Packmoor Ormiston Academy

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Packmoor Ormiston Academy Carr Street, Packmoor, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST7 4SP

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 January 2025

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Outcome

Packmoor Ormiston Academy has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The principal of this school is Peter Moore. The school is part of Ormiston Academies 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), Tom Rees, and is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Julius Weinberg.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Packmoor is a school community that pupils and staff value and enjoy being a part of. The school sets high expectations for what pupils can achieve. Pupils reach high standards in reading, writing and mathematics.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations for how pupils should behave. Pupils get along well and care for each other. They behave well in lessons and playtimes. Pupils know that they can share worries with staff and that these will be acted upon. As a result, pupils are happy and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school prioritise pupils receiving a broad education. They have visited Manchester airport to learn about travel and a local farm to learn about animals. Year 6 pupils take part in an annual outdoor learning residential where they complete a river study. Pupils regularly attend inclusive extra-curricular clubs, such as football, dance, choir and chess.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value leadership roles, such as head pupil and school councillor. They are proud to have a positive impact on school life, for example helping to organise a Shakespeare theatre visit. They have contributed positively to the local community alongside a secondary school in the same trust. Pupils created a community cookbook and prepared a meal for others, including the Lord Mayor. 14 and 15 January 2025

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

The curriculum has been carefully considered and meets the aims of the national curriculum. Staff are knowledgeable and teach most subjects effectively. Where there is success, staff explain concepts clearly, impart knowledge precisely and make appropriate checks on learning. However, in a few subjects, staff do not always review pupils’ learning effectively to identify and address knowledge gaps and misconceptions. They do not always revisit learning regularly and comprehensively. This leads to pupils not mastering and remembering key knowledge as well as they could in these subjects.

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

The school places a high priority on reading, and this begins in early years. Staff are experts in teaching reading. Highly skilled staff support a few pupils who need to catch up with reading. This is checked comprehensively to make sure that pupils catch up with their peers quickly. Staff work closely with parents to encourage reading at home. Many pupils read regularly at home. The school does much to encourage pupils to read for enjoyment. Pupils read a range of books. As a result, pupils read with confidence and fluency.

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

The mathematics curriculum is ambitious and is taught as it has been set out. Staff have strong subject knowledge to teach mathematics well. They teach mathematics effectively. Pupils achieve high standards in mathematics.

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

Relationships are warm and caring in the early years. Careful consideration has been given to make sure that children join the school successfully and settle quickly. The environment is both welcoming and full of exciting learning opportunities. For example, children learned about weighing using balancing scales and took turns and cooperated while role playing in a bakery. Children develop independence successfully in Nursery. Staff have identified that physical development and early writing are areas that children need more support with as they begin school. They have recently introduced a new curriculum for teaching children to write, which is having a positive impact on early writing. Children in the early years are well prepared for Year 1.

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

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified early on and support is introduced as needed. When necessary, staff involve external agencies and follow their advice. Recently, the school has introduced a specialist internal provision to support pupils with complex SEND. This has been set up with careful consideration about pupils’ individual needs and is working well. Staff have the right knowledge to appropriately adapt the curriculum for pupils with SEND. This is effective for some subjects but not all. This means that some pupils with SEND are not achieving as well as they should in some subjects.

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

The school’s provision for pupils’ broader development is strong. Pupils learn about how to be responsible citizens. They do this through collecting food donations for a local food bank and holding a baking competition for Children in Need. Pupils learn about fundamental British values and understand about the fairness of democracy. They are tolerant of the beliefs of others. Pupils are taught to stay physically fit and healthy. They 14 and 15 January 2025

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have regular ‘change for life’ days that increase participation in sport. They take part in competitive sports such as football, athletics and cross-country running.

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Governors and trustees know their roles and responsibilities. They ask staff important questions and make appropriate checks of how well pupils achieve. Governors and trustees place an emphasis on the achievement of groups such as disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. They are ambitious for all pupils. They have ensured that the school has sustained its performance, and they are striving for further improvement. Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the ways in which their workload is managed and their well-being is supported.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority )

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What does the school need to do to improve?

 In a few subjects, pupils’ learning is not always reviewed effectively to identify and address knowledge gaps and misconceptions. As a result, pupils do not remember key knowledge as well as they could in these subjects. Assessments should be consistently used to identify and address knowledge gaps and misconceptions across the whole curriculum.  In a few subjects, the curriculum is not adapted effectively for some pupils with SEND. This means that those pupils do not achieve as well as they could in these subjects. The school should ensure the curriculum is adapted successfully for pupils with SEND so that they achieve well across the curriculum.

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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, 14 and 15 January 2025

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behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Packmoor Primary School, to be good for overall effectiveness in January 2015.

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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). 14 and 15 January 2025

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School details

Website www.packmoorormistonacademy.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 9 July 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school runs a before- and after-school club.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  The school is part of Ormiston Academy Trust, comprising 44 schools.

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Information about this inspection

n Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. n 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. n The inspector met with the principal, vice principal and other leaders. The inspector held a meeting with members of the trust board and local governing board. The 14 and 15 January 2025

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inspector met with the CEO and the director of primary education. Meetings were held with curriculum leaders, teachers and support staff. n The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. n The inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult. n The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour and interactions during lessons and at breaktimes and lunchtimes and spoke to many pupils during the inspection. n To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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. n The inspector considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. This included free-text comments. The inspector spoke to parents. The inspector also

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reviewed responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey and responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Emma Titchener, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 January 2025

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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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