Wygate Park Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Accelerate pupils’ progress in all classes by ensuring that teachers:
  • have high expectations of the quality and presentation of writing in all subjects
  • move the most able pupils onto challenging work more quickly so that more pupils achieve at greater depth, including developing their reasoning skills in mathematics.
• Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that they:
  • take timely action over absences and increase parents’ understanding of the importance of good attendance, to improve attendance and reduce persistent absence, including among disadvantaged pupils improve the school’s systems for checking its procedures and administration so that all staff and leaders are clear about their specific roles and responsibilities.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Since the school opened in 2014, there have been considerable changes as new classes have been created and the school expands. Leaders, the trust and local governing body are managing these changes very well, ensuring that pupils make sustained progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The new headteacher, other leaders and staff have created a school culture that is caring and ambitious. Staff morale is high and a ‘can do’ ethos permeates the school. Staff say that they respect the headteacher and feel valued by him. All staff in this cohesive school team are committed to doing their best for each pupil. The school is rapidly improving.
• Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s performance and the standards achieved by pupils. Leaders have ensured that assessments of pupils’ learning are accurate. This is confirmed by external moderation in the early years and at the end of key stage 1. Staff have benefited from training and checks on the accuracy of assessment involving other schools in the trust’s teaching school alliance.
• Leaders and teachers check the progress of pupils closely. The majority of pupils are making at least good progress from their starting points and are securing age-appropriate skills and understanding in reading, writing and mathematics. Leaders’ tracking of the progress of the most able pupils, however, is rigorous enough to ensure that more pupils achieve at greater depth.
• School leaders are forward looking. They seek out and act upon external support and expertise. The headteacher and the trust provide well-chosen professional development and training opportunities to improve the quality of teaching. The headteacher accurately evaluates the quality of teaching and learning, and provides effective feedback to support teachers in improving their practice. As a result, almost all teaching in the school is of a high standard. However, teaching does not consistently ensure that the most able pupils reach the standards that they should.
• Leaders have identified the important areas for development and taken decisive action to improve them. Teachers promote positive attitudes to reading and have developed a new approach to guided reading. Leaders have introduced, with external support, a new ‘mastery’ approach to the teaching of mathematics. These are having a clear, positive impact on pupils’ attainment and progress.
• The decisive actions of the trust have enabled the school to secure effective teaching and improve the attainment and progress of pupils. The trust’s leaders, for example the head of the primary division, the educational welfare officer, the coordinator for provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and the lead for safeguarding, all provide valuable support. Leaders and teachers speak highly of the opportunities that they have had to develop their practice. However, leaders and the trust have not consistently clarified details of specific roles and responsibilities.
• Subject leaders are increasingly effective in their roles as the school expands. They have received training and are leading actions to support improvement in the school, particularly in English and mathematics. Leaders have clear plans to develop leadership roles as the school expands.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced, and a range of extra-curricular activities and other opportunities support pupils’ good progress. The school’s curriculum effectively promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. It contributes to pupils’ good understanding of tolerance, respect and differences, and prepares pupils positively for life in modern Britain.
• Leaders use the pupil premium funding well to improve the attainment and progress of the small proportion of disadvantaged pupils. Leaders successfully identify the barriers to learning that disadvantaged pupils face, particularly those who have recently joined the school. Leaders check the progress of these pupils carefully to ensure that they receive support according to their needs. As a result of this academic and pastoral support, most disadvantaged pupils make good progress from their starting points.
• Leaders use funding to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities effectively to meet their specific needs. Teachers and leaders check the progress of these pupils very carefully and provide focused help and intervention where and when required. The impact of interventions is reviewed regularly to ensure that they are having a positive impact on pupils’ learning. As a result, the majority of these pupils achieve well.
• Leaders use the additional funding for physical education and sports to good effect to improve teaching and coaching skills, provide additional resources and an after-school sports club to offer pupils increased access to a wider range of sporting activities.

Governance of the school

• The trust and local governing body are ambitious for the school, and provide effective support as the school expands and develops. They work closely with the headteacher and staff, are forward looking and committed to driving improvement in the school, as well as their own effectiveness.
• The trust provides effective support to improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement. The trust provides a wide range of professional support and development for leaders and staff, which are valued and appreciated.
• The trust and local governing body monitor the use of additional funds, such as the pupil premium. They understand that they need to check provision for these pupils carefully. They are not as effective as they can be, however, in holding school leaders sharply to account to improve pupils’ attendance and accelerate their progress. The trust and local governing body have not been diligent enough in checking the school’s record keeping and administration. They have not ensured that all staff are clear on their roles and responsibilities, for example in ensuring that the most current materials are available on the school website.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The school’s clear ethos of care is evident in the way that pupils interact with each other and in the relationships of mutual respect between pupils and adults.
• Leaders ensure that the single central register is accurate and up to date, and that recruitment checks on the suitability of staff and volunteers to work with children are thorough.
• The designated leaders for safeguarding ensure that all members of staff, trustees and members of the local governing body are trained and kept up to date with the latest guidance on keeping pupils safe in education. Staff have received training on the government’s ‘Prevent’ duty.
• There is strong culture of promoting pupils’ well-being and safety in the school. Staff are committed to supporting pupils and their families. The family support worker and educational welfare officer are helping to establish effective links between home and school for some parents.
• Pupils are taught how to stay safe in a variety of situations, and have a good understanding of how to stay safe online. Pupils say that they feel safe, and almost all the parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, agree that their children are safe in school. Pupils are certain that incidents of bullying are rare and they are very confident that adults will deal with any concerns that they have.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching is rapidly improving as a result of effective training and support. Teachers are skilled in ensuring that pupils have a solid understanding of the most important skills and understanding in reading, writing and mathematics. Teachers analyse which aspects of the curriculum will make the biggest difference to pupils’ progress. A focus on these provides pupils with secure foundations to move forward in their learning.
• Teachers and teaching assistants generally have high aspirations for every pupil. Pupils are keen to do well and there is a positive learning atmosphere in all classrooms. Pupils whom the inspector spoke with said that teachers make lessons fun and enjoyable.
• In mathematics, teachers use a range of strategies to help pupils to understand mathematical concepts. Pupils in key stage 2, for example, used apparatus and visual imagery to help them to understand short division. This promoted valuable discussion in the lesson, in which they compared their ideas.
• Teachers promote enthusiasm for reading, and pupils understand why reading is important. One said, ‘if you can read better, you get better at writing’. Pupils’ reading skills are well developed in the early years and key stage 1. The impact of the high-quality phonics teaching is evident in pupils’ reading of their work. They also apply their understanding in their writing, and this continues into key stage 2. Pupils of all abilities, including those who are disadvantaged or who speak English as an additional language, make good progress in reading and writing. The school has invested in resources to provide a wider range of books, including those that might appeal to boys.
• A large majority of pupils of all abilities and from all starting points make good progress in writing and produce high-quality work. Work in their books reflects pupils’ enthusiasm to write. Teachers link writing opportunities to meaningful contexts, for example asking pupils to complete homework linked to a recent carnival workshop, providing a stimulus to write. In all classes, pupils show a good understanding of grammar, punctuation and spelling which they are able to apply effectively in their work.
• Pupils take pride in their work. Teachers’ expectations of the quality of pupils’ writing and presentation of work, however, are not as high in other subjects as they are in English.
• Teachers’ subject knowledge is generally good, and this enables them to teach with confidence and accuracy. Where this is strongest, teachers and teaching assistants skilfully question pupils to check their understanding and move their learning forward.
• Teaching assistants are well deployed to support pupils’ learning needs in lessons. Teachers and teaching assistants use a range of well-chosen interventions to support those who are falling behind or need to catch up, including those who are disadvantaged or who speak English as an additional language.
• Teachers set regular homework that consolidates pupils’ learning and prepares them for work in their lessons.
• Teachers are not consistent in moving the most able pupils onto more challenging work quickly enough. The majority of teachers use information that they have about pupils’ knowledge and understanding well to set work that meets their learning needs. Consequently, the large majority of pupils do well. Sometimes, however, the most able pupils do not make enough progress to reach the high standards that they should achieve.
• Teachers do not provide enough opportunities for pupils to develop and communicate their reasoning skills in mathematics. While teachers provide regular problem-solving opportunities, few examples in pupils’ books show work to improve their reasoning skills.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• The school has a strong ethos of friendship and respect for others. Pupils who join the school during the year settle quickly and form good relationships. Adults are positive role models, and pupils respect each other and their school environment.
• Pupils demonstrate their ability to empathise with others from different backgrounds. One pupil in Year 2 told the inspector, ‘We respect each other. We respect other peoples’ ways and lives.’
• Pupils show self-confidence and awareness of how to be a successful learner. Pupils talked about the importance of listening to each other in order to learn, and were able to talk about how they had moved their learning on. Pupils have a good understanding of how to improve their work.
• Pupils have a good knowledge of how to keep safe, including online, and understand the importance of maintaining healthy lifestyles.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good and they enjoy coming to school. Pupils are courteous to each other, staff and visitors. They conduct themselves well at all times of the school day, whether at the busy breakfast club or during a wet playtime, when pupils played games and chatted sensibly with their friends in the school hall.
• Leaders and other staff have high expectations of standards for behaviour and, where there are any concerns, take effective action. Pupils have positive attitudes to their work. They are attentive and attempt all that is asked of them. Pupils only lose focus if work is not well matched to their needs. A very small number of parents raised specific concerns about behaviour, but the inspector could find no evidence of these in lessons or around the school.
• Attendance is below the national average. Leaders carefully monitor the attendance of individual pupils and take appropriate action, including the involvement of the trust’s educational welfare officer and family support worker, to improve the persistent absence of a small group of pupils. Leaders are working to help all parents to understand the importance of attending school every day. As a result of leaders’ concerted efforts, the attendance of some groups, including boys, disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, has improved. However, rates of attendance, including those of disadvantaged pupils, are still too low.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• The majority of pupils make progress that is at least good. From their different starting points, they develop secure knowledge, understanding and skills. As a result, most attain well and are well equipped for the next stage of their education.
• From starting points often below those expected for their age, most children make good progress and achieve well in the early years. Over the past two years, the proportion of pupils who reached a good level of development has been close to the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who passed the Year 1 phonics screening check has exceeded the national average for the last two years. Pupils use and apply their phonics skills and understanding well in their reading and writing.
• From their starting points in the early years, pupils in key stage 1 make good progress. At the end of key stage 1, work in pupils’ books and the school’s assessment information show that pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is close to national averages. The proportions of pupils achieving at greater depth in these subjects were, in some instances, above those seen nationally.
• In lessons and in their work, pupils show a secure understanding of the most important mathematical concepts. Pupils in Year 2 explained confidently how they could apply their understanding of subtraction to check an addition calculation. Similarly, in English, pupils are secure in applying their understanding of spelling, grammar and punctuation to their writing composition work. Pupils of all abilities in Year 1 applied their good understanding of the features of writing a diary entry to produce work of a high quality. Pupils understand how to check their work in order to identify ways to improve it.
• Work in pupils’ books shows that pupils in key stage 2 settle quickly and make rapid progress. Leaders and other teachers quickly identify the needs of pupils joining the school. They put extra support in place where it is required to help pupils catch up quickly and work at the standards expected for their age. As a result, standards are rapidly rising in key stage 2.
• Work in pupils’ books shows that disadvantaged pupils are often making progress similar to that of other pupils, although their attainment is still below that achieved by other pupils nationally.
• The majority of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities receive a good level of support and achieve well in relation to their starting points.
• The quality of pupils’ writing and the standards of presentation are not as high in other subjects as they are in their English books. Teachers have ensured that the quality of pupils’ work, handwriting and presentation has rapidly improved in all classes. Pupils themselves are aware of their own progress. One pupil commented, ‘When I started, it was wonky. Now it’s got a lot better.’ Teachers, however, do not consistently have the same high expectations across the curriculum.
• Leaders and teachers have not been sharp enough in ensuring that the most able pupils do as well as they should. Leaders and teachers check the progress of specific groups of pupils, particularly where they may be at risk of underperformance, including pupils who are disadvantaged and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders follow the performance of these pupils closely, including termly meetings with teachers to identify quickly what needs to be done to help pupils to catch up or make the progress that they should. However, some most-able pupils do not make enough progress to reach the high standards that they should achieve.

Early years provision Good

• Children in the early years make a good start to their school life and make good progress during their time in the Reception Year. Children enter the early years with skills and abilities broadly below those typical for their age, particularly in speaking and writing. By the end of the Reception Year, the proportion of children who achieve a good level of development is close to the national average and they are well prepared for the next stage of their education.
• Leaders are effective in identifying strengths and aspects that need to be improved. The leader of the early years has rightly identified that improving the progress of boys, which is slower than that of girls, is an area of continuing focus in the early years.
• Leaders manage transition arrangements to and from the early years well. The early years leader meets with staff from pre-school settings to understand children’s learning needs before they start the Reception Year. She works closely with the teacher in Year 1 to ensure that children’s good progress continues in key stage 1.
• Children settle quickly and engage positively in the tasks provided for them and in their independent learning. They talk positively and confidently about what they are doing and about their learning. For example, children explained to the inspector the problems in measuring a bendy snake by comparing it to another object.
• The teacher provides a stimulating and engaging environment for children to learn. The indoor and outdoor learning spaces are well planned and resourced. The teacher and adults support children’s learning well.
• Staff check children’s attainment and progress closely, and ensure that judgements are secure through moderation within the trust and with the local authority. They are quick to identify and tackle gaps in children’s learning and development. Leaders have targeted resources, such as the pupil premium and funding, to support children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities well. As a result, children’s ‘learning journey’ records of development show that disadvantaged children and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress from their starting points.
• Links with parents are good. Parents contribute to the ongoing assessment of children’s learning.
• Children behave very well in the early years and enjoy their learning. Leaders and other staff manage the safety and well-being of children well. Safeguarding is effective and all statutory responsibilities are met.
• Tasks and activities are not consistently well matched well to children’s needs. As a result, some children, particularly the most able, do not consistently make the progress that they should.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 140498 Lincolnshire 10031123 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy sponsor-led 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 135 Appropriate authority The academy trust Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Chris Penney Craig Early 01775 714506 www.wygateparkacademy.net wygate@bwaf.net Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• This is the school’s first inspection since opening in September 2014. The school is part of the Boston Witham Academies Federation, a multi-academy trust.
• The headteacher took up his post permanently in February 2017. He was the interim headteacher from November 2016.
• Information about the school’s performance at the end of key stage 1 will be published for the first time in 2017. There are no pupils currently enrolled in Year 6.
• Wygate Park Academy is smaller than the average-sized primary school. Since opening, the number of pupils on roll has increased each year. The school currently has separate classes in the Reception Year, Year 1 and Year 2 (two classes), and a mixed age class for pupils in Years 3, 4 and 5.
• The majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and of pupils who speak English as an additional language are above those seen nationally.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below the national average.
• The school runs a breakfast and after-school club.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed teaching jointly with the headteacher in all year groups. The inspector listened to pupils reading, talked with pupils about their school and looked at examples of their work.
• The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, subject leaders, the school’s designated lead for safeguarding and members of the local governing body. From the trust, he met with the chief executive officer, the head of the primary division, leaders for the provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, the senior education welfare officer and the trust’s lead on safeguarding. In addition, the inspector also met with a senior consultant from the local authority. Discussions explored a wide range of subjects, including safeguarding arrangements.
• The inspector looked at a wide range of school documents including: the school’s self-evaluation of its current performance and its plans for improvement; information relating to the safeguarding of pupils; the school’s most recent information on the attainment and progress of pupils; minutes of meetings of the governing body and the school’s most recent information relating to the attendance of pupils.
• The inspector spoke informally with parents at the start of the school day. Account was taken of the 26 responses to the Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, as well as the 14 responses to a staff questionnaire.

Inspection team

John Lawson, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector