Intake Primary Academy

Inspection of a good school: Intake Primary Academy Sidney Road, Intake, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN2 6EW

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 January 2022

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Outcome

Intake Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Strong and caring relationships between staff and pupils are a key feature of this school. Pupils are happy and feel valued and cared for well. They understand that their friends have different cultural and religious experiences to their own. Pupils proudly share their culture with others. Acceptance and tolerance are watch words at Intake Primary Academy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. In response to the high expectations that teachers have of them, pupils discuss their learning enthusiastically. They show confidence in using their developing subject knowledge to support their ideas. Teachers provide effective support so that that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are included in the full range of learning activities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils who speak English as an additional language are well supported. In key stage 2, pupils have the opportunity to be trained as young interpreters. They use their home language skills to support newly arrived pupils who are new to English. They help to provide a warm welcome to pupils and their families. Leaders have established a robust approach to teaching English as an additional language alongside the curriculum. As a result, pupils settle in well to their new classes and make rapid progress in understanding and speaking English.

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

The subject leader for mathematics has an expert knowledge of his subject. He has helped to establish a well-sequenced curriculum from Nursery through to Year 6. Teachers model learning well, using a wide range of mathematical vocabulary. In Reception, children build their understanding of numbers to 10 using a range of resources well. This helps to make sure that children build secure foundations for later mathematical learning from the start. However, leaders have not ensured that all teachers in key stages 1 and 2 use resources consistently to support pupils’ learning. In some lessons, learning moves on before pupils have fully grasped the mathematical concepts. 25 and 26 January 2022

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Leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum that provides pupils with a broad range of knowledge and experiences. In history, a strong focus on developing understanding of key concepts such as monarchy and trade underpin the curriculum plan. Teachers make effective links between different historical periods and there are regular opportunities for pupils to review prior learning. Prompt sheets for each topic area help pupils to understand the important knowledge and vocabulary they need to remember. Teachers ensure that they introduce pupils in key stage 1 to the vocabulary and key people or events that they will explore in more detail in key stage 2. Leaders have not clearly identified how teachers will introduce this essential subject vocabulary and knowledge in the early years.

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Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. Leaders have invested in a broad range of stories and texts to help pupils develop a love of reading. In the early years, adults use the ‘favourite five’ books effectively to introduce children to storytelling language. The introduction of a new phonics scheme of work has ensured that all pupils have the knowledge and skills that they need to become fluent readers. Leaders use regular assessments to monitor the progress pupils are making. Additional small group and individual phonics sessions help pupils to keep up with the programme. However, some lessons and reading sessions lack consistency. Adults do not maintain a clear focus on helping pupils to crack the phonics code consistently. This means that pupils lose focus and learning time is lost.

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A comprehensive programme for personal development helps pupils develop an understanding of how to keep themselves safe. Pupils learn to recognise healthy and unhealthy relationships. External professionals, such as the Crucial Crew emergency services, help pupils to understand the pressures they may face from peers. The work to enhance pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is of a high quality. Pupils learn to respect and accept people who may be different to them. Key visitors, such as the war veteran Ben Parkinson, help pupils appreciate the physical and emotional difficulties that people face and can overcome.

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Robust procedures are in place to enable the early identification of SEND. This ensures that pupils receive the additional support and resources they need to thrive. Support plans are carefully structured and regularly reviewed. The special educational needs coordinator supports teachers to adapt all areas of the curriculum, where necessary. Enhanced transition procedures, such as additional visits and support with planning the route to and from school, greatly increase the confidence with which pupils with SEND move on to secondary school.

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Teachers speak highly of the strong team ethos in the school and the pastoral support they receive from senior leaders. Comprehensive professional development opportunities have enabled middle leaders to play a significant role in the school improvement journey.

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The local school governance committee (LGC) has delegated responsibility for holding leaders to account for the standard of education in school. The trust is aware that members of the LGC require further support and development to carry out this role effectively. Currently, officers from the trust are supporting the LGC to deliver their responsibilities. 25 and 26 January 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have ensured that all adults working in or visiting the school are safe to do so. The multi-academy trust provides all staff with access to a range of online safeguarding training. This ensures that staff are aware of how to identify and raise concerns. Strong relationships with external professionals such as health and children’s services mean concerns are acted upon quickly and effectively. Leaders monitor attendance carefully. The family support worker and attendance lead conduct home visits to ensure the safety of vulnerable pupils.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Adults do not deliver the teaching of early reading consistently. This means that some pupils do not get the support they need to read accurately and fluently. Leaders should ensure that they provide all staff with the training and support necessary to deliver the phonics programme well.  Teachers do not have a consistent approach to the use of concrete materials to support pupils’ understanding of mathematical concepts. Learning is moved on before pupils are ready, which impacts on their levels of understanding. Leaders should provide clear guidance and training on the use of these materials as a fundamental part of the mathematics curriculum.  Leaders have not ensured that all subject curriculum plans begin in the early years foundation stage. This means that adults do not introduce children to the core subject vocabulary and knowledge that they need to prepare them for the next stage of education. Early years staff should work closely with subject leaders to ensure that

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

these links are explicitly established from the earliest stages.  The trust is supporting the LGC to hold leaders to account. Members of the LGC do not have the expertise to carry out their delegated duties thoroughly. The trust should ensure members of the LGC are trained to carry out their delegated responsibilities effectively.

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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 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. 25 and 26 January 2022

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This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Intake Primary School, to be good in April 2017.

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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. 25 and 26 January 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10212096 Type of school Primary

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School details

Website www.astreaintake.org Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Intake Primary Academy converted to become an academy school in October 2017. When its predecessor school, Intake Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted it was judged to be good overall.  The number of pupils who speak English as an additional language is more than double the national average.  Leaders have appointed two new teachers since the last inspection.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The lead inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The lead inspector met with the principal and vice-principal, two assistant principals, the link regional director of the multi-academy trust and the vice-chair of the local governance committee. No trustees were available to meet with the lead inspector. The chief executive officer of the trust was present for the final feedback session. 25 and 26 January 2022

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 The lead inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the lead inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector also discussed the monitoring of behaviour, attendance and provision for pupils’ personal development.  To judge the effectiveness of safeguarding, the lead inspector scrutinised the single central record, checked the procedures for the safer recruitment of staff and held a meeting with the designated safeguarding lead and the attendance lead. The lead inspector met with staff to check their understanding of safeguarding and the impact of any training received. Additionally, the lead inspector spoke to a representative of the local governance committee to discuss their delegated responsibilities.

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 The lead inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s survey, Ofsted Parent View, including four free-text responses. In addition, inspectors considered the responses to 27 staff surveys.

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Inspection team

Alex Thorp, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 25 and 26 January 2022

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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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