Arnesby Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Arnesby Church of England Primary School Mill Hill Road, Arnesby, Leicester, Leicestershire LE8 5WG

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 September 2023

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The headteacher of this school is Ruth James. The school is part of Embrace Multi- Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the trust leader, Sharon Mullins, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Russell Andrews. 19 and 20 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a ‘small school with a big heart’, where everyone is respected. Pupils said that they are happy to come to school. They said that ‘everybody is kind’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that they feel safe when they are in school. They know that the adults care about them. They know whom to talk to if they have any worries or concerns. Pupils know that adults will help them sort out any difficulties they may have. Pupils say that bullying is rare. Pupils behave well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Trust leaders have provided extensive support. The expectations and ambition for pupils have been raised. However, some subjects are not planned well enough. As a result, pupils do not gain the knowledge they should across the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are beginning to take on the newly introduced roles of responsibility. They understand that the school council will help to make decisions. Pupils are positively engaged in the local community. During the inspection, they were busily rehearsing for the community dance show.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers have mixed views about the school. They recognise that the school has had a period of turbulence. Many are confident that the school will thrive under the new leadership.

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better?

Curriculum planning is in the early stages. The school has introduced a curriculum that matches the requirements of the national curriculum. In some subjects, such as mathematics, the curriculum identifies what is important for pupils to learn and by when. This is not the case in all subjects. Curriculum planning does not yet fully address the learning needs of all pupils.

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better?

Subject leaders are new to their role. They are still developing the knowledge and expertise they need to lead a subject well.

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better?

Teachers do not check effectively what pupils know and understand across all the subjects studied. As a result, gaps in some pupils’ learning continue. They are not able to appropriately build on what they have learned. This slows their knowledge and understanding.

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better?

Children settle quickly into their class routines in Reception. They play well together and behave well. Children learn to read as soon as they start school. They listen well and follow instructions. However, the wider early years curriculum is inconsistently planned and taught. Sometimes, children are not supported well enough to think and learn for themselves. Some children are not prepared well enough for the learning to come in key stage 1. 19 and 20 September 2023

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Reading is a priority for school leaders. All pupils follow a structured and systematic approach to learning phonics. Staff have received appropriate training and are developing their expertise. Pupils who need extra support get it quickly. Pupils are building confidence to become fluent readers. Pupils are encouraged to celebrate their love of books. The school supports parents to read with pupils. Most pupils understand the importance of reading regularly at home.

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Pupils with special educational needs and or/disabilities (SEND) have their needs identified quickly. The school has ensured that appropriate learning plans are in place. Some pupils benefit from tailored support. However, the curriculum is not yet suitably adapted to meet the needs of all learners, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.

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Some pupils do not attend as regularly as they should. They fall behind with their learning. The school is providing opportunities for pupils to talk about and manage their feelings and emotions. This programme is already making a difference to the attendance of disadvantaged pupils.

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The school has a clear plan for supporting pupils’ personal development. Pupils access opportunities to promote their wider development. They can speak about different religions. However, the curriculum does not yet ensure that pupils have a good enough understanding of fundamental British values.

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Leaders know what they need to do to strengthen the effectiveness of the school. Their work is now gathering pace. Staff understand the need for change. They feel well supported, with both their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum in some subjects is at an early stage. In some subjects, leadership is new. The curriculum is not consistently well planned and delivered. This hinders how well pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, know more and can do more. The school should ensure that leaders have the professional development they need to lead their subject well. They should ensure that the curriculum is consistently well planned and implemented and that it meets the needs of all learners.  The checks that teachers make on pupils’ learning do not identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge sufficiently well. This means that some pupils move through the curriculum with gaps in their learning. Some develop misconceptions. Leaders should ensure that teachers are equipped to use assessment well so that pupils’ learning is secure. 19 and 20 September 2023

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 The early years curriculum is not structured as well as is needed. This means that at times, staff are unclear about what children need to learn and when this should be taught. This leads to inconsistency in curriculum implementation. The school should review the early years curriculum, ensuring clarity about the important knowledge that needs to be taught and the order in which it should be learned.  The curriculum for personal development does not help pupils to fully understand fundamental British values. This means that pupils are not prepared well enough for some aspects of life in modern Britain. Leaders must ensure that the curriculum enables pupils to develop a secure understanding of British values.  Rates of attendance remain too low. The proportion of pupils who are persistently absent from school is too high. This means that some pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils, miss too much of their education. Leaders need to continue

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to develop the work with children and their families to ensure that all pupils attend school regularly and that the rate of persistent absence is reduced.

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 19 and 20 September 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Embrace Multi-Academy Trust.  Arnesby Church of England Primary School converted to become an academy in April 2019. When its predecessor school, Arnesby Church of England Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good.  The school is a Church of England school and is expecting a section 48 inspection for schools of a religious csharacter in this academic year.  The headteacher took up her post in August 2023.  Most governors are new to their role.  The school does not make use of any 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

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision. 19 and 20 September 2023

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This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, trust leaders, subject leaders and members of staff. The inspectors met with a governor, the trust lead and the chair of the trustees.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, history and science. For each of these subjects, the inspectors held discussions with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with teachers and pupils and looked at pupils’ work. The inspectors listened to pupils reading.  The inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including the school improvement plan, the rapid improvement plan, the school’s self-evaluation documents, various policies and curriculum planning.  The inspectors observed breaktimes and lunchtime. Inspectors spoke to a range

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of staff and pupils.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interest first.  The inspectors spoke with parents and considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. Inspectors considered the feedback from pupils and staff to their respective Ofsted surveys.

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Inspection team

Donna Chambers, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Cat Thornton Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 September 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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