Old Trafford Community Academy

Inspection of Old Trafford Community Academy Malvern Street, Old Trafford, Manchester M15 4FL

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 6 and 7 December 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, enjoy school. They have positive relationships with their teachers and feel safe in their care. Staff swiftly resolve any issues of bullying.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils particularly enjoy playtimes with their friends. They have access to a range of extra-curricular opportunities which they appreciate. These include extra lunchtime clubs for pupils who might not be able to stay for after-school clubs.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have raised their expectations of what pupils can achieve in the curriculum. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Recently, leaders have significantly overhauled many subject curriculums. This is beginning to have a positive impact on how well pupils achieve. However, much of this work is still in its infancy. This means that pupils are not currently achieving as well as they should in some subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

When children start in the early years, they learn positive routines for behaviour and follow these well. However, staff’s expectations of behaviour in key stages 1 and 2 are not high enough. As a result, pupils in these year groups occasionally veer off task and cause disruption to lessons. Staff do not consistently manage these disruptions well. Pupils behave well during their social times.

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better?

Leaders have made many recent improvements to the school’s curriculum. Some subject leaders have taken rapid action to carefully identify the knowledge that pupils must learn and the order in which they will learn it. Leaders’ actions are already beginning to have a positive impact on what pupils know and remember in these subjects. However, other subjects are still at an earlier stage of development. In these subjects, leaders are still defining the important knowledge pupils need to learn. This means that, in these subjects, teachers are not clear about how to design or order suitable learning in a way that helps pupils to build their knowledge securely over time. As a result, pupils’ achievement across different subjects is uneven.

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better?

As leaders have not fully identified what pupils must learn in some subjects, some teachers do not know how to assess how well pupils are learning new content. Furthermore, some teachers do not accurately identify and address pupils’ errors and misconceptions. This leads to gaps in pupils’ learning.

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better?

Leaders have recently introduced a new phonics programme. This has brought about improvements to the teaching of early reading. Children learn phonics as soon as they start in the early years. Staff who teach phonics have been well trained and deliver the programme consistently well. Pupils read books that are well matched to the sounds that they know. Teachers quickly identify, and then support, pupils who need extra help to read fluently. 6 and 7 December 2022

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Children in the early years settle into school life well. They learn classroom routines quickly and behave well in their welcoming environment. Children experience a well- designed and well-delivered early years curriculum. Teachers organise activities carefully to engage children’s natural curiosity. This helps children to achieve well. Staff model communication and language well. They interact positively with children to foster respectful relationships.

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Leaders identify the needs of pupils with SEND early. They ensure that these pupils access the same curriculum as their classmates wherever possible. When pupils have more complex needs, leaders involve external agencies to provide the support that these pupils need.

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Leaders celebrate pupils’ diversity and promote their personal development well. They ensure that pupils are prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils develop their knowledge of different faiths particularly well. They learn how to develop healthy relationships with others.

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Most pupils behave well, especially at social times. However, some pupils and staff reported to inspectors that, sometimes, the behaviour of some pupils in lessons is less positive. Some teachers do not deal with these disruptions effectively. This impacts on the ability of other pupils to concentrate on their work. Leaders, including those responsible for governance, do not have high expectations of pupils’ attendance, including that of children in the early years. They do not do enough to remove the barriers that prevent pupils from attending school regularly. This means that pupils miss out on important learning and bad attendance habits form at a young age.

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Governors know the school well. They fulfil most of their duties effectively. Leaders take account of staff’s workload and well-being and help them manage this.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that staff know how to identify the signs that a pupil might be at risk of harm. Staff know how to report any concerns they may have and alert leaders to these concerns quickly. Leaders review any concerns raised and act accordingly to keep pupils safe.

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Safeguarding

Leaders take action to provide support for vulnerable pupils when concerns are raised by staff or other agencies. Teachers make sure that pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including when using the internet.

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 A number of pupils, including children in the early years, do not attend school regularly. This means that children and pupils miss out on important learning. Leaders should implement effective strategies to secure the attendance of all pupils. They should also work with parents and carers to remove the barriers that prevent pupils from attending well.  In several subjects, leaders are still at an early stage of breaking down the knowledge that they want pupils to know and the way in which it will be delivered. This means that pupils do not build on their knowledge securely over time. Subject leaders should clarify the specific knowledge pupils need to know, and the order in which it should be taught, so that teachers can design activities which help pupils to know and remember more.  Some teachers do not use assessment strategies effectively to check pupils’ learning. This sometimes means that teachers do not address pupils’ errors and

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misconceptions. Leaders should ensure that teachers are well equipped to spot and correct pupils’ mistakes so that pupils’ knowledge deepens.  Some teachers do not deal with some low-level misbehaviour well. As a result, the learning for some pupils is disrupted. Leaders should ensure that teachers have effective classroom management strategies to help pupils to remain on task so that learning is not interrupted.

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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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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. 6 and 7 December 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10241819 Type of school Primary

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School details

Principal Nicole Davenport (co-principal) Judith Stott (co-principal) Website www.oldtraffordcommunityacademy.co.u k Date of previous inspection 9 May 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 A co-principal model of leadership has been adopted since the previous inspection. Since 1 September 2022, the school has had two co-principals in post. This arrangement is to be reviewed at the end of the academic year.  Three new assistant principals have been appointed since the previous inspection.  A new school business manager has been appointed since the previous inspection.  Leaders currently make use of one alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded 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 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. 6 and 7 December 2022

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 Inspectors conducted deep dives in these subjects: design and technology, early reading, history, mathematics and science. They met with subject leaders and teachers. They visited lessons, looked at examples of pupils’ and children’s work and talked with groups of pupils about their learning. The lead inspector heard pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors also considered the curriculum, spoke with pupils about their learning and evaluated their work in some other subjects.  The lead inspector spoke with a representative of the board of trustees and a group of governors, the co-principals and other school and academy trust leaders. This included the chief executive officer. The lead inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority. Inspectors also talked to staff about their workload and well-being.  Inspectors met with the leaders who are responsible for attendance, behaviour and pupils’ personal development.

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 Inspectors spoke with pupils about safeguarding and their wider experience of school.  Inspectors looked at a range of policies and documents related to pupils’ welfare and education. They observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school.  Inspectors reviewed leaders’ policies and procedures to keep pupils safe. They discussed safeguarding arrangements with leaders and staff. Inspectors also checked the school’s records of the suitability of staff to work with pupils.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils.  Inspectors met with parents at the start of the school day and took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses.

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Inspection team

David Spruce, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Gill Burrow Ofsted Inspector 6 and 7 December 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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