Goldthorpe Primary Academy

Inspection of Goldthorpe Primary Academy Doncaster Road, Goldthorpe, Rotherham, South Yorkshire S63 9HY

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Inspection dates: 24 and 25 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 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

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Overall effectiveness Good

The head of academy of this school is Thomas Jay Bower. This school is part of Delta 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 (CEO), Paul Terence Tarn, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Steven Peter Hodsman. 24 and 25 October 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive at Goldthorpe Primary Academy. They live up to the very high expectations that the school has for them. Pupils live and breathe the school’s values of respect, kindness and courage. They enjoy coming to school. Relationships between adults and pupils are strong and caring. Pupils are happy and feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well throughout the school. They are calm, respectful and polite. In lessons, pupils are attentive to their teachers and engage positively with learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a wide range of extra-curricular clubs that help pupils to explore new skills and interests. Pupils participate in sports clubs, such as rugby and football. There are also creative clubs for art, craft and writing. Leaders track attendance at these clubs. Nearly half of all pupils attend. The school’s ambition is that a greater proportion of disadvantaged pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), will access these opportunities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Older pupils are deeply committed to the leadership roles they take on. In these roles, they provide support for other pupils, for example, in the dinner hall and playground. They take their responsibilities very seriously. Pupils learn to be responsible citizens through half-termly curriculum pledges. These pledges include opportunities for pupils to contribute to the community. For example, by collecting for food banks, picking up litter or engaging with a local care home.

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better?

The school is highly ambitious for all pupils, including those with SEND. In many subjects, the carefully planned sequence of learning helps pupils to learn well. For example, in mathematics and history, lessons are well structured and sequenced to ensure that pupils re-visit previous learning. This helps them to remember important curriculum knowledge. Children in the early years have plentiful opportunities to develop their mathematical knowledge. Teachers make regular checks on pupils’ knowledge. They provide support for pupils who need it. In other subjects, such as religious education and languages, pupils’ knowledge is much less secure.

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better?

The school identifies pupils with SEND promptly. These pupils receive dedicated and focused support. Leaders and staff understand how to support these pupils’ individual learning needs. As a result, pupils with SEND achieve well.

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better?

Reading is a very high priority in this school. The phonics programme is taught consistently by staff who are experts in the teaching of reading. Children in the early years get off to a promising start in learning to read. In Nursery, children begin to identify the sounds in the indoor and outdoor environment. This helps prepare them for learning phonics in Reception. Staff quickly identify and support pupils who struggle with reading to help them keep up. 24 and 25 October 2023

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Children in the early years settle into school life very well. They cooperate together and enjoy strong relationships with each other and with adults. The children respond well to adults’ high expectations and clear routines. The curriculum in the early years prepares children well for the next stage of their education in key stage 1 and beyond.

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Leaders have an unshakeable commitment to all pupils’ personal development. They plan for pupils to develop their strengths, talents and aspirations. Local sporting and cultural heroes are celebrated. These local role models help to develop high aspirations in the pupils.

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Pupils are very well prepared for life in a multicultural and diverse society. They discuss and debate important issues, such as whether it is time to call a general election, knowledgeably and confidently. Pupils learn to keep themselves safe, including when using technology.

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The school provides exceptional nurture and pastoral support to its pupils. This helps pupils to build their confidence and manage their feelings. Pupils benefit from this support which is founded on their excellent relationships with adults.

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Typically, pupils behave well. Pupils learn to take responsibility for their own behaviour. Adults have established clear routines and the school’s expectations of pupils’ behaviour are applied consistently. The school is committed to ensuring pupils attend school regularly. The school works closely with families, where attendance is an issue. Indicators suggest that the school’s strategies are leading to improvements.

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The school benefits significantly through its membership of the trust. The trust and the school share the same high ambitions for all pupils. Everyone believes that all pupils deserve the best from their time at school. The recent excellent work of the trust and the school is ensuring that current pupils are achieving more highly than historic outcomes for the school would suggest. Staff feel well supported. They say that leaders in the school and in the trust invest in them. They receive regular professional development opportunities.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some subjects in the curriculum are not as well developed as others. As a result, in these subjects, pupils do not build their knowledge well enough. The school must ensure that they continue to develop the curriculum across all subjects, so that pupils build their knowledge equally securely over time. 24 and 25 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). 24 and 25 October 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Goldthorpe Primary Academy converted to become an academy in December 2020. When its predecessor school, Dearne Goldthorpe Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to require improvement overall.  The school is part of the Delta Academies Trust, a multi-academy trust. It became part of the trust in December 2020.  The head of academy took up post in April 2023  The school does not use alternative provision.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above the national average.

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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. 24 and 25 October 2023

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 This was the first routine inspection the school 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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also looked at samples of work in other subjects.  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’ interests first.  The inspectors spoke to pupils about their experience of school. They also

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observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and during lunchtime.  The inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, and the staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Dughall McCormick, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Helen Stout Ofsted Inspector 24 and 25 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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