William de Yaxley Church of England Academy

Inspection of William de Yaxley Church of England Academy Landsdowne Road, Yaxley, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE7 3JL

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Inspection dates: 18 and 19 October 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Kay Corley. This school is part of The Diocese of Ely Multi-Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Adrian Ball, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Helen Jackson. There is also a Director of Education, Catherine Lock, who is responsible for education across all schools in the trust. Claire Gray is hub leader, responsible for this school and five others. 18 and 19 October 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to be part of their school community and they enjoy learning. Pupils follow their teachers’ guidance to make a ‘strong start’ to the day. They arrive promptly and settle to their independent tasks. This is because leaders set high expectations for behaviour, so that school is a calm place to learn. Pupils are respectful and kind towards each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of the contributions they make to charity. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are fully included in the life of the school. They take part in all lessons and attend clubs to extend their interests alongside their peers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Well-trained adults support pupils’ emotional well-being. Pupils know whom to turn to should they have a worry or concern. Older pupils take their ‘buddy’ responsibility seriously and support younger pupils. Pupils’ achievements are routinely celebrated, which means that they develop positive attitudes towards learning and try their best.

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better?

The school has a sharp focus on delivering a broad and ambitious curriculum for all pupils. Curriculum plans set out clearly what pupils will learn from Year 3 to Year 6. Teachers use these plans precisely to make sure that pupils learn key knowledge and vocabulary well.

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better?

In lessons, teachers check pupils’ understanding and provide feedback about pupils’ learning, so that any misunderstandings are corrected promptly. Pupils like taking part in end-of-unit quizzes to check what they have learned or may need to practise further. However, in some subjects that leaders are still developing, pupils do not always remember what they have learned. This is because staff do not consistently spend time helping pupils to revisit their learning. This means that pupils do not apply what they have learned in previous years to new learning as they work through the curriculum.

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better?

Where teachers are confident and supported with subject expertise, they successfully adapt curriculum plans to meet pupils’ needs. On occasions, where teachers feel less confident with subject-specific content, they do not make the changes to the curriculum lesson plans and break down learning so that it supports pupils to understand key information and build on their prior learning. When this happens, pupils do not achieve as well as they could.

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better?

Leaders prioritise reading. They encourage all pupils to use their reading skills in all areas of the curriculum. Books are chosen that interest pupils and evoke discussion, which develops their love of reading. Pupils who are at the early stages of reading are supported well to catch up with their peers. This is because staff are well trained so that they can assist pupils to become fluent readers. 18 and 19 October 2023

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Pupils behave well. They develop a positive attitude towards school so that they attend regularly and benefit from learning as well as the wider opportunities the school has to offer.

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The school promotes pupils’ personal development well through the curriculum and carefully considered wider opportunities that will have lifelong benefits for pupils. Leaders ensure that pupils learn how to keep safe when online and how to use money appropriately. All pupils broaden their talents by learning to play the recorder and the keyboard. Opportunities to take on roles of responsibility, such as prefect, buddy, or school or worship council member, develop pupils’ confidence and character. Pupils are kind and caring. They are keen to make a difference in their community and talk proudly about supporting the local food bank and litter-picking in the surrounding area. The wide range of sports clubs are well attended. These help pupils learn how to keep fit and healthy.

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Staff appreciate the coaching and training they receive. They feel that leaders support them well. Leaders ensure that staff benefit from a range of expertise in the trust, which helps the school to develop further.

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Trustees and governors know the school well. They regularly visit the school and speak to pupils to find out what it is like to attend the school. They hold leaders to account and ensure that progress is made against priorities that are in the best interests of all pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, pupils have too few opportunities to practise and apply what they have learned. In these subjects, pupils do not secure the key knowledge they have been taught as they work through the curriculum. The school should ensure that pupils have sufficient time to revisit and apply curriculum knowledge, so that over time, pupils remember long term the content they have been taught.  In a few subjects, teachers’ subject knowledge is still being secured. This means that they do not always make the most appropriate adaptations to lesson plans as part of the curriculum. Leaders should continue to improve teachers’ subject knowledge and expertise so that they enhance the teaching of the curriculum and ensure that key learning is precisely taught. 18 and 19 October 2023

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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 the 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). 18 and 19 October 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection 4 February 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  This school is part of The Diocese of Ely Multi-Academy Trust, which consists of 40 primary schools.  This school is a Church of England school. Its most recent section 48 inspection for schools of a religious character took place on 5 May 2017. Its next section 48 inspection will take place within the next four years.

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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. 18 and 19 October 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, the deputy headteacher, relevant subject leaders, the school’s special educational needs coordinator, the chair of governors, relevant trust leaders and the chief executive officer of the trust.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, art and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects and looked a sample of pupils’ work across year groups and observed pupils reading.

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 The lead inspector reviewed information on the school’s website, including school policies and information about the curriculum.  Inspectors met with the designated safeguarding leads to discuss arrangements that are in place to support safeguarding. They checked the single central record of pre-employment checks and the school’s safeguarding records.  Inspectors reviewed the school’s behaviour records, including records of incidents of bullying and how these are followed up. The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at breaktimes.  The inspectors considered the 55 responses to Ofsted Parent View, including free- text comments.

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Inspection team

Mireille MacRaild, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Julie Harrison Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 October 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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