Thurlby Community Primary Academy

Inspection of Thurlby Community Primary Academy Crown Lane, Thurlby, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 0EZ

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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

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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 Katherine Finch. The school is part of Keystone Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Helen Joyce, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Joe Pignatiello. 25 and 26 June 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. They enjoy attending and spending time with their peers. As one pupil said: ‘It’s one of my homes.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

The ‘Thurlby’ values are commonly known and understood. Pupils try hard each day to: demonstrate teamwork; be hard-working; be upbeat and respectful; to love learning; to be brave; and to know that ‘you are unique’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and courteous. They behave well in lessons and around the school. They thrive on the wide range of praise and recognition that they receive. Green points, along with the associated, bronze, silver and gold certificates, are highly prized, as is earning time to spend with the school’s guinea pigs. Pupils understand what happens in the event of poor behaviour. However, they say that ‘red points’ are rare. This reflects the school’s high expectations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils make an important contribution to the day-to-day running of their school. They are proud of the wide range of roles that they carry out, including those of play leaders, house captains and early years assistants. Pupils value the improvements that the school council bring about, including the recent introduction of the ‘buddy bench’ on the playground. Subject ambassadors promote the importance and a love of their subjects with a passion.

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better?

The school is well led and managed. At all levels, leaders know their school well. They have a fully rounded view of its strengths and know what can be improved further. They have brought around significant improvements in a relatively short period of time. The school has built a dedicated and committed staff team who share a united view that, ‘every child counts, every moment matters.’

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better?

Across all subjects, the school’s curriculum is fully planned and sequenced. Content is ordered in a systematic and logical manner. It builds cumulatively on what has been taught before. It prepares pupils well for what they will learn later. It makes clear the precise knowledge that pupils are expected to learn and remember. The curriculum is taught well. However, in a small number of subjects, pupils do not consistently recall what they have learned. This is because, in a small number of subjects, the curriculum is at an early stage of implementation. However, in other cases, some pupils struggle to remember longer-term what they have learned in the past.

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better?

The school’s phonics programme is systematically organised. Pupils learn sounds in a well-sequenced order. Staff have been trained to teach the programme well. The school regularly checks on the quality of teaching. It is quick to identify and help any children who begin to fall behind. Pupils, including those who are at the earliest stages of learning to read, soon become competent readers. 25 and 26 June 2024

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The school makes sure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the same ambitious curriculum as everyone else. They identify these pupils’ needs and provide teachers with the information needed to support these pupils in their learning. As a result, pupils with SEND do well.

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The early years is an exciting place to learn. Indoors, as well as on the patio and in the garden, the broad range of activities on offer help children to learn the curriculum. The school plans activities that help children to revisit and remember what they have learned. Children quickly develop independence. They are proud of their achievements and eager to share these with adults. Across all areas of learning, the early years curriculum is well planned and sequenced. However, in a small number of places, it does not make clear enough the precise content that children are expected to know and remember.

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The school does much to support pupils’ personal development. It is a strength. This work is underpinned by a robust programme for personal, social and health education (PSHE). Pupils learn how to understand their own and others’ feelings and emotions. They learn about different people and communities from around the world. Beyond the academic curriculum, there are a wide range of extra-curricular clubs and activities on offer. Pupils make good use of these. The school ensures that disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND are fully included.

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The local governing body, the board of trustees and the trust work together to provide the school with the right level of challenge and support. This, along with strengths in leadership, means that the school has a good capacity for continued improvement.

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Pupils, staff and the majority of parents are highly positive about the school. However, a small proportion of parents and carers raise concerns about some aspects of the school’s provision. These views do not match what was found on inspection. However, the school recognises that there is further work to do to ensure that the vast majority of parents view the school in a consistently, positive way.

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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 foundation subjects, pupils do not consistently recall what they have learned. In some cases, this is because parts of the curriculum are at an early stage of implementation. However, in other cases, some pupils struggle to recall what they have learned earlier in their education. The school should 25 and 26 June 2024

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continue to implement its curriculum and develop strategies to ensure that pupils know and remember content longer term.  In some areas of learning, the early years curriculum, does not make clear what children are expected to know and remember. This means that staff cannot consistently ensure that children learn and remember curriculum content. The school should ensure that the early years curriculum, across all areas of learning, consistently makes clear the key knowledge that children are expected to know and remember.

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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). 25 and 26 June 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Thurlby Community Primary Academy is part of Keystone Academy Trust. It converted to become an academy in January 2020. When the predecessor school, Thurlby Community Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be inadequate overall.  The school does not make use of any alternative education providers.

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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 that the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation. 25 and 26 June 2024

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 Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, curriculum leaders, leaders responsible for pupils with SEND, the early years leaders and groups of staff and pupils.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in four subjects: reading, mathematics, history and religious education (RE). To do this, they met with curriculum leaders, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work and met with teachers and pupils. Inspectors also spoke to leaders, looked at curriculum documentation and spoke to pupils in PSHE, Spanish, design and technology, music and geography.  The lead inspector met with representatives of the local governing body, including the chair. He met with the chief executive officer and a representative of the board of trustees. Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted’s Parent View, pupil and staff surveys. They considered an email from a parent. An inspector spoke informally with parents outside the school. An inspector visited

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the breakfast club that pupils attend.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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 reviewed school documents, including those relating to governance, behaviour and attendance. They scrutinised leaders’ plans for improvement and their assessment of the school’s effectiveness.

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Inspection team

Vic Wilkinson, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Martin Adamson Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 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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