The St Augustine's Academy

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: The St Augustine’s Academy Longfellow Drive, Kilton, Worksop, Nottinghamshire S81 0DW

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Outcome

The St Augustine’s Academy has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Christopher Hind. This school is part of The Forge 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), Jamie Macintyre, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Sue Trentini.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at this school are confident and enthusiastic about their learning and enjoy attending. Leaders have worked hard to ensure that there is an inclusive environment in school. Most pupils demonstrate the new school values of kindness, respect, resilience, ambition and curiosity, and they like their new school rewards when they demonstrate these values. However, a small number of pupils find it harder to do this and need additional support to manage their emotions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like their lessons and say that their teachers are helpful. They appreciate the opportunities to talk about their ideas and listen to each other’s views. The school’s curriculum is ambitious and pupils learn detailed facts in a wide range of subjects. Pupils receive feedback quickly so that they know how to improve their work. This means that they achieve well and feel well supported to do their best.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like their playtimes and they appreciate the wide variety of activities on offer. Pupils enjoy their trips and extra-curricular clubs and are proud if they are elected to become a house captain or school councillor.

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

Leaders have high expectations for pupils and this is demonstrated through the ambitious curriculum that pupils study. Leaders have reviewed the curriculum so that the knowledge 5 and 6 November 2024

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that pupils will know and remember is clear. There is a sharp focus on developing pupils’ knowledge of vocabulary and this helps teachers to check on pupils’ understanding. The school engages with a range of external agencies to help pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the curriculum effectively. Clear systems are used to identify pupils who may need additional support.

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Teachers have strong subject knowledge and create an environment where pupils feel safe to share their ideas. Teachers present learning effectively and provide appropriate resources to help pupils to apply their learning independently. Pupils are supported well and are given feedback in lessons so that misconceptions are avoided or addressed. Pupils can remember a range of facts about their current learning. However, they find it more difficult to connect these facts to learning from the past. This means that some pupils find it harder to understand broader themes, for example the concept of what a civilisation is in history.

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Reading is prioritised at this school. Teachers have received effective phonics training. This is applied across carefully sequenced lessons. Pupils have plenty of opportunity to read and write words using their knowledge of their recently learned sounds. Newly developed checks on pupils’ learning help to identify those pupils that may need additional support in learning to read. Teachers now use greater precision during interventions so that pupils catch up quickly and books match the sounds pupils have learned. Pupils who are fluent in their reading can choose from a wide variety of books. They enjoy completing quizzes to demonstrate their understanding.

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Pupils speak positively about the new behaviour system in school. They like receiving house tokens and are proud when they earn a pin badge for their efforts. Most pupils who need help to manage their emotions receive appropriate pastoral support. However, for a small number of pupils, this is not enough to help them understand the expectations of how they should behave. Adults have benefited from training to help support pupils in regulating their behaviour. The school is aware that further training would help ensure that there is greater consistency.

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Children in the early years enjoy learning outdoors and taking part in activities that aid their physical development. They work collaboratively and use their imagination to solve problems, for example how they could work as a team to make the biggest leaf tower. Adults skilfully develop language through talk and sharing rich vocabulary with the children. There are plenty of opportunities for children to practise their learning in the provision, which helps children to develop their confidence.

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There are a range of leadership opportunities for pupils, and they enjoy taking on school councillor responsibilities. They were proud to share their fundraising efforts for a buddy bench and how they help pupils in school. Pupils like the growing range of clubs available and speak positively about their school trips and residential visits. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe and have a strong understanding of the protected characteristics. They appreciate their recent work on anti-racism and celebrate everyone’s individualities. 5 and 6 November 2024

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Leaders have recently adopted a new vision for the school and staff and pupils understand this well. The school works closely with the multi-academy trust to provide training and support for teachers and leaders. Teachers feel that this collaborative approach supports their workload. Trustees are well trained and visit the school to gather information so that they can check how well the school is doing. As a result, leaders know the school’s strengths and areas for improvement well and they work together effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils sometimes find it difficult to recall knowledge from prior learning and to make connections between ideas. This means pupils do not always remember important knowledge and facts as well as they should. The school should develop teaching approaches that enable pupils to consistently retrieve prior knowledge to help them to remember important concepts.  The school has recently launched a new behaviour policy to ensure that staff and pupils know the school expectations. However, not all staff and pupils follow this policy consistently, which means that, sometimes, pupils with more complex behaviour needs demonstrate challenging behaviour. The school should provide appropriate training so that all staff feel confident in managing pupils with complex behaviour needs consistently well.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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. 5 and 6 November 2024

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This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, St Augustine’s School, to be good for overall effectiveness in November 2016.

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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). 5 and 6 November 2024

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School details

Local authority Nottinghamshire County Council

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Academy converter Age range of pupils 3 to 11

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School details

Dates of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 St Augustine’s Academy converted to become an academy school in September 2019. When its predecessor school, St Augustine’s School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good for overall effectiveness.  This is the first inspection since the school joined The Forge Trust.  A new headteacher has been appointed since the predecessor school was last inspected.  The school has a nursery for three- and four-year-old children.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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. 5 and 6 November 2024

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher and with other leaders. The lead inspector met with those responsible for governance, including the chair of the trustees from The Forge Trust. The lead inspector also held a discussion with the CEO and the director of primary education.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors observed some pupils read to a familiar member of staff. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum and reviewed curriculum planning in some other subjects.  Inspectors observed behaviour in lessons and at other times around school. Inspectors met with those responsible for behaviour, attendance and personal development.  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

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the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plan and information about governance. Inspectors also considered information about pupils’ attendance and behaviour, as well as the wider curriculum.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, and the results of Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Sarah Sadler, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 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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