St Martin's CofE Primary School

Inspection of St Martin’s CofE Primary School Burnham Road, Owston Ferry, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN9 1AY

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 5 and 6 June 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and enjoy attending this caring and inclusive school. Pupils live the Christian values of the school and show tolerance and respect for each other. They are polite, and welcome visitors. They feel safe and know that they can raise any concerns with staff or via the ‘worry monsters’ in each classroom.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are learning increasingly well in the early years. The school has prioritised early reading and mathematics and pupils build important knowledge in these areas. However, pupils’ knowledge in other areas of the curriculum is less securely developed. In addition, some pupils are not developing their reading fluency as well as they could.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are attentive in lessons and follow clearly set routines. They behave well and require minimal supervision. They enjoy extra-curricular activities such as football, science club, nature club and badminton.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils receive opportunities to broaden their experience and to connect with the wider community. For example, pupils in the school choir visit Lindum Court care home and sing for the residents. Children in early years develop their social and motor skills through den building and clay modelling as part of a forest school day.

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better?

The school has accelerated the process of curriculum improvement. Leaders have introduced a new phonics programme and a new mathematics curriculum. Pupils are learning increasingly well in these areas. The impact of these improvements is not reflected in published outcomes in national tests. This is because pupils in the past did not benefit from the enhanced curriculums now in place. The early years curriculum has been extensively developed and provides strong foundations for learning. Despite this, there remains variation in the wider curriculum where some subjects are less developed than others.

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better?

Pupils benefit from well-structured lessons. Teachers enable them to revisit what they have been taught through the use of tasks that help them to recall previous learning. They can explain what they have learned and can recall ‘sticky knowledge’ in many subjects and topics. In some areas of the curriculum, pupils’ knowledge is less secure. This is because the curriculum in these areas is less securely developed. In addition, assessment is used less effectively in these areas to check what pupils have learned.

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better?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported effectively. Processes and systems to support pupils with SEND have been enhanced and their needs are accurately identified. 5 and 6 June 2024

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Pupils are increasingly benefiting from the new phonics scheme. Staff are well trained to teach phonics, and pupils who are weak at reading receive swift and more effective support than before. Some older pupils who are less proficient at reading have not fully benefited from this new scheme. Gaps in their reading fluency have not been fully addressed.

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Pupils have responded positively to the new behaviour policy and rewards system. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They interact with each other harmoniously during breaktimes. They help their peers and are concerned for each other’s well-being. Routines and expectations are firmly established from early years onwards, ensuring consistency of behaviour across the school. Most pupils attend school regularly. Leaders are making effective use of strategies to improve attendance further.

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The school has a thorough programme of personal development for pupils. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe online and about the dangers of drugs. They learn about healthy and unhealthy relationships and receive age-appropriate sex education. Pupils are encouraged to engage with the wider community and learn about their locality and the ethos of the school. For example, they contribute art work for display at local festivals, celebrating spirituality. Pupils support local charities, such as the Isle of Axholme Foodshare Project. The school provides a range of different extra-curricular opportunities and ensures that all pupils have opportunities to participate.

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Leaders have made significant and rapid progress with improving many aspects of the school. They have done this in a very short time frame. Subject leaders have been successfully mentored by senior leaders. They are now undertaking training to further strengthen their expertise. New governance at the school relentlessly challenges and supports leaders to make rapid improvements. Staff are proud to work at the school. One member of staff reflected the views of many in saying that current leadership ‘gives you passion to work here’.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some aspects of the wider curriculum are less developed than the core curriculum. Where this is the case, pupils’ learning is less secure and misconceptions are not consistently addressed. The school should further enhance the wider curriculum so that pupils learn well across all subjects.  There is variation in how well assessment is used in non-core subjects to check pupils’ understanding. As a result, gaps in knowledge are not consistently 5 and 6 June 2024

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identified and addressed. The school should improve the use of assessment in non-core subjects to support pupils’ learning across all subjects.  Some older pupils have not developed reading fluency. This reduces their ability to access the curriculum and to develop a love of reading. The school should carry out further work to improve the reading fluency of older pupils who have not had time to benefit from the new phonics scheme.

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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). 5 and 6 June 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Claire Noonan and Sally Moorman (Co- chairs) Headteacher Daniel Callaghan (Executive Headteacher), Reece Lyle (Head of School) Website https://stmartinsch.schooljotter2.com/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21 March 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The executive headteacher took up their post in September 2022.  The head of school was appointed in January 2023.  This school is much smaller than an average-size primary school.  The co-chairs of the governing body took up their posts in February 2023.  The school is part of the Trentside Federation, which includes two other primary schools.  The school is part of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln. The school’s most recent section 48 inspection was in June 2017.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 5 and 6 June 2024

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 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.  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 spoke to senior leaders, including the executive headteacher, head of school and members of the local governing body.  Inspectors spoke to a representative from the local authority and a diocesan representative.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: mathematics, early reading,

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science and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors evaluated responses from parents to Ofsted’s online survey. They spoke with some parents. Inspectors also evaluated the responses that staff and pupils made to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Chris Carr, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Karen Smith Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 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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