Yew Tree Community School

Inspection of Yew Tree Community School Alcester Street, Chadderton, Oldham, Greater Manchester OL9 8LD

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Inspection dates: 15 and 16 October 2024

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 15 and 16 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this vibrant and popular school. They receive a warm welcome from staff at the start of each day. When children first join the early years, they settle well into the comfortable and safe environment. Pupils are happy at school. They feel valued for who they are. Pupils are included well in all aspects of the school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well in a range of subjects across the curriculum. They are meeting the high aspirations that the school is setting for their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave respectfully towards one another. They are confident and well mannered. They said that it is easy to make friends at school. However, despite these strengths, too many pupils, especially younger pupils, are persistently absent from school. This hinders these pupils from making the most of all that the school offers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have lots of opportunities to develop their interests and talents. For example, pupils enjoy after-school clubs for fitness, dancing and martial arts. They also enjoy well- thought-out experiences that bring the curriculum to life. For example, in Year 4, pupils visit Chester to learn about the Romans and in Year 5 pupils attend a workshop to enhance their understanding of the Vikings.

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

Since the previous inspection, the school has revised the way in which the curriculum is organised. In many subjects, the school has provided clear guidance to help staff to deliver the curriculum with greater consistency. In these subjects, and including in the early years, teachers clearly set out their expectations for pupils’ learning. This enables staff to check on pupils’ understanding and then to correct any misconceptions so that pupils deepen their learning. However, there are a small number of subjects that are at an earlier stage of development. In these subjects, pupils do not recall key knowledge as well as they can in other areas of the curriculum.

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

The school has successfully improved reading. It has ensured that staff are suitably equipped to deliver the phonics programme. In the early years, staff take every opportunity to strengthen children’s vocabulary and spoken language. In the Reception Year and in key stage 1, those pupils who struggle to recall some of their phonics knowledge are identified early and supported effectively. This helps pupils to build and apply their learning well to read with increasing speed and accuracy. By the time pupils are in Year 6, they read fluently and with understanding.

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

The school has strong systems in place to identify pupils with SEND. The way in which staff skilfully adapt learning ensures that these pupils achieve well from their starting points.

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

The school has improved the way in which it manages pupils’ behaviour. As a result, pupils have positive attitudes towards their education. For example, children in the early 15 and 16 October 2024

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years cooperate well together when learning. Across the school, disruptions to lessons are rare. Pupils said that staff manage rare interruptions to learning well. This means that they can concentrate during lessons.

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The school’s work to improve the attendance of some pupils has shown recent signs of success. This is most marked in key stage 2. However, in contrast, the school has been less successful in reducing the persistent absence of younger pupils. This remains high. The school has not been explicit enough in its expectations for attendance with parents and carers. That said, parents who make the most of the school’s offer are positive about the support that they receive, not only for their children but often for their whole family.

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Pupils have a strong understanding of other cultures and religions. School trips include visits to places of worship, which help pupils to understand how people celebrate different faiths and beliefs. The personal, social, health and economic education programme supports pupils well to understand about healthy lifestyles and relationships. Pupils also know what it means to be a responsible citizen. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain through their understanding of fundamental British values.

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Governors assure themselves about the quality of education through meetings with subject leaders and through feedback from other professionals. They have a strong understanding of the school’s provision.

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Staff appreciate the way in which the school has introduced structured curriculum schemes and a streamlined marking policy. They believe that this has helped them to focus on improving pupils’ learning.

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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 subjects, the curriculum is at an early stage of development. As such, pupils cannot remember some of their prior learning as well as in other subjects. The school should continue to develop these subjects so that pupils can recall the key knowledge that they will use in their future learning.  Many pupils, especially younger pupils, do not attend school often enough. The school’s work to improve this has only recently started to have an impact. This means that too many pupils miss out on important learning. The school should seek to engage more effectively with parents to ensure that these pupils attend school more often. 15 and 16 October 2024

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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 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). 15 and 16 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher David Moore (head of school) Martine Buckley (executive headteacher) Website www.yewtree.oldham.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 2 and 3 February 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the MY Schools Together federation with one other school. The executive headteacher overseas the work of both schools.  Since the previous inspection, there have been some changes to the leadership team. There are currently two temporary assistant headteachers as well as another assistant headteacher, who has been seconded from another school to oversee the school’s work on SEND.  The school does not currently use 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. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 15 and 16 October 2024

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspe ctors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, including early reading, mathematics, science, history and computing. For each deep dive, inspectors 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 and the arrangements for assessment in other subjects and looked at a sample of work in these subjects.  Inspectors heard pupils read individually and as part of classroom activities.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View and well as Ofsted’s online inspection surveys for staff and pupils.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons, at breaktimes and around the

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school. They looked at records for behaviour and bullying and spoke with pupils and staff.  Inspectors discussed the provision in place for pupils’ personal development.  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.

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Inspection team

Steve Bentham, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lindsay Lomas Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 October 2024

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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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