Napier Community Primary and Nursery Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by ensuring that:
  • middle leaders show a greater impact on the areas for which they are responsible
  • pupils have more opportunities to develop their analytical skills in history and geography
  • behaviour in all classes enables lessons to proceed without interruption
  • pupil premium funding is used more effectively to ensure that disadvantaged pupils make stronger progress.
• Improve the quality and consistency of teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that:
  • teachers have high expectations, and challenge pupils, including the most able, to reach the higher standards
  • pupils practise their problem-solving skills in mathematics more regularly to deepen their understanding
  • pupils read more frequently and read books of the right level of difficulty, so they can make stronger progress
  • children’s skills and abilities in the early years are assessed accurately when they join the school
  • teachers, including those in the early years, are accurate when assessing what pupils already know so that they can provide learning tasks that meet pupils’ needs. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• Leadership and governance have not secured a good standard of education since the school opened in September 2014. Staffing turbulence has had a negative impact on the school’s overall effectiveness.
• Middle leaders have not had a great enough impact on the areas for which they have responsibilities. Many are only starting to ensure that teachers are accurate in their assessments of pupils’ progress.
• The use of additional funding for disadvantaged pupils has led to variable outcomes over the years. One of the reasons for this is that up until very recently staff were not accurate in their understanding of the amount of progress these pupils were making. Additional funding is not used well enough to improve rates of pupils’ progress.
• Pupils do not have enough chances to develop their skills of analysis and interpretation in history and geography. In other subjects the curriculum is stronger. Specialist teachers in music, art and physical education provide pupils with interesting experiences. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Extra-curricular activities, in subjects such as sport, dance, music and drama, help to develop the spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding of pupils.
• Funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is usually used well. The experienced leader ensures that funds are often used to address each pupil’s needs.
• Funding for the physical education and sports premium is used well to promote good participation in a range of sporting activities. Pupils say they enjoy a range of events, including football competitions and tournaments.
• Staff and pupils are very positive about the changes in the school since the new executive headteacher arrived. Pupils say that behaviour is much improved. In many classes there is little disruption. Pupils report that attitudes to learning are generally stronger. Attendance levels have improved. The quality of teaching is strengthening. Staff have had extensive training to improve their subject knowledge. The executive headteacher has a clear vision and is determined to ensure that the school improves rapidly. All staff share her views and are keen to make the necessary changes.
• Parents are becoming more supportive. Most agree that their children are happy and safe at the school. Some parents expressed concerns regarding the impact on their children of the staffing turbulence. A few were unhappy about the lack of challenge in the work their children receive. Other parents noted the positive changes in the school since the new executive headteacher joined. A representative comment of their views states, ‘The school is moving in the right direction because of stronger leadership, improved discipline and teachers getting better support.’

Governance of the school

• Governance has not been sufficiently effective over time. Governors have not ensured that teaching has enabled pupils to achieve their potential. Governors recognise that while there have been recent improvements, such as in the key stage 1 outcomes, more needs to be done.
• Governors know the school well. They acted decisively to ensure that the school had effective leadership after the previous headteacher left, although some aspects of management were affected during this time. Governors provide effective support in numerous areas, including the management of staff performance. They are working well with the new leadership team to set a clear strategic direction for the school.
• Governors are active in ensuring that the school continues to make positive changes. They are fully supportive of the new executive headteacher. Governors provide an appropriate level of challenge so that the necessary improvements can be made rapidly.
• Governors ensure that the school meets all statutory safeguarding requirements.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Pupils say they feel safe. Staff take the welfare of pupils seriously; they have been well trained in range of safeguarding issues. They are effective in ensuring that the right procedures are followed should there be any concerns.
• The school has good links with a range of external agencies, including social services. Records and incidents are recorded carefully. Timely and effective support is given to vulnerable pupils and their families.
• Leaders are vigilant in ensuring that all safeguarding procedures are followed. Visits are risk assessed carefully. The school building is checked regularly for any defects. Checks on the suitability of staff are thorough.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching is too variable across the school. Although new leaders have introduced several initiatives to tackle weak teaching, these are too recent. There has been too little time to demonstrate a positive impact on improving pupils’ rates of progress.
• Up until very recently most teachers have not been accurate in their assessments of pupils’ learning. They have not used assessment well enough to plan learning that meets the needs of all pupils. While there has been a significant amount of recent training, it is too early to judge whether all teachers have an accurate view of the amount of progress pupils are making.
• In some classes, teachers do not have high enough expectations of pupils’ learning. Too often, work provided lacks challenge and is not of the right level of difficulty. As a result, pupils, including the most able, do not achieve as well as they could.
• In mathematics, pupils do not practise their problem-solving skills sufficiently. They are not able to deepen their understanding and apply their learning to real-life situations. There have been recent improvements and teachers are just beginning to develop this area.
• The teaching of reading is inconsistent. Some pupils do not read often enough, others do not read books of the right level of difficulty. This has a negative impact on pupils’ progress and how well they develop an accurate understanding of text.
• The teaching of writing skills is more effective. In many subjects, pupils are encouraged to write at length. In science, for example, pupils write detailed accounts of the experiments they have conducted.
• Teaching assistants provide valuable support to pupils. In some classes, teaching assistants play a useful role in ensuring that pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. Teaching assistants provide effective support to pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• The emotional well-being of all pupils is the priority of staff. Vulnerable pupils receive caring and sensitive support. Staff throughout the school have a positive impact in developing pupils’ self-esteem. They give pupils confidence in their abilities. Staff have already helped many pupils to understand what it means to be a successful learner.
• Pupils are encouraged to eat healthily. Staff help pupils to make informed choices about the correct quantities they should eat of the different food groups. For example, pupils know that too many sweets are bad for them.
• Pupils have a good understanding about how to keep themselves safe. They know about the dangers of giving out personal information when using the internet. School displays, such as on road safety, help to reinforce important messages.
• Pupils say that there are very few issues associated with bullying at the school. They are sure that staff would help them if they had a concern. School records show that bullying is rare.
• Older pupils enjoy taking on responsibilities, such as ensuring that younger pupils have someone to play with during lunchtimes.
• Pupils say they enjoy attending the before- and after-school clubs. Many say that they feel far more involved in the life of the school since the new executive headteacher arrived.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• While pupils say that there have been recent improvements, in some classes the behaviour of a few pupils is still not good enough. In these classes, low-level disruption and noise have a negative impact on the learning of others. A third of the parents who responded to Parent View consider that behaviour is not always good.
• Records show that behaviour has improved at play and lunchtimes. Pupils play well together and chat in friendly groups. Pupils are sensible; for example, they do not run along corridors. They behave well in the lunch hall.
• In 2016, levels of attendance were well below the national average. School information for 2017 indicates that there has been a considerable improvement. Levels of persistent absence have also reduced.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Pupils’ progress is too inconsistent across the different year groups. This is due to variability in the quality of teaching. Groups of pupils, including the most able and the disadvantaged, do not make the progress they are capable of from their starting points. While leaders are taking appropriate action to improve outcomes, they have been in post too short a time to show clearly the impact of their actions.
• Disadvantaged pupils do not make strong enough progress across the school. Additional pupil premium funding is not having a positive enough impact on improving outcomes. In 2016, pupils made much slower progress in writing than others nationally.
• The most able pupils make inconsistent progress. In 2016, there were very few pupils working at ‘greater depth’ (where pupils develop their reasoning skills to deal with more complex challenges) in key stage 1 in writing and mathematics. However, provisional school information for 2017 suggests an improvement, with more pupils working at greater depth in all subjects. In key stage 2, the percentage of pupils reaching higher than the expected standard was below age-related expectations in 2016. School information suggests that this continues to be the case in 2017. The progress of disadvantaged most-able pupils is also inconsistent.
• Results in the phonics (letters and the sounds they represent) screening check in 2016 were below the national average. Provisional school information for 2017 suggests that results continue to be low. The new executive headteacher has acted quickly to provide extensive training to help teachers improve their phonics teaching. The impact of this is that current pupils are now making stronger progress in developing their phonics skills.
• In key stage 1, the percentage of pupils working at the expected standard in 2016 was below the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. Provisional information for 2017 suggests there have been improvements in all subjects.
• In 2016, the percentage of pupils in key stage 2 reaching the expected standard in writing was similar to the national average. Provisional information for 2017 suggests that this is still the case. However, progress and attainment in reading and mathematics were much lower than the national averages in 2016. School information suggests that this has continued.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities generally make variable progress depending on the quality of teaching they receive.
• In science, pupils’ books show that they make good progress in understanding how to think scientifically. For example, in Year 5 pupils were discovering what happens when they investigated the chemical reactions of fizzy drinks on substances. They made clear predictions and analysed their results carefully.
• Work in books, in a range of subjects, shows that pupils are starting to make better progress. This is due to the additional training and support staff have received this term.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• Leaders are not accurate in assessing children’s starting points. For example, they record children who have skills typical for their age as below average. Children with skills higher than what is typical are recorded as ‘in line’.
• During their time in the early years, teachers do not access accurately each child’s progress in all areas of learning. Although the percentage of children reaching a good level of development is similar to the national average, children make inconsistent progress. This is because teachers do not always recognise what a child already knows and understands. Therefore, work is provided that is not well matched to each child’s ability.
• Relationships between staff and children are strong. Children behave well. They learn to listen carefully to the teacher and take turns when sharing equipment.
• Children settle quickly into the daily routines in the Nursery. Their emotional and social needs are well met by caring staff. Teachers encourage children to explore the different activities provided. Children find some experiences particularly appealing, such as looking after the class terrapin. Parents praise the thorough transition arrangements.
• In the Reception classes and Nursery, children are starting to make better progress in reading because staff have had intensive training in phonics. Some activities also have a positive impact on progress. During the inspection, children developed their understanding of how water flows when they poured water into the top of a tube.
• The outdoor area, shared by all children in the early years, has just been redeveloped. It is large and filled with exciting activities such as climbing frames and bridges. It is used effectively to promote all areas of learning.
• The leadership in the early years is only recently in post. While there are exciting plans for the future, there has been too little time for the new leadership to have a positive impact on improving the rate of children’s progress.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 141199 Medway 10032508 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 577 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Executive headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Stella Dillon Louise Lynch 01634 574920 www.napierprimary.org.uk office@napier-tkat.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.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• Napier Community Primary and Nursery School is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The large majority of the pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is similar to that found in most schools.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is similar to the national average.
• Children in the early years are taught in a part-time Nursery and three full-time Reception classes. There is no provision for two-year-olds.
• In September 2014, the school converted to become an academy within the multi-academy trust called The Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT). When the predecessor school, Napier Community Primary and Nursery Academy, was last inspected by Ofsted in June 2013, its overall effectiveness was judged to require improvement.
• The school has been through a period of staffing changes since the last inspection. Senior leadership has changed. Following the departure of the previous headteacher, the director of education for TKAT took on the role of interim headteacher from June until July 2017. The executive headteacher started working at the school one day a week from June 2017. She was appointed as the substantive executive headteacher in September 2017 and since then has been in school four days a week. Some senior and middle leaders are new in post since September 2017. The school has experienced difficulties with the recruitment of staff. For example, in the three Year 1 classes last year there were seven teachers, including supply teachers.
• The school runs its own breakfast and after-school clubs.
• In 2016, the school met the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed a range of lessons across the school: many were joint lesson observations with senior leaders.
• Discussions were held with senior leaders, members of staff, pupils, parents and members of the local governing body. There were meetings with representatives from TKAT, including the director of education.
• Inspectors examined a wide range of documentation, including that relating to safeguarding, attendance, behaviour, school-improvement planning and assessment information.
• Inspectors listened to pupils read from Year 2 and Year 6 and met formally with two groups of pupils to discuss their learning, behaviour and safety. They looked at pupils’ books and displays of pupils’ work. Inspectors also spoke to pupils informally during playtime, and at breakfast and after-school club.
• Inspectors considered the views of parents through informal discussions at the end of the school day, together with the 95 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View.
• Inspectors took account of the 52 responses to the staff questionnaire.

Inspection team

Liz Bowes, lead inspector Robert Howell Graham Chisnell

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector