Marfleet Primary Academy

Inspection of a good school: Marfleet Primary Academy Marfleet Lane, Hull HU9 5RJ

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Outcome

Marfleet Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils speak positively about this happy and caring school. One group of pupils said that it is ‘an awesome, safe place to learn’. The day starts for all pupils with circle time, where they check in and share how they are feeling. Pupils recognise how this gets them ready to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils. There is a strong emphasis on providing high- quality learning experiences. For example, children in Reception spoke with enthusiasm about a visit from an actress playing the part of Lily Belocca as part of a recent local history week.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave very well in lessons. At social times there is a calm, friendly atmosphere. Staff and older pupils help organise games for younger pupils, which they enjoy. Pupils are clear that bullying is rare. When it does happen, staff deal with it well. There are incredibly good relationships between pupils and their peers and between pupils and staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents speak positively about the school. The vast majority of those who completed Ofsted’s survey, Ofsted Parent View, would recommend the school to another parent. Those parents and carers who the inspector met with were equally as positive and described the school as a fabulous place.

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

Leaders have made reading a key priority. They provide teachers and teaching assistants with the training they need to teach phonics well. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), receive targeted support. This includes a daily catch-up programme. Younger pupils take home books to practise their reading. These books match pupils’ phonic knowledge well. Leaders have developed an effective reading curriculum in key stage 2. Every classroom has attractive displays of books and class texts are of a very high quality. 8 and 9 March 2022

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The history curriculum covers a broad range of topics which are connected well to other subjects. Pupils enjoy these topics and talk confidently about recent learning. Pupils write imaginatively about the topics they are studying. However, pupils’ writing is not clearly focused on the history content that they need to learn. Pupils do not consistently remember what they have been taught in history. For instance, older pupils find it difficult to explain the causes of some historical events they have been taught about.

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In the early years, the curriculum for number is carefully sequenced. Teachers encourage children to fully explain how they work things out. This helps to deepen children’s understanding. Most children enjoy mathematics lessons and are confident in using their knowledge of number. Children in the early years with SEND are supported well in mathematics. Pupils in key stage 2 know their times tables well. However, leaders are aware that pupils’ knowledge and understanding of some aspects of the school’s mathematics curriculum are less secure, such as in geometry and measures. Leaders are taking action to improve this.

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Leaders have ensured there is a comprehensive curriculum for personal, social and health education, which the school calls ‘Roots’. Alongside this, pupils also explore a theme of the week. During the inspection pupils enjoyed exploring International Women’s Day. The school offers a wide range of clubs and activities, ranging from sport to musical theatre. Pupils value the enrichment opportunities on offer. The school’s enrichment programme is nearly back to the capacity it was before the pandemic.

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When pupils returned to school after lockdown, leaders swiftly re-established good behaviour routines. Pupils behave well. There is very little disruption to learning. While insisting on high standards of behaviour, staff are always mindful of the well-being of all pupils.

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Staff are proud to work at Marfleet Primary Academy and morale is high. Governors know the school well and provide effective challenge to leaders. The multi-academy trust monitors the school effectively. However, in some aspects of the school’s work there is a lack of clarity about the responsibilities of the multi-academy trust and the local governing body.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The well-being of pupils is at the heart of all the school does. As a result, there is a strong culture of safeguarding. Leaders ensure that the correct procedures are followed when appointing staff. Leaders are tireless in their efforts to get the right support for pupils and their families. They know the community they serve very well. Staff receive regular training and understand their responsibilities in keeping pupils safe. Staff ensure that pupils know how to keep themselves safe off and online. 8 and 9 March 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s curriculum is not sufficiently well planned and sequenced in some subjects. It is clear that leaders are taking action to address this. Pupils sometimes struggle to use their developing knowledge and understanding to make connections in their learning. Leaders need to complete the process of reviewing and refining the curriculum in all subjects within their identified timescale. For this reason, the transitional arrangements have been applied.  The mathematics curriculum is not well sequenced in all areas. This means that pupils’ knowledge and understanding of some aspects of the school’s mathematics curriculum are less secure. Leaders should ensure that the mathematics curriculum is well sequenced to enable pupils to develop strong knowledge across all areas of the school’s mathematics curriculum, for instance in geometry and measures.  The roles and responsibilities of the local governing body and the trustees are not well

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

understood in some areas. This can result in a lack of clarity around lines of accountability. Trustees should review the responsibilities of the local governing body and the board of trustees to ensure that there is clarity in any delegation.

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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.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Marfleet Primary School, to be good in February 2015.

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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 . 8 and 9 March 2022

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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. 8 and 9 March 2022

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School details

Local authority Kingston Upon Hull City Council

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School details

Inspection number 10212090 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The number of pupils on the school’s roll has increased in recent years. As a result, a new classroom was built in 2016 and the school’s hall was extended in 2019.  Marfleet Primary Academy converted to become an academy school as part of Ebor Academy Trust in 2017. When its predecessor school, Marfleet Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted it was judged to be good overall.  The headteacher was appointed in June 2018. The headteacher was on parental leave at the time of the inspection. There was an interim headteacher in post at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 8 and 9 March 2022

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 The inspector met with the interim headteacher, subject leaders and other members of staff. The inspector met with the chair of the local governing body and an additional governor. The inspector spoke to the multi-academy trust’s executive headteacher. The inspector also met with the chair of the multi-academy trust remotely.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at breaktimes and lunchtimes. He gathered pupils’ views from both formal and informal discussions.  The inspector scrutinised a range of documentation, including the school’s self- evaluation and improvement plan.  The inspector checked the school’s single central record, met with the school’s designated safeguarding lead and reviewed safeguarding information.  The inspector met with parents and carers. He took account of the 17 responses to Ofsted’s parent survey, Ofsted Parent View. The inspector also took account of the 18

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Inspection team

Andrew Cummings, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 March 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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