Manor Green Primary Academy

Inspection of Manor Green Primary Academy Mancunian Road, Haughton Green, Denton, Manchester M34 7NS

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Inadequate Behaviour and attitudes Inadequate Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Inadequate Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 5 and 6 April 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Manor Green Primary School do not benefit from a high-quality education. The curriculum does not meet the needs of all pupils, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have not ensured that staff are well trained in delivering the curriculum. As a result, pupils’ achievement is poor.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders’ expectations of pupils’ behaviour are low. Staff are ill-equipped to manage pupils’ behaviour. The behaviour of a number of pupils in key stage 2 is particularly poor. Leaders allow the violent outbursts of a small but significant number of pupils to repeatedly disrupt the learning and playtimes of other pupils. Leaders do not deal effectively with bullying or name-calling. As a result, pupils do not feel safe nor are they safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have recently focused on ensuring that pupils benefit from a more- effective programme of personal development. For example, leaders have increased the number of extra-curricular activities on offer for pupils. That said, there is a way to go to ensure that pupils are routinely kind and considerate to others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

While pupils in key stages 1 and 2 underachieve, children in the early years fare better. They enjoy learning because their teachers know how to tap into their interests and talents. Most children in the Reception Year, for example, settle quickly into school. They benefit from a curriculum that is increasingly meeting their learning needs.

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better?

Senior and middle leaders do not have a secure understanding of what constitutes an ambitious and well-designed curriculum. In key stages 1 and 2, the curriculum is fragmented, disorganised and jumbled. Pupils’ learning is adversely affected by these deficiencies in the curriculum.

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better?

Many leaders are new to their roles and they are still in the process of deciding exactly what they want pupils to know. In addition to not being clear about the knowledge that pupils need to learn, leaders have not thought about the order in which essential knowledge should be taught. Consequently, teachers do not understand how to shape their teaching so that pupils build their knowledge over time.

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better?

Teachers’ checks on what pupils have misunderstood or need to know next are weak. This is because teachers do not know exactly what pupils should be learning. Assessment systems are not well designed. As a result, pupils have gaps in their knowledge. Their misconceptions go unchecked. Pupils do not gain the 5 and 6 April 2022

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knowledge and skills that they need to be successful. Many pupils are not ready for their next stage of learning.

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In the early years, leaders have given more thought to what they intend children to learn in the Nursery and Reception classes. For example, there is a clearer pathway to help adults foster children’s early reading and mathematical knowledge. However, leaders are in the early stages of deciding exactly what children should know in all areas of learning by the end of the Reception Year. This means that some children, including those with SEND, are not ready for key stage 1.

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Leaders have not ensured that all pupils develop secure reading knowledge. Not enough staff are trained in how to deliver phonics effectively. There is no structured teaching programme to help older pupils in key stage 2 who have fallen behind in reading to catch-up quickly. Consequently, there is a considerable number of pupils across the school who cannot read accurately or fluently. This is especially true for pupils with SEND. These pupils struggle to access the curriculum. They become frustrated or give up trying to learn. At times, this leads to poor behaviour and it hampers how well pupils with SEND achieve. They are not well prepared for the demands of the key stage 3 curriculum.

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Leaders’ actions to improve reading have been too slow, despite the fact that pupils’ achievement in reading has been unacceptably low for several years. A new phonics programme, implemented during the previous academic year, is providing staff with greater guidance on the sounds and letters that children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 should learn. However, a lack of suitable training beyond the early years means that pupils continue to experience an uneven phonics diet. In addition, leaders have only recently purchased reading books for pupils to practise reading the sounds that they have learned. As a result, pupils’ learning in reading remains weak across Years 1 to 6.

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Staff in the early years are quick to identify children who may have SEND. However, teachers across the school do not know how to provide a curriculum that meets these children’s and pupils’ needs. This is because leaders have provided insufficient support and training.

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Pupils’ behaviour is poor. Leaders have not ensured that staff know how and when to intervene when pupils are becoming unsettled. Furthermore, leaders do not investigate or deal with bullying effectively. Children in the early years typically behave well, but incidents across the rest of the school rapidly escalate. This results in other pupils missing out on their learning. Poor behaviour also gets in the way of pupils developing social skills and friendships at breaktimes. There are frequent violent outbursts. These incidents cause other pupils and staff to become upset and to worry. Re-establishing order takes up large chunks of leaders’ time. This distracts them from focusing on improving the quality of education.

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Leaders have begun to focus on pupils’ wider development. This is starting to have a positive impact on some pupils’ self-esteem, which is increasing their engagement in learning. For example, children in the Reception Year learn to follow 5 and 6 April 2022

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teachers’ instructions. They listen to each other and treat others with respect. Leaders provide more opportunities for older pupils to take on roles and responsibilities than in the past. Pupils learn about the similarities and differences between people. Pupils are keen to share their ideas for improvements at the school and across the trust. Even so, the provision for personal development does not go far enough in ensuring that pupils understand how to treat each other kindly and with respect. For example, incidents of prejudiced name-calling continue to be a common feature of pupils’ school experience.

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Governors and trustees too readily accept leaders’ assurances that there is an improving picture at the school. As a result, they underestimate the impact of the weaknesses on pupils’ and staff’s safety and well-being. Governors do not challenge or support leaders and staff well. This is significantly hindering leaders and staff in their efforts to improve the quality of education and safety for all pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that there are procedures and policies for safeguarding in place. Where safeguarding concerns in the local community arise, staff are well trained in identifying the potential harm that pupils might be exposed to outside of school. They pass on their concerns to leaders with responsibility for safeguarding. Leaders follow up concerns assiduously.

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Safeguarding

In contrast, the arrangements for safeguarding pupils in school are poor. Leaders’ systems, policies and procedures have little impact on the safety and well-being of pupils and staff while they are in school. This is because staff do not intervene sufficiently well when pupils are at risk of physical or emotional harm as a result of acts of aggression. Leaders do not ensure that pupils learn about identifying and managing risk well enough to keep themselves and others safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not ensured that pupils and staff are safe in school. They do not deal with bullying or repeated incidents of violent behaviour effectively. Staff and pupils are physically hurt or worried about coming to school on a regular basis. Leaders must establish a culture where pupils understand the right way to treat each other. Leaders need to make sure that staff are able to maintain a positive culture where everyone is respected and focused on learning.  Governors and senior leaders have not ensured that there are shared expectations for high standards of behaviour. Progress in making the much- 5 and 6 April 2022

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needed improvements to the school is stymied because staff and leaders are too busy dealing with poor behaviour. Leaders must urgently ensure that there are routines and processes in place to maintain good behaviour so that staff can focus on teaching and leaders can pay greater attention to school improvement.  Leaders have not ensured that teachers have a clear understanding of how to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. This frequently results in many pupils with SEND becoming frustrated and losing interest in learning. At times, this contributes to poor behaviour. Leaders, including governors must ensure that staff are well trained to enable pupils with SEND to learn well.  Leaders have not ensured that there is a programme in place to support pupils who are behind in reading. Consequently, a considerable number of pupils, especially those with SEND, do not have secure reading knowledge. This limits

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how well they can access the curriculum. Leaders must provide an effective and consistent programme to support pupils who need to catch-up with their reading across key stage 2. They should ensure that staff are suitably trained to deliver this programme well.  Leaders have not ensured that pupils benefit from an ambitious, well-organised curriculum. Teachers do not know how to check what pupils already know or need to learn next. As a result of these weaknesses, pupils do not build up an increasingly secure body of knowledge. Their recall of the curriculum is weak. Leaders need to clarify their curriculum thinking as a matter of urgency so that teachers are clear about the knowledge that they want pupils to learn and the order in which this content should be taught. Teachers must also be supported to use assessment strategies effectively so that their checks on pupils’ learning pick up gaps in knowledge and misconceptions.

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 Governors too readily accept assurances that improvements made to both the quality of education and to pupils’ behaviour are sufficient when this is not the case. As a result, leaders and governors do not have a realistic picture of how well pupils behave or how well they are learning. Progress in improving the curriculum, pupils’ personal development and behaviour is slow and not well executed. Governors and leaders must check the reliability of information that they gather about the quality of education or standards of behaviour.

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Having considered the evidence, I strongly recommend that leaders and those responsible for governance do not appoint early career teachers before the next monitoring inspection.

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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. 5 and 6 April 2022

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

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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. 5 and 6 April 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10226330 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 29 and 30 March 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school is part of the Focus Academy Trust.  There has been considerable turmoil in staffing since the previous inspection. There has also been frequent turnover of principals over the last four years.  Since the previous inspection, trustees have appointed a new governing body to replace the previous local governing body.  Leaders make use of one registered alternative provider for a small number of pupils.

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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

In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. 5 and 6 April 2022

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 This was the first routine inspection that the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors spoke with the principal and other leaders in the school, including the leader for SEND. Inspectors spoke with a group of governors and trustees, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation relating to safeguarding. This included the school’s central record of staff and visitors, staff training records, records of safeguarding, and samples of pupils’ records.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, music, religious education and history. They talked with the curriculum leaders of these subject areas. Inspectors also visited lessons, looked at examples of pupils’ work, held discussions with teachers and talked with pupils.

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 Inspectors discussed the curriculum with leaders and looked at samples of pupils’ work from other areas of the curriculum.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktimes and lunchtimes. They observed pupils’ behaviour as they moved around the school.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school.  Inspectors spoke with parents as they dropped their children off at school. They considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View. They also considered the free- text responses from parents.  Inspectors also considered responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and for pupils.

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Inspection team

Claire Cropper, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Joan Grant Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 April 2022

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