Djanogly Strelley Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching and learning by ensuring that:
  • teachers give opportunities for pupils to fully develop punctuation, spelling and grammar skills in order to write extended pieces of writing in a wide range of subjects.
  • teachers enable the more able pupils to achieve at the higher levels in English and mathematics by moving them on to more-challenging work quicker.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher has been supported by senior leaders in his determination to improve the school. They have put robust systems in place to monitor and evaluate every key aspect of school life. As a result, the quality of teaching and assessment is strong and pupils make good progress in their learning.
• Subject leaders are both knowledgeable and enthusiastic. They support senior leaders very well. There is a successful common drive for continuous improvement among leaders, which is reflected in pupils’ higher achievements.
• Plans for school improvement include clear criteria to help leaders and governors evaluate the impact of the actions taken. Timelines are included so that all leaders know what is to be done and when. All staff are clear about their responsibilities for bringing the plans to fruition. The school is therefore well placed to continue to improve.
• Leaders responsible for provision in the early years and for those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are effective. These leaders know the pupils very well and ensure that activities are planned carefully to stimulate and motivate them to make good progress across the curriculum.
• Staff members have great confidence in the leadership team and say that they are fully supported and cared for. Training for staff is appropriate and well received. Consequently, staff are up to date with key educational issues and are keen to further develop their knowledge and skills.
• Leaders have developed strong links with other schools within the trust. This enables them to compare the work of the school with that of others and to learn from each other. This provides good opportunities for staff to moderate pupils’ work to ensure that the assessment information available to them is accurate.
• There is a robust system in place for managing the performance of teachers. Challenging targets are set that are reviewed regularly. Only when these targets have been successfully achieved are pay rises awarded. All members of staff are subject to target-setting and performance reviews.
• The school is fully committed to providing equal opportunities for all and the curriculum is modified effectively to meet the pupils’ needs. Pupils enjoy a good range of extra-curricular activities offered by the school, including girls’ and boys’ football, gymnastics and Bhangra dancing.
• Leaders have created a safe and secure environment within all areas of the school and a culture that puts safeguarding as a priority.
• Leaders have used the pupil premium funding very well to accelerate the progress of disadvantaged pupils. There is a range of intervention strategies to meet the academic and pastoral needs of disadvantaged pupils. Teachers have half a day a week to work with individuals and groups of pupils who need specific targeted support. As a result of these strategies, the disadvantaged pupils in the 2016 end of key stage 2 assessments made above-average progress compared to other pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Leaders have used the physical education (PE) and sports premium effectively to ensure that pupils have broadened their experiences and regularity of physical activity. A sports coach provides specialist provision for pupils. Teachers have benefited greatly from observing and joining in with these sessions. Nearly 400 pupils participated in an activity last year, compared to around 150 in 2015. These activities include basketball, athletics, netball and playground games. The school is currently the Nottingham City dodgeball champion.

Governance of the school

• Governance is effective. Governors are passionate, knowledgeable and keen for the school and the local community to succeed. They know the strengths and areas for development of the school well because they receive high-quality reports from the headteacher on key aspects of the school’s work.
• Minutes from meetings show that governors ask relevant and perceptive questions that provide challenge and support to school leaders, while also holding them fully to account for their actions.
• Governors visit the school to gather first-hand evidence of how new initiatives are having an impact on pupils’ progress. This evidence is shared with all governors at the next meeting. A recent governor visit focused on the effectiveness of the provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Governors monitor the impact of the additional funding the school receives. This includes the pupil premium and primary sport funding.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders and governors have undertaken safer recruitment training. This ensures that only adults who have had the appropriate training and employment checks work or volunteer at the school.
• Leaders ensure that pupils’ safety and well-being are at the heart of the school’s work. There are comprehensive systems in place to ensure that pupils are safe. Leaders ensure that staff who are new to the school know the correct action to take should they have a concern about a pupil’s welfare. The record-keeping is of a good quality and the records contain any further actions taken by the school.
• Safeguarding training for staff and governors is comprehensive. All staff have undertaken the ‘Prevent’ training, which helps them to protect pupils who are at risk from extremism and radicalisation.
• Leaders and staff create a secure and safe environment where pupils’ welfare is important. Consequently, parents know their children are kept safe and pupils feel safe and secure in school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The good quality of teaching, learning and assessment enables pupils to make good progress from their starting points. The relationships between adults and pupils are good. The classrooms are orderly and pupils respond well to the learning tasks.
• Teachers use the school’s assessment and tracking system well to ensure that pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. They closely monitor groups and individual pupils and are quick to offer support should any fall behind. Those pupils who are disadvantaged and/or have special educational needs and/or disabilities are tracked particularly carefully.
• Teachers plan lessons carefully to motivate and interest pupils using the school’s own stimulating ‘Quest’ curriculum. For example, in a Year 5 class, all pupils were highly engaged to learn about the phases of the moon.
• Learning is most effective when teachers and teaching assistants use skilful questioning techniques in order to deepen the knowledge that pupils have already gained. Pupils have to explain their answers in greater detail and give reasons why they have reached a particular conclusion. This was particularly evident in a Year 6 mathematics bar charts lesson observed during the inspection.
• Pupils respond well to the feedback they are given about how to improve their work. As a result, pupils are clear as to what their targets are and what they should do next in order to improve further.
• Phonics is taught well. Staff have good subject knowledge and help pupils make good progress. There is also the opportunity for pupils to practise their handwriting skills during these sessions.
• Homework activities are set regularly and cover a range of subjects. Parents are invited to celebration events in order for pupils to show the activities they have completed. These events are well attended by parents. There is a weekly homework club that allows pupils to complete any activities where they require extra support or resources.
• Teaching assistants undertake appropriate training and are skilled in ensuring that pupils of all abilities are supported in their learning and cared for well.
• Provision for pupils in ‘The Blue House’ is very good. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are timetabled to attend in order to develop their personal, social and academic skills. Adults are highly skilled in recognising the support these pupils require and deliver this support in a caring and supportive manner. Parents speak highly regarding this aspect of the school’s work.
• Pupils do not always use spelling, punctuation and grammar skills well enough when they are writing at length and in other subjects.
• The most able pupils are not always suitably challenged in English and mathematics. This is because teachers do not move them on to harder work quickly enough. As a result of this, some do not reach the higher levels of attainment of which they are capable.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development is good.
• Staff know pupils and their families well. Teachers and leaders encourage parents to visit the school and become more involved in their child’s education. The number of parents who attend curriculum workshops, listen to their child read in school and attend the ‘celebration days’ is increasing.
• The five values of ambition, inspiration, achievement, resilience and partnership underpin the work of the school. Pupils are reminded of these values in assemblies and are rewarded with an ‘integrity badge’ when they have shown great honesty or moral purpose. This work is an important part of the school’s drive to prepare pupils for life in modern Britain.
• Pupils overwhelmingly say that they feel safe in the school. For example, one pupil said, ‘I can talk to any grown-up and the adults always help me.’ In its curriculum, the school places a strong emphasis on encouraging pupils to stay safe, including when online, out on their bicycles and when crossing the road.
• Pupils say that staff are quick to deal with any rare instances of bullying that occur. Pupils show a good understanding of the different forms that bullying can take.
• Pupils are self-confident and have a good understanding of how to be successful learners. The majority of pupils say that the level of challenge they receive in their work is about right. However, a small number in lower key stage 2 wished to have harder work in mathematics.
• Pupils have a good understanding of British values. This results from, for example, the democratic process being explored thoroughly through pupil elections to the school parliament and pupils in Year 6 having recently examined the rule of law.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils are taught effectively about faiths other than their own and they visit different places of worship. The curriculum promotes other languages throughout the year. Pupils experience, for example, Polish, Hindi, French, Swahili and Mandarin. There are assemblies, workshops and whole-day celebration events that support pupils’ knowledge and understanding of countries and cultures around the world.
• Pupils take great pride in the singing of their school song ‘Little Acorns’. This was composed by pupils and is sung regularly. The inspector who observed this assembly said that the standard of singing was ‘breathtaking’.
• All pupils look smart in their school uniform and they are proud to be members of Djanogly Strelley Academy. They are punctual at the start of the day.
• The school runs a well-resourced and popular breakfast club that enables the pupils to begin the day with a safe and healthy start.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils and parents say that behaviour in the school is good and that positive relationships exist between all adults and pupils within the school.
• Staff use the behaviour policy consistently. Pupils understand this policy well and they know that there are consequences should they misbehave. Behaviour in classrooms, assemblies, around the school and on the playground is typically good. There are very rare minor disturbances to learning and when these do occur they are dealt with well.
• There are clear, well thought out plans in place for those pupils who have behaviour difficulties. These plans help pupils and adults manage this behaviour sensitively and effectively. As a result, the number of instances of poor behaviour is falling.
• Pupils show good manners when talking to each other, staff and visitors. They often hold doors open for one another and respectfully allow adults to go first. They greeted inspectors politely and spoke maturely about their learning and the school.
• Pupils show respect for equipment and resources that belong to the school. Consequently, classrooms and shared resource areas are kept neat and tidy
• The good work the school carries out to improve pupils’ attendance is starting to have a positive impact. Attendance rates have risen from well below the national figure in 2015 to just below the national figure for 2016. There has been a particular improvement in attendance for the disadvantaged pupils. These improvements are a result of the policies and procedures that are in place, along with the tenacity of the attendance officer.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• The school’s data, work in pupils’ books and work seen in lessons indicate that pupils make good progress from their various starting points in reading, writing and mathematics. Consequently, pupils are well prepared for the next stage in their education.
• However, the school’s current assessment information indicates that pupils in all year groups are not currently performing as well in writing as they are in reading and mathematics. There are also not as many pupils working at a greater depth in reading, writing and mathematics across the school as there could be.
• Teachers carefully analyse assessment information. Any pupils who fall behind, including disadvantaged pupils and those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, are identified quickly and given the support they need in order to catch up.
• In 2016, by the end of key stage 2, disadvantaged pupils made progress that was better than that made by other pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics.
• In 2016, by the end of key stage 1, a higher proportion of disadvantaged pupils achieved the expected levels than other pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. The use of pupil premium funding for disadvantaged pupils is therefore highly effective.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who achieved the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check was broadly in line with other pupils nationally in 2016.
• Fewer pupils achieved the required level in the spelling, punctuation and grammar test and also at the higher level in reading and mathematics than was seen nationally by the end of key stage 2 in 2016.
• Support programmes for those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities enable them to make good progress. For example, all 10 pupils who recently undertook a reading recovery programme went on to attain the required level in the Year 1 phonics check.
• Teachers regularly moderate their assessments of pupils’ achievement in reading, writing and mathematics with other schools from the trust. This robust system ensures that assessments are an accurate reflection of pupils’ abilities and, therefore, the next steps in pupils’ learning are planned carefully. Consequently, pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, make the progress they should.

Early years provision

• Children enter the early years with knowledge and skills that are well below those of

Good

other children nationally. Links with parents and outside agencies, for example the speech and language team, are strong. Staff make home visits before children start in Nursery and for those children who are new to Reception. Consequently, staff have a good knowledge of children before they start at the school and this helps the children to settle quickly and make good progress.

• Attainment has improved sharply over the last three years. The proportions of children, including disadvantaged children, who achieved a good level of development in 2016 were broadly in line with those of other pupils nationally. Leaders are therefore ensuring that the pupil premium funding is being used effectively.
• Staff have a clear and detailed knowledge of the learning of each child. Assessments are undertaken daily and as a result, teachers and teaching assistants are clear as to what the next steps in a child’s learning are. Parents make regular contributions to the assessment process through the ‘star’ and ‘postcard’ displays. These help staff to maintain up-to-date knowledge about each child.
• Staff use key questions well to promote children’s speaking and listening skills in the Nursery. An example observed by an inspector was: ‘Can you make a pirate ship with your friend?’ As a result, children develop their vocabulary quickly and learn to communicate more effectively with adults and each other.
• Children make particularly good progress in writing and mathematics in the Reception classes. For example, children who were correctly forming individual letters in September had progressed to writing emerging sentences during the autumn term.
• Leadership in the early years is good. Leaders have ensured that the recently updated outdoor areas have a wide range of stimulating learning activities. These include opportunities for children to practise their writing, grow vegetables in an allotment and take care of several chickens. As a result of this, children are developing their knowledge and understanding of the world well.
• The behaviour of children while completing activities both inside and outside is good. This is because the activities are interesting and stimulating and the highly competent staff ask skilful questions in order to deepen children’s knowledge and understanding.
• Children in the early years are well prepared for the next stage in their education because the quality of teaching provided by teachers and teaching assistants is consistently good.
• Children work and play happily together. They enjoy school and develop positive attitudes to learning. They particularly enjoy the routine of brushing their teeth at the start of the afternoon session.
• Safeguarding is effective. Children are cared for well and kept safe and secure in school. Parents are as extremely positive about the provision in the early years as they are about provision in the rest of the school.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 140555 Nottingham 10023078 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 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 453 Appropriate authority Djanogly Learning Trust Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Raphael Richards Tim Jeffs 0115 8845913 www.djanoglystrelleyacademy.co.uk admin@strelley.djanogly.org Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The Djanogly Strelley Academy became an academy sponsored by the Djanogly Learning Trust in February 2014.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specific information on its website.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.

• The school is much larger than average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is above average and the proportion who speak English as an additional language is broadly average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is well above average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is well above average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed lessons in all classes and examined a wide variety of pupils’ books from a range of subjects. Senior leaders accompanied inspectors during many of these activities.
• Inspectors held a range of meetings with the executive headteacher, the headteacher, deputy headteacher, subject and other leaders, and a group of governors. A telephone conversation was held with the chair of the board of directors from the trust. Inspectors spoke with pupils in groups, in lessons and around the school, and listened to them read.
• Inspectors scrutinised a range of documents, including minutes of the governing body meetings, current assessment information provided by the school, the school development plan, plans written by the reading, writing and mathematics subject leaders and records relating to safeguarding.
• Inspectors talked with parents before school, examined the results of eight responses to the Ofsted free text service and took into account a recent parental survey carried out by the school. There were not enough responses on the Ofsted online Parent View questionnaire to create any results.

Inspection team

Peter Stonier, lead inspector Caroline Oliver Dorothy Stenson

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector