Thurcroft Junior Academy

Inspection of Thurcroft Junior Academy Green Arbour Road, Thurcroft, Rotherham S66 9DD

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

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The headteacher of this school is Ruth Stone. This school is part of the Aston Community Education 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), Rebecca Scutt, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by John Barton. 25 and 26 March 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Unusually, the school is a junior school with a nursery provision. The school recognises the importance of smooth transition into the Nursery Year and into Year 3. It prepares pupils well for their next stage of learning. Parents and carers view the school as a place where their children are supported academically and emotionally.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school fosters a strong sense of belonging, ensuring that every pupil feels valued, supported and safe. Pupils learn how to stay safe within their local community and online. Pupils feel proud to be part of the school. They are enthusiastic about their learning and benefit from a wide range of curriculum opportunities. For example, they take part in community art projects and learn from a range of visitors who come into the school. Staff have high expectations of how pupils achieve. Most pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Overall, pupils behave well. The school celebrates their positive attitudes in ‘sparkle and shine’ assemblies. Pupils show high levels of kindness and politeness towards both their peers and adults. The school teaches pupils to value diversity. Consequently, pupils know how to treat others respectfully and fairly, however different they may be. Incidents of bullying are rare, and when they do happen, adults support pupils effectively and resolve it quickly.

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

The school has developed a broad and balanced curriculum. Staff have strong subject knowledge, and this supports their curriculum thinking. The school has identified the key knowledge and vocabulary that pupils should learn. It has thought carefully about how the curriculum is designed so that pupils have opportunities to revisit previous learning. For example, teachers use ‘flashback five’ to revisit ideas that pupils found difficult in previous learning. This supports pupils to remember more. However, teaching does not consistently check pupils’ understanding carefully enough in lessons. This means that sometimes gaps in pupils’ misconceptions are not addressed and tasks do not consistently meet some pupils’ needs.

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

On entry into Year 3, teachers check whether any pupils require further phonics support. These pupils get the help that they need to learn phonics. The school matches reading books carefully to the sounds that pupils know. Staff teach the phonics programme well. The school supports all pupils effectively to become fluent and confident in reading. However, sometimes, the teaching of early writing lacks precision and is not delivered consistently well. This means that some pupils are not fully confident in correct letter formation and in writing simple sentences accurately. As a result, some do not learn how to write fluently and form letters as well as they could.

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

Where necessary, adults adapt their teaching for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). As a result, pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum as their peers. The school acts quickly to identify pupils’ needs. This means pupils with SEND 25 and 26 March 2025

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are supported from the time they start school. Pupils in the specially resourced provision achieve well.

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Children in the nursery provision learn exceptionally well. They flourish and become highly independent, focused learners. This is because staff provide a stimulating and engaging environment where pupils can be imaginative and problem solve. The school prioritises developing children’s enjoyment of reading. Staff design activities to develop children’s vocabulary, language and communication skills. Staff are expertly trained to extend children’s thinking by, for example, asking thought-provoking questions and playing alongside them.

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Recently, the school has implemented a new behaviour policy, which has led to an improvement in pupils’ conduct. The school is responsive to the changing emotional and behavioural needs of pupils. For example, the school has recently trained pupils and staff in how to manage emotions. This has had an impact on pupils’ recognition of the needs of others, and there has been a reduction in behaviour incidents.

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There is a well-planned programme for pupils’ personal development. Pupils learn about healthy lifestyles and relationships, how to stay safe and different world religions and cultures. The school prioritises the development of pupil leadership opportunities. Pupils can take action to improve the school and the local community. For example, the eco warriors have recently developed a wildflower garden in the school grounds. Travel ambassadors have also significantly improved the number of pupils walking to school instead of using transport. Pupils have a detailed understanding of fundamental British values and equality.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. They appreciate the ongoing training to help them be effective in their roles. Governors and trustees know the school’s strengths and areas for development. They are considerate of staff workload and well-being. Leaders and staff value the strong relationships they have forged with parents and the wider community.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

■ Assessment is not used consistently well. This means that sometimes misconceptions are not addressed and some tasks are not designed well enough to reflect pupils’ needs. As a result, some pupils do not build on their previous learning as well as they could. The school should strengthen its approach to checking how well pupils are learning and ensure that this information is used to inform teaching. 25 and 26 March 2025

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■ The school’s approach to teaching early writing is not fully effective. Insufficient focus is given to developing important foundational knowledge such as transcription and spelling. This is reflected in weaknesses in these aspects of some pupils’ writing. The school should strengthen its approach to the teaching of early writing.

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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). 25 and 26 March 2025

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School details

Type of school Junior with a Nursery class

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3 July 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

■ The school became part of the Aston Community Education Trust in July 2012.

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Information about this school

■ The school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with speech, language and communication needs and autism.

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Information about this school

■ The school is a junior school, which means it has pupils aged between seven and 11. However, it also has a registered nursery provision for three- and four-year-old children.

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Information about this school

■ The school does not use 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 25 and 26 March 2025

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(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.

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■ Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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■ 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. ■ The lead inspector held meetings with a trustee and with members of the local governing body, including the chair. The lead inspector also met with the CEO. ■ Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and other leaders and staff.

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■ Inspectors considered the views of parents through the responses to the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, including any free-text comments.

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■ Inspectors considered the views of staff through their responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.

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■ Inspectors reviewed documentation about pupils’ behaviour, attendance and personal development.

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■ Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, art and design and geography. 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.

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■ An inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult. ■ An inspector reviewed a sample of books from across the curriculum.

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■ 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

Becky Austwick, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Gerry Wilson Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 March 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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