Gooseacre Primary Academy

Inspection of Gooseacre Primary Academy Gooseacre Avenue, Off Merrill Road, Thurnscoe, Rotherham, South Yorkshire S63 0NU

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 11–12 March 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

Gooseacre Primary Academy is a happy, caring community. Pupils thrive here. There is a buzz of excitement in classrooms as pupils join in eagerly with activities. Pupils respond commendably to staff’s high expectations of them. Pupils are keen to learn and behave well. Leaders have ensured that the curriculum helps most pupils to achieve well. Staff, pupils and parents agree that the school provides a safe place, where children achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

A variety of extra-curricular opportunities help to enrich pupils’ learning. These include visits, residentials, sporting activities and outdoor learning opportunities. Pupils willingly take on extra responsibilities, including becoming student councillors and eco warriors. Pupils talk with pride about improving the school’s outdoor spaces. Many pupils take part in community projects, such as litter picking and singing at residential homes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand and follow the school’s values of resilience, empathy, aspiration, contribution and happiness. Pupils are friendly and polite. With a cheerful smile, they hold doors open for adults. Everyone gets along. Pupils look after each other. When pupils become upset, their friends often direct them towards an adult. Pupils know the difference between bullying and falling out. They say that both are uncommon. Pupils are confident that adults will help to resolve any of their concerns.

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

The headteacher is passionate about pupils’ entitlement to a well-rounded education. With her governing body and senior leadership team, she has transformed the curriculum. A strong culture of learning and achievement runs through the school.

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

Pupils receive a good quality of education. Over time, Year 6 pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics have been above the national averages. Consequently, pupils are well prepared for secondary school.

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

Leaders have thoughtfully redesigned the curriculum in each subject. They have carefully identified what pupils need to learn. Curriculum leaders are passionate about their roles. They organise what pupils learn in a logical order. They ensure that teachers know what to teach and when. In most subjects, teachers have good subject knowledge. They build on what pupils already know. Pupils are confident and can tackle increasingly demanding work across the curriculum. Pupils achieve well, particularly in mathematics. Pupils’ work is of a good quality in a range of subjects.

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

Yet, in a small number of subjects such as art and modern foreign languages, curriculum plans are less developed. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge and understanding in these subjects. Leaders have well-considered plans in place to address this. 11–12 March 2020

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Leaders put reading at the heart of pupils’ learning. The teaching of phonics is well organised and planned. Staff who teach phonics are experts in this area, modelling sounds clearly and accurately. They receive high-quality ongoing training. In the early years, children start to develop secure phonics knowledge. By the end of Reception, most children can use their phonics knowledge effectively for reading and spelling. Pupils who fall behind in their reading receive extra support. However, some pupils do not receive precise support to help them catch up quickly enough.

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Teachers ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get the right support to help them achieve well.

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Pupils enjoy school and behave well. Most pupils attend school regularly. Effective systems and rewards are in place to encourage families to bring their children to school. Leaders continue to make improving pupils’ attendance a top priority.

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In the early years, children are safe and happy. They settle in well because staff are caring. Adults are highly skilled and knowledgeable about how young children learn. Children engage in a wide range of activities to help their development. Adult-led learning helps children develop their communication skills. Children socialise well. During the inspection, children excitedly explored numbers using resources to count to 20. Children show a love of learning.

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Pupils’ personal, social and emotional development is a strength of the school. Pupils learn about friendships, health and well-being. They show respectful and tolerant attitudes. Pupils access an interesting range of school clubs including cooking, using iPads and writing.

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Governors know the school well. They understand the school’s strengths and what needs to improve. Leaders listen to the views of staff. As a result, staff feel well supported by leaders. They are proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The Trust oversees the school’s safeguarding arrangements. Leaders and governors make sure that safeguarding is a high priority. The right checks are completed on staff before they start to work at the school. Staff know that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Staff receive regular safeguarding training. They are knowledgeable about keeping pupils safe. Leaders and staff are vigilant.

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Safeguarding

Leaders responsible for safeguarding know pupils and their families well. They are tenacious when there are any concerns about the welfare of pupils. They secure timely and effective help from outside agencies when required. As a result, there is a strong culture of safeguarding. 11–12 March 2020

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders make sure that pupils who struggle to read have extra phonics sessions. However, on occasions these sessions do not focus precisely enough on the sounds pupils do not know. Hence, a small number of pupils do not read with fluency and understanding quickly enough. Leaders need to ensure that all staff are trained to deliver the school’s new phonics programme.  Curriculum plans in some subjects are new. Some teachers have not been trained in delivering the new curriculum in art and modern foreign languages. As a result, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should in these subjects. Leaders should ensure that they provide staff with the necessary subject-specific training so that teachers can fully implement the curriculum in these subjects and pupils achieve well.

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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 .

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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. 11–12 March 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10088949 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 5 July 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, there have been several staff changes.  The school is part of the Astrea Academies Trust.  The proportion of pupils who are eligible for free school meals is well above the national average.  The school has provision for two-year olds.

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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, deputy headteacher, special educational needs coordinator, curriculum leaders and other members of staff. We spoke to the chief executive officer of the Trust. We spoke to two members of the local governing board, including the chair of the governing body. We spoke to staff and took account of the 18 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey. 11–12 March 2020

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 We observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school, including at breakfast club, playtimes and lunchtimes. We gathered pupils’ views about the school through formal and informal discussions.  We scrutinised a range of documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans, minutes of governing body meetings and safeguarding documents. We also evaluated information relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  We gathered the views of parents at the start of the school day. We also took account of parents’ responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and the 33 free-text responses.  We carried out a range of activities to check the arrangements for safeguarding pupils. We looked at the school’s policies relating to safeguarding, met the designated safeguarding leader and considered records of the vetting checks the school makes on its staff. We asked many pupils for their opinions about safety,

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behaviour and bullying.  We met with staff involved with the provision for pupils with SEND and those who provide support with pupils’ personal development.  We carried out deep dives in mathematics, reading, science and art. This involved a meeting with curriculum leaders, visits to a sample of lessons in these subjects and listening to pupils read. The deep dives also included scrutiny of pupils’ books, consideration of art work on display and other kinds of work produced by pupils who were part of the classes we visited. In addition, we had discussions with teachers and a group of pupils from the lessons visited.

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Inspection team

Jean Watt, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Juliet Wright Ofsted Inspector 11–12 March 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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