Freemans Endowed Church of England Junior Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve quality and impact of leadership and management by:
  • developing the roles of subject leaders so that they all contribute effectively to raising further achievement across the curriculum.
• Improve the quality of teaching and learning so that it has greater impact on the progress of pupils by:
  • making sure that the most able pupils are given work that is sufficiently challenging and that teachers’ questioning extends and deepens their learning
  • ensuring that pupils have enough opportunities to practise their extended writing skills across the curriculum
  • ensuring that pupils are provided with opportunities to develop their problem-solving and reasoning skills in mathematics lessons.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• There is a strong culture of aspiration across the school. This is exemplified by the principal, who provides strong and determined leadership. She sets high expectations for both staff and pupils. Leaders know the strengths and areas for development within the school well.
• Leaders have kept a sharp focus on improving the quality of teaching. They use evidence from lesson observations, and information about pupils’ progress, to help teachers improve their effectiveness. High-quality professional development has improved the effectiveness of teaching.
• Performance management is used well to support and develop staff. Staff understand their roles and responsibilities because there are regular checks on teaching and learning by senior leaders. These are followed up by good-quality feedback.
• Leaders have ensured that the curriculum is broad and balanced. They have included a range of topics that interest and motivate pupils. This has enabled pupils to make good progress across the curriculum. However, opportunities are missed to extend and challenge the most able in some subjects.
• Pupils appreciate the rich range of extra-curricular activities which develop their sporting, musical and academic skills, for example drama, choir and dodgeball.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and their understanding of British values are promoted well by staff. Through the curriculum, special events and visitors to the school, pupils experience a wide range of opportunities to learn about different faiths, cultures and traditions.
• The majority of parents comment favourably about the school and value the positive partnership that they have with staff and governors. Discussions with parents in the playground, and analysis of the Parent View responses, show that most parents are very happy with the school’s performance. Pupils enjoy school, communication between the school and parents has improved and the teachers are very approachable.
• The majority of subject leaders are new to their positions and are developing their leadership roles. They receive effective training opportunities from the school leaders. However, not all subject leaders use their checks on teaching and learning to ensure that teaching and learning are consistently good.
• Leaders and governors use the additional funding for disadvantaged pupils and those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities effectively. For example, the employment of a pupil premium lead and the funding of staff to provide additional help for small groups of pupils are leading to better progress for both groups of pupils.
• The PE and sport premium is used effectively to increase pupils’ participation in sporting activities and to raise the quality of teaching in physical education lessons.

Governance of the school

• Governors provide good levels of challenge and support. During a time when a new principal has been recruited, they have ensured that standards have kept improving. Governors have evaluated their own performance effectively and put in place strategies to keep improving. Governors make considerable efforts to get to know the school well through regular visits and attendance at events such as assemblies, parents’ evenings and school productions.
• Governors have an ambitious long-term vision for the school. They have clearly defined the kind of school they want Freemans to be and have contributed strongly to the review of the school’s values. Their understanding of the needs of their pupils is reflected in their decision to employ a family worker to work with local families. This helps ensure that disadvantaged pupils, and potentially vulnerable pupils, have the best possible chance to make good progress.
• Governors have a good understanding of the quality of teaching throughout the school. Regular monitoring of pupils’ achievement takes place and a committee meets to challenge the school on its academic performance. Governors have ensured that performance management processes are rigorous and that there is a clear link between the quality of teaching, pupils’ outcomes and the pay progression of teachers.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The school has focused on ensuring that pupils feel safe and well cared for. As a result, pupils report that they feel secure and know whom to go to should they have a concern.
• Staff and governors have a clear understanding of safeguarding and have benefited from the training that has been delivered to support them. They understand their roles and the procedures they must follow to keep pupils safe. The safeguarding leader provides regular staff updates and ensures that all staff are confident in their role.
• Staff receive up-to-date training, which includes how to identify ways that pupils may be at risk from extremist views. Staff are fluent with the procedures to report any concerns about a pupil’s welfare.
• Leaders respond promptly to concerns about pupils’ welfare. The school has a family support worker who regularly liaises with families to ensure that support is in place for vulnerable pupils. Action is prompt, with effective guidance to support families. For example, the school uses a community room to deliver sessions on how parents can support their children’s learning and to provide information on welfare. The school also provides opportunities for parents to receive adult learning sessions.
• Leaders work closely with external agencies to make sure that pupils are safe. Where there are concerns, leaders meet regularly with parents to discuss their child’s welfare and ways to support the family. Leaders are assertive on matters concerning pupils’ welfare and safety.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching and learning across the school is good. Pupils are enthusiastic and motivated to learn. For example, in an English lesson, pupils engaged wholeheartedly in the ‘rabbits’ theme. They used imaginative adverbs and powerful verbs related to the topic in their writing. Discussions with pupils show that they enjoy lessons and believe that they are challenged to work hard.
• Interviews with pupils show that they enjoy reading a wide range of books and often choose challenging texts. The library has been refreshed and is used well to support the good progress that pupils make in reading.
• Pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. This progress is brought about by the good subject knowledge of teachers. Teachers provide helpful feedback about the pupils’ work, to ensure that pupils know what they are doing well and how to improve further.
• In mathematics, pupils’ books indicate that they do not spend enough time developing their problem-solving and reasoning skills. On occasions, in lessons, opportunities are missed to use questioning to extend and deepen learning.
• Teachers and teaching assistants work effectively together to ensure that all groups of pupils make at least good progress. This is particularly evident in their work with pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Interventions by staff are timely and well focused on pupils’ learning needs. They promote pupils’ independence and ensure that they make good progress.
• Relationships between staff and pupils are caring and respectful. Pupils enjoy their learning because they know that their efforts are always valued.
• Pupils’ workbooks show that not all teachers provide enough activities that challenge the most able pupils, particularly in writing. As a result, the most able pupils do not always reach the high standards that they are capable of achieving.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils are confident and self-assured because they know what is expected of them. For example, pupils speak with confidence about how to keep safe on the internet and look after each other.
• The school’s values are evident in the bright and interesting displays of the pupils’ learning experiences. The pupils understand these values. Pupils learn about responsibility, friendship, tolerance, forgiveness and courage. Pupils receive constant reminders of the school’s expectations, which they respond to positively.
• Pupils are given a wide range of responsibilities throughout the school. These are appreciated by the pupils, whether it is acting as a librarian or as a playground organiser.
• Pupils’ good health and well-being are successfully promoted through a wide range of equipment available for pupils to use at breaktime. They also enjoy additional sports activities and competitive sports teams. Pupils are aware of the need for healthy eating and appreciate the food provided for them in the well-organised school lunch hall.

Behaviour

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Outcomes for pupils have improved since the previous inspection. The proportions of pupils attaining the expected standard were above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2 in 2016.
• The progress of pupils currently in school is strongest in reading and mathematics. The progress made by disadvantaged pupils is close to that of other pupils nationally.
• Progress in writing is less strong, but is close to the national average. Pupils do not have enough opportunities to practise their extended writing skills across the curriculum.
• Work in pupils’ books, and current assessments, suggest that the current rates of progress for disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are at least good. This is because the school tracks closely the impact of additional support for these groups and makes any necessary adjustments to secure good outcomes.
• The teaching of grammar, punctuation and spelling is good. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard is higher than the national average.
• The progress of the most able pupils is above average in reading and mathematics. It is close to the national average in writing. Work in pupils’ books, however, indicates that opportunities are missed to challenge this group of pupils to attain even higher standards.

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School details

Unique reference number 139461 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 10023109 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 7 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 238 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Principal Mr Paul Stuart Ms Victoria Wallis-O’Dell Telephone number 01922 274870 Website Email address www.freemansendowed.org admin@freemansendowed.org Date of previous inspection 3–4 March 2015

Information about this school

• The principal joined the school in January 2016 as vice-principal. She was appointed to the post of principal with effect from September 2016. There is currently no vice-principal.
• The school is a stand-alone academy with its own governing body.
• The proportion of pupils who are supported by the pupil premium funding is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average.
• The school complies with DfE guidance on what academies should publish.
• The school meets the requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress at the end of key stage 2.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in all classes in the school. Some lessons were seen jointly with school leaders.
• Meetings were held with the principal, senior and middle leaders, and one representative from the trust. Two governors from the interim academy improvement board were also interviewed.
• Inspectors scrutinised in detail a range of pupils’ books in a variety of subjects.
• Inspectors looked at a wide range of the school’s documentation, including: the school’s evaluation of its own performance and development plan; information on pupils’ attainment and progress; behaviour, bullying and attendance records; safeguarding procedures; reviews of the pupil premium and the sport premium; and minutes of the meetings held between the senior education adviser from the trust and the principal.
• Inspectors observed behaviour around the school, including at break and lunchtimes. They spoke formally to one group of pupils and informally with others around the school. One inspector listened to pupils reading.
• The 38 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, were considered. Inspectors spoke with parents before school.
• There were no responses to the pupil or staff questionnaires.

Inspection team

Philip Garnham, lead inspector Emma Nuttall Annabel Bolt Ofsted Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector