Endeavour Primary Academy

Inspection of a good school: Endeavour Primary Academy Walker Lane, Hyde, Cheshire SK14 5PL

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Outcome

Endeavour Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending Endeavour Primary Academy. Pupils, including those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), said that they make lots of friends and they enjoy learning and playing together. They said that staff are kind and helpful. Pupils said that staff take time to listen to them if something is bothering them. This helps pupils to feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand that leaders expect them to do their best. They behave well and are polite and well mannered. They participate in their learning with interest and work hard in lessons. Pupils said that on rare occasions their learning can be disturbed by others, but staff deal with it well. Similarly, pupils said that if they report any concerns about bullying to staff, they will sort it out quickly. As a result, there is a calm and purposeful environment for learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the after-school clubs that appeal to a wide range of their interests. They include first aid, science, art, sports and wild challenge club. Pupils said that they are looking forward to the return of the normal menu of trips and visits that they experienced before the pandemic. The school choir are excited about their forthcoming concert.

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

Leaders have used the national curriculum as the starting point to design a curriculum which is suitably ambitious for all pupils. This includes pupils with SEND and children in the early years. Leaders have outlined the content of the curriculum carefully.

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

Subject leaders have been well trained and provide a wealth of information for teachers. This supports teachers’ subject knowledge and provides them with advice on the teaching approaches they should take to deliver the curriculums effectively. 29 and 30 March 2022

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In most subjects, pupils’ learning closely follows the curriculum that leaders have laid out. In these subjects, pupils know more and remember more over time and achieve well. For example, in mathematics, teachers deliver content clearly and help pupils to develop and use the correct vocabulary.

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However, in a few subjects, occasionally teachers lose sight of the important knowledge that pupils need to know. This hinders teachers when recapping and checking that pupils have understood their previous learning.

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Through their enthusiasm and warm encouragement, staff ensure that children in the early years settle in happily. Staff focus appropriately on developing children’s language and communication skills. Children listen attentively, behave well and enjoy learning. Staff have high expectations of what the children can achieve. They plan stimulating learning activities that prepare children well for Year 1.

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Leaders have placed a high priority on pupils learning to read well. Children first start learning sounds and letters in daily phonics sessions in the Nursery class. The phonics programme has been carefully thought out. Leaders provide appropriate guidance so that teachers deliver the phonics programme consistently well. They keep a close check on how well pupils know and remember the sounds they have learned and provide extra support for pupils who fall behind. Generally, the books that staff select for pupils to practise their reading match the sounds that they know. However, very occasionally, these books are too difficult. This affects pupils’ confidence and delays their fluency in reading. In addition, a few staff have not had the phonics training they need to help some older children to catch up with reading.

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Leaders ensure that pupils with SEND are identified early. Teachers adopt effective strategies to ensure that this group of pupils access the same curriculum as their peers. Pupils are supported well with their behaviour and emotional well-being. Leaders have acted with determination to ensure that more children, including those pupils with SEND, attend schools regularly.

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Leaders provide opportunities throughout the curriculum for pupils to develop their understanding of diversity. Pupils understand that everyone, regardless of their differences, should be treated with respect. Pupils take on roles in the pupil leadership team and join in regular school forums. This allows pupils to play an active part in improving the school.

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Governors and directors of the trust fulfil their statutory duties. For example, they offer appropriate support and challenge to leaders about the quality of education for pupils.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. They appreciate that school leaders are approachable and are considerate of their workload and well-being. 29 and 30 March 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders arrange regular training so that staff are equipped to recognise any signs that could indicate that pupils may be at risk or suffering from harm.

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Safeguarding

The safeguarding team communicate well to gain a clear oversight of the multiple barriers faced by some pupils. They work well with external agencies to access support for vulnerable pupils and their families.

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Safeguarding

Leaders help pupils to learn about how to keep themselves safe. For example, pupils learn how to stay safe online and that consent is one of the features of healthy relationships.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some staff have not received suitable training to deliver effective support for pupils who are still learning to read. In addition, some of the books that pupils are given to practise their reading are too difficult. This hinders the progress that some pupils make when learning to read. Leaders should ensure that all staff have the phonics training they need to provide effective support for pupils to catch up in reading. They should also ensure that the books pupils read are matched well to their phonic knowledge.  In a few subjects, the precise information about the important curriculum content that teachers need to prioritise and revisit is not clear. This means that sometimes, teachers do not focus sufficiently well on the most useful knowledge and vocabulary that pupils should know and remember. Leaders should ensure that teachers are clear about the most important knowledge that pupils should know, so that pupils are well prepared for

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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, Leigh Primary School, to be good in May 2016. 29 and 30 March 2022

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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. 29 and 30 March 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10212325 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

 Since the previous inspection when the predecessor school was judged to be good, there have been several changes to the school leadership team. This includes the appointment of a new headteacher.  The predecessor school, Leigh Primary School converted to an academy in November 2017 and is part of the Enquire Academy Trust.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school has received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector held discussions with the headteacher and other leaders. She also spoke with subject leaders and members of staff. She spoke with two directors of the multi- academy trust, including the chief executive officer, and three members of the local academy improvement committee. The inspector also spoke with a representative of the local authority. 29 and 30 March 2022

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 The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in classrooms, during lunchtime and around the school. She spoke with different groups of pupils to discuss their views of the school, their learning, their behaviour and safety.  The inspector checked the arrangements for keeping pupils safe. She reviewed documentation, checked attendance information and spoke to leaders, governors and pupils about safeguarding.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, history and mathematics. 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 reviewed samples of pupils’ work. The inspector also observed pupils reading to a familiar adult. She also considered aspects of a number of other subjects on the school’s curriculum.  The inspector considered the views of parents and carers shared through Ofsted’s

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Parent View. This included the comments received via the free-text facility. The inspector also reviewed responses to Ofsted’s surveys for staff and pupils.  The inspector considered a range of documentation shared by school leaders, including the trust’s scheme of delegation, the school development plan, the minutes taken at governors’ meetings and leaders’ self-evaluation document.

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Inspection team

Janette Walker, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 29 and 30 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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