Park Academy

Inspection of Park Academy Robin Hoods Walk, Boston, Lincolnshire PE21 9LQ

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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 Requires improvement 3–4 March 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

Park Academy is a happy and successful school. Pupils are polite, courteous and attentive in lessons. All pupils, including the very youngest, know and understand the school’s aim for pupils to persevere, be resilient, be open-minded and to be determined (PROUD). Pupils enjoy their social times together. They enjoy contributing to the school through their roles as house captains, mini police and playground leaders, and by showing visitors around school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils come from many different backgrounds. Many pupils speak English as an additional language. Pupils welcome every nationality to the school and many act as translators to help. If verbal communication is difficult, pupils will use many other inventive ways to ensure that they are understood. The school is cohesive and inclusive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Relationships between staff and pupils are positive. Pupils told us that they feel safe in school. They say that bullying is rare. If it does happen, they are confident that it will be dealt with quickly and effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers, pupils and staff are positive about the school. One parent said: ‘This is a lovely school. My child goes to school with a smile on their face. Staff are nice and polite. I highly recommended this school.’

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better?

Leaders have designed a carefully sequenced curriculum that is well matched to the needs of the pupils in the school. Leaders provide pupils with experiences that they might not otherwise get. Trips and visitors help pupils to remember the important bits of their learning. Leaders also make good use of specialist history and geography groups. Pupils remember what they have learned and can recall some parts of their learning easily.

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better?

Pupils achieve better in some subjects than others. They do well in mathematics, science and personal, social and health education (PSHE) because these subjects have been taught for a long period. Pupils do less well in art, music, and design technology because the plans for these subjects are at an early stage of being used.

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better?

The school’s curriculum makes sure that pupils are developed spiritually, morally, socially and culturally. Pupils visit the local senior citizens home and join in a wide range of musical and sporting activities. Pupils’ talents are recognised and celebrated within the school. Young carers receive regular high-quality support and guidance.

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better?

Teachers plan lessons that are exciting and engaging. Leaders give teachers time to plan with staff from other schools in the trust. Teachers then adapt these plans so that they match the needs of the pupils in their class. 3–4 March 2020

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In class, pupils get on with their work. Their learning is very rarely disrupted by the behaviour of others. Pupils say that learning is interesting and fun. However, some teachers do not check carefully enough how pupils are getting on in lessons. This means that they do not pick up quickly on the mistakes that pupils make.

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There are many skilled teaching assistants in the school. They watch carefully what is happening in lessons and give pupils help where they need it. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. However, sometimes teaching assistants do not check pupils’ understanding carefully enough to be certain exactly what it is that pupils are finding difficult.

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Early reading is taught well from the moment pupils join the school. Teachers know what should be taught and when. Any pupils who are falling behind are quickly identified and given the support they need to catch up. Teachers plan lessons that encourage pupils to develop a love of reading. Teachers read to pupils with expression and encourage them to participate in local events, such as the Boston Book Challenge.

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Leaders make regular checks on how the large number of disadvantaged pupils at the school are doing. Those that need help get it quickly. These pupils do well and in reading and mathematics often do better than other pupils in the school.

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Children get off to a good start in the early years. Teachers provide them with a wide range of activities. Pupils share and play extremely well together. They are helped to explore and find things out by themselves and when they are supported by adults. Adults make regular checks on how children are doing and skilfully guide them to their next challenge.

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The headteacher has built an effective senior leadership team. They are skilled, well trained and understand what needs to be improved at the school. They share the headteacher’s determined ambition that all pupils will be ready for the next stage of their education when they leave.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding records are detailed, fit for purpose and are shared with the staff that need to know. Safeguarding training and induction for staff are thorough. Leaders make sure that all staff receive regular training. No one slips through the net.

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Safeguarding

The school works well with the trust’s safeguarding lead and education welfare team. Together, they make sure that any safeguarding concerns are followed up quickly and support is given to pupils and their families when it is needed. They are prepared to follow up any concerns relentlessly. 3–4 March 2020

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s curriculum plans make clear what pupils should know and remember over time in each subject. Some subject plans have not been taught for very long. In these subjects, pupils are not remembering what they have learned in the longer term. Leaders should ensure that plans for all subjects are taught and embedded.  Teachers make lessons exciting and engaging. Some teachers do not check carefully enough how pupils are getting on in lessons. This means that pupils are making errors that are not corrected. Leaders should ensure that all teachers make regular checks on how pupils are doing in lessons and adapt teaching in light of this.  There are many highly skilled teaching assistants in the school but some do not check carefully enough to find out exactly what pupils find difficult. This means that they cannot give just the right support and guidance. Leaders should ensure that teaching assistants receive appropriate training so that they are able to

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

identify exactly the help that pupils need.

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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. 3–4 March 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10121219 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 22–23 November 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There have been no significant changes since the last inspection.

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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 held meetings with senior and middle leaders. We met with a group of governors, including the chair of the governing body. We met with the trust’s chief executive officer and vice chief executive officer and spoke to local authority representative on the telephone.  We did deep dives in reading, mathematics, music, PSHE and geography as part of this inspection. We visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work and spoke with teachers. We spoke with pupils in lessons and met with a group of pupils. We listened to pupils read to teachers.  We looked at attendance and behaviour information provided by the school. We looked at records and documentation relating to safeguarding and governance. 3–4 March 2020

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 We considered the five responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey. We considered the responses to the questionnaires for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Vic Wilkinson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Jason Brooks Ofsted Inspector 3–4 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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