Seathorne Primary Academy

Inspection of a good school: Seathorne Primary Academy Count Alan Road, Winthorpe, Skegness, Lincolnshire PE25 1HB

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Outcome

Seathorne Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The principal of the school is Matthew Wood. The school is part of Greenwood 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, Wayne Norrie, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Mark Hamlin.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value attending Seathorne Primary Academy. The school’s environment reflects the high expectations that the school has for its pupils. Pupils respect their school. They describe it as welcoming and inclusive. They feel ‘cared for, well educated, and safe’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is good. In lessons, pupils listen carefully to their teachers. They collaborate, share and show each other respect. Pupils said that they do not fear bullying in school. They value the many staff that they can turn to if they need help. They particularly value the ‘listening ears’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn how to keep safe, including when using the internet. They learn how to keep healthy. Pupils enjoy clubs and sports outside of the school day and at lunchtime. They benefit from the breakfast and after-school clubs. Water safety is a school priority. Many pupils have not yet had the opportunity to learn to swim.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school ensures that the curriculum is enriched by visits outside of the classroom. Pupils relish these opportunities. Year 6 pupils spoke excitedly about their visit to a local aviation centre to see the Lancaster aircraft ‘Just Jane’ as part of their studies.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

There has been a period of staffing and leadership turbulence. These issues are now resolved. The school has new leadership. This, with the support of the trust, is breathing new life into the school. 11 and 12 June 2024

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The curriculum is ambitious. The school’s context has been carefully considered in the curriculum design. For example, the development of pupils’ communication, speech and language is a key priority. Pupils are exposed to key technical language that extends their vocabulary. In some subjects, such as mathematics, there is an absolute focus on the knowledge that pupils need. This knowledge is carefully built upon over time. SOLA (start of learning activities) ensure that learning is remembered long term. This is not yet the case in all subjects. In a few foundation subjects, the curriculum is well sequenced but there is insufficient focus on the key knowledge that pupils require. The school is aware of this issue and is working to address it.

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The school is working hard to resolve the continuing impact of COVID-19. This includes the impact of economic disadvantage on families, pupils’ welfare and poor pupil attendance. Some pupils, including children in the early years, have learning gaps. These factors, although improving considerably, impacted on the published pupil outcomes in 2023.

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Most pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), receive effective guidance and support. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is skilled and well trained. Pupils’ needs are swiftly identified. In class, learning support assistants provide high-quality guidance. The school goes to great lengths to provide the specialist help that some pupils need. Staff have received extensive training.

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Reading is a school priority. Pupils learn to read as soon as they enter the school. When children leave the Nursery, they are reading-ready and excited to learn. The curriculum is well planned and sequenced. Careful assessment ensures that pupils keep up with their peers. Books are well matched to pupils’ reading ability. Regular opportunities are found for pupils to read at home and in school. Books are central to curriculum planning. No opportunity is missed to evoke in pupils a love and excitement of books.

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Children get off to a good start in the early years provision. The provision has improved. High-quality assessment informs staff’s planning of the curriculum. The school knows children and families well. Children are actively engaged in learning that reflects their interests and learning needs. The outdoor provision has been developed, but there is more to do to maximise the opportunities to teach the prime areas of learning, particularly physical development. This is important as many children have limited opportunities for play.

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The school does everything that it can to ensure that pupils attend regularly. The family welfare and inclusion officers know the families well. They offer incredible support to the school community. More pupils attend school regularly and arrive on time. Even so, some pupils do not attend school as regularly as they should.

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Staff feel extremely well supported. They have been through a great deal of change but now express great pride to be part of the school community. One member of staff spoke for many when they said, ‘I do not have a scary Sunday anymore, waiting for the start of the school week – I love my job!’

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The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Curriculum planning has improved in many subjects, but not in all. In some subjects there is insufficient focus on the key knowledge that pupils need to learn and to return to. This means that pupils do not achieve as well as they could. The school must ensure that the curriculum in all subjects is knowledge focused, well planned and well implemented. It should continue the work to ensure all pupils achieve their potential.  Provision in the early years has improved. The outdoor provision has been developed but there is still more to do to maximise the opportunities to teach the prime areas of learning, particularly physical development. This is important as many pupils have limited other opportunities for play. The school must ensure that the outdoor provision is further developed in order to maximise the learning opportunities for children.  Pupils’ attendance is improving, but some pupils, including vulnerable pupils, do not

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

attend school regularly enough. These pupils are missing a high-quality education and the care and support of the school. The school must continue the work to reduce pupil absence and to ensure that pupils arrive to school promptly.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, The Skegness Seathorne Primary School, to be good in June 2016.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 11 and 12 June 2024

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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). 11 and 12 June 2024

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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 Greenwood Academies Trust.  Seathorne Primary Academy converted to become an academy school in September 2019. When its predecessor school, The Skegness Seathorne Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged good overall.  The principal took up the substantive post in 2022.  The assistant principal, SENCo, early years foundation stage and reading lead joined the school in 2022.  The school does not use any alternative provision for pupils.

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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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 11 and 12 June 2024

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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 inspector conducted deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, considered curriculum plans, visited lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  During the inspection the inspector met with the principal, the trust education director, senior leaders and a range of school staff.  The inspector met with the CEO of the trust. She spoke with a trustee.  The inspector visited the Nursery and Reception classes and observed learning within the outdoor provision. She spoke with the early years leader.

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 The inspector met with the attendance lead and the family welfare and inclusion officers. She discussed pupils’ attendance and welfare. The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour at various times of the school day, including at lunchtime.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and the survey of school staff.

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Inspection team

Jayne Ashman, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 11 and 12 June 2024

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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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