Bank End Primary Academy

Inspection of a good school: Worsbrough Bank End Primary School Underwood Avenue, Worsbrough Dale, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 4AZ

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 September 2021

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Outcome

Worsbrough Bank End Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for all pupils in the school. These start from the very beginning of the pupils’ school life. Children in Nursery concentrate on their learning and follow the routines set out for them by their teacher. This continues as pupils move through school. All pupils know that they need to be respectful of each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Everyone in school knows what the ‘Bank End behaviours’ are. Pupils follow these values of respect, resilience, readiness and responsibility. Pupils are polite to their teachers and others. They move from one activity to the next sensibly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents, carers and pupils appreciate all the after-school clubs that are on offer. Pupils’ eyes light up when they talk about their favourite clubs, like cooking, football and sewing. Leaders have prioritised the return of clubs. Pupils enjoy the many benefits that they provide.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe in the school. They know that they can talk to someone if they are having problems. They trust staff to deal with any issues such as bullying or offensive language. Staff take all issues seriously. They deal with problems quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a strong sense of community. Families feel they are listened to. They know that staff in the school will give help if they need it. The ‘Bank End Friends’ work with school leaders not only to raise funds, but also as knowledgeable visitors and speakers, supporting the curriculum.

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

Leaders know the strengths of the school. They know which areas of the school need improving. They have clear plans for how they will do this. These plans are understood by everyone in the school. This means all the staff are working as a team. Staff are enthusiastic to do what is needed. 14 and 15 September 2021

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Trust leaders have provided comprehensive curriculum plans that detail the knowledge and skills that pupils need in each year group, starting from Nursery. Pupils have opportunities to revisit this knowledge as they move through school. This is done through themes which continue through each subject. For example, in history, pupils return to the theme of ‘power, empire and democracy’.

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Teachers know that pupils need to recall important knowledge before they move on to new learning. When teachers do this, pupils are ready for new learning and understand what they are doing. However, not all teachers have the subject knowledge they need in all the subjects that they teach. Sometimes teachers are not sure what the important knowledge is that pupils need to remember. Teachers often miss opportunities to help pupils when they have misunderstood. Some pupils are unsure about what they have learned in the past, such as why the Romans built roads.

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Leaders know how important it is that pupils learn to read well. Teachers and teaching assistants know how to match the books that pupils read to the sounds that they have learned in phonics. These staff have been well trained to support pupils with their reading. Staff know when pupils can move on to a book with more sounds in it. This means that pupils feel successful in their reading. Leaders want even more pupils to grasp the basics in reading sooner. They have introduced a new phonics programme. They know that this will help teachers know exactly what to teach and when to teach it.

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Parents and pupils know how important it is that pupils read at home. Leaders give all new pupils a new book bag with a book in it. Pupils are proud of these book bags. They bring them to school every day to show their teacher what they have read at home. Leaders know that some pupils in key stage 2 do not get enthusiastic about reading. Leaders have introduced new activities to improve this, such as reading a story at the end of every day.

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Children in the early years settle into routines quickly. Teachers show them how to behave and how to use the equipment in their classroom. Children put on aprons by themselves and talk to each other politely. Staff teach children new words, which they use in their conversations with each other. Teachers show pupils how to write letters correctly. Pupils get to grips with how to hold a pencil and how to write their name early on.

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Teachers support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) effectively. Teachers provide a wide range of resources and equipment to support pupils with SEND in learning and remembering the curriculum. If pupils have not remembered something, then teachers give them extra help. Leaders work with other agencies to make sure pupils get more specialised support if they need it.

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Pupils behave well. They listen carefully to their teachers. They focus on their learning. They know that it is important to be ready to learn. Some pupils said that a very small number of their classmates disrupt their learning. Leaders are aware of this. They have trained staff in how to support pupils to be calm and focused on their learning. 14 and 15 September 2021

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Trust leaders and governors work well in partnership. Governors work with trust leaders to check how well the curriculum is being taught. Governors check that the most vulnerable pupils are getting the help that they need.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff know that safeguarding is a vital part of their job. They all take their role seriously. Staff know what to do if they are worried about something. They record any concerns that they have about pupils. This includes inappropriate behaviour from pupils. These concerns are analysed by leaders. Leaders then make sure that victims get the support they need. Perpetrators are also given support to improve their behaviour.

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Safeguarding

Leaders support families well. Leaders ask other agencies for help when it is needed. They pursue requests to these agencies to make sure that families get the help they need as quickly as possible.

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Safeguarding

Trust leaders and governors check how well leaders’ curriculum and arrangements are keeping children safe. Leaders choose training for staff which matches the needs of the community. This means all staff are clear on what they need to do in a range of scenarios.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some teachers do not have strong subject knowledge in every subject. They do not know what the important knowledge is that pupils need to remember in each subject. Teachers sometimes miss opportunities to pick up on misconceptions or deepen learning. Pupils sometimes do not understand what they have been taught. Leaders should ensure that they support teachers in developing their own knowledge in the subjects that they teach.

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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 outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that a good 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Worsbrough Bank End Primary School, to be good on 16 June 2015. 14 and 15 September 2021

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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. 14 and 15 September 2021

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Worsbrough Bank End Primary School converted to become an academy school in June 2017. When its predecessor school, which had the same name, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The school is an average-sized primary school.  There is a Nursery class in the school.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation.  The inspector met with the principal and vice-principal to discuss their evaluation of the quality of education. He met with the chair of governors and the regional director of the multi-academy trust.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their 14 and 15 September 2021

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learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector visited lessons in the early years as part of each deep dive.  The inspector met with the principal and the safeguarding officer to discuss their actions to keep children safe. He checked the school’s central record with the school business manager to make sure all staff had the appropriate checks to work with children. He talked to staff about the training that they have had in safeguarding.  The inspector spoke with a group of girls to check how safe they feel in school.

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Inspection team

Matthew Knox, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector 14 and 15 September 2021

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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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