Mount Street Academy

Inspection of Mount Street Academy Mount Street, Lincoln, Lincolnshire LN1 3JG

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 November 2024

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

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The headteacher of this school is Rachael Horn. This school is part of Anthem Schools Trust, which means that other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Mohsen Ojja, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Jay Bhutani.

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since November 2013. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 19 and 20 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a warm and welcoming school. Pupils are happy to come to school each day. They greet their teachers cheerfully as they arrive. Relationships between staff and pupils are built on kindness and respect. The school’s strong culture of care and consideration for pupils’ safety permeates all that they do.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for all pupils. From the moment children begin in early years, they learn to strive to be the best version of themselves. They behave well and are eager to learn. Pupils are highly motivated by the school’s ‘Dream Team’ characters that identify the attitudes and attributes the school wants them to develop. Pupils know that ‘Dusty the dog’ reminds them to be determined and ‘Akira the anteater’ models aspiration. In assembly, pupils sing with gusto, ‘I am young, but I have my own dreams… aim high to the sky.’ Pupils achieve well and leave the school ready for the next stage in their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

A large majority of parents and carers are supportive of the school. They describe the school as, ‘nurturing’, ‘approachable’, ‘encouraging’ and ‘truly a haven in which children flourish’.

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

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum with care. Curriculum plans set out the important knowledge that pupils need to know and remember. This knowledge is sequenced in a logical order from early years to Year 2. This helps pupils to develop a deeper understanding of each subject over time. For example, in art and design, Year 2 pupils can talk about the wide range of artists they have studied, the title of their work and the techniques they have used.

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

Teachers are skilled. They explain the curriculum in ways pupils can understand. The needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified without delay. Staff provide adapted work and appropriate resources to ensure that pupils with SEND learn well alongside their peers. In early years, children are provided with a wealth of learning opportunities. Tasks are designed with precision so that children have time to practise and apply key skills. Children are deeply engaged as they work and play. They sustain high levels of concentration and show determination to get the job done. Across the school, pupils show many of these qualities. They work hard and behave well. Pupils now attend school more regularly than in previous years.

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

The school has made reading and phonics a key priority. Children in Nursery learn to hear sounds in words. Staff waste no time in introducing phonics to children in the Reception Year. This work continues into key stage 1. As pupils secure their phonic knowledge, reading lessons focus on fluency and comprehension skills. Pupils become increasingly competent and confident readers over time. Pupils are provided with plenty of opportunities to listen to a wide range of stories that interest them and help them to think about the lives of others. 19 and 20 November 2024

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The school has identified that many children struggle to communicate with others. This includes a growing number of pupils who have English as an additional language. Developing children’s language is prioritised in the early years. Every opportunity is taken to introduce children to new words. Staff help children in Reception to learn and understand vocabulary as part of daily routines. Nevertheless, the school needs to further develop an explicit approach to the teaching of speaking and listening across the school.

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The school has developed an exceptional personal development offer that is bespoke to the school. Termly enrichment afternoons allow pupils to develop their talents and interests. They become mini engineers, dinosaur experts or have the chance to try out musical theatre. Pupils recognise the importance of respect and accept that not everyone is the same. One pupil said, ‘Being different is a good thing.’ The ‘safety owl’ reminds pupils to tell an adult if they have any worries.

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The trust plays an active role in the life of the school. They share leaders’ vision for excellence. The Anthem Community Council also keep a close eye on the school. Some of the work that has been delegated to them by the trust is at a very early stage.

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Staff work with determination to give pupils a great start to their education. They appreciate the family feel of the school. They say that leaders are approachable and take their work-life balance seriously.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s approach to developing pupils’ speaking and listening skills is not fully effective and needs refinement. As a result, some pupils struggle to develop the skills they need to communicate as well as they could. The school should ensure that the plans they have to develop speaking and listening across the school are effectively implemented and have the intended impact.  There have been recent changes to oversight of the school’s work at a local level. There is still more work to be done to ensure that the Anthem Community Council has the capacity to complete the responsibilities allocated to them and to ensure that the decisions leaders take are made with pupils’ best interests at heart. The school should ensure that this work is securely embedded and provides the assurances required as set out by the trust. 19 and 20 November 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). 19 and 20 November 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 12 and 13 November 2013 , under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Mount Street Academy is part of the Anthem Schools Trust.  There have been significant changes to staffing since the previous inspection, including the appointment of the headteacher and the assistant headteachers.  The school operates a breakfast- and after-school club.  The school does not make use of any 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. 19 and 20 November 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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and the assistant headteachers. The lead inspector held meetings with representatives of the trust and the Anthem Community Council.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, English, and art and design. 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. The lead inspector listened to pupils reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.

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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 considered pupils’ behaviour at various times of day, including in lessons, around the school site and at social times. They reviewed the school’s records for attendance and behaviour.  Inspectors considered the responses to the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire, including the free-text comments. They also took account of the responses to the online staff survey and gathered the views of staff and pupils throughout the inspection.

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Inspection team

Caroline Poole, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Deborah Tibble Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 November 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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