Outwood Primary Academy Littleworth Grange

Inspection of a good school: Outwood Primary Academy Littleworth Grange Littleworth Lane, Lundwood, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S71 5RG

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Outcome

Outwood Primary Academy Littleworth Grange continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The principal of this school is Karen Wakefield. This school is part of Outwood Grange 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, Lee Wilson, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by David Earnshaw.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at this school are friendly, happy and kind. The school has high expectations of behaviour, conduct and learning. Pupils thrive on this. They appreciate the calm, orderly environment that supports them to learn. Routines are taught effectively and even the youngest children are clear about how to achieve.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum is ambitious. It has been carefully planned to engage and interest pupils. The school’s qualities of resilience, creativity, independence, confidence and respect underpin the curriculum and practice in the school. Pupils know these qualities. They are proud to talk about how they impact their learning and their lives. Staff know pupils well. They treat them with kindness and care. Pupils say staff listen to them. They know staff are there to offer help if it is needed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is exemplary both in classrooms and at other times of the day. Pupils have very positive attitudes to learning. Most pupils attend regularly. Pupils enjoy the wide range of opportunities the school gives them. This includes residential trips, visitors to the school and a multitude of playtime activities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Some parents or carers express concerns regarding some of the policies and practices in the school. The school recognises there is more to do to ensure parents fully understand the strengths of the school’s curriculum and approaches.

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

The school’s ambition for pupils is high. From the first day of learning, in the early years, 9 and 10 July 2024

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nothing is left to chance. In all subjects, the school has identified the detailed learning that they want pupils to know, and when they will learn it. They ensure that pupils are supported to build knowledge over time. Leaders, at all levels, ensure that the well- sequenced curriculum is used effectively. Pupils achieve well here.

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Teachers benefit from the regular training they receive from leaders within the school and the trust. Teachers’ subject knowledge is strong. They use it well to plan inclusive, exciting lessons. Consistent teaching approaches are used across the school. Teachers skilfully model new learning, encourage pupils to work with partners and then give pupils opportunities to work independently. Key vocabulary is used repeatedly in lessons. However, for some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), learning, in some subjects, is not always sufficiently matched to their needs. This means that, sometimes, these pupils cannot successfully complete tasks. Therefore, some do not make sufficient progress.

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Children at the early stages of learning to read are supported exceptionally well. The school’s chosen approach to teaching phonics is well established and followed consistently. Staff are highly skilled. They swiftly identify if any pupils are finding reading difficult or have gaps in learning. They use this information to ensure that catch-up sessions are quickly implemented. This supports pupils well. However, for some pupils with SEND, these sessions do not make the most of this time. In some cases, while the sessions follow the phonics programme, they do not address individual pupils’ reading difficulties sufficiently. Therefore, in these sessions, pupils’ learning is slowed.

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The school’s focus on pupils’ personal development is exemplary. The school has successfully implemented a curriculum that focuses on important aspects of personal, social, health and economic learning. Pupils talk with confidence about learning linked to relationships, protected characteristics and British values. This curriculum is enriched by the ‘Outwood Diploma’. This is a rich set of experiences that build in complexity and expectation from early years to Year 6. The experiences are exciting and meaningful. For example, pupils in Year 2 plan a coffee morning for parents. This requires them to write the invitations, plan the music and bake the cakes. As pupils get older, the challenge grows. Older pupils are challenged to cook a healthy meal or learn some British sign language. There is a focus on ensuring pupils are ready for next steps in learning or the world beyond the school. Pupils have a strong knowledge of other world religions. They

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show respect for them. However, currently, they have limited opportunities to learn about other cultures or the diversity of the world around them.

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The trust works closely with the school. Expertise is shared and used effectively to monitor and develop all aspects of practice. The role of the academy council is currently being developed. It is intended that this will provide a second layer of challenge for the school. Staff feel well supported and valued. They are proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

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

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There are some inconsistencies in how well the curriculum is adapted to support pupils with SEND. This means that in some subjects, some pupils with SEND do not make the progress they should. The school should ensure that the individual support plans identify appropriate steps in learning, which match the pupils’ needs and support them to make progress.  Despite the work that has been done to involve parents in events and activities in the school, some information about policies and systems is not being shared effectively. This leads to misconceptions around important practices such as how pupils are positively supported with behaviour. The school should refine policies and processes further. This is needed to ensure that all pupils and parents understand how they are used in the school.

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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 school to be good in December 2018.

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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.

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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 9 and 10 July 2024

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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

Dates of previous inspection 6 and 7 December 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The academy is part of Outwood Grange Academy Trust.  The school has Nursery provision for three-year-old children.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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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.  Meetings were held with the principal, the vice principal, the special educational needs coordinator and the designated safeguarding leads to discuss the quality of education, provision for pupils with SEND and safeguarding at the school. Other leaders from the trust also attended some of these meetings. 9 and 10 July 2024

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 There were meetings with representatives of Outwood Grange Academy Trust, a member of the board of trustees and the chair of the academy council.  The inspector carried out deep dives into early reading, physical education and mathematics. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of learning sessions, spoke to teachers and talked to pupils about their activities and learning.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and children; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children’s interests first.  The inspector scrutinised a wide range of documents, including those related to children’s behaviour and attendance.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View,

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including the free-text comments, as well as responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey.

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Inspection team

Andrea Batley, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 9 and 10 July 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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