Dodworth St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy

Inspection of Dodworth St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy Barnsley Road, Dodworth, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S75 3JS

p.1

Inspection dates: 19 and 20 October 2021

p.1

Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Inadequate Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Inadequate Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 19 and 20 October 2021

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are friendly and welcoming to visitors. They enjoy their learning. Pupils like researching different periods in history and taking part in art lessons in school.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have implemented their plans to develop reading well. This is having a positive impact on pupils’ love of books. Pupils speak positively about their class book and how they enjoy reading it together. Teachers have delivered support for parents on listening to their children read at home.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy being part of ‘Junior Wardens’. This allows them to work with different agencies within the community.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Expectations of pupils’ behaviour and attitudes are too low. Pupils say they find it hard to concentrate in lessons due to the high levels of noise. There are many incidences of poor behaviour in school. The behaviour system is not working. Some pupils have little confidence in adults’ ability to tackle poor behaviour. Not all pupils feel safe in school because some pupils misbehave in and out of lessons.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and pupils report that bullying sometimes happens in school. Leaders do not act promptly enough to ensure that bullying is dealt with effectively.

p.2

better?

The teaching of reading is effective. Children get off to a good start with learning phonics in the early years. Teachers plan interesting activities that help children to learn and practise their phonics. In Year 1, pupils continue to build strong phonics knowledge. Pupils use this knowledge to read unknown words confidently. As pupils move into key stage 2, they further develop key skills in reading. They become confident readers, with a love of reading.

p.2

better?

Leaders, governors and trustees recognise that, in recent years, pupils’ achievement in mathematics in key stage 2 has not been good enough. Leaders and staff have started to improve the mathematics curriculum, but this is in the early stages. The mathematics leader is new to the subject. She has identified that there are gaps in learning, especially around problem-solving. Support for pupils is in place. Leaders have not evaluated the difference this is making.

p.2

better?

Pupils’ knowledge and skills in other subjects, such as history and music, are improving, but there are still some gaps in their learning. Teachers do not address pupils’ errors or misconceptions well. Leaders ensure that pupils study all the subjects in the national curriculum through topics. Leaders have planned what pupils study carefully. The content of their plans is logically ordered. However, they have not ensured that teachers are following the plans well enough. Many subject leaders are very new to their responsibilities. They have not had the chance to review teaching in their subjects yet. 19 and 20 October 2021

p.2

3

Leaders have not done enough to tackle poor behaviour in school. There are many incidences of name-calling and inappropriate behaviour. Pupils report that some pupils disrupt the learning of others in most lessons. Pupils feel that adults do not always act when they are told about pupils’ poor behaviour. Some pupils do not feel safe in school because other pupils often misbehave at breaks and lunchtimes.

p.3

3

Weekly personal, social and health education (PSHE) lessons and assemblies are helping to promote pupils’ wider understanding of the protected characteristics. This is still at an early stage. More work is needed to address some pupils’ behaviour in school. Pupils do not know enough about British values, religions and other cultures. They do know how to stay physically fit and healthy.

p.3

3

Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) varies widely. Some pupils receive one-to-one help from teaching assistants in lessons. This engages them in learning. Some pupils are waiting for support plans to be put in place. Procedures to plan additional support for these pupils are not applied rigorously.

p.3

3

Children make a settled start to school in the early years. They soon learn the routines to their school day. Children benefit when they are working with an adult through focused questioning and talk. This is not the case when children work independently. Sometimes, their behaviour becomes less focused and distracts others. This is not addressed by teachers consistently.

p.3

3

All staff said that leaders consider their workload and well-being.

p.3

3

Parents and carers do not speak positively about the school as a matter of course. Some parents feel that the school does not deal with their concerns properly.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

Leaders have developed a culture where all staff receive regular training on safeguarding matters. Staff know what to do if they have any concerns over a pupil’s safety or well-being. Leaders ensure timely referral to other agencies.

p.3

Safeguarding

There is some provision within the curriculum for pupils to learn how to keep themselves safe. Pupils learn about how to keep safe on the internet and leaders let parents know which sites are suitable to support learning.

p.3

Safeguarding

Leaders and governors ensure that appropriate checks are made on staff prior to employment at the school. 19 and 20 October 2021

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s behaviour policy is not effective in securing positive attitudes to learning in pupils. Poor behaviour is having a negative impact on pupils’ learning in the early years and in key stages 1 and 2. Leaders need to take effective action to urgently tackle incidents of poor behaviour and bullying in school. Leaders need to devise a clear strategy for analysing patterns of behaviour so that they can take effective action to improve it.  Curriculum plans, for some core and foundation subjects, are not well embedded. In these subjects, pupils do not know what they need to know to progress. Several subject leaders who are new to their roles have not checked on their curriculum areas. Senior leaders must provide subject leaders with appropriate training and time, so that they can implement the curriculum plans and check on their impact.  Some pupils with SEND do not receive the support they need to learn well. Some

p.4

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

pupils are waiting for support plans to be put in place. Leaders must ensure that all plans are in place and fully meet the needs of pupils with SEND.  The PSHE curriculum is not fully in place. Pupils have gaps in their knowledge about British values. Leaders need to make sure that opportunities for pupils’ broader development and cultural knowledge and understanding are more clearly planned and implemented.

p.4

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

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

p.4

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 .

p.4

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. 19 and 20 October 2021

p.4

School details

Dates of previous inspection 16 and 17 January 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 Dodworth St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy joined St Mary’s Academy Trust in June 2019.  The school does not access any alternative provision for its pupils.  The school is designated as having a religious character and received a section 48 inspection on 14 October 2019.

p.5

Information about this inspection

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

p.5

Information about this inspection

In accordance with section 44(2) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform.

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. 19 and 20 October 2021

p.5

6

 The inspectors held meetings with school leaders, the chief executive of the trust, trustees and governors. Inspectors also met with a range of staff.  The inspection team evaluated the effectiveness of safeguarding. The school’s single central record of recruitment checks was reviewed. Inspectors met with the designated safeguarding lead and other staff responsible for safeguarding in the school.  Members of the team carried out deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics, history and music. This entailed visiting classes, looking at pupils’ work, speaking with the assistant head of school and subject leader for English remotely and meeting the subject leaders for mathematics, history and music, and other teachers, face to face. Inspectors also spoke with pupils about their learning. The lead inspector observed a member of staff reading with some pupils.  An inspector discussed the school’s records on attendance and behaviour with

p.6

6

leaders.  An inspector analysed the school’s self-evaluation document and plans for improvement.  The inspection team took account of 40 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, and 27 free-text responses. Inspectors also looked at the 66 responses to the pupil survey and 18 responses to the staff survey.

p.6

Inspection team

Rebecca Clayton, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Jennifer Thomas Her Majesty’s Inspector 19 and 20 October 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