Lift North Thoresby

Inspection of a good school: North Thoresby Primary Academy High Street, North Thoresby, Grimsby, Lincolnshire DN36 5PL

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Outcome

North Thoresby Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this school. They say that they feel happy and safe. This is because there are many adults to help and support them. Pupils behave well both in classrooms and during social times. Incidents of bullying are extremely rare.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff encourage pupils to ‘find their remarkable’. They also want pupils to be ‘unusually brave and big-hearted’, to ‘discover what’s possible’ and to ‘push the limits’. Pupils enjoy a good range of activities and opportunities. These include entry into many sporting and art competitions. Pupils can learn to play a musical instrument.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know that they should try their best in a wide range of subjects. Some subjects are better planned and more embedded than others. The standard of pupils’ work is good. Pupils learn about their local area as well as the wider world. They are prepared well for life in modern Britain.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are very positive about the school and its leaders. One comment, typical of many, was: ‘My child started in September and has come along fantastically! The staff are enthusiastic and caring.’

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

School leaders have ensured that there is an ambitious curriculum in place for all pupils. This includes disadvantaged pupils and those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). In mathematics, teachers ensure that pupils frequently practise number skills. Pupils are also given many opportunities to apply these skills to real-life problems. Year 2 pupils have recently deepened their knowledge of money by adding different coins.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The English leader has successfully introduced a reading programme. This focuses on expanding pupils’ vocabulary through reading books. When reading ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, pupils in the Year 3 and Year 4 class were excited to find new words. 21 January 2020

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These included ‘hastily’, ‘fortunate’, ‘unique’ and ‘devour’. A pupil then wrote, ‘The golden tickets are quite unique. Charlie was fortunate to find one.’

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The teaching of phonics and early reading is a strength. Staff reward pupils for reading frequently at home. Staff make sure that pupils’ reading books are carefully matched to their abilities. Regular phonics assessments mean that pupils who are falling behind are spotted quickly. They are then given help to catch up. There is a well-attended after- school reading club.

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The curriculum provides very well for pupils’ personal development. There are many opportunities to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, there have been trips to a mosque and visitors to the school from the Hindu community. There are also links with different Christian groups. Pupils are encouraged to debate different issues, such as ‘Should animals have the same rights as humans?’ Pupils are taught about internet safety. They know not to share passwords and personal information when playing online games.

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The physical education (PE) curriculum is very well planned. Teachers are skilled and knowledgeable. There are many opportunities for pupils to compete against other schools. A variety of after-school clubs are well attended. These include football, hockey, dance, archery and boccia. Pupils talk enthusiastically about PE and enjoy their daily ‘morning mile’.

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Children in the early years get off to a good start. The environment is well resourced, bright and stimulating. There is a good range of activities for children to complete, both inside and outside. These include opportunities to read, write and be creative. Relationships between adults and children are warm and positive.

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The executive headteacher and assistant headteacher lead the school well. They have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and development areas. Staff say that school leaders are appreciative of their workload.

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The Academies Enterprise Trust offers the school a good mix of training, support and challenge. The trust receives detailed information from the headteacher about the school. Trust leaders hold school leaders fully to account for their actions.

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School leaders have ensured that there is a curriculum that aims to prepare all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, for the next stage of their education. However, not all subjects are planned or implemented as well as they could be.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff have received safeguarding training in a wide range of topics. These include spotting the signs of abuse, child sexual exploitation, forced marriage and county lines drug trafficking. Safeguarding records kept by the school are of good quality. The safeguarding leads are swift to seek extra support for a pupil or family. There are links with social care, the early help team and an educational psychologist. 21 January 2020

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All the necessary checks are made on adults before they are allowed to work or volunteer at the school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 School leaders have not yet had sufficient time to ensure that all curriculum subjects are as well planned as they could be. Consequently, learning in these subjects is not fully embedded. Leaders should ensure that all subjects are well planned and implemented.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, North Thoresby Primary School, to be good on 28 November 2012.

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How can I feed back my views?

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 are the school and you are 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. 21 January 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10121325 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website https://sites.google.com/a/aetinet.org/nort h-thoresby-primary-academy/ Date of previous inspection 24 May 2016

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Information about this school

 The headteacher was appointed in January 2018.

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Information about this inspection

 We held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and the leaders responsible for pupils with SEND, phonics, mathematics and PE. Further meetings were held with staff, representatives from the trust and a telephone conversation was held with the chair of the governing body. Discussions were held with pupils and parents. Responses to Ofsted’s staff, pupil and parent questionnaires were considered.  We undertook deep dives into mathematics, phonics and early reading, and physical education. A deep dive entails talking with the subject leader, visiting lessons, talking with pupils and teachers and examining work in pupils’ books, all from the same subject.  When inspecting safeguarding, the lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead and several members of staff. The safeguarding policy, training records and examples of safeguarding concerns were scrutinised. 21 January 2020

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 We examined a wide range of documentation, including the school development plan, self-evaluation, curriculum plans and information relating to pupils’ attendance and behaviour.

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Inspection team

Peter Stonier, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Heather Hawkes Ofsted Inspector 21 January 2020

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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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