Oyster Park Primary Academy

Inspection of Oyster Park Primary Academy Watling Road, Ferry Fryston, Castleford, West Yorkshire WF10 3SN

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Inspection dates: 18 and 19 October 2023

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The headteacher of this school is Jodie Chapman-Kemp. This school is part of Northern Ambition Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Elizabeth Fairhurst, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Robert Hall. 18 and 19 October 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe and happy at Oyster Park Primary Academy. Staff are committed to supporting the well-being of pupils. The school has high expectations for what pupils will learn across the curriculum. However, these expectations are not always realised. While leaders have made improvements to the curriculum, on occasions pupils are not supported well enough to learn and remember the most important knowledge. As a result, too many pupils have gaps in their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons. They say that bullying can sometimes happen, but they know that they can tell a trusted adult, who will sort it out.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides pupils with the opportunity to go out on trips and for visitors to come into the school. Leaders consider these carefully and link them to what the pupils are learning in lessons. Visits include going to the library, visiting the church and the going to the local coastline. Pupils enjoy these opportunities, which help to make learning more memorable.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school offers different clubs for pupils to attend. Pupils are happy with the range of clubs on offer. They can develop their talents and interests, such as singing, learning a musical instrument and competing in sports competitions.

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better?

Although the school has made changes to the wider curriculum, gaps in pupils’ knowledge remain. The new curriculum maps out what pupils need to learn from early years to Year 6. However, gaps from the previous curriculum are not bridged, and pupils are not fully equipped to take advantage of the new knowledge on offer. This limits how well they build knowledge and skills over time.

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better?

The school uses assessment well in the core subjects. Teachers recap relevant prior learning and address any misconceptions before moving on. This supports pupils’ development and ability to make links in their understanding. However, this is not consistently in place across the wider curriculum, where the school is less able to identify pupils’ next steps in learning.

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better?

The school has prioritised reading. Pupils take books home that are matched well to their reading ability. This helps them to practise what they have learned in lessons and to develop further confidence and fluency. The school has worked hard to improve the subject knowledge of all adults in the school. However, the impact of this training is not being realised. The school does not teach the reading programme consistently well. This includes those sessions that pupils access if they fall behind in their reading.

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better?

The school has carefully considered the support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) . Pupils have access to a bank of resources that are in line with their learning needs. These include concrete apparatus, word banks and 18 and 19 October 2023

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writing frames. This helps pupils with SEND to access learning alongside other pupils.

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The school has a clear and ambitious vision for early years. Leaders provide all staff with regular training to support their development. This helps staff to teach with confidence and skill. Staff use assessments well to identify what children need to learn next. Staff use this understanding to set up appropriate learning activities. These activities build well from Nursery to Reception. Staff engage well with children and support their further development.

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Leaders provide pupils with the opportunity to take on leadership roles in the school. This includes roles such as reading ambassador. Pupils enjoy supporting younger children at playtimes and with their reading. These leadership roles develop pupils’ understanding of citizenship and how they can have a positive impact on others.

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The school teaches pupils about fundamental British values well. Leaders reinforce these values in school assemblies, with fundraising activities and by celebrating the school’s own values. Pupils understand the importance of equality, respect and tolerance. Consequently, pupils can talk with enthusiasm about the importance of the rights of everyone and that these should be listened to and respected.

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The school has a clear and robust process for checking attendance. Leaders work closely with families to ensure that pupils understand the importance of attending school regularly.

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Those responsible for governance attend meetings and visit the school regularly. However, the level of scrutiny and challenge is not detailed enough. As a result, trustees and governors do not have a clear understanding of what the school needs to do next to improve.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

On a few occasions, leaders have not fully documented the actions that they have taken to address low-level safeguarding concerns. Although pupils are safe, these gaps in records do not support the safeguarding culture in the same way as other aspects of the school’s work.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The teaching of early reading is not consistent. Some adults do not model learning consistently well, and pupils’ misconceptions can persist. Leaders need to ensure that all staff teach the phonics programme accurately, so that all pupils make the progress they need to. 18 and 19 October 2023

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 The wider curriculum does not consistently develop pupils’ skills and knowledge over time. As a result, pupils do not build their understanding well enough and they have gaps in their knowledge. The school needs to implement the new curriculum carefully to ensure that any gaps in pupils’ subject knowledge are addressed.  Some leaders, including those responsible for governance, do not have a detailed oversight of the wider curriculum. This means that they are not always able to identify gaps in learning and support teachers to address these. The school needs to ensure that assessment is used consistently well across the wider curriculum to identify and address any gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding.  On a few occasions, leaders have not robustly documented the actions they have taken to address low-level safeguarding concerns. As a result, leaders are not evidencing in detail the steps they have taken to assure themselves that pupils

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are safe. Leaders need to ensure that they clearly record the actions taken to address low-level safeguarding concerns in order to provide the reassurance needed.

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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 21 May 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Northern Ambition Academies Trust.  This school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The school is using one registered alternative provider.

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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.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, other senior leaders, subject leaders and other staff. 18 and 19 October 2023

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 The lead inspector held meetings with the chief executive officer, a trustee and governors.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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’ interests first.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, art and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, listened to pupils reading, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for pupils, staff and parents and carers. This included any free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Andrew Yeomans, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Matthew Harrington His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Amanda Devaney 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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