Lift North Thoresby

Inspection of North Thoresby Primary Academy High Street, North Thoresby, Grimsby, Lincolnshire DN36 5PL

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

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The executive principal of this school is Tom Hawkins. This school is part of Lift Schools 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 Boomer-Clark, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by David Hall. 17 and 18 June 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

North Thoresby Primary Academy is an important part of the local community. Pupils play an active part in contributing to the local area with events, such as growing vegetables in the community allotment to provide food for a local food bank. Pupils understand how the school’s values give them the confidence to ‘discover what is possible’. They work together to try new things.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. This begins in the early years, where children learn the importance of following the school’s rules and routines. All pupils live up to these expectations. As a result, the behaviour across the school is excellent. Pupils are proud of their school and polite. They welcome visitors with a friendly smile.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for all pupils to achieve well. There are warm and respectful relationships between staff and pupils. Pupils know that they can talk to a trusted adult if they have any worries.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a wide range of clubs and wider opportunities. These include gardening, multi-sports and musical performances to the community. Pupils enjoy the leadership opportunities that they are given, such as being a school councillor or part of the pupils’ leadership team.

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

The school has designed a well-sequenced and ambitious curriculum, ably supported by the trust. The curriculum sets out the precise knowledge and vocabulary that pupils need to learn from the early years to Year 6. This supports teachers in knowing what to teach and when to teach it. Teachers present information clearly and regularly check pupils’ understanding. As a result, pupils remember their learning well.

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

The school prioritises reading. Well-trained staff teach phonics consistently and effectively. This ensures pupils learn and remember new sounds well. Staff provide extra support if they spot pupils who are at risk of falling behind. They ensure the books pupils read to practise their reading skills are well matched to pupils’ phonics knowledge. As a result, pupils become more confident, fluent and accurate readers.

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

Pupils achieve well. They can make connections between what they know and what they are learning. In mathematics, for example, older pupils link what they previously learned about money in Years 2 and 4 to help them solve problems related to house prices. Pupils demonstrate positive behaviour and attitudes to learning. Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They use modelling to support pupils’ understanding. They recap on pupils’ prior knowledge to ensure it is secure, before moving on to new content. Subject-specific vocabulary is carefully rehearsed and learned.

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

The school has clear processes and systems in place to identify and meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Individual learning plans for pupils with SEND set clear targets. They support teachers to ensure appropriate 17 and 18 June 2025

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provision is in place to enable pupils to meet these. Learning is then adapted to enable pupils with SEND to learn the same curriculum as their peers. However, occasionally, teachers do not make effective or appropriate adaptations for pupils with SEND. Consequently, some pupils do not build on their knowledge securely.

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In the early years, children get off to a strong start. Children are enthusiastic and curious. They develop a love of learning. The learning environment has been carefully designed to support their development. For example, staff use the garden area to teach children about plant growth, following visits to a local farm and garden centre. Knowledgeable staff support children in building strong foundations in early reading and mathematics.

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The personal development offer is a significant part of the school’s work. The personal, social and health education curriculum ensures that all pupils learn about healthy relationships. Pupils learn how to keep safe, in the community and online, and the importance of staying physically and mentally healthy. The school invites visitors to speak to pupils about possible future careers, for example a farmer and a banker. Staff teach pupils about diversity and inspirational people, such as Maya Angelou. Pupils are united in saying that ‘you should treat people how you want to be treated’. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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The trustees know and understand their statutory duties well. They share leaders’ vision for every child to achieve their very best. Trustees work closely with the academy council to support leaders’ and staff’s well-being. Staff are proud to work at the school. They value the professional development opportunities that they are given to carry out their roles well. All staff feel well supported by leaders and the trust.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Occasionally, the curriculum is not adapted as effectively as it could be to meet the needs of all learners. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not learn the curriculum as well as they could. The school should support staff to refine their curriculum adaptations and lesson design so that all pupils achieve as well as the school intends.

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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. 17 and 18 June 2025

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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

Principal Tom Hawkins (executive principal)

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School details

Website www.sites.google.com/aetinet.org/north- thoresby-primary-academy/home Date of previous inspection 21 January 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Lift Schools Trust.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The school is part of a federation with Utterby Primary Academy.

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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. 17 and 18 June 2025

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 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.  The inspectors met with the executive principal and other leaders of the school. The inspectors also met with several teaching staff and central trust team representatives.  The lead inspector met with the representatives of the trustees, including the national primary director, the regional education director and the regional executive principal.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and science. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their

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learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also discussed the school’s work in some other curriculum areas.  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.  An inspector spoke to parents at the start of the school day.  Inspectors reviewed responses to Ofsted’s parent survey, Ofsted Parent View. They also considered responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  To evaluate pupils’ behaviour, inspectors visited lessons, analysed behaviour and attendance records, met with groups of pupils and observed their play at breaktime and lunchtime.

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Inspection team

Jon Brown, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Becky Lyon Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 June 2025

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