Askern Moss Road Infant Academy

Inspection of Askern Moss Road Infant Academy Moss Road, Askern, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN6 0NE

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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 Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 11 and 12 July 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. They are eager to learn and enjoy their lessons. They benefit from a wide range of opportunities through the strong partnership culture of the schools in the trust. Parents and carers are delighted with the many inter-school sporting events on offer. Children as young as five played in the after- school rounders tournament. Pupils are developing a competitive streak along with good sportsmanship skills.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are plenty of curriculum enrichment opportunities in school too. Pupils enjoy singing in the school choir and performing to their parents. There are several after- school clubs, including for street dance and drama. This helps to develop pupils’ talents and wider interests.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well and respect others. They feel happy and safe because there is no bullying. Leaders celebrate diversity and different cultures. Pupils access a rich curriculum, including Black History Month and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month. Pupils learn about traditions and lifestyles in their community and the wider world.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum. Most pupils are achieving as well as they should for their age. Some pupils are falling behind because they miss school too often. Leaders are determined to improve attendance rates so that all pupils achieve well at school.

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better?

The early years curriculum is based on high-quality texts. Nursery children enjoyed listening to ‘The Tiny Seed’ by Eric Carle, then staff cut fruit in half so that children could study the differences between grapefruit, melon, avocado and pomegranate seeds. Children handled tools safely to grate carrots and parsnips. They experienced the scent of freshly cut herbs and lavender. The enabling learning environment stimulates all senses to enrich children’s learning about the natural world. Children are making rapid progress in all areas of learning in Nursery.

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better?

The rate of children’s progress slows down in Reception Year. Some children are not moved on quickly enough to the next stage of their learning. This includes the curriculum for early reading. As a result, too many Reception children cannot read at the expected standard for their age by the end of Reception Year. This means that they are not prepared well enough for the Year 1 curriculum.

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better?

The curriculum for early reading and phonics improves as pupils move through key stage 1. Pupils are given extra phonics lessons to help them catch up. Teachers assess pupils’ phonic knowledge frequently to monitor pupils’ progress. By the time they reach Year 2, most pupils can read as well as they should for their age. 11 and 12 July 2023

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Leaders have established effective assessment arrangements in all curriculum subjects. Teachers are pleased that their workload was considered carefully when these arrangements were made.

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Senior leaders in the trust have invested in specialist curriculum resources. For example, in art and design, teachers show videos of professional artists modelling art techniques that create different effects. Pupils benefit from teachers’ selective use of these resources because they observe exemplary demonstrations in every practical subject. The impact of this expert instruction is evident in the high quality of pupils’ artwork. This high standard is typical of pupils’ achievement in other curriculum subjects.

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The attendance officer works closely with all parents of pupils who are frequently absent. Staff work with parents to try to remove any barriers to pupils’ good attendance rates. In some cases, this has helped pupils’ attendance to improve. However, some pupils miss out frequently because they are regularly absent from school.

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Teachers adapt the curriculum well to meet the individual needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The experienced special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) regularly meets staff to monitor and review provision for pupils with SEND. This ensures that the targets set for pupils with SEND are well understood by all staff.

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Learning is never disrupted by poor behaviour. Pupils’ good character is developed well through the effective curriculum for pupils’ personal development. Pupils are polite and they listen respectfully to others in group discussions. Pupils’ knowledge and recall of different faiths and cultures are strikingly impressive for their age. Pupils’ social skills are developed through visits to a local day centre to enjoy shared activities with elderly citizens.

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Pupils’ good health is promoted through a commercial bike-riding scheme. Leaders are determined that all pupils will be able to ride a bicycle by the time they leave Year 2. All pupils are given regular practice in riding balance bicycles. Teaching assistants provide ‘intensive interaction’ to support pupils with SEND who need this, so that all pupils can succeed.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make all the necessary safeguarding checks when recruiting staff.

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Safeguarding

Designated safeguarding leads work well with other professionals to keep pupils safe. 11 and 12 July 2023

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Leaders have adapted the curriculum to take account of local safeguarding risks. Railway network professionals have spoken to pupils about the risks presented by the level crossings near the school. Staff regularly remind pupils of this danger.

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The early years staff agree additional controls with parents that help to ensure children’s safety at the end of the school day.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The quality of education in early years is inconsistent. The curriculum is well planned but it is not implemented at the required pace or with sufficient ambition in Reception Year. This means that children are not prepared well enough for the Year 1 curriculum, including for early reading and phonics. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is implemented consistently well in early years to enable all children to make good progress, with a higher proportion ready for key stage 1 when they leave Reception Year.  The rate of persistent absence is high. Some pupils are missing out on their full statutory entitlement to education. As a result, these pupils are not achieving as well as they should for their age. This includes some of the most able pupils. Leaders should continue to work closely with parents to improve the attendance rates of pupils who are persistent absentees.

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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. 11 and 12 July 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Askern Moss Road Infant Academy converted to become an academy school in February 2019. When its predecessor school, Askern Moss Road Infant School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  This school is part of Leger Education Trust.  The headteacher leads two infant schools in the trust. The trust has designated her as the executive headteacher.  The school does not use alternative provision.

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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 the headteacher, the assistant headteacher and the SENCo. 11 and 12 July 2023

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 The lead inspector met the chair of trustees and two governors, including the chair of the academy local governing body. Inspectors met the chief executive of the multi-academy trust.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in reading and phonics, art and design, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The trust’s transition day took place on day one of this inspection. As a result, all Year 2 pupils were absent on that day. Deep-dive activities involving Year 2 pupils were scheduled on the second day of the inspection.  Both inspectors visited early years separately, in addition to their deep-dive visits to early years. Inspectors visited Nursery and Reception and evaluated learning indoors and in the outdoor provision. The lead inspector met the trust’s early

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years leader separately.  Pupils’ behaviour and safety were evaluated in lessons and during breaktimes and at lunchtime.  The school business manager and senior safeguarding leaders met the inspector to discuss recruitment and safeguarding records.  Inspectors reviewed the responses to Ofsted Parent View and survey responses from staff and pupils. Inspectors spoke to several parents before the start of the school day.

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Inspection team

Tracey Ralph, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sam O’Brien Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 July 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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