Humberston Cloverfields Academy

Inspection of a good school: Humberston Cloverfields Academy St Thomas Close, Humberston, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire DN36 4HS

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Outcome

Humberston Cloverfields Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Humberston Cloverfields Academy is a warm and welcoming place, where pupils are happy. Leaders have high aspirations for all pupils. Pupils are curious and eager to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour in and around school is good. Leaders have created a culture where respect is the foundation of everything they do. Adults model respectful behaviours to pupils. As a result, pupils are kind, courteous and respectful to one another and adults. All pupils, including the youngest children, can clearly explain the behaviour system, including the rewards they receive when they reach the ‘recognition’ stage. They feel that it is fair and works.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe. They are comfortable to talk to staff about any concerns they may have, including bullying. Bullying is rare. However, pupils are confident that if it did happen, it would be resolved quickly. The ‘Kind Cloverfield’s Crew’ supports their fellow pupils when they spot that someone is upset. Pupils nominate each other for ‘caught you being kind’ certificates.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy ‘Midweek me time’, where they engage in non-academic activities, such as mindfulness colouring and playing board games, which helps them to ‘clear the mind’. They understand that mental health is just as important as physical health.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy taking part in a wide range of activities and events, such as computing club, sports clubs, skipping, Makaton club, and ‘becoming an artist’ club. Leaders plan ‘Humberston Cloverfield’s experiences’, such as skating and visits to the seaside, which all pupils engage in every year.

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

Leaders have carefully considered the knowledge they want pupils to know. They plan how individual subject knowledge connects to other subjects, relating this to significant 10 and 11 May 2023

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people, such as inventors and musicians. Leaders plan the curriculum in a logical order that builds on what pupils already know. This, coupled with rich and meaningful experiences, has created an engaging and ambitious curriculum, which inspires pupils to want to know more. These plans start from the early years in mathematics and early reading. However, in other areas, such as understanding the world, leaders have not broken down the explicit knowledge they want children to know.

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Teachers know their subjects well and present information clearly. They check pupils’ understanding before they introduce new concepts. Teachers encourage pupils to check their own learning across subjects. This supports pupils’ confidence. Pupils can talk extensively about what they have learned. For example, younger pupils can describe in detail the events of the Great Fire of London. Older pupils enjoy learning about the cod wars and the demise of the local fishing industry.

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Pupils love to read. The books that they read are well matched to the sounds they are learning. They read with confidence and fluency. Teachers regularly check pupils’ phonic knowledge and provide immediate support if needed. However, in the early years, some staff do not pronounce the correct sounds. Some children do not read books that are matched to their phonic knowledge. As a result, some children do not progress as well as they could.

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Leaders promote a love of reading in a variety of ways. Pupils wear reading badges with pride, which they gain when they read frequently. Older pupils enjoy ‘buddying’ with younger pupils to listen to them read. Leaders carefully choose the books they read to pupils. They plan specific activities, such as role play and using the interactive classroom, to make stories ‘magical’.

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Leaders identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, they do not identify their specific needs. Plans for some pupils with SEND are too broad. This means that teachers are unable to plan effective support for all. This makes it difficult for leaders to assess the effectiveness of any support pupils with SEND receive. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not make the progress that they should.

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Leaders have established good routines for children in the early years. Children are settled and enjoy playing in the well-resourced areas, both inside and outside the classroom. Teachers explain new mathematical vocabulary and ideas well. Children know the difference between light and heavy items and enjoy using scales to weigh their objects.

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Pupils value their personal development curriculum. It supports them to become resilient and respectful citizens. This is based on four areas: safe behaviours, awareness of the world, character development and British values. They have a clear understanding about a range of topics, from healthy eating to relationships. Pupils understand concepts around British values such as democracy. Pupils have a strong sense of equality and know the protected characteristics, such as gender and race. They understand how people can be discriminated against and are passionate that this is wrong. 10 and 11 May 2023

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The trust and academy committee have a sufficient understanding of leaders’ priorities. They ask challenging questions of leaders to ensure that they recognise the progress that is being made, such as developments around the wider curriculum.

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Staff feel that leaders are particularly mindful of their workload and well-being, and they appreciate leaders’ efforts to explain reasons for any new initiatives or revision of the curriculum.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established a positive culture of safeguarding throughout the school. There are clear safeguarding policies and procedures in place. Staff receive regular safeguarding training and seven-minute updates. As a result, staff know the signs of neglect and harm, and they know how to report concerns. They know what the local safeguarding risks are.

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Safeguarding

Leaders regularly check their systems and liaise with staff to see if actions have been followed up. They identify patterns and trends, which helps them to support individuals or adapt their safeguarding curriculum.

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Safeguarding

Trust leaders and members of the academy improvement committee are aware of their statutory duties in relation to safeguarding and equalities. Trustees also receive regular training and updates.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some areas of learning in the early years, leaders have not broken down the crucial knowledge that all children should learn. This means that staff are not sure what all children need to know. Leaders should break down the knowledge they want children to remember in areas of the early years curriculum, except for mathematics and early reading, so that children are prepared for their future learning.  In the early years, the phonics curriculum is not being delivered as effectively as leaders intend. The books that children are given to read do not match their knowledge of phonics. This means that some pupils do not make progress in their reading as quickly as they should. Leaders need to ensure that all staff receive training to implement the phonics programme consistently and that books match the children’s phonic ability. This will ensure that all pupils will be successful in reading.  Leaders’ plans for pupils with SEND do not contain enough information about their

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

needs or how to support them. Leaders are unable to review the support they put in place. Some pupils with SEND do not make the progress that they should. Leaders should ensure that pupils’ needs are clearly identified so that staff know how to support pupils more effectively. 10 and 11 May 2023

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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.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2017.

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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. 10 and 11 May 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10211113 Type of school Primary

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School details

Executive Headteacher Caroline Patterson

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School details

Date of previous inspection 10 January 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Enquire Learning Trust.  There have been several changes to staffing since the last inspection. A new head of school was appointed in September 2022. An assistant principal role was created in January 2022. The executive principal took up post in January 2022. There have been several new teachers who have joined the school, including four early career teachers.  The school makes use of one registered alternative provision.

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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 their evaluation of the school.  Meetings were held with the executive headteacher, head of school, senior leaders, staff and pupils. The lead inspector also met with trustees, the chief executive officer of the trust and some members of the academy committee. 10 and 11 May 2023

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. The Inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited lessons, reviewed pupils’ work and spoke with staff and pupils.  The inspector talked informally with pupils, parents and staff to gather general information about school life. They took account of the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for parents, staff and pupils. The inspector spoke with some parents at the start of the school day.  Through discussions with leaders, trustees, pupils and staff, the inspector considered how effectively pupils are safeguarded. The inspector also viewed the school website and policies. The inspector looked at records related to safeguarding, including checks on adults working at the school.

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Inspection team

Jenny Thomas, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 10 and 11 May 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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