South Kirkby Academy

Inspection of South Kirkby Academy Stockingate, South Kirkby, Pontefract, West Yorkshire WF9 3DP

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 25 and 26 April 2023

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are determined that pupils gain the knowledge and experiences they need to succeed at school. They have high expectations of pupils. Pupils achieve well. Staff know pupils and their families well. They look after pupils and ensure that they feel safe. This includes how to stay safe when using technology. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe while online.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in school. Staff support them to make the right choices. Pupils say that there are trusted adults they can talk to if they have a problem. They value the positive relationships they have with adults in the school. Pupils say that bullying does happen, but that adults in school always sort it out.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils attend a wide range of clubs and activities. These enable pupils to develop their talents and interests. Pupils participate in ‘Waterton’s Got Talent’, ‘Waterton Chef of the Year’ and a variety of sporting competitions, including The Waterton Trust games. Pupils value opportunities to take on roles of responsibility. These include reading ambassadors and eco-warriors. Leaders make sure that everyone is valued. They ensure that pupils’ achievements are recognised and celebrated.

p.2

better?

Leaders have high ambitions for pupils. They have made improvements to the curriculum. Lessons are well mapped out. Staff are well developed to be effective in their roles. Teachers assess and make adaptations that help pupils to access lessons. Pupils have opportunities to revisit prior learning, with recap questions at the beginning of each lesson. This helps them to remember what they have been taught and strengthen what they know. In some subjects, the important knowledge that pupils must learn has not been clearly identified. Pupils do not make strong links between lesson topics to build new knowledge in these subjects.

p.2

better?

Leaders prioritise reading throughout the school. They ensure that all staff receive training to deliver the reading curriculum effectively. Staff ensure that books are well matched to the sounds pupils are learning. They carefully identify the phonic knowledge pupils know and remember. Staff generally ensure that pupils get the support they need to improve their reading fluency.

p.2

better?

Leaders support staff to ensure the school is calm and orderly. Pupils learn to make the right choices. Pupils manage their behaviour well. They learn self-regulation. This means they are ready to learn. However, some pupils do not attend school as regularly as they should.

p.2

better?

Leaders ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Teachers swiftly identify pupils’ needs. Teachers make adaptations to how they deliver the curriculum. This ensures that pupils with SEND develop knowledge and understanding well. Some pupils receive interventions 25 and 26 April 2023

p.2

3

outside of the classroom. Missed learning is not revisited effectively. This means that a small number of pupils have gaps in their knowledge.

p.3

3

Leaders prioritise pupils’ personal development. They provide well-thought-out opportunities for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is well mapped out. PSHE covers a range of relevant topics, including learning to value different family structures. Pupils confidently talk about different faiths and cultures. They can identify similarities between places of worship and cultural celebrations effectively.

p.3

3

Governance is a strength of the school. Governors have clear and ambitious aims for pupils, which is evident in their meetings. Governors are challenging. They hold leaders to account effectively for the actions they take to further improve the school. Staff are highly positive about leaders’ efforts to manage their workload. Staff say that leaders are supportive and that assessment is manageable. They feel their welfare is well supported. Leaders regularly check on their well-being.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

Staff understand that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Leaders ensure that safeguarding has a high profile in the school through weekly quizzes and updates. Leaders ensure that staff receive regular safeguarding training and can recognise the signs that a pupil may be suffering from harm. Leaders take appropriate action in a thorough and timely manner. They work well with a range of agencies to support pupils and their families. Pupils know who to go to if they have a concern. They know that staff take their concerns seriously.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils do not attend school regularly and often. They miss important learning. Leaders should continue their work with parents and carers to overcome any barriers to attendance to ensure their children attend school regularly.  Some pupils miss lessons to access learning interventions. This means that some pupils develop gaps in their learning. Learning interventions should be organised to ensure that significant gaps in pupils’ knowledge in other subjects do not develop.  In some subjects, leaders have not clearly identified the important knowledge that pupils will learn. Where the curriculum is less clear, pupils do not develop their knowledge securely. Leaders should ensure that important knowledge is clearly identified across all subjects. 25 and 26 April 2023

p.3

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. 25 and 26 April 2023

p.4

School details

Inspection number 10255742 Type of school Junior

p.5

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection 4 and 5 June 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative education provision providers.  The headteacher was appointed in April 2022.

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.  The lead inspector held meetings with the headteacher, governors, teachers and the chief executive officer of the trust.  Inspectors conducted deep dives in reading, mathematics, science and history. As part of the deep dives, inspectors visited lessons, listened to pupils read, reviewed curriculum plans and spoke with curriculum leaders, pupils and teachers. 25 and 26 April 2023

p.5

6

 An inspector met with the school’s designated safeguarding lead. The inspector reviewed the school’s safeguarding records, relevant policies and other safeguarding documentation. The inspector reviewed the processes leaders use to identify and help pupils who need support. In addition, the lead inspector scrutinised the school’s records of checks carried out on adults who work at the school.  Inspectors reviewed a range of school documents, including the school’s self- evaluation and improvement plans.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for pupils, staff and parents. This included any free-text responses.

p.6

Inspection team

Andrew Yeomans, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Angela Spencer-Brooke Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 April 2023

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