Lift Newington

Inspection of Newington Academy Dairycoates Avenue, Hull HU3 5DD

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good 10–11 December 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Newington Academy is a great school on the Humber estuary. Pupils love the school and enjoy their lessons. Staff truly believe that there is no limit to what pupils can achieve. Leaders have thought carefully about what pupils need to learn and when and, as a result, pupils’ work is of high quality and they achieve high standards.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have very high expectations for all pupils and want them to achieve their very best. Pupils gain very good knowledge and skills across a wide range of subjects. They talk with confidence about what they know and what they can do. The school’s motto of ‘Find your remarkable’ permeates every aspect of school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a very caring, friendly and inclusive place. Pupils are eager to learn and excited about studying different subjects. This is because classrooms are inspiring and trigger pupils’ curiosity. Staff work very hard and teach pupils exceptionally well. Pupils and children who join the school during the year are made to feel welcome and settle in quickly, making many new friends.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave exceptionally well. They told us that bullying is very rare here but, if it happens, teachers sort it out quickly. Pupils have many opportunities to join different clubs such as gardening and music as well as sporting activities. Pupils also take on roles such as those of school councillor and Freddy Fit leader.

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better?

The headteacher and her staff are passionate and determined that pupils in the school are inspired and well prepared to choose a remarkable life and be the best they can be. They have designed a curriculum that is ambitious and engaging. Different subjects are interconnected through different themes. Teachers make sure that pupils learn the right things, in the right order, in all subjects. As a result, pupils achieve highly and are very well prepared for the next steps in their education.

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better?

Reading is a very high priority in the school. Leaders have worked hard to strengthen the early reading curriculum. As a result, pupils quickly learn to read with fluency, accuracy and confidence. Pupils’ love of reading is very clear for all to see. Books are carefully matched to the sounds pupils know so that they quickly enjoy reading. Through key stage 2, there is a strong focus on pupils’ understanding of a wide range of texts. The curriculum is clear and well sequenced. As a result, pupils build up their knowledge and skill over time in, for example, retrieval, inference and prediction.

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better?

Leaders have the highest expectations of what children can achieve from the moment they start school. The early years curriculum is highly ambitious and exciting. Leaders make sure that children get off to an excellent start with reading and mathematical skills. Children also learn new things across a wide range of activities. Adults are experts in phonics teaching. Teachers prioritise phonics lessons, games and activities every day so that children quickly learn to say and read sounds. 10–11 December 2019

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All children, including those with special education needs and/or disabilities (SEND), can already read simple words and simple sentences. The needs of the most able children and those with lower starting points are very well met. Relationships are excellent, right from the start, between staff, children and their families. Care and attention to small things make a big difference. For example, teachers give ‘jitter dust’ to children to sprinkle on themselves the night before they start school, to ease any fears. As a result, children feel excited about starting school. These positive relationships mean that children want to try hard for their teachers. They quickly take on board the high expectations in behaviour and learn to be good friends and treat each other in a kindly way.

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The curriculum is designed to meet the needs of all pupils. It is expertly structured to ensure that pupils access, learn, practise and remember lessons in all subjects. As a result, pupils with SEND are confident and achieve well. Adult support is carefully considered so that all pupils get the help they need. Pupils with SEND are fully involved in and enjoy school life. Similarly, disadvantaged pupils are very well supported from their different starting points. Pupils and their families are given support to ensure that they have full access to all the opportunities the school offers both in and out of the classroom such as music lessons, resources and residential trips.

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Media work is threaded through the curriculum for everyone. It helps pupils to research, revisit and recall learning. Pupils think creatively about how to present and record information. This work helps them to develop social skills too. Pupils join a wide range of lunchtime activities and after-school clubs, such as sports clubs, gardening and chess. The clubs are very popular. Leaders make sure that all pupils are able to join in.

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Pupils’ attitudes to learning are exceptional. We did not see any pupil not paying attention in lessons. This is because leaders and teachers carefully plan learning activities and deliver them exceptionally well.

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Leaders engage very well with staff and parents. Staff are highly committed and care for the children and pupils at the school. Teachers provide a high-quality education and value the support and training leaders provide. Parents are extremely positive about the school’s work. Governors and trustees provide excellent challenge and support to school leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders, supported by the trust, ensure that safeguarding records are accurate. They carry out appropriate recruitment checks to make sure that all adults are safe to work with pupils. The designated safeguarding leader and her team are dedicated and make sure that there is a strong culture of keeping children safe in the school. Staff receive regular training and understand any issues in the local area, including domestic violence and children’s criminal exploitation, also known as county lines. 10–11 December 2019

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They know what to do if they have any concerns. Pupils know how to stay safe at school and online. They also know who to go to if they are worried.

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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. 10–11 December 2019

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School details

Local authority Kingston Upon Hull City Council

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 September 2018

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Information about this school

 Newington Academy is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Following the promotion of the previous headteacher, the deputy headteacher was appointed as interim headteacher in September 2019.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above the national average.  The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan is broadly in line with the national average. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs support is above the national average.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is significantly above the national average. There are 24 different languages spoken at the school. Many children who join the Nursery or Reception classes during the year speak little or no English.  The proportion of pupils and children who leave or join the school during the year is above the national average.  The school uses the Whitehouse pupil referral unit for alternative education.

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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 met with the executive headteacher, the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders and teachers. We also met with the chair of the governing body and held a telephone conversation with the primary phase director from the trust.  We held informal and formal discussions with many pupils and observed interactions during playtime and lunchtime. We also spoke to a range of parents.  An inspector visited the Whitehouse pupil referral unit used by the school for alternative education and spoke with the executive headteacher and headteacher.  We observed the work of the school and scrutinised a wide range of evidence, including the school’s self-evaluation of its overall effectiveness, action plans, attendance and behaviour records, safeguarding files, and recruitment checks. We talked to staff about their role in keeping pupils safe.  An inspector listened to pupils read from Years 1 to 6.  We talked to staff, including the newly qualified teachers, about their workload,

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Information about this inspection

and about the amount and quality of the training and support they receive from leaders.  We took into account the five responses from parents to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. We also took into consideration the 24 staff responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey.  We undertook ‘deep dives’ into the following subjects: reading, mathematics, science, history and art. This involved meeting with the leaders of these subjects, joint visits with them to a sample of lessons in their subject areas and joint scrutiny with them of the workbooks and other work produced by pupils from the classes visited. Discussions were held with teachers and groups of pupils from the lessons observed. We also took a broad overview of pupils’ work in subjects across the curriculum.

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Inspection team

Dimitris Spiliotis, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Adrian Fearn Ofsted Inspector 10–11 December 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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