All Saints Academy Darfield

Inspection of All Saints Academy Darfield School Street, Darfield, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S73 9EU

p.1

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 Good

p.1

Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The headteacher of this school is Catherine Green. This school is part of St Mary’s Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the acting chief executive officer, Tamara Gulliver, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Tracy Rodger. 8 and 9 May 2024

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are welcoming at All Saints Academy Darfield. Pupils enjoy school. Relationships between adults and pupils are positive. Pupils, right from the early years, are well cared for.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to receive a high-quality education. In some areas, including in the early years, these high expectations are realised. However, in some subjects, pupils’ achievement does not match the school’s intentions. Some pupils do not achieve as well as they should. There is still work to do to ensure that all pupils have the breadth, and depth, of knowledge that they need to be ready for the next stage of their education.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Pupils respond to positive praise and behave well. Pupils value the rewards that they receive for following the rules of ‘ready, respectful and safe’. They are polite and respectful to each other and adults. Pupils know the importance of treating everyone equally. Children in the early years learn about difference through stories.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe. They trust the adults in school to take care of them. Parents and carers appreciate the care and support that their children receive. Pupils have a secure understanding of how to stay safe online. Pupils take pride in their responsibilities including school councillors and reading ambassadors. School councillors raised money through a `bring and buy’ sale to fund a healthy tuck shop.

p.2

better?

Since the previous inspection, the school has restructured the curriculum. It is well designed to build pupils’ knowledge from the early years to the end of Year 6. The key knowledge that leaders want pupils to learn has been carefully thought out. Vocabulary is deliberately identified and revisited. Pupils are learning the intended curriculum. However, the curriculum is at the very early stages of implementation. While pupils are able to remember recent learning, they do not yet build their knowledge well over time.

p.2

better?

Reading is prioritised. There is a focus on developing pupils’ love of reading. The school has invested in new and engaging books. Pupils enjoy the ‘repeated reads’. The school has ensured that a clearly structured phonics programme is in place. Staff have received appropriate training to teach the phonics programme consistently. However, the support that pupils receive in key stages 1 and 2 to catch up is not sharply focused on addressing the gaps in their reading knowledge. These pupils do not become confident and fluent readers as quickly as they should.

p.2

better?

The curriculum for mathematics is well structured. The school has recently made changes to how mathematics is taught in lessons. However, too many pupils still have gaps in their knowledge. Pupils do not build their mathematics knowledge 8 and 9 May 2024

p.2

3

securely over time. The school is aware that more needs to be done to ensure that pupils build their knowledge over time by making connections to their previous learning.

p.3

3

The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND right from the early years. Leaders work well with external agencies to access specialist support. Staff are well trained to ensure pupils get the support that they need quickly. The curriculum is successfully adapted so that pupils access the full curriculum offer.

p.3

3

The school has ensured that the early years curriculum builds children’s knowledge and appeals to children’s interests. A growing number of children start school with communication needs. They are supported well from the start in a language and vocabulary rich environment. Adults use assessment consistently to adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of children. Well-trained staff engage with children to encourage independence and self-care. The early years environment is calm and purposeful. Children play well together. They share and take turns.

p.3

3

Pupils understand the importance of attending school regularly. The school has worked hard to improve pupils’ attendance. Leaders analyse and track absence thoroughly. They have put in place a range of strategies to address the high number of pupils who are persistently absent. This has been successful and attendance has improved.

p.3

3

Pupils move around school sensibly, both inside and outside. They enjoy the range of activities on offer at playtimes, including the ‘trim trail’ and ‘book nook’. They listen well to teachers in lessons. In ‘Life Lessons’, pupils broaden their knowledge and understanding of the world. For example, they learn about finance, stereotypes and refugees. The school offers a wealth of experiences for pupils both within and beyond their local community. Pupils enjoy these opportunities, which include residential visits, theatre visits and working with the local church and care home.

p.3

3

The trust has an ambitious vision for the school. It is committed to improving the school. Recently, there have been significant changes to the governance of the school. Trustees and governors carry out their statutory duties well. However, governors do not hold leaders to account well enough, including over the quality of education. Staff, including early careers teachers, value the support they get from leaders and each other.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 8 and 9 May 2024

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has recently made changes to the curriculum in some of the areas of the wider curriculum. Pupils have not developed a secure understanding of the knowledge that the school has identified as being important. The school should continue to implement the intended curriculum so that pupils’ knowledge deepens over time.  For pupils who need additional support in reading and mathematics, the school has not identified precisely enough the gaps in their knowledge. This means that too many pupils do not achieve as well as they should in reading and mathematics. The school should ensure that any gaps in pupils’ knowledge are clearly identified and addressed so that all pupils achieve well.  Governors do not have a sufficient depth of understanding of the quality of education that pupils receive. This means that governors have not challenged leaders sufficiently well about how well pupils at the school are achieving.

p.4

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Governors should continue to develop their role so that they hold leaders fully to account for the school’s performance.

p.4

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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). 8 and 9 May 2024

p.4

School details

CEO of the trust Tamara Gulliver (Acting)

p.5

School details

Website https://allsaintsacademy.org.uk/

p.5

School details

Dates of previous inspection 12 and 13 December 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 The school is part of St Mary’s Academy Trust.  The headteacher has been appointed to the post since the last inspection.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The school is a Church of England primary school within the Diocese of Sheffield. The most recent section 48 inspection of the school’s religious character took place in April 2024. The next section 48 inspection will be within eight years of the previous section 48 inspection.  There is a breakfast club run by the school on site.  The school has a Nursery for three- and four-year-old children.

p.5

Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 8 and 9 May 2024

p.5

6

 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 met with the acting chief executive officer, headteacher and the assistant headteacher who is also the special educational needs coordinator.  Inspectors met with a representative from the multi-academy trust, representatives from the Diocese of Leeds and the Diocese of Sheffield. They also met with members of the trust board and members of the governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and religious education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to

p.6

6

some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors heard pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, around the school, at playtime and at lunchtime. Inspectors spoke with pupils about their views of the school, their learning, behaviour and safety.  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 online questionnaire for staff and pupils. They also took into account the views of parents and carers using Ofsted Parent View, including comments received via the free-text facility. Inspectors also talked to parents in the school playground.

p.6

Inspection team

Nicola Beaumont, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Simon McCarthy Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 May 2024

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7