Yarborough Academy

Inspection of Yarborough Academy Yarrow Road, Grimsby, Lincolnshire DN34 4JU

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Inspection dates: 31 October and 1 November 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 Previous inspection grade Good 31 October and 1 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

At Yarborough Primary Academy, pupils are proud of how they learn. Well-being is at the heart of the school’s ethos. Adults expect pupils to achieve their best. In lessons, pupils listen carefully and learn well. Pupils are happy at school. They learn to stay safe online. Behaviour is calm and orderly. Older pupils support younger children at playtimes. At the friendship bench, everyone can find a friend to talk to.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils aspire to be recognised by their peers and teachers for meeting the values of ‘growth, love, over and above’. They like to receive a ‘GLO’ card or sticker. Pupils have a clear understanding of what bullying is. If bullying happens, pupils say that adults sort it out.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are many opportunities for pupils to develop their talents and interests. Pupils enjoy attending clubs after school, such as football and art. Learning to play African drums has been a particularly popular experience for pupils. Educational trips and visits are often linked to the curriculum topics that pupils study. A trip to a science and media museum, for example, helped pupils to remember more about their rainforest topic.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All members of the school community embrace equality of opportunity. They are keen to ensure that all pupils thrive together. There is a culture of mutual respect. Pupils understand the importance of treating everyone fairly.

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better?

There is an ambitious curriculum in place, which starts in the early years. What pupils are expected to remember is identified in all subjects. Although some published outcomes are still below national measures, leaders are making progress in improving this. The curriculum meets the needs of most pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For a small number of pupils with more complex needs, the curriculum, sometimes, is not adapted well enough to ensure they successfully access learning alongside their peers. Learning is not broken down into the small steps they need. As a result, at times, pupils find it difficult to regulate their emotions. This, in turn, hinders their progress.

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better?

In lessons, teachers connect prior knowledge to new learning. Teachers know what and how they are expected to teach. Pupils apply what they have learned about new topics. In English, though, teachers are less confident with how to teach creative writing. Opportunities for pupils to write creatively are limited.

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better?

The phonics programme has developed over previous years. Curriculum leaders have recently evaluated the approach they have undertaken. This has prompted them to make further recent changes to how phonics is taught. Teachers acknowledge that this is already beneficial. Early reading is taught consistently well. All adults follow the school’s phonics programme and teach phonics appropriately. Pupils read books that are matched to the sounds that they know. Individual phonics 31 October and 1 November 2023

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tutoring is in place for pupils who are catching up in reading. Reading is celebrated in many ways across the school. Pupils enjoy listening to their teacher read the class reading book.

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The curriculum in the early years is well organised and connected to key stage 1. Reading is at the core of the curriculum. The vocabulary that children are expected to know is identified. Teachers know and use the vocabulary that they want children to learn. Children in Nursery learn to manage their feelings and enjoy singing daily in the ‘Sunshine Circle’. In Reception, their confidence grows as they instinctively sing songs to their friends. Children enjoy being active, such as by climbing and pretending to be witches on their brooms. They concentrate well on tasks when working in small groups and independently.

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Pupils benefit from the school’s personal development programme. They know how important it is to stay active and eat healthily. Understanding how to keep a healthy mind is well embedded in the culture of the school. Pupils know techniques that can be used to help them to be ready to learn. They can confidently make comparisons about places of worship and holy books. In lessons and assemblies, pupils learn and remember about important figures in history who they feel have helped to make the world a fairer place. They can talk about the work of Rosa Parkes and Martin Luther King.

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Leaders have worked with local partners to improve the approach to managing and promoting good attendance. This work is having a positive impact. The importance of regular attendance is communicated effectively to parents and carers.

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The governing body has undergone some recent changes, including the appointment of new members. Governors know and undertake their statutory duties. However, over time, governance has not had a clear strategic view of the school. Governors acknowledge that, in the past, they have not fully challenged or held the school to account. While recent training is helping to address this, some governors are not yet fully clear about their roles and responsibilities. They are still developing the skills and knowledge needed to effectively carry them out.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers do not have an effective system in place to teach pupils how to write creatively. This hinders the development of pupils’ creative writing. The school needs to provide training to make sure that teachers are confident to carry this out. 31 October and 1 November 2023

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 Pupils with more complex special educational needs do not always access the curriculum in the best way. This causes them to find the learning more difficult and become distressed. The school needs to further reflect on how to make the best adaptions to support these pupils.  Over time, governors have not had a clear strategic overview on the direction of the school. This has limited their ability to challenge the school effectively and hold it to account. Senior leaders need to ensure that all governors are clear about their roles and responsibilities and have the skills and knowledge needed to carry them out effectively.

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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). 31 October and 1 November 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6 March 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  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 held meetings with the headteacher, curriculum leaders and other staff. They reviewed a range of documentation.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, English, mathematics, religious education and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of 31 October and 1 November 2023

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lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and Ofsted’s online Parent View questionnaire, including any free-text responses. Inspectors talked to pupils to gather their views on school life. They also talked to parents.

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Inspection team

Lesley Allwood, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Angela Spencer-Brooke Ofsted Inspector 31 October and 1 November 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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