied over time. The proportion of pupils who reach expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 1 is below the national average.  Leaders have made improvement in reading a priority, particularly in light of pupils’ limited English when they start school. Pupils are taught phonics well and they apply their knowledge of sounds successfully to reading and writing. Leaders’ ambition to develop pupils’ language through reading engagement and enjoyment is not as high profile for pupils when they enter key stage 1.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders have recently made changes to the provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) because the progress these pupils make varies widely as they move through school. It is too soon to see the full effect of this work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 In the early years, ensure that the provision and adults’ direction engage boys so that they make strong progress in all areas of the curriculum and a higher proportion achieve a good level of development at the end of Reception.  Increase the proportion of pupils who achieve the expected standard at the end of key stage 1 by ensuring that pupils: – make a smooth transition from Reception to key stage 1, so that they make consistently good progress in reading, writing and mathematics – have frequent opportunities to share books and stories with adults, so that they develop their vocabulary, language comprehension and love of reading.  Ensure that pupils with SEND make consistently good progress across the curriculum.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 All leaders demonstrate high ambition for the pupils. They know how to support teachers in ensuring that pupils make good progress and achieve well by the time they leave school.  Trust and school leaders have established clear procedures that everyone understands in all aspects of the school’s work, from keeping pupils safe to improving pupils’ academic outcomes and behaviour. Consequently, pupils are safe and know what is expected of them.  Leaders understand the community context and how this affects children’s starting points. They have high expectations of children quickly developing their vocabulary and understanding. They have a wide range of opportunities to engage families in the life of the school and give them help in supporting their children’s learning.  The curriculum planned by leaders takes into account the social backgrounds and community context of pupils and families. For example, each year, pupils learn about

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

life in Sheffield, building their knowledge year-on-year and gaining an understanding of the benefits and challenges of their local area. For example, Year 4 pupils have learned about immigration. Pupils showcase their learning in a special event for parents and carers each year, which helps them to remember what they have learned and gain knowledge from what other year groups present.  A considered emphasis on developing pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is helping to prepare pupils for their lives ahead and to be good citizens. Adults set high expectations of, and model consistently, good manners, respect and a positive approach to school life. Pupils follow their lead.  Leaders have established comprehensive systems to record and check the attainment and progress of pupils in reading, writing and mathematics. They understand the strong progress made by pupils through key stage 2 and can explain how this is a

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

result of consistently strong teaching and carefully planned, bespoke training for leaders, teachers and teaching assistants.  Leaders are currently establishing effective ways to check the progress pupils make in other subjects. For example, a trial this year for history has meant that teachers have a good understanding of the planned progression for pupils and how well pupils are doing at each stage. In other subjects, an increased demand over the course of pupils’ primary school experience has not yet been as carefully considered in each subject. This is highlighted on school plans for improvement.  Leaders are not afraid to address challenging, but relevant and important, learning, such as equality and relationships. They are dedicated to working with families to ensure that pupils are given the knowledge they need to make sensible and respectful choices. Older pupils are able to speak with sensitivity about how people can be

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

treated differently because of their uniqueness.  The leader for pupils who are disadvantaged and supported through the pupil premium funding has made sure that pupils’ needs are identified and then understood by class teachers. Much support, for all pupils, is planned through same-day or next-day interventions, designed to help pupils catch up and keep up with their peers. In key stage 1, there are greater differences between the attainment of pupils who are disadvantaged and those who are not, but gaps in pupils’ learning have generally been well addressed by the end of key stage 2.  The leader for physical education (PE) carefully analyses the engagement of pupils in PE, the opportunities pupils have in a wide range of sports and activities and staff confidence in delivering the curriculum. There is a clear progression of skills planned as pupils move through school. Additional funding is used successfully to widen the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

opportunities pupils have to try new sports in school and in external events and activities. Pupils have the opportunity to take part in a wide range of extra-curricular activities.  The leader for pupils with SEND, who is covering the post for a year, works closely with trust and local authority members to ensure that the needs of pupils are met. He has changed the provision to strengthen the interventions pupils receive so that they make good progress. This is to address the different progress that pupils with SEND make in different year groups and stages that the leadership team has identified. It is too soon to see the full effect of this work on pupils’ progress.

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Governance of the school

 Those responsible for the governance of the school, the trust and the local education and consultative committee, work closely with school leaders to gain a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement.  Comprehensive and well-devised trust systems and strategies are very well understood and have supported the clear view of the school that governors have. For example, governors know how pupils are kept safe and where teaching and pupils’ progress are strong or need support. There is a culture of ongoing professional growth and development.  Governors’ meeting records demonstrate their diligence in addressing any issues raised. Points raised return as continuing agenda items at the start of each meeting until the issues are addressed or resolved.  Governors have confidence in the leadership team, explaining how the headteacher, along with other leaders, has galvanised the staff team to improve academic, social,

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Governance of the school

emotional and behavioural outcomes for pupils.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Leaders’ thorough and comprehensive approach to safeguarding policies, training, implementation and practice has resulted in everyone knowing how to spot and report when pupils are potentially not safe. Detailed records of concerns, incidents and action taken are fit for purpose. Weekly briefings ensure that information is shared appropriately.  Leaders carefully track and support all pupil referrals and make timely contact with external services, the trust and the local authority.  Learning mentors are all appropriately trained in safeguarding and work closely with individual pupils and families who need support.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment has improved over time. From their much lower than typical starting points, pupils make good progress and engage positively in learning across a range of subjects and activities.  Thorough and carefully considered professional development for teachers and support staff underpins the improvements seen in the quality of teaching and learning. There is a culture of sharing good practice within the trust and structured strategies for improvement.  Improving pupils’ ability to read well has been a priority for the school. Leaders have analysed the barriers pupils have to reading when they start school and put in place support to address these. Phonics teaching is strong. Pupils, including those of lower ability, apply their phonics knowledge well to reading and writing. The books they read are well matched to their ability. Teachers encourage pupils to practise decoding words

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

and read books several times. As a result, most pupils read aloud with confidence and accuracy.  Pupils in most year groups talk confidently about their reading choices. They can explain how they use non-fiction books to support their learning in subjects such as history. However, conversations with key stage 1 pupils and observations of learning show that developing a love of stories and reading is not as well developed in Year 1. Here, pupils do not have the same opportunities to hear adults read aloud and talk about books and characters as they do in other year groups.  With a high proportion of pupils speaking very little English when they start school, developing pupils’ understanding and use of wider language choices is a priority. Most teachers and teaching assistants model vocabulary and sentence structure well and expect pupils to speak and write in the same way. As a result, pupils’ language

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

acquisition is strong when they leave school.  Many pupils enter the school throughout the year. Leaders have established effective strategies to help them to catch up quickly. Pupils’ ability is quickly checked, and support matched to their needs. Staff in the ‘Learning Zone’ help pupils who are new to English get off to a good start. They make sure that pupils make a smooth transition into their own year group classes when they have mastered the skills they need to be successful.  Pupils have frequent opportunities to write across the curriculum. A strategy used across the school to help pupils say, rehearse and practise writing provides pupils with a well- established structure to follow. This has aided most pupils in knowing how to produce writing that flows well and engages the reader. Leaders recognised that this style was not fully meeting the needs of the higher-ability pupils. They have trialled a new

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

strategy to address this, with success, and plan to deliver this to all classes next term.  Pupils make good progress in mathematics overall. They have frequent opportunities to develop their fluency in number operations. Leaders have identified that opportunities to solve problems and reason show variation and are more established in key stage 2.  The curriculum is planned to develop pupils’ personal, social and moral understanding and pupils confidently recall some of their recent learning. For example, Year 5 pupils have explored how to put something right when they have done something wrong and the importance of saying sorry.  Pupils rise to the challenge of the revised history curriculum. Pupils are acquiring subject-specific skills over time, for example the use of historical evidence to find out about the past. Pupils are encouraged to apply their learning to questions, for example: ‘What Victorian invention had the greatest impact on the life of working people?’

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

Leaders’ work trialling curriculum planning and assessment in history this year has given them a clear understanding of what pupils know in history and how to support them in building up this knowledge over their time in school.  Pupils are developing a good knowledge of, and respect for, different faiths through religious education lessons. Pupils can talk about different religions and apply their thinking from one religion to another, for example answering questions such as ‘Why would Muslims think the Christmas story is important?’

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Leaders and staff understand the different needs and backgrounds of pupils and plan support that is relevant to their needs.  Pupils know what bullying is and say that it hardly ever happens in their school. A group of key stage 1 pupils said that they would be very surprised if people in school did not say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ to each other or treat each other respectfully. Pupils are confident that adults in school support them if they have any concerns.  Spiritual, moral, social and cultural learning is evident in numerous displays and examples of pupils’ work around school, and most notably when speaking to pupils. Pupils can give examples of where they have been given ‘a moral dilemma’ and understand well what it is to be a good member of society.  The breakfast club is well attended. The atmosphere is calm and positive as staff and

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Personal development and welfare

pupils work and play together. Leaders explain how this club has had a positive impact on attendance and punctuality.  Leaders make sure that they have effective partnerships with alternative providers, so that there is continuity in the safety, welfare and learning of pupils who attend dual settings.  Everyone’s safety is a priority for leaders. They are working hard to ensure that the behaviour of a small minority of pupils does not affect the well-being of others.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils generally behave well, show respect to each other and to adults and are confident to talk about their learning because of the good role models that adults in school provide for them.  Leaders have reviewed their approach to managing unacceptable behaviour and have put in place clear systems to encourage pupils to behave well. As a result, behaviour in lessons has generally improved. Exclusions have increased as an immediate effect for a very small proportion of pupils. However, staff are helping pupils to reintegrate into school successfully and are supporting them well in being able to manage their behaviour more successfully long term. Pupils say that the new system helps them to learn from their mistakes and make better choices.  The school takes effective action to monitor and follow up any absence. Good attendance is celebrated and rewarded so that pupils want to attend. Leaders work

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Behaviour

closely with families to recognise the direct impact attendance has on the progress pupils make. Leaders discourage parents from taking holidays in term time and follow up absences rigorously. Persistent absence is declining. Decisions such as allocating training days to coincide with religious festivals has also improved attendance. Pupils’ attendance has improved year-on-year since 2015 and is now similar to the national average.  Challenges with families travelling long distances to school and having several members of the same family attending different schools have an impact on pupils’ punctuality. The proportion of pupils who are late to school has declined over the past year as leaders engage positively with parents. Facilities such as the breakfast club for all are supporting improvement, but leaders know that this is something they will need to keep working at with families.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Outcomes over time have improved since the last inspection. From much lower than typical attainment at the end of Reception, pupils make strong progress over their time in school and leave school well prepared for the next stage of their education. The majority of pupils, and a higher proportion than national, reach the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  Outcomes in phonics remain below the national average at the end of Year 1 and when pupils repeat this standard check at the end of Year 2. However, observations of current key stage 1 pupils’ learning, hearing them read and looking at their work show that pupils, including those of lower ability, apply their phonics knowledge well when attempting to decode new words. They have reading books that are well matched to what they have learned in phonics and have lots of opportunities to practise reading their books aloud. This means that they are generally confident to read aloud and have

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Outcomes for pupils Good

a positive view of reading.  Over time, a lower than national proportion of pupils reach expected and higher standards in reading and writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 1. Differences seen in outcomes for boys and girls at the end of the early years are not apparent by the end of key stage 1 because learning meets the needs of boys well. Current pupils’ work shows that learning gets off to a slower start at the beginning of key stage 1 but accelerates when pupils are in Year 2. Leaders are aware of some of the previous challenges with transition between the early years and key stage 1 and have put strategies in place to address these.  Pupils’ outcomes at the end of key stage 2 present a positive picture. A greater proportion of pupils than the national average achieved the expected standard in reading and writing and mathematics separately and in reading, writing and mathematics combined in 2018. Provisional results for 2019 suggest that this success

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Outcomes for pupils Good

continues. The proportion of pupils reaching the higher standard was greater than the national average in reading and mathematics in 2018. In addition, the progress that pupils make between key stage 1 and key stage 2 has improved over the last three years and is strong.  Revision of assessment procedures and directed support are improving outcomes for pupils with SEND. However, the progress these pupils make varies considerably through different year groups.  There is a considerable gap between the attainment of disadvantaged and non- disadvantaged pupils when they start school. By the time pupils leave at the end of Year 6, these differences have been addressed and are minimal.

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Early years provision Good

 Recent changes to the early years setting, including improved adult direction in reading, writing and mathematics, have resulted in a higher proportion of children reaching a good level of development at the end of Reception this year; this is now similar to the national average.  Children enter school with skills well below those typical for their age. Many children are new to English and start school with limited language and communication skills. Frequent book sharing, storytelling and routines in rhymes and learning mantras help children to quickly increase their vocabulary and engage in a love of reading. During the inspection, children were eager to show inspectors where to find a good book and which were their personal favourites.  The Nursery is a calm and positive environment where staff set high expectations in behaviour and instil values in learning. Well-established routines, high-quality adult

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Early years provision Good

modelling of language and praise motivate children and ensure that they know what is expected of them. For example, during the inspection, children joined in with a counting song, following the adult’s good example of using fingers and actions to count.  Phonics teaching in Reception is helping children make a positive start to reading and writing words and sentences. Adults model saying and writing sounds effectively. Most adults’ lively styles engage children, who are eager to learn and join in.  The new early years leader, due to take up her post full time from September 2019, has quickly gained a good understanding of what will strengthen the early years provision. She has put in place a number of systems and new policies, as well as helpful documents for parents to support whole families in their transition to school life. She and the trust’s early years lead teacher, who has been supporting the school’s

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Early years provision Good

development of the early years provision, have given their attention to ensuring that there is a better understanding of the next steps children need to take in their learning.  Pupils make good progress from their starting points. However, the large difference between boys’ and girls’ skills, distinct at entry, remains at the end of Reception. Although there is no difference between the engagement and learning of boys and girls in the Nursery provision, there are differences in the Reception classes, particularly in the outdoor environment. Boys make good progress when they are directed by adults. However, independent activities do not fully engage the boys, their behaviour slips and adults do not intervene well enough to ensure that their learning is purposeful. Consequently, there is a wide gap between the skills of boys and girls when they enter Year 1.  Parental engagement is good because staff work hard to break down language barriers

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Early years provision Good

and make sure that parents feel welcome in school.  Staff are well trained in how to keep pupils safe. They make regular checks on the environment and children’s needs to ensure that welfare requirements are met.

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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 bee.wood@astreabyronwood.org

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Byron Wood Academy is part of the Astrea Academy Trust. When the school was last inspected in 2015, as Byron Wood Primary School, it was judged to require improvement.  The trust board has responsibility for the governance of the school. The local education and consultative committee reports to the trust executive board.  The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The school runs a breakfast club.  The proportion of pupils receiving support for SEND is higher than the national average. The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan is below the national average.  The proportion of pupils who join or leave the school throughout the year is high compared to the national proportion.  A high proportion of pupils are from minority ethnic groups.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is much higher than the national average and is in the top 20% of schools nationally.

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Information about this school

 Early years consists of a Nursery and two Reception classes.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed lessons across a range of subjects and classes. Some of these observations were carried out jointly with the principal or associate assistant principal.  On the first day of the inspection, all class groups had a transition day to their class for next year. Throughout the day a wide range of pupils’ work, across year groups, was scrutinised in English, mathematics and other curriculum subjects. Much of this scrutiny was done alongside middle or senior leaders.  During visits to lessons, inspectors spoke with pupils and looked at their work to find out more about how well they are learning.  There were no results to Ofsted’s pupil questionnaire, but meetings were held with pupils and inspectors talked informally with pupils around the school. Inspectors listened to pupils read and talked with them about reading. Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met regularly with the principal and other senior leaders. They held meetings with the newly appointed early years leader and the lead teachers for English, mathematics and pupils with SEND, as well as curriculum leaders. They met with staff responsible for safeguarding and attendance. Trust leaders with specific responsibilities joined some of these meetings. The lead inspector met with those responsible for governance, as well as separately with the chief executive officer.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including leaders’ evaluation of the school, school action plans, curriculum plans and documents relating to pupils’ behaviour and the quality of teaching and learning. Inspectors also reviewed the minutes of meetings of the local governing board and information relating to safeguarding and attendance.  Inspectors met with parents on both days of the inspection and took into account the

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Information about this inspection

one response to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. They considered the 40 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Kate Rowley, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Susan Blackburn 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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