Outwood Junior Academy Brumby

Inspection of Outwood Junior Academy Brumby Queensway, Scunthorpe DN16 2HY

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Inspection dates: 22 and 23 February 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 22 and 23 February 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have the highest of expectations for pupils. They have successfully and comprehensively addressed the weaknesses of the predecessor school. Leaders have united staff behind the academy’s vision to ‘Raise standards and transform lives.’ Staff show the deepest commitment and care for pupils. Effective and engaging teaching of a well-considered curriculum has improved pupils’ achievement. Pupils are increasingly well prepared for their next steps.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Warm and positive relationships between staff and pupils contribute to the happy and family feel of the academy. Pupils enjoy learning. They work hard in lessons and respond to the instructions of their teachers. There is a calm and purposeful atmosphere in each classroom. Pupils strive to earn ‘super swirls’ by following the school rules. Pupils are not worried about bullying as it rarely happens. When it does, staff act quickly to resolve any issues. This helps pupils to feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have recently established a ‘family hub’ to provide support for children and their families. Activities such as ‘family cooking’ and ‘keep up with your children’s English’ are helping to foster positive relationships with families.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils play a big part in the leadership of the school. Reading leaders, mental health leaders, play leaders and the school parliament all make decisions and contribute to the school’s success. Pupils feel proud of their school and their contribution to it. There are a wide variety of well-attended after-school clubs to develop pupils’ talents and interests. Leaders listen to pupils’ views about the clubs that they would like to take part in and make these available.

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better?

Leaders have systematically tackled the right priorities to improve the academy. Their relentless yet supportive focus on raising standards has resulted in rapid improvements to the quality of education that pupils receive. Staff from the trust have worked with subject leaders to help them to identify the precise knowledge that pupils should learn in each subject. Leaders provide regular training for staff to ensure that they have the subject knowledge to teach each subject. Leaders visit lessons frequently and check that the curriculums for their subject are being well taught and that pupils are achieving well.

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better?

Leaders provide regular coaching for teachers to ensure that they have the most up- to-date knowledge on how to help pupils to remember what they have been taught. Teachers value this support. Teachers skilfully break learning down into small steps. They choose activities that help pupils to build their knowledge. Teachers provide additional support and adapt activities for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) so that they can access the curriculum alongside their peers. 22 and 23 February 2023

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Teachers check carefully in lessons to make sure that pupils are keeping up. Leaders keep a watchful eye on pupils’ achievement. They ensure that those pupils who need extra help receive it. However, in a small number of subjects, such as religious education (RE) and science, some content is not revisited frequently enough. This means that some pupils occasionally forget what they have been taught.

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There is a strong focus on making sure pupils are fluent readers. Effective systems are in place to identify any gaps in pupils’ reading knowledge when they start at the academy. These are quickly addressed. Pupils still at the early stages of learning to read are well supported in lessons and receive frequent catch-up sessions. As a result, these pupils quickly develop fluency and confidence in reading. Pupil reading ambassadors help pupils to choose books from the school’s enticing library area. Staff read regularly to pupils. This helps pupils to develop a love of reading.

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Leaders identify pupils with SEND carefully. They ensure that staff understand pupils’ learning needs and how they can help them. This results in pupils with SEND being well supported. As a result, they achieve well. Those pupils with social, emotional or mental health needs are exceptionally well supported. They benefit from a precise programme of tailored interventions delivered by well trained staff. This helps these pupils to engage in their learning and develop positive relationships with their peers.

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Leaders are committed to ensuring that pupils are prepared for life in modern Britain. In ‘Time to’ lessons, pupils learn about people who are different to themselves. Pupils know that all people, regardless of their differences, should be treated equally. Pupils learn how to be responsible citizens and have healthy relationships with each other.

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Those responsible for governance know the school well. Regular visits by members of the local academy council and the board of trustees enable them to check the information that leaders share with them and see the impact of leaders’ actions. This gives them a detailed knowledge of how leaders are working to improve the academy which helps them to hold leaders to account.

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Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the support that they receive from leaders. Staff describe leaders as ‘caring and visible’. Leaders give careful consideration to staff workload and make sure that staff have the time and support that they need. The strong team ethos is palpable. Staff and leaders support one another and are rightly proud to work together for the pupils in the academy.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that staff are regularly trained to understand potential risks of harm. Staff raise any concerns about pupils’ safety with leaders promptly. Leaders follow 22 and 23 February 2023

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these up well, working with external agencies when necessary to ensure that children and families are well supported.

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Pupils are taught how to manage some of the risks that they might face. Leaders have ensured that pupils understand how to stay safe when working online. A workshop to help pupils understand about knife crime and county lines has equipped them with the knowledge they need to understand and manage these potential risks.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, such as science and RE, pupils do not revisit some learning often enough to help them to transfer knowledge to their long-term memory. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge in some subjects. Leaders should consider which knowledge needs to be revisited and revised to help pupils to remember what they have been taught.

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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. 22 and 23 February 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10255550 Type of school Junior

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Outwood Junior Academy Brumby converted to be an academy in September 2018. When its predecessor school, Brumby Junior School, was last inspected by Ofsted in November 2017, it was judged to be inadequate.  The school is a member of the Outwood Grange Academies Trust.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.  The school runs a breakfast and after-school club.  The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged is above the national average.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is above the national average.

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Information about this inspection

The inspector(s) 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. 22 and 23 February 2023

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 Inspectors met with the principal, executive principal and other senior leaders from the school and the multi-academy trust.  Meetings were held with representatives of the local academy council and representatives from the board of trustees. The inspector also met the trust chief executive officer and trust chief executive primary principal.  An inspector spoke with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in English, mathematics, geography and science. They discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, talked to teachers about their subject and met with pupils to discuss their learning. The inspector reviewed samples of pupils’ work and listed to pupils read.  Inspectors spoke with pupils and reviewed pupils’ work in a range of other subjects.  Inspectors scrutinised documents related to safeguarding and spoke to some of the schools’ designated safeguarding leaders. Inspectors spoke to staff and pupils

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about their safeguarding knowledge.  Inspectors considered the views of staff through meetings, informal discussions and their responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  Inspectors met with groups of pupils in meetings and at social times.  Inspectors considered the views of parents through the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents, Ofsted Parent View, and by speaking to parents at the start of the school day.

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Inspection team

Tim Scargill-Knight, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Angela Harper Ofsted Inspector 22 and 23 February 2023

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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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