John Emmerson Batty Primary School

Inspection of a good school: John Emmerson Batty Primary School Walnut Grove, Redcar, North Yorkshire TS10 3PG

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Inspection dates: 22 and 23 September 2022

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Outcome

John Emmerson Batty Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a strong culture of respect and kindness in the school. Pupils are polite to each other and listen attentively to their teachers. Classrooms are busy and purposeful places. Pupils discuss ideas with their peers and are keen to do well in their work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff in the early years help children to settle into effective routines quickly. Children in the early years treat each other and their equipment with respect and care. Children learn important skills like taking turns or putting on their own apron. This helps them to get the most out of their teaching.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This good behaviour continues through school. Pupils walk through school calmly. They are considerate of each other’s feelings. There is not a hint of bullying in the school, and if there was, pupils know to tell someone and have full confidence that it would be sorted out. As one pupil said, ‘Everyone trusts each other, so it is a nice place to be.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders ensure that pupils are taught about different beliefs in society. Pupils develop a good understanding of different religions and faiths. They know about some of the customs in each one and why they are important. Pupils enjoy the sports clubs that are on offer and the many opportunities to participate in competitions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and parents and carers work well together. Staff work particularly well with parents of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Parents, pupils and staff engage in a ‘structured conversation’ which leads to a clear and helpful plan being developed for each pupil with SEND.

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

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils in the school. They have designed a curriculum that sets out the knowledge that pupils need to meet these ambitions. Leaders have defined a wide range of knowledge that pupils need in each subject. Leaders have worked effectively with other leaders from across the trust to do this. 22 and 23 September 2022

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In many subjects, pupils make effective progress in what they know and can do. For example, pupils build up increasing knowledge about how to round numbers in mathematics and get better at sketching in art and design. This is built up year on year as pupils practise what they have done in the previous years before moving on. In some subjects, leaders recognise that this is less clear. Pupils learn new content in isolation rather than linking it to what they already know. When this happens pupils forget or misremember what they have been taught. It does not help them with what they need to learn next.

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Staff in the early years know how to support children with the foundational knowledge and skills that they need. The curriculum in the early years focuses on stories and language. These stories have been planned in an order that helps children learn important words and concepts. Children are keen to try out these new words in their play. Children play by doing things like acting out the story of the three little pigs with soft toys or practising forming numbers in sand. They use their time well to practise the basic skills that they need.

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Children in the early years also get off to a positive start in their reading. Children in Reception start learning about the sounds in words straight away. Staff have recently had thorough training to teach the phonics curriculum, and this shows in their practice. Staff model how to segment and blend words expertly. Pupils develop an enjoyment of reading following on from this flying start.

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Teachers make sure that pupils get a chance to regularly practice what they can do. This helps pupils to be able to perform essential tasks quickly and accurately. For example, the books that pupils read help them to practise the sounds that they have learned. In other subjects, teachers give pupils ‘flashbacks’ to help them to revisit important knowledge like number bonds to 10 or how long ago periods in time were. Teachers also use these opportunities to check what pupils know and can do.

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Pupils are taught letter formation alongside learning the sound that different letters make. Children in the early years are taught the physical skills needed to grip a pencil. While these strategies are effective for most pupils, some pupils still struggle with their writing. This is particularly the case for pupils with SEND linked to language. Teachers sometimes do not support these pupils or adapt their learning well enough. Too often, pupils are asked to write about what they know across different subjects without the basic skills in writing that they need to do this. Pupils are neither able to demonstrate their knowledge of the curriculum nor get better at their writing when this happens.

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Trustees have a keen eye on the substance of what is taught in the school. They use the local school board members to give them information about what is happening in the school. Trustees ensure that school leaders prioritise as new needs emerge. For example, ensuring that more staff receive the training that they need in phonics.

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Staff are supported well by leaders at all levels, including trust leaders. Leaders listen to staff about what would help them do their job better and with less unnecessary tasks. Staff enjoy the opportunities to talk to other staff across the trust about their teaching. 22 and 23 September 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders at all levels, including trustees and trust leaders, have ensured that record- keeping is even more comprehensive than it was. Staff have responded to this and report even the slightest concerns to leaders. Leaders respond to these reports and use information or advice from the right agencies. Staff are professionally curious and talk to pupils about how they are feeling. Staff pick up on anything that they need to know about to help the pupil or family. Staff have excellent relationships with parents and use this to offer help and support when needed.

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Safeguarding

All staff have been checked to ensure that they are suitable to work with children. Staff teach pupils about how to keep themselves safe online, and they give guidance to parents about it. If pupils are having issues in the online world they know that staff in school will help them sort it out and stop it being an issue in school as well.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the key knowledge that pupils need in each year group does not link coherently with prior or subsequent teaching. Pupils do not revisit or build on their knowledge when this happens and can forget or misremember what they have been taught. Leaders should ensure that key information that pupils need in each subject links with learning from other years.  Teachers sometimes do not adapt tasks effectively for pupils who have gaps in their writing knowledge and skills. Pupils are asked to write about their knowledge of subjects such as science or history without the prior skills in writing that they need but do not develop in either the taught subject or their writing. Teachers should ensure that they support pupils throughout school to develop their basic writing skills and adapt tasks in other subjects to allow all pupils to access and improve their subject- specific knowledge.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately. 22 and 23 September 2022

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This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school with the same name to be good in July 2013.

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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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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. 22 and 23 September 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10241381 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 school is part of Galileo multi-academy trust (MAT).  There is a Nursery class for three- and four-year-olds.  The school does not use any alternative providers.

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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 leaders and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspector spoke to the headteacher, deputy headteacher, chief executive officer of the MAT, three trustees and two members of the local school board. These discussions focused on the quality of education and safeguarding in the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors 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. 22 and 23 September 2022

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 The inspector also looked at planning and a sample of pupils’ work in art and design and computing.  The inspector viewed the single central record that leaders keep on staff safeguarding checks. The inspector checked records that leaders keep on any safeguarding issues or concerns and spoke to staff about the training that they have.  The inspector spoke to parents outside the school and evaluated parents’ responses to the online parent survey, Ofsted Parent View.  The inspector spoke to staff and pupils about their experiences and took note of staff responses to the staff survey.  The inspector talked to lunchtime staff and visited pupils in their social times and spoke to them about the wider offer in the school.

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Inspection team

Matthew Knox, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 22 and 23 September 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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