Ark Blacklands Primary Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Continue to raise the proportion of pupils reaching the highest levels of attainment, especially in writing.

• Realise leaders’ ambition to provide a first-rate computing curriculum so that pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The executive principal has pursued the highest quality of education for pupils tirelessly and resiliently. Her diligence, commitment and clear vision have galvanised all staff and governors to share in her mission for excellence. United, they are ambitious for pupils’ outcomes and have high aspirations for them. Staff overwhelmingly are delighted to work at the school. As a result, a culture of self-improvement is strongly embedded and the school has gone from strength to strength. A parent expressed the views of many by saying that: ‘The school has completely turned around from where it was a few years ago. I am proud to be part of the Blacklands community.’
• Leaders, governors and all staff know the strengths of the school in impressive detail. Commendably, they are never complacent and continually analyse the school’s effectiveness to find out what could be even better. Leaders use this information to formulate precise plans to forge school improvement, and do it extremely well.
• Most parents are supportive of the school and would recommend the school to other parents. They are particularly complimentary of the quality of teaching and the progress their children make. Many parents shared their views enthusiastically, saying such things as, ‘Her learning and education is impeccable’ and ‘There is an opportunity for parents to become involved in volunteering and enrichment activities; the school is very welcoming.’ Leaders know that there is always more scope to engage parents in the education of their children and to provide information that keeps them informed about how well their children are achieving.
• The executive principal is sharply focused on developing leaders from within the school and is adept at identifying talent and allowing staff to flourish. As a result, leaders at all levels contribute to the school’s strategic direction. Leaders value the high-quality support they receive from within the Ark academy trust, resulting in committed leaders who are thirsty for career development so that they are able to have an even greater impact on pupils’ lives.
• Middle leaders contribute highly effectively to school development and are passionate about their areas of responsibility. They have been integral in improving the quality of teaching, often providing valuable feedback and support to help colleagues improve. Middle leaders value the opportunities and additional training they have received to give them the skills necessary to undertake their roles.
• Leaders have improved the quality of teaching across the school. Teachers who are new to the profession are supported extremely well. The school has rigorous and highly effective systems for managing the performance of teachers. Training and development are used very judiciously to provide staff with the necessary skills to improve their practice. Staff are self-reflective and have a strong desire to improve. They engage extremely well in the school’s coaching and mentoring improvement philosophy. Subsequently, the quality of teaching is outstanding and has led to outstanding outcomes for pupils.
• Assessment procedures are in place to track pupils’ progress through the curriculum introduced in 2014. Leaders were quick to establish robust tracking systems which are being used systematically by staff to bring about rapid improvements in outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils. Leaders’ analysis of pupils’ performance information is extensive and accurate which allows them to intervene swiftly to ensure that no pupils are left behind and the most able pupils are doing as well as they should.
• Additional government funding given to the school, including pupil premium and sports funding, is allocated well to support the needs of pupils. As a result, pupils make rapid progress, and disadvantaged pupils’ attainment is commonly above the achievement of all pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics across the school.
• The leader responsible for the primary sport funding is zealous about the impact of sport on the all-round development of pupils. Subsequently, effective use of sports funding has had a positive impact on pupils’ eagerness to participate in sport and has improved their knowledge of how to stay healthy. More and more pupils are engaged in additional activities and continue their love of sport into secondary education. The most able pupils are given additional opportunities to help them excel and experience a wide range of competitive sport. Staff are more confident to teach high-quality physical education lessons and there has been a reduction of incidents in the playground.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced, inclusive and enriched, because of the extensive range of subjects and extended activities the school offers. The curriculum adds to the achievements of pupils in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils say that they learn about a wide range of subjects and enjoy them, receiving ‘just the right amount’ of each. Pupils’ well-being is enhanced because their spiritual, moral, social and cultural experiences are carefully planned by school leaders and analysed to make sure that they are having a positive impact on pupils’ development. This is strongly underpinned by ‘habits of success’ which are displayed in every classroom. Consequently, pupils reflect British values that are modelled superbly by staff.
• The school belongs to a local informal collaboration of schools, known as the Hastings Education Improvement Partnership, which provides valuable peer support for the executive principal and allows leaders to have a positive impact on the lives of pupils in the town of Hastings and beyond. The executive principal is single-minded in her belief that all pupils deserve the very best education and opportunities in life. This is an ideal platform for the school to build on the excellent work it has already started in this area.

Governance of the school

• Governors are focused on the strategic direction of the school. They know the strengths and weaknesses of the school in depth because they are dedicated and committed to their responsibilities.
• Governors seek to strengthen collaboration and partnerships actively, to share practice and improve the school further.
• They share leaders’ ambitions for pupils and, as a result, they have a positive influence on the lives of pupils and discharge their statutory duties exceptionally well. They support school leaders to strengthen safeguarding procedures because of their considerable professional expertise in areas for which they are responsible.
• The Ark academy trust has provided support to leaders when they need it, demonstrated trust to empower leaders when they do not and facilitated an environment where staff aspire to be future leaders and are given the opportunity to pursue their dreams.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Staff receive training that helps them to be vigilant and keep pupils safe from harm. Leaders challenge any stereotypical views and help pupils to increase their understanding of current social issues effectively, such as inclusion and equality.
• Pupils in need of protection are monitored closely to ensure that they are safe from harm. Staff work closely with other professionals to provide pupils with the best possible care during times of distress.
• Leaders are acutely aware of the signs of abuse and their responsibility to report suspected abuse to relevant external agencies. Staff share this understanding and therefore pupils at risk are supported well. For example, leaders have pursued what is happening to pupils who are missing education doggedly to ensure that they are safe and there are no wider safeguarding concerns.
• A culture of watchfulness permeates the school; consequently, pupils are well cared for.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• Teaching is outstanding because teachers impart their excellent subject knowledge skilfully. As a result, pupils quickly acquire knowledge, skills and understanding across reading, writing and mathematics, and in a wide range of subjects, to a very high level.
• Teachers expect pupils to work hard all of the time. High standards of behaviour and positive attitudes to learning are expected by all adults. Staff have an intrinsic desire for pupils to succeed and pupils know it. This means that pupils also are ambitious and want to do well.
• There is a clear and unwavering focus on learning and a consistent approach to how learning intentions are shared across the school. Pupils are guided carefully to know precisely what they need to do to achieve their own personal targets and can suggest ways to improve their own work.
• Teachers use information about how well pupils are achieving in each subject to plan challenging activities that meet the needs of each pupil. Pupils’ work is pitched precisely to build on what they know. Teachers identify quickly any pupils who are struggling with their work so that they catch up with their classmates rapidly.
• Teachers effectively check pupils’ learning during lessons. They use this information well to adapt their teaching, plan the next lesson and match pupils’ learning needs.
• Pupils receive high-quality incisive feedback from teachers that improves learning. Pupils are clear about what they need to do to make their learning even better. They are able to use what they have learned in the past and apply this to new learning, helping them to make rapid progress across all subjects.
• Teachers are skilful at questioning pupils. They probe and enable pupils to expand and justify their answers. Collaboration and discussion are rife. This is especially true in topic-related learning and mathematics, where questions are pitched well to challenge pupils who are at different stages in their learning.
• Teaching assistants provide excellent support to pupils and are highly skilled in their interactions with them. Teachers plan effectively to make certain that additional adults are clear about which pupils they are supporting and why. Therefore, pupils who need to catch up with their classmates and pupils who need challenging to make good progress do so.
• Teachers use subject-specific language consistently across the range of subjects and expect pupils to do the same. For example, in a Year 2 science lesson about climate and habitat, a pupil wrote: ‘The tundra habitat is cold, icy and snowy. As a result, not many people live there.’
• The most able pupils are challenged within class, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, to help them to think more deeply and in a range of ways. Teachers consider carefully the needs of the most able when they are planning lessons to make sure that work is never too easy for them. Pupils’ work demonstrates the excellent progress they make and, consequently, a high proportion of pupils reach the higher standards year-on-year, especially in reading and mathematics.
• Mathematics is taught very well in all key stages. The school has embedded a mathematics mastery curriculum in key stage 1 which focuses on reasoning and applying mathematical skills in a range of ways. As a result, pupils’ depth of knowledge in mathematics is impressive, including their mental recall of underpinning mathematical concepts such as place value, multiples and equivalence. Teachers target the most able pupils to explain the strategies they have used to resolve complex mathematical problems and therefore deepen their understanding. ‘Pink pen’ tasks give the most able pupils the chance to extend their learning further by building on learning from the previous day.
• Pupils read well because early reading skills are taught thoroughly. Consistently strong phonics teaching enables pupils to read unfamiliar words confidently. Children in early years identify initial sounds quickly and are already blending consonant-vowel-consonant words. During guided reading sessions, pupils demonstrate the ability to infer meaning from complex texts and understand the meaning of words such as ‘hone’. As a result, pupils are confident and fluent readers who demonstrate good comprehension skills.
• Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve in writing, and therefore progress is very good and a very high proportion of pupils in each year group are working at the standard expected for their age. Pupils spell well, use a range of interesting vocabulary and write increasingly sophisticated sentences. Pupils’ achievement in spelling, punctuation and grammar is very strong throughout the school. The most able pupils write copiously and well, using accurate punctuation and grammatical features, an example being: ‘After an excessively long day he dozed off without thinking about anything, comfortably curled up on his beloved bed. The night was upon him.’
• Nearly all parents feel that their children are taught well and make good progress. Many parents shared their confidence in the quality of teaching with inspectors, one saying: ’The teaching is consistent and of a high standard which means my children know what is expected of them and feel secure in their understanding of the subjects.’ Parents are highly complimentary about the diligence and commitment of both teachers and teaching assistants.
• The school works hard to inform parents about how well their children are doing, through reports and parents’ evenings. Some parents would like even more information about the progress their children are making during the course of the year, now that the new assessment system is embedded.
• Strong teaching across the curriculum helps pupils to become immersed in learning and transfer their reading and writing skills across the range of subjects offered. Pupils’ verbal skills and ability to draw on their own experience and wider knowledge are exceptionally strong. In an art lesson, pupils were asked why real autumn leaves should not be used to make a wreath. Pupils were able to draw on their scientific knowledge to identify that photosynthesis would have ceased and the leaf would crumble and be too delicate.
• Teachers set homework that strengthens pupils’ learning, mainly in English and mathematics. However, homework tasks are less effectively planned to consolidate learning in other subjects.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. British values, such as respect and tolerance, are woven smoothly throughout the school’s ethos and curriculum. Staff model these values exceptionally well and, consequently, pupils are resilient, well considered and mature.
• The school fosters an enabling environment that allows pupils to aspire. Leaders help pupils to aim high. A parent reflected that her son ‘is always encouraged in anything he wants to do’.
• Pupils have impeccable attitudes to learning in all lessons and want to do well, because the ambitious culture of the school has made a strong impact on pupils’ aspirations. This has been brought about partly because of the strong focus on togetherness, achievement, knowledge and effort, which is shown by pupils and modelled consistently by staff.
• Staff help pupils to form balanced opinions because staff challenge any stereotypical views expressed by pupils, particularly linked to ethnicity and culture. Pupils learn about different cultures and faiths as part of their curriculum, through geography, history and religious education for example, giving them a greater appreciation and understanding of the world.
• Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe and healthy. For example, pupils know how to keep themselves safe while using the internet and understand the dangers of cyber bullying. Pupils have access to laptops, learn computing skills and undertake simple programming activities. However, leaders know that there is still more work to do to ensure that pupils gain the necessary computing skills to prepare them very well for the next stage of their education and for life in modern Britain. The school has already planned to make significant improvements in this area.
• Pupils understand what bullying is and the different forms that bullying can take. They are adamant that bullying does not occur. Pupils say that adults listen to their concerns. Racial incidents and use of derogatory language are exceptionally rare. If any incidents do occur, they are quickly dealt with by leaders.
• Pupils say that they feel safe, and they are. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the care the school provides and the safety of their children. A parent summarised their thoughts and reflected the views of many by stating that their child’s ‘confidence has grown immensely’.
• Pupils are given many opportunities to experience leadership roles and positions of responsibility, such as play leaders, ambassadors and school councillors. They value these opportunities and talk confidently about what they are expected to do.
• Staff provide a range of opportunities for pupils to develop their speaking and listening skills in lessons through dialogue and discussion. Pupils’ views are valued. As a result, pupils are articulate, communicative and well spoken. They eloquently express their opinions and can support their views with reasoned arguments.
• The school’s motto is ‘Together we achieve’. The school has brought this motto to life for pupils in their care.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• The schools’ behaviour policy and systems for rewarding pupils are in place and implemented consistently by all staff. Pupils are so well behaved, however, that these strategies are almost imperceptible; they subtly underpin the high expectations that staff have regarding pupils’ behaviour.
• As a result of very effective behaviour management, there are very few incidents of poor behaviour. There were no fixed-term exclusions during the course of the last academic year and none so far this year.
• The school’s inclusion centre is exceptionally well led. All staff within it make a highly effective contribution towards helping pupils who struggle to manage their own behaviour to access learning within the classroom when previously they found this very difficult. Consequently, they are making a difference to this group of pupils by helping them to re-engage with education and preparing them well for the future.
• Pupils of all ages interact and play well with each other at breaktime because they encapsulate one of the school’s values of ‘togetherness’. Although space to play is limited in inclement weather, pupils make good use of the space available to them and are exceedingly well aware of the youngest children and their vulnerability in the playground.
• Routines and expectations are well established, and these result in a calm and safe environment. Pupils come into school promptly at the start of the day so that no learning time is lost, and transitions between lessons, between activities and to breaktime are rapid and unruffled.
• Leaders have worked tirelessly to support pupils who do not attend school as often as they should. The have sought the advice and support of a wide range of external professionals. They have used innovative strategies to support families to improve their child’s attendance and this is showing signs of reaping rewards. Attendance is improving and fewer pupils take too many days off school. The vast majority of pupils enjoy coming to school. Parents too have expressed their children’s delight in attending, expressing: ‘My child loves Blacklands. Every day she wakes up and is excited to go to school’, and another saying: ‘We live near the school and my child loves it so much she will look out of the window when she doesn’t have to go, waiting for it to open’.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, make substantial progress across the school from their starting points and across the range of subjects. The good progress that their children make is recognised by nearly all parents, one articulating: ‘My child has done amazingly well over the past year and we are very proud of her.’
• Children in early years characteristically start school with varying abilities, but a significant number of children enter the Reception Year with knowledge and skills that are below those which are typical for children of their age. From these starting points, children make rapid progress and, subsequently, a greater proportion of pupils reach a good level of development than children nationally.
• For a number of years, the proportion of pupils achieving expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 has been well above the national average. This year is no exception.
• The most able pupils achieve well. Pupils’ work in books shows that teachers challenge the most able routinely, including the most able disadvantaged, and extend their learning very effectively. Hence, a high proportion of pupils reach above the standards expected for their age, known as ‘greater depth’ in writing, by the time they leave the school. Nearly half of the most able pupils make greater than expected progress in all subjects because they are expected to achieve highly. Leaders are not complacent and are ambitious to increase the proportion of pupils achieving greater depth by increasing the progress that pupils make further, particularly in writing and in a wide range of subjects.
• Disadvantaged pupils make progress that is equal to or better than pupils nationally. These pupils receive personalised additional support if they are struggling in their learning. As a result, most disadvantaged pupils are attaining well in relation to their starting points, working at or above expectations for their age. Where their attainment is lower than other pupils nationally they are catching up rapidly. Moreover, in 2016 assessments, disadvantaged pupils achieved above the national average for pupils in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2 and the proportion of the most able disadvantaged pupils who reached the higher standard in reading and mathematics was also high.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make very good progress across all subjects. Additional, effective support enables these pupils to make rapid gains because it caters precisely for their individual needs and links very well to work in class. The impact of the excellent support provided by the inclusion centre staff improves pupils’ access to learning and therefore the progress they make.
• Pupils who speak English as an additional language and those from minority ethnic groups make strong progress and achieve highly compared to pupils nationally or are catching up rapidly. This is because the school’s careful attention and intervention to support the needs of individual pupils has a profound impact on their progress.
• Leaders place a strong emphasis on securing learning in every subject and endeavour to strengthen pupils’ transferable skills from one subject to another. Consequently, pupils’ attainment in other curriculum subjects, such as science, is equally high and significantly above the national average. Pupils’ work demonstrates the wide range of activities and opportunities to which pupils are exposed. A very large majority of pupils are working at the standard expected for their age across the curriculum.
• Achievement in reading is a particular strength. At least a third of pupils were working at the higher standard by the time they left the school in 2016, a proportion higher than the national average. There is a strong emphasis on securing good reading skills and instilling a love of reading. Pupils have access to a wide variety of high-quality reading books. Most pupils achieve the expected standard in the Year 1 national check on phonics. Those who do not receive additional support that enables them to catch up and develop a range of strategies for reading.

Early years provision Outstanding

• The leadership of the early years is very effective and there is a strong emphasis on developing a caring, nurturing and challenging environment. Staff have established consistent routines which enhance all aspects of the children’s experience at school.
• Children are well supported to make the transition between Nursery and the Reception Year because early years staff visit feeder nurseries and discuss the needs of each child.
• Children join Reception with a wide range of skills and abilities. However, approximately half of the children have starting points below those typical for their age. Children are given an excellent start to school and make rapid progress; this includes children who are eligible for pupil premium funding. In 2016, pupils eligible for free school meals all exceeded the standard expected for a child of their age by the end of early years.
• The early years leader shows a relentless ambition to improve children’s outcomes. She is exceptionally well supported by senior leaders and by Ark academy trust. The leader has an excellent understanding of children’s progress information and uses this accurately to improve the provision and ensure that activities are well planned to meet the needs of each child. Subsequently, teaching is highly effective.
• Children’s achievement is improving year-on-year, including for disadvantaged children. By the end of the Reception Year, the proportion of children reaching a good level of development is above the national average and has been for the last three years. Children are tremendously well prepared for transition to Year 1 academically, emotionally and socially. A growing number of children exceed expected standards by the end of early years; however, the early years leader is ambitious for even more children to reach the highest levels.
• Links with parents are very strong. Parents provide the school with information about the skills and knowledge their children demonstrate at home. This information adds to the capacity of teachers to gain a more accurate understanding of children’s overall development. Parents commonly comment on the ‘incredible progress’ their children make.
• Children have access to highly stimulating activities related to all of the areas of learning both inside and outside the classroom. As a result, all children make at least good progress across all of the areas of learning. Children enjoy coming to school and relish learning about new things.
• Classrooms display children’s work, learning prompts and the school’s values. Classrooms are well kept, bright and attractive. Children respect the wide range of activities and resources that are available to them and demonstrate quickly the ability to become self-reliant and persistent learners. Leaders have secured additional funding to improve the learning environment in early years further, to ensure that it provides even more highly stimulating and engaging opportunities for children to learn through exploration and play.
• Teachers have high expectations of children and ensure that they make appropriate learning choices. Adults draw children skilfully into exciting activities and use dialogue and questioning to draw out what they know and deepen their understanding. During the inspection, a group of children worked with an adult to prepare mud cakes for a party, working out how many cakes could fit into the oven. Another group enjoyed role play in the home corner and learned about the value of money by estimating the cost of different items.
• Children communicate happily with adults who challenge them to think and make connections to other areas of their learning. They are articulate and talk confidently about what they are doing. A group of children invited an inspector to wear a party hat and write birthday cards to other children, while telling the inspector how old they would be on their next birthday.
• Children are exceptionally well behaved and demonstrate a level of maturity beyond their years, especially with regard to perseverance and resilience. Children are considerate and share well with each other. As a result, they build positive relationships and the environment is calm and gentle and, therefore, conducive to learning.
• Children are safe and happy because their well-being is a priority and the environment is nurturing. Children wear high visibility vests and hard hats in the construction area and are carefully supervised when climbing. All policies relating to early years are in place and safeguarding is effective.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 141021 East Sussex 10019859 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 534 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Executive principal Telephone number Website Email address Micky Sandall Lorraine Clarke 01424 429279 www.arkblacklandsprimary.org info@arkblacklandsprimary.org Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• Ark Blacklands Primary Academy is much larger than an average-sized primary school, located in a residential area of Hastings. The numbers on roll are below the school’s capacity.
• The school is federated with Ark Little Ridge Primary Academy which is also in Hastings. Both are part of the Ark multi-academy trust.
• An executive principal leads both schools and there is a single local governing body. The executive principal joined the school in September 2013 and the head of school joined the school the following year. There have been significant changes to the leadership structure of the school over the last three years.
• A large majority of pupils at the school are White British. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well below the national average.
• Fewer pupils are disadvantaged and eligible for the pupil premium funding than the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is just below the national average.
• Few pupils join and leave the school throughout the year.
• 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.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in classes on 44 occasions. The majority of lessons were jointly observed with senior leaders.
• Inspectors visited the school’s inclusion centre and evaluated the impact of this provision on pupils’ well-being and outcomes.
• Discussions were held with senior leaders, middle leaders and members of staff. Inspectors also met with two representatives of the local governing body, the director of primary education and head of primary support from Ark academy trust’s management team.
• Inspectors examined a wide range of documentation, including that relating to school improvement, school self-evaluation, the curriculum, safeguarding, behaviour and attendance, reports on the quality of teaching, and assessment records.
• Inspectors spoke to pupils informally during the school day and observed them on the playground, at breakfast club and in lessons. They also met formally with a group of pupils to gather their views about the school.
• Inspectors heard pupils read.
• Inspectors looked at pupils’ work in books, including their writing, mathematics, topic work and children’s early learning journals, captured within an online assessment tool.
• Inspectors observed a class assembly.
• Inspectors spoke to parents at the end the school day. In addition, inspectors took account of 100 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and an additional 97 comments made by parents, also online.
• Inspectors also took account of 41 survey responses submitted by staff.
• Inspectors reviewed the checks made on staff about their suitability to work with children.
• Inspectors examined the quality of the information provided by the school and the school’s website.

Inspection team

Abigail Birch, lead inspector Angela O’Hara Martin Garratt

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector