Signhills Academy

Inspection of Signhills Academy Hardys Road, Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire DN35 0DN

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Inspection dates: 23 and 24 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

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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 headteacher of this school is Steve Carr. This school is part of Signhills Academy Limited, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Steve Carr, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Glen Stewart.

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Overall effectiveness Good

Ofsted has not previously inspected Signhills Academy as an academy under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 as, until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection of the predecessor school. 23 and 24 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending Signhills Academy. They are safe and well cared for. Pupils are confident to raise any concerns they have with adults. Pupils trust adults to help them. Pupils value the inclusive school environment that leaders have created.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils’ conduct. Most pupils routinely meet these expectations. Staff explicitly teach pupils how to behave well. When pupils’ behaviour falls below the school’s expectations, adults help pupils to understand what went wrong and how to correct this in the future. Bullying and other unkind behaviours are rare. Adults resolve these issues effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide range of opportunities that enhance their personal development. Well-considered residential visits in each year group, such as the Year 4 trip to York, link with what pupils learn in the curriculum. Many pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), access the school’s diverse range of extra-curricular clubs. Opportunities for pupils’ wider development are carefully planned to be inclusive and remove barriers to participation. They are a strength of the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils study a broad curriculum. They achieve well, particularly in English and mathematics. Pupils are well prepared for their transition to secondary school.

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better?

Many subjects, especially core subjects such as mathematics, are well established. Teachers use schemes that they are well trained in how to deliver. These subjects are taught with consistency. The school has recently revised the curriculum in some foundation subjects, such as history and physical education. These new curriculums are more ambitious for what pupils need to know. Leaders ensure staff receive appropriate training in how to teach these new schemes. Most pupils join the school able to read well. The school provides effective support for pupils who need additional help to catch up.

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better?

In a small number of foundation subjects, what the school intends pupils to know is not sufficiently broken down or clearly defined. In these subjects, checks on what pupils know are not well matched to the planned curriculum. Consequently, teachers do not adapt future lessons to fill these gaps as effectively as they could.

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better?

Pupils with SEND play a full part in school life. Teachers receive detailed information on how to meet the needs of these pupils. They use this information to provide effective support in lessons. Leaders work well with external agencies, such as educational psychologists, to access additional support for pupils when required.

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better?

The school uses personal, social and health education lessons, as well as assemblies, to teach pupils about important issues, such as democracy and other fundamental British values. Pupils’ knowledge of some parts of the curriculum is 23 and 24 November 2023

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strong. For example, they know how to keep themselves safe in real life and online. Staff teach pupils about risks linked to the location of the school. For example, the Coastguard have spoken with pupils about keeping themselves safe near the coast. Other aspects of pupils' understanding are less sophisticated. In particular, pupils’ knowledge of other faiths and beliefs is less detailed.

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Leaders prioritise pupils’ personal development and well-being. They fund external mental health support to help pupils keep mentally healthy. Pupils make use of a variety of opportunities to engage in charitable work or to contribute to the local community. They hold a range of leadership roles, such as play leaders, office junior or as a member of the student council. Pupils see these as meaningful ways they can improve the school. Leaders take pupil feedback seriously. They have used this to make changes to some areas of the school.

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Staff are positive about the approach that leaders take to managing their workload. Trustees are well trained for their roles. Trustees and school leaders work together effectively to make sustainable improvements to the school. Leaders check the impact of these changes on the quality of education that pupils receive. In some cases, these checks are not as timely or effective as they could be. Some actions to make further improvements are not taken as quickly as a consequence.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, including the taught personal development curriculum, the knowledge that pupils need to learn and remember is not sufficiently broken down and clearly defined. Teachers are less clear what knowledge to prioritise, including when checking pupils’ understanding. The school should ensure that the knowledge and skills that pupils need to know and remember are consistently identified.  In some aspects of its improvement work, the checks the school makes are not frequent or do not provide the detailed information needed. Some actions to improve the quality of education pupils receive are not as swift as they could be. The school should ensure that the programme of monitoring effectively supports the timely ongoing review and refinement of initiatives.

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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. 23 and 24 November 2023

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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). 23 and 24 November 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 the Signhills Academy Limited; a single-academy trust.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is below the national average.  The proportion of pupils eligible for support through pupil premium funding is below the national average.  The school uses one registered 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 educa- tion 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. 23 and 24 November 2023

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 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 lead inspector met with members of the trust board.  During the inspection, inspectors met with the headteacher. They also met with other senior and middle leaders, including those responsible for safeguarding, behaviour, attendance and personal development.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, history and physical education. 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 spoke with senior leaders about and reviewed curriculum

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documentation for music, design and technology and science.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation regarding the support pupils with SEND receive. They looked at the quality of the provision for pupils with SEND in lessons.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including minutes from trust board meetings as well as the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans.  Inspectors looked at a range of information regarding behaviour. They observed the behaviour of pupils in classrooms and at social times.  The views of pupils and staff who responded to Ofsted’s surveys were considered.  Inspectors considered the views of parents through the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents, Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Thomas Wraith, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Amanda Devaney Ofsted Inspector 23 and 24 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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