Oakfield Primary Academy

Inspection of a good school: Oakfield Primary Academy Oakfield Road, Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 6AU

p.1

Inspection dates: 22 and 23 September 2021

p.1

Outcome

Oakfield Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their learning and work hard at Oakfield. They are proud of their school and strive to do well. Teachers plan interesting lessons and encourage pupils to do their best. They help pupils remember what they are learning. Pupils are inquisitive and show curiosity in their topics and enjoy discussing them. For example, Year 6 pupils talked thoughtfully about how slavery has changed over time. Leaders have high expectations of all pupils. They ensure that pupils are well prepared academically, emotionally and socially by the time they leave the school.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and well mannered. They hold doors open for visitors and tidy up after themselves. Pupils value the chance to take on additional responsibilities as a sports leader or school librarian. They understand the importance of helping others.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe at school and their parents and carers agree. Pupils talk about their trusted adult or guardian who they can turn to if they are worried about anything. Pupils understand the school rule about respect. They get on well together. Pupils say that if anyone falls out or bullying occurs, adults sort it out quickly. They told inspectors that ‘kindness is the greatest gift you can give someone.’

p.1

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

The new leadership team wasted no time in reviewing the quality of education across the school. Its members worked with staff to develop an effective curriculum for all pupils. Leaders make sure that the curriculum plans set out the essential knowledge and skills that pupils will learn. Each theme is now taught for a longer period of time. This ensures that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), acquire the key knowledge they need to be successful.

p.1

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

Subject leaders make clear how each subject should be taught. In mathematics, every lesson starts with a number activity to improve fluency and recall. For example, in Year 1, pupils count forwards and backwards in tens. Pupils complete ‘do it now’ tasks to use 22 and 23 September 2021

p.1

2

what they know and can do. This helps pupils rise confidently to the challenge of new learning.

p.2

2

Most teachers think carefully about how they will help pupils learn new things. Highly effective support enables some pupils with SEND to access their learning successfully. However, this is not yet the case for all pupils with additional needs.

p.2

2

Leaders are determined that all pupils learn to read as soon as they can. They ensure that staff who teach early reading are well trained. Leaders quickly provide support to any pupil struggling with their reading. Staff check that the reading books pupils take home match the sounds that they know. Daily focused reading sessions ensure that older pupils develop their comprehension skills, extend their vocabulary and learn to read with expression and confidence. Staff skilfully bring books alive and pupils say that they love to read.

p.2

2

Leaders make sure that children get a good start to school. Staff in the early years help children to feel safe and quickly develop confidence. Children delight in talking together and sharing what they are doing. For example, some children described the trap they were making to stop the princesses’ magic crown being stolen. Adults model and encourage talking at every opportunity.

p.2

2

The school is calm and learning-focused. Pupils behave well in and out of lessons. They know what is expected of them. All staff, including those new to the school, implement the revised behaviour policy consistently.

p.2

2

Prior to the pandemic, the school offered a wide range of rich experiences to broaden pupils’ horizons and raise aspirations. Pupils and parents valued these. Plans are in place to introduce clubs and activities, such as a sleepover at the National Space Centre and a science club, once again.

p.2

2

There have been significant changes in leadership in the last two years. This, coupled with the limited access to staff due to social distancing in the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, has left many parents with mixed feelings about the school. A large number of parents have concerns about communication from school. Some who spoke to inspectors, however, were positive about the changes leaders are making to improve the school and the quality of education their children receive. Leaders know that there is work to do to improve home-school relationships.

p.2

2

Staff are very positive about the school. They are confident that their workload and well- being matter to leaders. Staff share the high ambition of leaders for the school to be the best it can be.

p.2

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.2

Safeguarding

Leaders and staff are very aware of the risks pupils face in the local area and do everything they can to keep pupils safe. Staff are well trained and act swiftly when they 22 and 23 September 2021

p.2

3

have a concern about a pupil. The trust regularly checks that the processes for keeping children safe are followed rigorously.

p.3

3

Leaders work closely with other professionals to ensure that pupils and their families get appropriate support. Through personal, social and health education, pupils learn about consent, what makes a good friend and how to keep themselves safe when out of school.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Many parents raised concerns about the quality of communication between home and school. Leaders should set in place systems and processes in order to develop more positive relationships with parents. This work began during the inspection when leaders, with support from the trust, drew up an action plan to address these concerns.  Interventions for some pupils with SEND are not as effective as they are for others. This is because the assess, plan, do and review cycle for all pupils with SEND is not robust enough. Leaders should review the provision for SEND across the school so that all pupils with additional needs receive timely and appropriate support.

p.3

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 evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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.

p.3

Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2016.

p.3

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.

p.3

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.3

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 and 23 September 2021

p.3

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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 and 23 September 2021

p.4

School details

Inspection number 10199849 Type of school Primary

p.5

School details

Website www.oakfieldprimaryacademy.co.uk

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection 14 and 15 June 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 Oakfield Primary Academy is a sponsor-led academy within the REAch2 Academy Trust.  The current headteacher joined the school in September 2020. Since then, the school has appointed a new deputy headteacher and 11 members of staff.  The school has a breakfast club and after-school wraparound care.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  The inspector met with the headteacher, senior leaders, members of staff and the school business manager. The inspector held a remote meeting with two governors, including the chair of governors. Meetings were held with the regional director for the trust.  Deep dives in reading, mathematics and history were carried out. These included discussions with subject leaders, visits to lessons and scrutiny of pupils’ work. The 22 and 23 September 2021

p.5

6

inspector also met with pupils to discuss their learning in these subjects and listened to pupils read.  A range of documentation was scrutinised, including leaders’ plans to improve the school, curriculum plans and the school website.  When inspecting safeguarding, the inspector considered the school’s procedures for recruiting staff, the quality of staff training and the school’s procedures for keeping pupils safe.  The inspector spoke to parents at the start of the second day of the inspection. She considered the 92 responses, including the 79 free-text comments, to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire. The inspector considered the 33 responses to the staff survey.

p.6

Inspection team

Nicola Harwood, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 22 and 23 September 2021

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7