Tranmoor Primary

Inspection of Tranmoor Primary Tranmoor Lane, Armthorpe, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN3 3DB

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 September 2021

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected 21 and 22 September 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders, including governors, have an overly positive view of the quality of education, including in the early years. In some subjects, the curriculum is not planned well. Because of this, pupils do not achieve as well as they should. Pupils do not get the help and support they need to ensure that they all become confident readers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff care for pupils well. Adults have established a positive and warm environment where everyone gets along well. Pupils are polite and welcoming. They told us that bullying is not a problem. Pupils know who to speak to if anything is worrying them and say adults help them sort out any problems they might have. Pupils enjoy coming to school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most parents who responded to the online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, would recommend the school. Parents are particularly appreciative of the support that the school has provided during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy taking part in forest school sessions. Trips to places such as Chester Zoo and Merton Park help pupils with their learning.

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better?

Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged or who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), do not achieve as well as they should. Leaders, including those responsible for governance, have not recognised the weaknesses in the quality of education. As a result, governors have not challenged leaders sufficiently well to improve the school.

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better?

Leaders have introduced a new scheme to teach phonics. However, staff, including those in the early years, have not had sufficient training to teach phonics effectively. Teachers do not give pupils enough time to practise the new sounds they are learning. This means that pupils struggle to remember them. Pupils who fall behind when learning to read, including those in key stage 2, do not get the help they need to catch up quickly.

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better?

Teachers read books to pupils that match the topics they are learning about in other subjects. Pupils enjoy listening to adults reading to them. Leaders have created enticing reading areas to spark pupils’ interest in books. However, some pupils are not able to make the most of these areas because they lack the fluency and confidence to read independently.

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better?

In some subjects, such as mathematics, music and languages, leaders have introduced schemes of work that provide a well-structured curriculum. In other subjects, such as science and geography, curriculum plans do not identify or sequence the precise knowledge and vocabulary that pupils should learn from the early years to the end of 21 and 22 September 2021

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Year 6. As a result, teachers are not clear about what pupils have been taught before. For example, in science, teachers in Year 1 do not build on the knowledge about plants that pupils have encountered in Reception because the science curriculum plan does not set out clearly what pupils have already been taught. This means that pupils do not build on their prior learning and do not achieve as well as they could.

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In mathematics, teachers have received effective training to help them teach the curriculum well. Pupils say that they enjoy mathematics and are confident using the strategies that they have been taught. Teachers check what pupils have remembered with mini quizzes at the start of lessons. Teachers use this information to adapt their teaching to help pupils fill any gaps in their learning.

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Children in the early years enjoy coming to school. Staff have built positive relationships with them. A recent ‘toothbrushing week’ has encouraged children in the early years to clean their teeth regularly.

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Throughout the school, pupils play and learn happily together. Most pupils have good attitudes to their learning and are proud of their work. They talk enthusiastically about their learning. Staff provide effective support to pupils who have social, emotional and mental health needs. This helps them to behave well.

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The school’s special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) has trained staff to identify any needs pupils may have. Effective support plans tell teachers how best to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. The SENCo checks that teachers provide the support that pupils with SEND need to take part in lessons with their peers.

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Pupils contribute to the leadership of the school by making suggestions for improvement in the ‘golden box’ and by representing their peers on the school council. Pupils learn to help others by raising money for charity, such as the local children’s hospital.

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The majority of staff are proud to work at the school. Most staff say that leaders consider their well-being. A small number of staff felt that communication between leaders and staff could be improved.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Regular training means that staff have a good knowledge of the signs that a pupil might be at risk of harm. Where staff have concerns about a pupil, these are quickly escalated to leaders. The designated leads for safeguarding work effectively with external agencies to help keep pupils safe. Records of any actions taken are thorough.

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Safeguarding

Pupils speak knowledgably about how they keep themselves safe, including when working online. 21 and 22 September 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Staff have not received sufficient training to make sure they teach the school’s new phonics scheme well. As a result, pupils are not getting the support they need to become fluent readers quickly. This includes children in the early years. Leaders should ensure that staff receive the training they need to deliver the early reading curriculum effectively and to provide rapid support for those older pupils who have fallen behind in reading.  In some subjects, leaders have not clearly defined the subject knowledge that they intend pupils to learn in each year group. As a result, teachers are unclear about what has been previously taught and what is expected of them in each year group. Leaders should ensure that all curriculum plans precisely identify the knowledge and vocabulary that pupils should be taught in each subject. Knowledge should be carefully sequenced in curriculum plans from the early years to the end of Year 6 so that pupils

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

can build on previous learning.  There is a lack of clarity among leaders, including governors, about the actions needed to improve the quality of education. Some leaders do not have a clear view of how well pupils are achieving in their subjects. Leaders need to ensure that they have a clear improvement plan which is based on an accurate evaluation of the quality of education. Those responsible for governance should take a greater role in holding school leaders to account for their actions.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 21 and 22 September 2021

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Empowering Minds Academy Trust.  The proportion of pupils in receipt of the pupil premium funding is in line with the national average.  The proportion of pupils with SEND, including pupils with an education, health and care plan, is in line with the national average.  The number of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below the national average.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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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 the school leaders, and have taken that into account in their evaluation. 21 and 22 September 2021

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 Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and other senior leaders. They also met with the special educational needs coordinator and carried out joint lesson visits.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, science, history and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited samples of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of work. Curriculum leaders were involved in all activities alongside inspectors.  Representatives from the local governing body, including the chair of governors, and members of the board of trustees met with an inspector. Inspectors reviewed the governing body’s minutes. Inspectors also met with the chief executive officer of the trust and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour throughout the school day, including during

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lessons and on the playground at lunchtimes.  Inspectors reviewed the schools safeguarding documentation and the single central record.  74 responses to the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire were considered, as well as the 33 free-text responses. Inspectors also considered 29 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for staff and 17 responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for pupils.

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Inspection team

Tim Scargill-Knight, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Barbara O’Brien Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 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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