Stradbroke Primary Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Further improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment so that:
  • teachers plan regular opportunities for pupils to practise and extend their basic English and mathematics skills in other subjects
  • teachers have the same high expectations of pupils’ achievement in subjects other than English and mathematics, and encourage all pupils to have the same high expectations of themselves
  • pupils’ consistently make similar progress in writing as they do in reading
  • the most able pupils are provided with work that consistently challenges them to achieve as well as they can.
• Improve the quality of leadership and management by ensuring that:
  • subject leaders fully understand the part they play in raising pupils’ achievement in the subjects for which they are responsible
  • leaders’ plans for improvement are based on regular assessment of pupils’ achievement in all areas of the curriculum.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The executive principal and head of school are ambitious for the pupils and staff at Stradbroke Primary Academy. Since the school opened in December 2014, the leadership team has grown to meet the needs of this very popular school.
• The executive principal is passionate in his drive to ensure that all pupils receive the best start they can to their education. His mantra is, ‘If it isn’t good enough for my own children, it isn’t good enough for our pupils’. This influences every decision he makes and the way that the staff are both trained and supported in their professional development.
• Subject leadership is developing. Some leaders are very new to post and others new to the school. Leaders have a clear understanding of pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics from their starting points. They use this information well to ensure that most pupils make good progress in their learning. However, this is not the case in subjects like history, geography and science. Subject leaders do not assess pupils’ outcomes consistently or routinely within subjects or across the school.
• Leaders invest well in the development of teachers and teaching assistants. Many opportunities are provided for staff to take part in training or to see outstanding practice in other schools. Leaders are keen to ‘grow their own’ teachers. Leaders and governors take great pride in showing the successes that staff have had in either being promoted or taking on wider roles within the school or trust. Staff say they are very appreciative of the opportunities that leaders offer them.
• Relationships between staff and pupils are particularly effective. The school is held in very high regard by the vast majority of parents. One parent commented, ‘My son has settled incredibly well at this school and has transformed from a shy nervous child to a very chatty and much more confident child.’ Success stories like these are numerous, particularly among the most vulnerable pupils or those that are at risk of falling behind.
• The school prepares its pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils are taught about, for example, how different some children’s upbringing is or how Muslim children have to ‘learn the Koran by heart’. Pupils have a clear awareness of British values. The school council plays a key role in decision making and their views are taken very seriously.
• The new curriculum is being developed across the school. Currently, pupils are offered a broad and balanced curriculum with a focus on sport, music and the creative arts, some of which, for key stage 2, takes place in the mandatory after-school enrichment activities. Displays of pupils’ artwork adorn the walls, exploring, for example, aboriginal art and history. Teachers have successfully used the new curriculum to broaden and extend pupils’ reading skills. However, linking of subjects and ensuring that pupils have the opportunities to practise and extend their writing and mathematics skills in other subjects, like geography, history and science, is still developing.
• Reading has been a key focus for the school during the last year, reflecting leaders’ commitment to developing high standards in literacy. As a consequence, pupils read well and confidently. Considerable investment has ensured that reading resources are suitable and age-appropriate. Pupils told inspectors that they like reading. One pupil said, ‘It relaxes me and brings nice images into my head.’
• Leaders have ensured that additional funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is used well. Leadership of this area of the school’s work is strong. As a result, the vast majority of these pupils currently in the school make strong progress from their individual starting points, despite often facing very challenging circumstances.
• Pupil premium funding is used wisely by leaders to support the needs of disadvantaged pupils. Leaders have very effectively identified the barriers to learning experienced by this group and additional staff have been employed to provide both academic and pastoral support. As a result, disadvantaged pupils currently in the school achieve at a broadly similar rate, and sometimes better, than their classmates.
• The additional physical education and sport premium funding is spent well to provide pupils with a wide range of experiences and enhance their skills, and to support teachers’ development in this area of the curriculum. As a result, physical education and sport is delivered well by staff and specialists. Pupils also have access to a growing repertoire of sporting enrichment activities.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is developing well. Pupils take part in a variety of activities and, for example, enjoy singing with other pupils locally. The school’s historical past is used well to ensure that pupils have a good understanding of how people used to live. The school celebrates pupils’ individual and collective successes well, both in sharing assemblies, and by rewarding pupils for demonstrating the school’s core values.

Governance of the school

• Governance is effective. The local governing body brings specialist expertise from a range of areas that is used well to provide leaders with challenge and support. Members have clear areas of responsibility and work with leaders and teachers to check on the ongoing impact of development plans.
• Governors and members of the trust share the executive principal’s high standards, expectations and aspirations for all pupils at Stradbroke. The trust supports leaders’ actions to improve the quality of teaching and management of behaviour. Governors have ensured that performance management processes are used very effectively to support whole-school improvement.
• Governors and the trust members rigorously hold leaders to account for the effective use of pupil and sport premium funding, and additional funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Governors track closely the impact of support that these groups of pupils receive. The executive principal gives governors and the trust regular up-to-date reports on the outcomes for disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders and governors have ensured that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and procedures are followed meticulously. Statutory checks are carried out on the suitability of staff to work with children, including those who work across the trust’s other schools.
• Leaders have established a very positive culture that promotes the importance of safety and well-being of all pupils. Appropriate training ensures that staff have up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding. As a result, they are vigilant about the potential risks that pupils may face.
• Records are kept in good order. Leaders effectively share information with parents and the appropriate external agencies to ensure pupils’ safety and to provide the support that pupils and families need.
• The executive principal is passionate in his desire to support pupils’ welfare and well-being. Teachers and teaching assistants have developed systems that ensure that the growing number of pupils who have additional needs are extremely well supported. For example, leaders have invested heavily in providing regular counselling for the most vulnerable pupils. This contributes well to the pervasive culture of safety and care in the school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers have high expectations of themselves and their pupils. Good support and training have ensured that teaching of reading and mathematics, in particular, has strengthened in the last two years. Subject knowledge in other areas of the curriculum is developing and, as a result, science, for example, is taught increasingly effectively.
• Teachers know their pupils well. They manage behaviour very well, some of which has been challenging and has improved immeasurably over time. ‘Magnet eyes on me’ is a regular phrase teachers use, and to which pupils respond quickly. Work in English and mathematics is well planned and meets the needs of the majority of pupils. Leaders accept that not all teachers consistently challenge the most able pupils, particularly in subjects other than English and mathematics. Nor do teachers have the same high expectations of pupils’ written and mathematical work in, for example, geography, history or science.
• Leaders quickly identify gaps in pupils’ learning which have emerged as a result of the legacy of weaker teaching, or where a growing number of pupils have had barriers to their learning. These gaps are being tackled effectively through support and good quality teaching. This is particularly, but not exclusively, the case in upper key stage 2.
• The majority of teachers use a range of resources and equipment to support pupils’ learning well. Most adults model strategies to support pupils’ learning effectively. An increasing number of pupils are encouraged to investigate their own methods when solving problems in mathematics or carrying out science experiments. For example, in one lesson, pupils used a variety of resources to successfully make a pulley. Nonetheless, despite such examples, pupils do not routinely challenge themselves to think more about what they are learning or what they need to do to improve their work. As a result, written work is not always presented well or with the sense of pride that permeates the rest of the school’s work.
• Teachers have responded well to the school’s new feedback policy which they feel has supported them in being able to focus on moving pupils on in their learning, while also reducing teachers’ workload. The policy is being used by the majority of staff. In one lesson, as pupils composed sentences, one was prompted by a teaching assistant to improve a simple sentence of ‘I am sad I did not listen to you’ to ‘I am devastated that I didn’t listen to your wise words’. However, the feedback policy is not yet consistently impacting on most-able pupils’ learning. Assessment of pupils’ work in subjects other than English and mathematics is still at an early stage of development in the new curriculum.
• Work in pupils’ books evidences the progress that pupils make in English and mathematics, and to some extent in religious education and science. In some classes, ‘Make this the best you can’ is the mantra when pupils are editing their work. However, even in these classes, pupils are not always encouraged to produce their best work.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Leaders are passionate in their drive to support all pupils and to give them the best life chances. As a result, the school is extremely popular and oversubscribed. Every one of the parents who responded to Ofsted’s online survey would recommend the school to others. As one said, ‘The support that my child has had since the beginning is absolutely fantastic and their help goes a long way!’
• Pupils wear their school uniform with a real sense of pride in their ‘fun and safe’ school. Those pupils spoken to during the inspection were keen to explain to inspectors how well cared for and safe they feel. They know about keeping themselves safe when, for example, using the internet or crossing the busy road on which the school is situated.
• Pupils at Stradbroke show each other respect and care, the latter being a school value. Older pupils support younger children on the playground and in the dining hall, and are keen to make sure that they play with ‘anyone on the playground who looks lonely’.
• School leaders provide opportunities for pupils to make a difference in the school and beyond, for example taking part in the St Andrew’s Festival in Gorleston. The school council meets regularly to share the views of pupils. Recently, members of the school council were involved in the interview process for the last two staff appointments.
• The school is keen to celebrate all pupils’ achievements, both at school and outside the school. The ‘wow wall’ is full of awards that pupils have received, for example for winning individual fights in karate, or auditioning for a role in Matilda. Pupils are very excited when they are able to wear the ‘star of the week’ t-shirt, or they receive the award for being ‘citizen of the week’ for displaying one of the school’s core values.
• Pupils know that bullying is ‘Where people are being hurtful and they don’t stop’. They are clear that there is no bullying in the school. They are equally clear that they know who to go to if they are worried about anything, and they are confident that they will be listened to and supported.
• Parents are fulsome in their praise for the way in which their children are supported and cared for. Comments were numerous: ‘The school is a lovely close-knit supportive environment for our children to learn in and I couldn’t recommend it more’; ‘The support that my child has had since the beginning is absolutely fantastic and their help goes a long way!’ ‘My boy comes home happy and confident. I can’t say thank you enough.’

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils behave very well in lessons, in and around the school, and on the playground. They are mutually supportive and cooperate with one another during lessons, enjoying opportunities that teachers give them to share their ideas with their classmates.
• The school’s positive behaviour system is understood well by pupils. They know the consequences of poor behaviour and, as a consequence, there are now few incidents. However, leaders are very clear that it has taken time and dedication by all staff and pupils to get to this stage. Leaders spoke passionately about the considerable progress that some pupils have made in managing their feelings so that they are ready to learn.
• Pupils know the importance of learning. The vast majority are eager to please the executive principal and their teachers. Most demonstrate excellent attitudes to learning, whether when guided or when working independently.
• Pupils enjoy coming to school and the vast majority attend regularly and punctually. Leaders work closely with families and external agencies to ensure good attendance and to sensitively support parents in ensuring that their children arrive on time and ready for the school day. Many parents take up the option of their children coming to the well-run breakfast club.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• In the three years since the school opened, leaders and teachers have worked hard to ensure good levels of achievement in reading, writing and mathematics. As a result, outcomes have improved over this time and progress from pupils’ original starting points is good.
• Pupils acquire phonics knowledge well and make good progress in their reading skills from their initial starting points. The provisional results in 2017 indicate that achievement in phonics will be above the national average.
• The 2017 cohort of pupils in Year 2, including those who are disadvantaged, made strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics from the start of their time in key stage 1. The proportion of pupils achieving greater depth in writing and mathematics also appears to be above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6, in 2017, looks set to be above the national average. Progress for this group of pupils is strongest in reading, as a result of the school’s focus on this area of the curriculum. There is some variation in the progress of disadvantaged pupils, particularly in writing.
• The school’s own assessment information and the work in pupils’ books show that there is still a way to go for some pupils to achieve as well as they should. Leaders are aware that progress must be consistently strong for those pupils in, for example, lower key stage 2 in order for them to achieve at least the expected standard by the time they leave in Year 6.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are very well supported by staff, who have received training in order to support pupils’ individual needs. As a result, this group of pupils is making strong progress from their individual starting points. Leaders plan well for the increasing proportion of disadvantaged pupils in the school who also have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Although some progress has been made in the proportion of pupils who achieve the higher standards by the end of key stage 2, pupils throughout the school are not always sufficiently challenged to achieve the best that they can. Work in pupils’ books in English and mathematics, particularly in lower key stage 2, shows that pupils could be moved on quicker in their learning. Pupils themselves say that they find some of their work in writing and mathematics too easy, although they also say that they do not readily challenge themselves.
• Work in pupils’ books in subjects like geography, history or science is not consistently of the same standard as it is in English and mathematics. Leaders are working hard to ensure that there are consistently high expectations by all staff for pupils to achieve well in all areas of the curriculum. This is still at a relatively early stage as the new curriculum becomes embedded across the school. There is, therefore, room for improvement in the quality of work that pupils produce in subjects other than English and mathematics.

Early years provision Outstanding

• Leadership of the early years is very strong. Leaders and staff have made recent improvements to the early years provision and have created a bright, stimulating environment for children to learn in.
• A significant proportion of children enter the school with skills that are often well below those typical for their age. This is particularly so in communication, language and literacy, and in the development of personal, social and emotional aspects of learning.
• The leader of the early years has created a highly organised team. Each member of the team knows the children’s individual needs well and what support each child needs to take their learning forward. As a result of incisive leadership, precise assessment and high-quality teaching, children make good and often outstanding progress from very low starting points.
• The environment is rich with language and opportunities for children to test out their speaking and listening, as well as early writing and reading skills. Inspectors were impressed by the way that children in the Reception class have settled well despite it being so early in the new term. They confidently talked with inspectors about what they were exploring. For example, four children were engrossed in an activity in the sandpit to create their own houses. All of them contributed to the discussion about what shape mould they might need to use to create the shape of house they wanted. They could all confidently recognise square, circular and triangular shapes.
• Children are keen to learn, as activities are fun and engaging and capture their imaginations, especially during ‘cool’ time. ‘Creating our own learning’ undoubtedly heightens children’s inquisitiveness, for example with the use of illuminated torches which children use to make shadows or look in detail at something they have found interesting. Inspectors also observed children choosing activities involving number. Many could be seen counting from one to ten, ordering numbers correctly and selecting random numbers on cards when asked.
• Children are encouraged to be independent learners as soon as they start school. Adults model areas of learning very effectively, and children follow their good example. A group of boys playing in the role play area got their ‘babies ready to go out for a walk in the pushchairs’, confidently checking the babies’ nappies and changing their clothes before they left the ‘house’. Fascinating to watch.
• The teacher and teaching assistants are adept at talking with and questioning children. This develops children’s understanding and their confidence in speaking and listening. Adults sensitively observe and record children’s learning and interactions with others, and instinctively know when to support or intervene.
• Leaders and staff place great importance on developing effective partnerships with parents and pre-school provisions. One parent wrote, ‘The reception staff made the journey for starting school life really enjoyable for my son.’ This carefully planned work has been particularly effective this year. As a result, children entering the Reception class are much more ready for school than in previous years. The majority of children, therefore, have skills that are broadly typical for their age. Parents are effusive in their praise of the welcome they receive by staff in the early years. As one parent said, ‘My daughter has just started in Reception. Her confidence has excelled and she can’t wait to go back the next day.’
• Safeguarding practices in the Reception class are highly effective. Children are taught how to keep themselves safe from an early age. The robust safeguarding culture that permeates the school is equally apparent in the early years. There are no breaches of statutory welfare requirements.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 141358 Norfolk 10036100 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 213 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Executive Principal Telephone number Website Email address Dame Rachel de Souza Stephen Astley 01493 662220 www.inspirationtrust.org/stradbrokeprimary stradbrokeoffice@inspirationtrust.org Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website and complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• The school converted to academy status in December 2014 and is a member of the Inspiration Trust.
• It meets the government’s current floor standards.
• Most pupils are of White British heritage. The vast majority of pupils speak English as their first language.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is rising and is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, including those who have a statement of educational needs and those who have an education, health and care plan, is below the national average but rising.
• The school runs its own breakfast and after-school clubs, as well as daily enrichment activities for key stage 2 pupils.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors held meetings with the executive principal, head of school, the special educational needs coordinator and subject leaders. The lead inspector also held meetings with a group of randomly selected pupils, and four members of the governing body, including the chair, who is also the CEO of the trust. Inspectors also spoke with representatives of the trust about safeguarding and the curriculum.
• Inspectors gathered a range of evidence to judge the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. Inspectors observed learning in 16 lessons, or parts of lessons, some jointly with the executive principal or head of school.
• Together with leaders, inspectors looked in detail at a range of pupils’ work in different subjects in their books from this year and the last academic year. Inspectors heard some pupils read and spoke with pupils throughout the inspection about their learning.
• Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including the school’s checks on the suitability of adults to work with children, and other documentation regarding safer recruitment of staff. Leaders made available the school’s own self-evaluation document, academy action plan, subject leaders’ action plans, minutes of governing body meetings, and documentation regarding child protection.
• The lead inspector took into consideration the responses of 12 staff to the online survey, and the views of 57 parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, or by text message.

Inspection team

Ruth Brock, lead inspector Heather Hann Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector