Gawthorpe Community Academy

Inspection of Gawthorpe Community Academy High Street, Gawthorpe, Ossett, West Yorkshire WF5 9QP

p.1

Inspection dates: 13 and 14 December 2022

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 13 and 14 December 2022

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Gawthorpe Community Academy are happy and considerate. Staff encourage pupils to welcome others and embrace difference. Pupils are proud of their school. One child, who represented the views of many, told inspectors, ‘We have people from around the world. People feel safe, welcome - the same as everybody else. No one is treated differently.’ Staff create a calm and orderly atmosphere around the school. Pupils are respectful towards adults and other pupils. Staff motivate pupils to learn and behave well.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe at school. Bullying is rare. Pupils trust adults to deal with any issues which may arise. Adults build positive relationships with pupils. They teach pupils how to be good friends. Pupils enjoy the many roles and responsibilities that they can take on. They like being able to be librarians, school captains, councillors, and buddies to younger children. This results in a sense of community across school.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders, including trustees and governors, are ambitious and have high expectations. Pupils rise to these expectations. This is evident in their behaviour and in the work that they produce across a range of subjects. This starts with the youngest pupils, who are curious and confident. The oldest pupils are mature, tolerant and keen to talk about what they have learned. They know about the artists they are studying and can recall the books that they have enjoyed.

p.2

better?

Leaders have high ambitions across the curriculum. This is particularly evident in the teaching of early reading. Leaders prioritise reading. Staff are well trained and share their subject knowledge carefully with children. Teachers provide pupils with repeated practise of sounds to help them remember what they are being taught. Additional reading sessions help pupils who need extra help to catch up quickly. As a result, pupils learn to read with fluency and confidence.

p.2

better?

Leaders have carefully planned the books that pupils will read. Pupils become familiar with books that develop their understanding of diversity and the differences between people. However, there is some variance in how well adults hold pupils’ interest in storytelling sessions.

p.2

better?

Staff provide pupils with many opportunities to develop their knowledge across the curriculum. They design careful sequences of learning. For example, in art, pupils develop an understanding of artists such as Rousseau and Hokusai and create work in their style. Pupils build deeper understanding over time. They enjoy opportunities to debate and explore ideas.

p.2

better?

The teaching of mathematics is strong. Pupils enjoy mathematics. Leaders ensure thatthere is a consistent and ambitious approach to developing core mathematical knowledge from early years to Year 6. Leaders have made some recent changes to 13 and 14 December 2022

p.2

3

the curriculum to address gaps in pupils’ arithmetic knowledge. Teachers model concepts clearly and check carefully to make sure that pupils are keeping up. Pupils are given opportunities to retrieve and build on their prior knowledge. This helps them to remember what they are being taught.

p.3

3

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Leaders and teachers ensure these pupils access the same curriculum as their peers. For example, teachers ensure that pupils have additional resources or repeated opportunities to learn key knowledge. Parents of children with SEND appreciate the support that leaders provide.

p.3

3

Some leaders are very new to their post. They are being supported by senior leaders to develop the knowledge and skills they need to lead their subject or area. There remains some variation in how well different subjects and areas are led and implemented.

p.3

3

Children get off to a strong start in the early years. Leaders have established an ambitious early years curriculum. They have looked at best practice in other schools to develop their own provision. Adults interact well with children in the purposeful environment. Children make good progress across all areas of learning as a result. This means that they are prepared well for key stage 1. Children are respectful and make appropriate choices when working independently, both in the classroom and outside.

p.3

3

Pupils’ personal, social and emotional development is an emerging strength of the school. In early years, pupils access independent activities with confidence and curiosity. Pupils are able to talk about British values. By Year 6, they have a good understanding of the Equality Act and most protected characteristics. Pupils understand that people should not be treated differently because of these. Staff from a local premier league football club support the teaching of mental health to older pupils, who enjoy this work.

p.3

3

Trustees and leaders from the multi-academy trust (MAT) know the school well. Together with members of the local governing body, they provide effective support and challenge for school leaders. Leaders ensure that staff well-being is carefully considered. Support for staff’s ongoing continuous professional development is effective, including that provided to early career teachers.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. Leaders provide regular safeguarding updates to staff, which gives them the knowledge they need to identify if a pupil is at risk of harm. When staff have a concern about a pupil, leaders take effective action to make sure that pupils and families get the support that they need. Leaders from the MAT provide effective oversight of the school’s safeguarding procedures. 13 and 14 December 2022

p.3

4

Safeguarding is taught throughout the curriculum. Children learn about issues such as the dangers posed by gangs, forced marriage, radicalisation and online harms. Pupils can identify the safety systems in place in school, such as the use of different coloured lanyards to identify visitors.

p.4

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some leaders are very new to their role. On occasions, they lack the knowledge and skills they need to lead their subjects or areas consistently well and to check the impact of improvement actions. Leaders should further develop the expertise of new leaders to enable them to lead their subjects or areas in a consistently effective way.  There is a variance in the quality of storytelling sessions. This means that some children’s interest is not sustained and they do not develop a love of reading. Leaders should provide training for all staff so that they deliver storytelling sessions that develop pupils’ enjoyment of reading for pleasure.

p.4

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

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

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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. 13 and 14 December 2022

p.4

School details

Inspection number 10242415 Type of school Primary

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

p.5

Information about this school

 The school is part of Inspire Partnership Multi-Academy Trust. The school joined in November 2011 as a converter academy.  The predecessor school, Gawthorpe Community Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted in November 2008. It was judged to be outstanding.  The school does not currently use any alterative provision.  The school has a Nursery.

p.5

Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.5

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.  Inspectors conducted deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics, history, and art and design. Inspectors spoke to leaders about the 13 and 14 December 2022

p.5

6

curriculum and met with teachers from the lessons visited. Inspectors looked at pupils’ work and spoke to pupils. Inspectors also reviewed curriculum documentation for other subjects.  Inspectors listened to a range of pupils from different year groups read.  Inspectors met with the special educational needs coordinator, members of the local governing body, trustees and the trust chief executive officer.  Inspectors looked at the single central record and spoke to leaders, teachers, governors and pupils about safeguarding, and to check the effectiveness of the school’s arrangements to keep pupils safe.  Inspectors considered the responses made by parents and the free-text responses via Ofsted Parent View.

p.6

Inspection team

Paul Martindale, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Alison Aitchison His Majesty's Inspector 13 and 14 December 2022

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7