Gosberton Academy

Inspection of Gosberton Academy High Street, Gosberton, Spalding, Lincolnshire PE11 4NW

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 14 and 15 June 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to belong to this welcoming and inclusive school. From making cakes for a dinosaur in Reception to studying monsoons in Year 6, pupils enjoy exciting learning opportunities. They are keen to talk about their learning. Pupils’ enthusiasm for school life is clear to see.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Expectations for learning and behaviour are high. Pupils strive to meet these high expectations by embracing the school’s HEART values (honesty, exceptional, aspirational, resilience, togetherness). These are woven throughout all aspects of school life. Pupils are friendly and courteous. They behave well in class and around the school. Pupils feel safe and happy. They say that bullying happens very rarely, and they trust staff to deal with it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff inspire pupils to overcome any difficulties they experience. Pupils are encouraged to join in with new activities and experiences to build their confidence. Staff support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. These pupils receive the same learning opportunities as their peers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most parents and carers are happy with the school. They appreciate that children and pupils are well known by staff. One parent, typical of many, said, ‘My children receive personalised guidance tailored to their needs. I would happily recommend this school to anyone.’

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better?

Leaders have improved the curriculum in most subjects, ensuring it is purposeful and ambitious from the early years to the end of Year 6. Leaders have identified, with precision, the knowledge and skills they want pupils to know and remember. This helps teachers know exactly what to teach and when. The curriculum is equally ambitious for pupils with SEND. Staff know pupils well. Leaders ensure that all staff know how they can adapt learning to enable all pupils to succeed. In a small number of subjects, however, there is still some work to do to ensure that pupils achieve as well as they can.

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better?

Leaders have made reading a high priority. Pupils learn to read with confidence and accuracy. Leaders have put in place a well-structured phonics programme, which starts in Reception. Knowledgeable staff are quick to provide expert support, when needed, to help all pupils keep up. As pupils progress through the school, they continue to develop their reading fluency and comprehension skills. Leaders have found many interesting ways to promote a love of reading. For example, pupils’ faces light up when they talk about finding golden tickets in library books. Pupils speak with enthusiasm about their progress and how they enjoy their reading.

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better?

Children in the early years are quick to learn the routines of school life. They flourish in Reception class. Leaders’ well-thought-out activities and experiences bring 14 and 15 June 2023

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learning to life for children. Children are highly enthusiastic learners. Their behaviour is exceptional.

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Positive attitudes to learning extend throughout the school. Warm relationships between adults and pupils are well established. Classrooms are calm spaces, where pupils show consistently positive attitudes towards their learning.

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Staff interact skilfully with pupils to check their understanding and enrich their use of vocabulary. This is a particular strength in the early years, where children learn new vocabulary in a variety of exciting ways. For example, in Reception class, children dig for ‘dinosaur eggs’, which contain ‘tricky’ words to learn and remember.

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Leaders have placed character development at the heart of the school’s work. They encourage pupils to ‘be better today than you were yesterday’. Leaders are aspirational for their pupils. They introduce pupils to a wide range of career ideas from a young age, from farming to astrophysics. Pupils understand the importance of aspiration, with the motto: ‘be your best self and never give up.’ Most pupils take part in clubs, such as arts and crafts and boxercise, adding to their enjoyment of learning. Many pupils, including pupils with SEND, enjoy leadership responsibilities. For example, they serve as prefects, playground leaders, mini-police and members of the pupil parliament. Leaders expect and challenge all pupils to act as role models to each other. Pupils are respectful of others with different backgrounds. However, pupils’ understanding of British values, such as individual liberty and the rule of law,

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Leadership is effective at all levels. Leaders have a clear vision: to ensure that all pupils reach their potential. Staff feel that leaders value them and are considerate of their workload. Staff are proud to work at the school. Trustees and trust leaders know the school well. They have played a key role in helping the school to improve.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff understand that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Leaders ensure that all staff are well trained. Staff are alert to any potential risks to pupils. They record any concerns promptly. Leaders have built positive relationships with parents. They ensure that pupils and families who need support receive the extra help that is required. Leaders work well with external agencies. Leaders complete all the appropriate checks on adults who work at, or visit, the school.

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Safeguarding

Staff help pupils to understand how to recognise risks and keep themselves safe, including online.

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 In many subjects, including in English and mathematics, the school’s high ambition is realised. However, this is not yet the case in all subjects. As a consequence, pupils do not demonstrate the same depth of understanding and knowledge in a very small number of subjects, such as in personal, social and health education, as they do in most subjects. Leaders should ensure that pupils reach the same high levels of achievement in all subjects.

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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. 14 and 15 June 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10268330 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1 and 2 October 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school offers a breakfast club and an after-school club.  The school does not make use of any alternative providers.

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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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, senior leaders, groups of staff and groups of pupils.  The lead inspector met with trust leaders and representatives from the board of trustees. 14 and 15 June 2023

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke to teachers, looked at samples of pupils’ work and spoke to pupils about their learning. The lead inspector also spoke to leaders and looked at curriculum documentation and samples of pupils’ work in a range of other subjects.  The lead inspector listened to a small sample of pupils from Years 1, 2 and 3 read to a familiar adult.  The lead inspector met with the school’s designated safeguarding leaders to evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s arrangements for safeguarding measures. The lead inspector also scrutinised the school’s single central record.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  The lead inspector spoke to parents at the school gates. The lead inspector also considered the responses to Ofsted’s Parent View and staff surveys.

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 The lead inspector visited the after-school club.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation, including school improvement plans and minutes of trustee meetings.

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Inspection team

Martyn Skinner, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Jackie Thornalley Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 June 2023

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