Balby Central Primary Academy

Inspection of Balby Central Primary Academy Littlemoor Lane, Balby, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN4 0LL

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 22–23 January 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a welcoming school. Staff look after pupils very well. Pupils say they are happy here most of the time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers’ expectations of what pupils can do have risen. Leaders have provided the right training for teachers in reading and mathematics. This has brought about improvements for pupils currently in the school. This is not yet consistent in every class.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils study the full range of national curriculum subjects. However, they are not always able to use important information from previous lessons to help them understand new learning. In some subjects, teachers are not clear about what pupils need to know to be ready for their next stage of learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils follow the school motto of ‘Ready, Respectful, Safe’. Sometimes, the behaviour of a small minority of pupils disrupts learning for others. These pupils receive help to manage their behaviour. Most pupils say that when bullying happens, adults sort it out. A few pupils are not as confident that this is the case.

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What is it like to attend this school?

School leaders work very hard to support families. However, the attendance of some pupils is still not good enough.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy taking part in activities such as drama, dance, martial arts and choir. They look forward to residential trips in the older year groups.

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better?

Significant improvements have already taken place in the school. Senior school leaders, trust leaders and governors know that the education provided by the school is not yet good. They have an accurate view of what needs to improve.

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better?

Over time, pupils’ achievement in mathematics and English has not been good enough. Leaders know this and have worked hard to raise standards. They have rightly prioritised reading and mathematics. As a result, most pupils who now attend the school are doing better. Some subject leaders are very new to their role. Plans are in place to make sure that new leaders get the training and time they need to improve the quality of education across the wider curriculum.

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better?

Teachers have had recent training in teaching mathematics. Also, leaders have put new curriculum plans in place. These plans help teachers know what to teach and when so that pupils can build on what they already know. However, the implementation of the curriculum is not strong enough in some year groups. As a result, some pupils are not learning as well as they should. Work is under way to improve the teaching of mathematics further. 22–23 January 2020

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Teachers and teaching assistants in the early years and key stage 1 have been trained to deliver the new phonics scheme. As a result, children in the early years have got off to a better start this year. Adults choose books that match the phonic sounds that pupils already know. This gives pupils the practice they need. However, this is not the case in key stage 2. As a result, some pupils are not catching up quickly enough.

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Plans for the wider curriculum are very new and at different stages of development. In science, pupils are able to remember much of what they have already learned. This helps them to understand new learning. However, in some subjects, such as history and geography, curriculum plans do not clearly show what pupils need to know by the end of each year. As a result, pupils do not learn content in enough depth to succeed at the next stage of their learning.

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Recent changes in the way that early reading and mathematics is taught in the early years are bringing about improvements. Children are able to practise what they have learned as they play independently. Curriculum plans are not sufficiently precise in all areas of learning. Children do not learn enough to have a firm foundation to build on in Year 1.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully included in lessons and the wider life of the school. Leaders carefully plan support for pupils who have difficulty in managing their behaviour. Sometimes, however, the learning and play of other pupils is interrupted.

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Behaviour has improved since the introduction of the new behaviour policy. Exclusions have reduced. There are still a few pupils who do not always do the right thing. There is some bullying and name-calling. Most pupils feel that adults manage this well. However, a small number of pupils said that they are not confident that adults always sort things out.

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Teachers make the most of the resources in the local area to enrich learning. This helps to raise pupils’ aspirations of what they can do and become. For example, pupils in Year 4 enjoyed learning ballet during a visit from the Northern Ballet Company.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are well trained in keeping children safe. They understand the risks to pupils in the wider community and know what to look out for. They report any concerns quickly. Leaders take swift action to help pupils who are at risk of harm. They are tenacious in making sure that pupils and their families get the help they need to stay safe.

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Safeguarding

Regular safeguarding assemblies help pupils to understand risks, learn how to keep safe and know where to get help. 22–23 January 2020

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Curriculum plans in mathematics sequence learning effectively. However, these plans are not implemented well enough across all classes and year groups to ensure that pupils learn and remember as well as they should. Teachers do not always know when to move pupils on, so they can apply their mathematical skills to more challenging problem-solving and reasoning tasks. Leaders need to make sure that all teachers are given the support and training they need so that the implementation of the curriculum is consistently strong throughout school.  Recent training and the introduction of a new phonics scheme have had a significant impact on the development of early reading skills. Reading books for the youngest children match the letters and sounds that children know, so they are developing confidence and fluency. There is a significant number of pupils in Year 2 who need to catch up. They are now getting enough support to help them

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

to do so. This is not yet the case for pupils who need to catch up in key stage 2. Leaders now need to extend phonics training to all staff so that these pupils are helped to catch up quickly.  The wider curriculum matches the content of the national curriculum. However, in some subjects, such as history and geography, curriculum plans are not refined enough to ensure that teachers know exactly what pupils need to learn to be ready for the next year group or key stage. Leaders now need to develop curriculum plans across all foundation subjects for all key stages.  Leaders need to continue with their plans to provide opportunities for all subject leaders across all foundation subjects to develop their understanding and knowledge of subject-specific leadership. This will equip subject leaders to plan sequences of learning that build on knowledge and skills in sufficient depth to prepare pupils well for the next stage of learning.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders work hard to support pupils and their families so that pupils attend school regularly. However, the attendance of some pupils is not good enough. Leaders must continue their work in improving the attendance of all pupils.

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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 are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted . 22–23 January 2020

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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. 22–23 January 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10119929 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

 Balby Central Primary Academy became part of the Rose Learning Trust in February 2017.  The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils in receipt of pupil premium funding is above the national average.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above the national average.

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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 headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator and some subject leaders.  The lead inspector met with the chief executive officer and the deputy chief executive officer from the trust.  An inspector met with a representative from the local authority. 22–23 January 2020

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 The subjects considered as part of this inspection were reading, mathematics, science, geography and physical education. We carried out deep dives in these subjects. This entailed meeting with senior leaders, subject leaders and teachers, looking at curriculum plans, visiting lessons, speaking to pupils about their learning and scrutinising pupils’ work. An inspector also observed teaching assistants listening to pupils read.  The arrangements for safeguarding were checked. This included checks on the single central record, and staff training and safeguarding records.  An inspector discussed the school’s records on attendance and behaviour with leaders.  An inspector analysed the school’s self-evaluation document and plans for improvement.  An inspector met with the chair and two members of the local governing board and looked at the minutes of local governing board meetings.  We talked informally with pupils in lessons and at breaktimes. We also took

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account of the 53 responses to Ofsted’s online pupil questionnaire.  We talked to a number of parents as they dropped their children off at the start of the school day. We also took account of the 20 responses to Ofsted’s online Parent View survey.  We met with a number of staff and took account of the 24 responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey.

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Inspection team

Janet Keefe, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Dawn Foster Ofsted Inspector 22–23 January 2020

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