Edenthorpe Hall Primary Academy

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Edenthorpe Hall Primary Academy The Drive, Edenthorpe, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN3 2LS

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Outcome

Edenthorpe Hall Primary 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 Tom Orr. This school is part of Astrea Academy 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), Rowena Hackwood, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Ben Brown.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have a high ambition for all pupils at Edenthorpe Hall Primary Academy. They aim to ensure that pupils are prepared academically and personally for the next stage of their education. These ambitions are met for most pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Expectations around pupil engagement in lessons are clear. Adults support pupils to meet these high standards. Pupils enjoy the opportunities they get to share the knowledge they have gained with others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils who have attended the school for the majority of their education learn effectively and achieve well in national tests. Those who join school later make strong progress from their starting points. Occasionally, these starting points are lower than those of their classmates and, when this is the case, these pupils do not achieve as highly in national tests.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour in lessons and on the playgrounds is calm and orderly. Children in Reception are taught how to deal with any ‘fallings out’. Bullying is rare. When it happens, it is dealt with well. Pupils show respect to each other, adults and their surroundings. In the woodland area, they enjoy climbing trees, exploring for bugs and caring for the school rabbit.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending school. They feel safe and well cared for. 17 and 18 June 2025

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

The school has prioritised the teaching of phonics. Children learn about letters and sounds as soon as they begin school. Initial training and precise ongoing coaching support staff to deliver phonics sessions effectively. They carefully check that pupils are keeping up with the phonics programme. Pupils who require additional practice with phonics receive it, and they become more confident readers as a result. Pupils have lots of opportunities to practise their reading as they move through school. They enjoy reading and listening to a wide range of texts.

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

Across subjects, what pupils study, and when, is carefully mapped out to ensure that what pupils learn builds logically as they move through school. The school has, over the last 12 months, focused on the consistent use of key teaching approaches. Staff model key concepts well and check carefully what pupils have understood. They give pupils time to think before they share their answers with their partners or the rest of the class. This helps pupils to build their knowledge, as well as their confidence. Embedding these common approaches is giving staff time to think carefully about the explanations they will use with pupils and the precise questions they will ask.

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

Teachers and teaching assistants work exceptionally well together. They are genuine partners in the classroom, working collaboratively to help pupils learn. They ‘debrief’ at the end of each day to discuss whether pupils have learned what was intended and identify what they could have done more effectively. These ‘debriefs’ help shape the teaching for the following day. As a result of the high-quality provision, pupils are able to talk and write confidently about what they have learned previously.

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

In mathematics, provision is effective for most pupils. However, some pupils are asked to study mathematics that is currently beyond them. They do not have a secure grasp of earlier mathematical skills and knowledge, and this prevents them from being successful with the new learning. In some cases, this is because pupils have arrived at school quite recently.

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

The school carefully identifies those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). It ensures that plans are in place to support these pupils in the classroom. Leaders know that some parents of pupils with SEND have concerns around communication between home and school about provision. As a result, the school has recently provided additional time for staff to speak with parents. Leaders are keen to further broaden this offer.

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

Adults plan lessons carefully to ensure that children in Reception make full use of the outside space on ‘Woodland Wednesdays’. Adults ensure that pupils learn about the risks and are supported to keep themselves safe. Every opportunity to develop the vocabulary of children as they play and explore is utilised by adults.

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

Pupils attend school regularly. Weekly meetings between leaders responsible for safeguarding, behaviour and attendance identify any situations where pupils or families may need support. The school is effective at securing the support that is needed. Systems 17 and 18 June 2025

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for supporting pupils who have had a difficult education elsewhere are highly effective. As a result, these pupils attend regularly, behave well and learn effectively. They are ready for the next stages of their education.

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Pupils learn about their place in the world through lessons, assemblies and a range of trips. They develop strong knowledge of issues such as the importance of respecting differences between people. Their knowledge of different faiths and religions is more variable.

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The trust, governors and school leaders share a common understanding of the strengths of the school and the priorities moving forward. There are effective systems for the gathering and sharing of information so that, for example, those responsible for governance are able to provide appropriate challenge and support.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In mathematics, teachers sometimes provide pupils with work that is not matched well enough to their existing knowledge. As a result, some pupils struggle to understand what they are being taught and do not build their knowledge as well as they could. The school should ensure that pupils benefit consistently from work that helps to build on what they already know and can do.

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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, 17 and 18 June 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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in July 2019.

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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). 17 and 18 June 2025

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School details

Website https://astreaedenthorpehall.org

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 9 and 10 July 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Astrea Academy Trust.  The school makes no use of any alternative provision.  A significant minority of pupils join the school during key stage 2.

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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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with leaders, including the principal and the vice-principal, to discuss aspects of school’s provision, including attendance, behaviour and staff’s professional development. 17 and 18 June 2025

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 The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector listened to some pupils reading.  The inspector spoke with pupils formally and informally over the course of the inspection.  The inspector spoke with staff formally and informally during the inspection and considered the responses to the staff survey.  The inspector considered parents’ responses collected through Ofsted Parent View and spoke to parents at the end of the school day.  The inspector met with members of the local governing committee and with members of the trust executive team. He was unable to speak to a trustee. The inspector considered minutes of trust and local governor committee meetings.  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

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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 Wren, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 17 and 18 June 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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