Lime Academy Watergall

Inspection of Lime Academy Watergall Watergall, Bretton, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE3 8NX

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 January 2022

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 12 and 13 January 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

At Lime Academy Watergall, the quality of education requires improvement. In subjects other than reading, the teaching does not consistently help pupils to remember what they have learned. Because of this, they do not achieve as well as they should.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at the school experience a caring school culture. Large numbers come from disadvantaged backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is larger than average. The pandemic has had a particularly harsh impact on this community. Through all this, pupils say that they feel safe, and their needs are met.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is orderly. Pupils respond positively to the high expectations and clear routines set by leaders and staff. Pupils focus on learning and enjoy their lessons. Pupils are well behaved around the school. They say that bullying is rare. If it happens, it gets resolved quickly and effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a range of opportunities that contribute to their personal development. They expand their horizons with trips to London. Pupils go on local visits that link to what they learn at school. They develop their characters by volunteering, for example in having a role on the school council. Pupils value the range of clubs on offer, such as those for gardening, sewing and a choir.

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better?

Leaders have recently reviewed their curriculum. As a result, it is now well considered. In all subjects, leaders identify the most important knowledge that pupils should learn. Leaders plan this so that what pupils learn builds on what they already know.

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better?

Although this is the case, leaders have not ensured that the curriculum is put into place effectively. Teachers are implementing leaders’ plans, but they do not consistently check well enough that pupils remember what they have learned. On occasions, teachers move on to new content too quickly without correcting misconceptions. As a result, pupils in some subjects struggle with learning opportunities because they have gaps in their knowledge.

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better?

Leaders have made reading their priority. Staff are knowledgeable and well trained in teaching reading. Leaders make sure that pupils who fall behind get help from the most experienced teachers. Because of this, pupils quickly learn to read with fluency. This includes those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders help pupils develop a love of reading. Older pupils talk with pleasure about the books they are reading.

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better?

Pupils with SEND get strong support. Staff are well trained and knowledgeable about these pupils’ needs. They plan effectively to ensure that they meet the needs of 12 and 13 January 2022

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pupils with SEND. Consequently, pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers.

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The quality of education in early years is currently better than that in the rest of the school. This is because leaders have successfully designed an ambitious curriculum for the youngest children. Staff are skilful in checking that children develop what they know. As a result, children show increasing independence. They quickly learn important skills and knowledge, which stands them in good stead for Year 1.

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Leaders plan the curriculum to make sure that pupils’ personal development is considered. For instance, leaders select books for pupils that help them learn about diversity. Pupils talk eloquently about their views on race. However, leaders have not ensured that teachers implement their plans consistently well. Because of this, pupils do not remember enough of what they have learned about other areas of difference. For example, they have not developed their knowledge of different types of families as well as they might.

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Governors, working with the trust, do not have an accurate view of the quality of education. As a result, they do not challenge leaders effectively on how well they are implementing the curriculum. In part, the pandemic has made this oversight harder to achieve successfully. Governors have the skills they need for their roles. They check closely that leaders’ work on safeguarding is effective.

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Staff say that their workload is high. However, they feel that leaders consider this, and that they positively support staff well-being. Staff say that leaders help them get the training they need to develop professionally.

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Leaders engage well with the wider community. Parents and carers praise what staff do for their children. Parents typically comment that their children have been ‘happier and more confident in themselves since attending this school’.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a robust and vigilant culture of safeguarding. Leaders deal effectively with serious safeguarding concerns and are knowledgeable about appropriate actions to take. Records are detailed and thorough. When leaders need to refer cases to agencies, they do so promptly.

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Safeguarding

Staff are well trained in how to keep children safe. Leaders know the risks in the local area, such as domestic violence and neglect. Leaders and staff liaise well with agencies to tackle these, for example with charities, to provide furniture and clothing to vulnerable families. 12 and 13 January 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers do not check effectively that pupils remember what they have learned. Consequently, pupils struggle with new content because they are not secure in their prior learning. Leaders must provide effective training for teachers so they know how to check learning well, and then make sure that this is carried out effectively to ensure that pupils achieve well.  The curriculum does not help pupils have a secure understanding of difference. Pupils do not remember enough of what they are taught about this. Leaders need to improve the implementation of the personal, social and health education curriculum so that pupils understand, remember and apply in their day-to-day life what they have learned about respectful relationships.  Those responsible for governance do not monitor leaders’ work on the curriculum closely enough. Because of this, governors and the trust do not have an accurate view of the quality of education. Governors must work with the trust to check

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

what leaders are telling them, so that they can knowledgeably challenge leaders to improve the way in which the curriculum is implemented.

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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. 12 and 13 January 2022

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school opened as an academy in August 2017 as part of Lime Trust.  The headteacher was appointed in April 2018.

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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 had received since the pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders, and have taken that into account in their evaluation.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors held meetings with senior leaders, other leaders, staff, pupils, and those responsible for governance, including representatives from the trust.  Inspectors reviewed a range of school documents, including the school improvement plan and school policies.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: m athematics, early reading, science, geography and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to 12 and 13 January 2022

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teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To inspect safeguarding, inspectors scrutinised the school’s single central record, considered its safeguarding policy and procedures, and spoke to leaders, staff, parents and pupils.  Inspectors reviewed the 41 responses that were submitted from this school year by parents to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and 22 free-text responses submitted during the inspection. Inspectors also considered the 29 responses to the staff survey, and the 194 responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Charlie Fordham, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Marc White Her Majesty’s Inspector 12 and 13 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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