The King's Church of England Primary Academy

Inspection of The William Gladstone Church of England Primary Academy Holden Crescent, Newark, Nottinghamshire NG24 4HU

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected 5–6 November 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this rapidly improving school. One parent told us that her child runs in every morning, looking forward to a friendly greeting and the daily breakfast bagel.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers and pupils are pleased that behaviour ‘is so much better since the new headteacher arrived’. Most pupils behave well. Pupils say that they feel safe in school and there are ‘big consequences’ for any bullying. Parents told us that staff are ‘very approachable and friendly’. Relationships between staff and pupils, and between pupils, are good. Pupils are very respectful towards each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love the wide range of clubs on offer, such as gardening club, film club and ‘chill, chat and colour’. There is also a variety of sporting activities, including the Paralympic sport similar to bowls, called ‘boccia’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know that all the staff want them to do well. Everyone in school is determined that all pupils will achieve as well as possible. There is work to do to ensure that all pupils attend school as often as they should and that they all receive a good quality of education in every subject. The nurture group helps pupils who need extra support very well.

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better?

The headteacher recognised quickly what needed to happen to tackle the school’s historical weaknesses and to ensure that all pupils achieve well. The school is improving rapidly. The headteacher is keen to make further improvements. She is clear that ‘We are on a journey and not there yet.’

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better?

The headteacher has provided high-quality training for staff to improve the teaching of reading and writing. Teachers know what pupils need to learn in these areas. Pupils are achieving better than they did in the past. The improvements are not established across all classes, especially in key stage 1. Pupils read regularly to adults. However, pupils’ reading books are often too difficult for them. This slows pupils down from becoming fluent readers.

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better?

The quality of education in mathematics is stronger than other subjects. Pupils are more successful in this subject. Teachers’ plans set out what they must teach and when to teach it. Even so, some pupils are not able to remember and use important number facts, including their times tables.

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better?

Many other subject leaders are new to their posts. These leaders have not developed clear plans for teaching in their subjects. Teachers need this guidance so they can develop sequences of lessons that build up pupils’ knowledge. For example, in music, pupils enjoy learning to play wind instruments, but they do not learn about different styles of music and composers. In history, leaders have not thought about what pupils should learn and when they should learn it. 5–6 November 2019

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The school’s provision for pupils’ personal development is good. Pupils have opportunities to take on responsibilities. Some pupils have been trained as peer mentors. They are proud to help other pupils and ‘make sure everything’s ok in the playground’. Themes for pupils’ personal development link to the school’s Christian values. This term, pupils are learning to ‘throw kindness like confetti’. The headteacher rewards pupils with a ‘kindness tea party’.

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Staff and pupils understand and follow the school’s simple rule, ‘Be kind, be polite, be respectful’. The headteacher has introduced a new behaviour policy. All staff use the same approach for reminding pupils how to behave. Pupils say this has made the school a calm and safe place to learn.

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Pupils’ attendance is improving because most pupils are keen to come to school. Even so, attendance remains too low. Some pupils are repeatedly absent from school.

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The leader for the provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) has made a considerable difference for these pupils. Pupils are supported in lessons well. Teaching assistants help pupils who need to catch up. The nurture provision, known as ‘acorns’, helps pupils develop the skills they need to return to full-time learning in class. All staff ensure that the school includes and welcomes all pupils.

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Children, including those with SEND, settle well into the early years. They have warm relationships with the adults. Children in the Nursery and Reception classes develop a love of books. Staff help them to extend their vocabulary. During the inspection, children joined in as the teacher read ‘We’re going on a bear hunt’. Children squealed with delight as they repeated the words ‘thick, oozy mud’. The newly appointed early years leader has already identified what needs to be done to ensure that all children are well prepared for Year 1.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff in school have regular training so that they know how to spot the signs of potential abuse. Everyone knows what to do if they have a concern about a pupil or the behaviour of an adult.

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Safeguarding

The safeguarding team works well together to ensure that any pupil who is at risk is identified quickly. Staff work very closely with parents and lots of outside agencies, including social care and the police. Everyone in school is determined to see that pupils get the help they need.

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Safeguarding

The multi-academy trust provides an appropriate balance of support and challenge for safeguarding. 5–6 November 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school is improving but does not yet provide a good quality of education in all subjects. Many of the subject leaders who are new to post still need help from senior leaders to develop long-term plans for learning. The plans need to identify the most important knowledge, including vocabulary, that pupils should learn in each subject and each year group, including the early years. Teachers must use these plans to ensure that sequences of lessons are structured so that pupils learn and remember more.  Leaders need to ensure that all children can read fluently. Leaders must ensure that phonics is taught consistently well throughout the school, especially in key stage 1. Teachers need to make sure that phonics lessons help all pupils to secure new learning quickly. Leaders must ensure that the school has enough reading books at the right level for all pupils.  Leaders have planned the mathematics curriculum so that pupils build their

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

knowledge and skills systematically. Leaders now need to ensure that all teachers help pupils to remember important mathematical knowledge, including tables facts and number bonds.  Leaders’ expectations and plans for teaching writing provide teachers with support for ensuring lessons build towards age-appropriate writing standards. The guidance is in its preliminary stages of use and needs to be established across the school so that pupils in all key stages achieve well.  Leaders keep careful checks on attendance and are taking effective action to improve this area. There are some pupils who do not attend regularly. Improving attendance and reducing persistent absence remain priorities.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

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 5–6 November 2019

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years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 5–6 November 2019

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School details

Local authority Nottinghamshire County Council

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School details

Inspection number 10110032 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The William Gladstone Church of England Primary Academy converted to become an academy on 1 January 2017. When its predecessor school, William Gladstone Church of England Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be inadequate overall.  William Gladstone Church of England Primary Academy is a sponsored academy. It is part of SNMAT which is a multi-academy trust (MAT) centred on the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham.  Since the academy opened, there have been significant changes in staffing, including a new headteacher, deputy headteacher, early years leader and subject leaders. There is also a new local governing board, including a new chair of governors.  There is a before-school breakfast club.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 We looked closely at reading, mathematics, writing, music and history to consider the quality of education. We spoke with leaders, teachers and pupils, and we 5–6 November 2019

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visited lessons and looked at pupils’ books.  We met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, curriculum leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, the early years leader, business manager, family liaison officer, support staff, members of the local governing body and representatives from the trust. We also spoke with parents.  A wide range of documents was scrutinised, including those relating to safeguarding, behaviour, attendance, curriculum plans, the school’s self-evaluation documents and plans for improvement. We also looked at a range of documentation from the multi-academy trust.  We considered information about pupils’ achievement from published information and information on the school’s website.  We took account of the 12 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire. There were no responses to the staff or pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Carol Smith, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sarah Fielding Ofsted Inspector 5–6 November 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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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