Wrenthorpe Academy

Inspection of a good school: Wrenthorpe Academy Imperial Avenue, Wrenthorpe, Wakefield, West Yorkshire WF2 0LW

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Outcome

Wrenthorpe Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The pupils of Wrenthorpe Academy are proud of their school. One pupil told me, ‘We are a community and relationships are very good.’ Another said, ‘Everyone gets involved.’ Pupils are given a great many opportunities to do this as the school puts on eight sports activities and 17 other clubs through the year. Older pupils relish the responsibility they are given. I saw the junior leadership team assisting at lunchtime in the dining hall and the sports leaders leading games in the playground for younger pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The pupils I met were polite and friendly. One parent in the parent survey commented, ‘The school community has a lovely vibe, happy and well-behaved children.’ Pupils spoke very positively about the values that the school espouses. One pupil said, ‘You get to embrace who you are. We know we are all different, but we value everyone just the same.’ Another pupil said, ‘We never give up.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

These positive attitudes and good behaviour support pupils’ learning. Pupils enjoy their learning and can speak about the new things they have learned. Parents are very positive about the school and the overwhelming majority would recommend it.

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

All teachers are ambitious for their pupils. They plan and deliver interesting and stimulating lessons. In mathematics, children in reception are already learning how to add numbers between one and ten. Pupils in key stage 1 and 2 enjoy the opportunities to apply their knowledge to problems. They retain key knowledge, such as times tables, well. They enjoy mathematics and set out their work carefully.

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

The school remodelled the way it teaches different subjects this year. In history, pupils enjoy their lessons and were able to tell me about what they have learned. Topics include the life of Rosa Parks and Queen Victoria in key stage 1 and crime and punishment through the ages and ancient Egypt in key stage 2. However, pupils were not so good at telling me when things happened. This means that there needs to be more attention 3–4 March 2020

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placed on teaching chronology. Pupils were also not so good at giving reasons as to why events happened. This means that there needs to be more emphasis on explanation and causation.

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The school places a strong emphasis on reading. Pupils are read to every day and are encouraged to read at home. Children are taught to read from the beginning of Reception, and I heard children already reading story books fluently in the Reception class. However, not all the books early readers take home match the sounds that they know. If children take home books that they cannot sound, it is important that parents know these books are for reading to their child, not for them to practise on.

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Behaviour is good because of the approach that staff take. Pupils report that there is very little bullying and that they know that staff will deal with it.

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The school does a great deal to develop pupils’ character and to prepare them for later life. The wide range of clubs and leadership opportunities support this. Leaders carefully monitor who attends clubs. They encourage and support disadvantaged pupils to attend. However, this information is not systematically reported to governors.

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The school provides well for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers and teaching assistants know the needs of their pupils. The SEND coordinator is very experienced and knowledgeable and provides good leadership. Goals for pupils with SEND are appropriate and pupils are supported well. The trust supports this aspect of the school’s work well.

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The headteacher provides very strong leadership. Staff feel that their views are taken into consideration and that leaders help them manage their workload. They are proud to work at the school. Governors know the school well and, along with the trust, provide challenge and support for leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The culture of the school ensures pupils are kept safe. All the correct employment checks are made. When there is a need to act, record keeping is thorough and leaders engage with outside agencies. Staff receive regular training and understand their responsibilities. There is a full programme in place to teach pupils about the risks they may face, including when online. All staff put the care of pupils as their highest priority and pupils are confident that they could share any problems with staff. The trust supports this aspect of the academy’s work well. 3–4 March 2020

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 To further strengthen the teaching of reading, leaders should ensure that books for early readers match the sounds that they know and can practise. If other books are to be used and taken home, parents need to know that these are for them to read to their children, not for their children to practise their reading.  The school is remodelling its curriculum for the foundation subjects and the scope is ambitious. Leaders understand that teaching must be well sequenced, so pupils remember what they have been taught. They need to ensure that content choices are always coherent and enquiry questions have the rigour of the subject discipline. This would include chronology and causation in history.

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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 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 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 first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Wrenthorpe Primary School, to be good on 8 April 2014.

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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. 3–4 March 2020

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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

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged is lower than most schools.  The proportion of pupils for whom is English is an additional language is average compared to all primary schools.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is below average.  The school converted to an academy in April 2017, becoming part of the Waterton Academy Trust.

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Information about this inspection

 I met with the headteacher, all senior leaders, subject leaders and other members of staff. I also met with four governors, including the chair of the governing body. I had a further meeting with the chief executive officer of the trust, a trustee and a trust officer. I took account of 15 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  I observed pupils’ behaviour both in lessons, at breaktime and lunchtime. I gathered pupils’ views from both formal and informal discussions. 3–4 March 2020

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 I scrutinised a range of documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans and safeguarding documentation. I also evaluated information about pupils’ behaviour and attendance at clubs.  I met with parents and considered one email from a parent. I also took into account 43 responses to Ofsted’s parents’ questionnaire, Parent View.  I looked in-depth at the following subjects: reading, mathematics and history. In doing so, I visited all classes in the school and reviewed pupils’ work. I spoke to pupils about their work and listened to them read. I also met with teachers.

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Inspection team

Andrew Cummings, lead inspector 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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