High Street Primary Academy

Inspection of High Street Primary Academy High Street, Stonehouse, Plymouth, Devon PL1 3SJ

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Inadequate Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected 12–13 November 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school, but they should be doing much better. They are not making enough progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Their attainment is too low. Too many pupils are unable to read with understanding. This is holding them back in other subjects like science and history. Teachers do not plan carefully enough to help pupils know and understand more. This limits what pupils learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The staff are kind and care about their pupils. They work hard with parents and carers to make sure pupils attend school regularly. However, many pupils still do not attend regularly enough.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The executive headteacher and the head of school have made many improvements to pupils’ behaviour and welfare. Despite this, behaviour in the playground is still not good enough. Leaders have not made sure that the staff on duty can manage this, particularly at lunchtimes. On the other hand, pupils and parents say that teachers deal with bullying well, if it occurs.

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better?

The quality of education is inadequate, and standards are too low. Too few pupils learn what they need to know in reading, writing and mathematics. This means that pupils find it hard to learn well in other subjects. Many pupils find reading difficult and they struggle to understand basic words.

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better?

The executive headteacher and head of school joined the school just over a year ago. They understand what they need to do to help the pupils remember more of what they learn. However, there is still a lot to do to improve teaching.

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better?

Teaching in most subjects is not helping pupils to learn well. In mathematics, for example, teaching does not develop pupils’ ability to explain how they solve problems. This does not help them to apply their learning about numbers and calculations.

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better?

Leaders have started to plan a new curriculum. Staff have used new plans in art. However, in most subjects these new plans are not consistently used. Consequently, the curriculum is weak and does not help pupils to learn more. For example, teaching in physical education does not build on what pupils already know.

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better?

Leaders of the trust faced many challenges, including significant staff changes. This has slowed the development of the curriculum. Consequently, in the past pupils did not receive the quality of education that they deserved. Recently, the trust has changed the way it helps the school. This has started to make a difference. It shows that leaders have the capacity to improve the quality of education but there is a long way to go. 12–13 November 2019

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When the new school leaders took over, the behaviour of pupils was unacceptable and disrupted learning regularly. The introduction of the ‘ready, respectful, safe’ system has been successful with most of the older pupils. These pupils behave well, now, in most lessons. Outside lessons, however, pupils’ behaviour is not yet good, especially at break and lunchtime.

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Leaders have strengthened the provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The new special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) has done a great deal to sharpen the plans for supporting pupils with SEND. It is too early to see the full impact of this work. Teachers do not have adequate training and support to implement these plans effectively.

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Children in the Nursery are well supported by adults who focus on children’s social skills, such as helping them to share and take turns. Nursery children make good progress from their low starting points. However, the teaching of early reading and phonics is not ensuring that children in Reception remember the sounds that they have learned well enough.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that the appropriate checks are done when recruiting staff. Staff know what to do if they have any concerns to report. Staff understand how to protect children and keep them safe. They use the school’s systems appropriately to refer any concerns to senior leaders.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The current curriculum is weak. Leaders need to ensure that new curriculum plans are fully implemented and check that teaching improves pupils’ knowledge and understanding. They need to make sure that the curriculum is organised so that pupils can learn more and remember more as they move through the school.  Pupils are not taught to read well enough. Too many pupils struggle to read words they do not know because the teaching of phonics has been ineffective for many years. Pupils do not remember the meaning of words they encounter. This hampers their ability to read with understanding. The school needs to make sure that pupils learn to read accurately and with full understanding. Teachers need to increase pupils’ vocabulary, so that pupils understand the meaning of more words and read with confidence.  Teachers do not have the knowledge and understanding required to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. Leaders need to develop the range and quality of

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

support they provide pupils with SEND and check that they have deployed this support effectively.  Leaders have ensured that the behaviour of most pupils has improved in lessons. 12–13 November 2019

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They now need to improve pupils’ behaviour when they are not in class.  Leaders have not ensured that children in Reception are learning what they need to. Leaders must ensure that children in Reception build on the good start that many make in the Nursery.

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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 years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 12–13 November 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111459 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

 High Street Primary Academy became an academy in December 2016. The school joined Reach South Academy Trust, a multi-academy trust (MAT). The MAT is responsible for the management and oversight of ten primary schools, one special school, an all-through school and one secondary university technical college.  This is the school’s first inspection since becoming an academy. There have been many changes to staffing and leadership. The current executive headteacher and head of school joined the school in September 2018.  Early years provision comprises a Nursery class for two- and three-year-olds, who attend part time or full time, and one Reception class for four- and five-year-olds, who attend full time. This class is mixed with the Year 1 pupils.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is well above the national average.  The number of pupils on roll has fallen considerably in recent years. As a result,

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Information about this school

leaders have had to reorganise the school from eight to six classes. Some of these have two years in a class. 12–13 November 2019

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. In accordance with section 44(2) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with the executive headteacher, head of school and the SENCo. We also met with curriculum leaders and representatives from the MAT. A meeting was held with the chair of the governing body and a telephone conversation was held with the chief executive officer of the MAT.  We did deep dives in these subjects: writing, reading, mathematics, art and physical education. We visited a range of lessons, looked at pupils’ work and spoke to pupils about their experience of school. We looked at learning plans and spoke with staff about pupils’ learning.  We spoke to pupils, parents and staff about the school’s work to keep pupils safe. We scrutinised records and safeguarding documentation, including the single central record.  We spoke with a range of staff including catering staff, mealtime staff and teaching assistants to understand pupils’ behaviour at different times of the day and to consider staff workload.

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Information about this inspection

 We took account of four parent responses to Parent View and the eight staff survey responses.

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Inspection team

Paul Walker, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Matthew Shirley Ofsted Inspector 12–13 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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