England Lane Academy

Inspection of England Lane Academy England Lane, Knottingley, West Yorkshire WF11 0JA

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Good

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The head of academy of this school is Lisa Cooke. The school is part of Delta 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 (CEO), Paul Tarn, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Steven Peter Hodsman. 9 and 10 July 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at England Lane Academy thrive in a caring and welcoming environment. Leaders and staff share the same high aspirations for all pupils. Relationships between staff and pupils are strong. Pupils know adults in the school will keep them safe. Pupils enjoy coming to school. Leaders provide extensive support to ensure all pupils attend school regularly and on time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a broad and ambitious curriculum. The school, supported by leaders from the trust, has reviewed and improved all subject areas. Pupils experience extremely well-designed and sequenced lessons. They are engaged in their learning and talk with enthusiasm about what they have learned. As a result, pupils make excellent progress from their starting points.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour in lessons and at social times is consistently positive. The school has carefully considered the procedures for managing behaviour. Pupils understand and follow these procedures well. All adults apply the rewards and sanctions consistently.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a well-developed understanding of what it means to play a positive part in the life of the school. They learn to be role models to other pupils. Members of the pupils’ academy council speak knowledgeably about democracy and parliamentary life. The pupil mental health ambassadors provide a listening ear to other pupils when they feel sad or worried.

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better?

Reading is a key feature and priority of this school. At every turn, an exciting selection of books entices pupils to develop a love of reading. The school has given extensive thought to how reading is embedded within every area of the curriculum. In Nursery, children listen regularly to a wide variety of nursery rhymes, songs and stories. Many children join the school with delayed language development. Adults skilfully help to prepare children to be ready to begin more formal phonics learning in Reception. Leaders provide staff with the training and guidance they need to become early reading experts. As a result, most pupils become fluent readers by the end of key stage 1.

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better?

Outcomes in reading at the end of Year 6 in 2023 were below national expectations. The trust supported the school to take swift and effective action to bring about improvement. This included strengthening pupils’ emotional resilience to better equip them for assessment activities. In addition, trust leaders further strengthened subject leadership. As a result, current levels of progress and attainment are extremely positive.

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better?

The school has made sure that the curriculum is equally as strong in other areas. The writing curriculum is based on an extensive range of text types, including poetry, classic and modern literature. Pupils learn to write for a range of purposes. They see themselves as writers and are enthused about their lessons. In other 9 and 10 July 2024

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subjects, such as geography and design technology, the use of key texts helps pupils to make connections across their learning. Regular links with businesses help pupils to understand the real-world application of their learning. Mathematics is a particular strength of the school. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), demonstrate an enthusiasm for mathematics that is built upon a secure understanding of number. Their knowledge and application of times tables is impressive. Teachers’ subject knowledge is excellent across all subjects. They use this knowledge to adapt learning to meet the needs of all pupils. As a result, all pupils achieve extremely well at the end of Year 6.

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Children in the early years get off to an excellent start. Adults use the trust’s curriculum ‘takeaways’ effectively. All children benefit from the ambitious curriculum. There is a clear focus on developing children’s vocabulary. This provides children with the opportunity to experience subject vocabulary that they will meet in later learning. Nursery and Reception children are taught together in the setting. Staff have designed learning opportunities that include sufficient challenge and support for all children. Partnerships with parents and carers are valued and promoted. Leaders actively seek their views and provide them with the information and guidance they need to support their child’s learning at home.

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The personal development of pupils is exceptional. It sits firmly at the heart of the school’s culture and provision. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe and emotionally and mentally healthy. Pupils spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is embedded within texts that open pupils’ minds to different perspectives, cultures and beliefs. Pupils know and understand the importance of the fundamental British values, including their application in the life of the school. The school actively promotes equality of opportunity. Leaders have identified ‘important people’ within each subject area. They use these people to develop pupils’ understanding of, and aspiration for, a range of career opportunities.

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The support from the trust has had a significant positive impact on the development of the school. Highly effective professional development opportunities have helped to secure excellent leadership and teaching across all areas. Trustees monitor the impact of developments thoroughly. They hold leaders to account for the continued improvement in the school. Senior leaders in school have risen to the high expectations of the trust. They provide effective support for all staff and prioritise their well-being. Staff value the steps leaders take to manage the impact of their workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 9 and 10 July 2024

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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). 9 and 10 July 2024

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School details

Headteacher Lisa Cooke (head of academy)

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 13 and 14 March 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is one of 57 schools in the Delta Academies Trust multi-academy trust.  The head of academy joined the school in April 2024.  The school provides a breakfast and after-school club for all pupils at no cost.  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 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. 9 and 10 July 2024

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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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, and geography. 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 discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  Inspectors met with the trust’s senior executive principal, the head of academy, the associate CEO and other trust and school senior leaders.  Inspectors met with representatives of the trustees, including the vice-chair.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation, including education, health and

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care plans, to evaluate the provision for pupils with SEND.  Inspectors looked at a range of information regarding behaviour and attendance. 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

Alex Thorp, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mike Smit Ofsted Inspector 9 and 10 July 2024

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