John Henry Newman Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve outcomes in writing by ensuring that:
  • teachers provide more opportunities for pupils to write at length to further develop their skills and stamina
  • pupils practise writing for different purposes through opportunities to write in other subjects.
• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that:
  • teachers adjust the level of challenge to develop pupils’ skills more quickly, particularly in writing
  • support staff question pupils more skilfully to deepen their understanding and develop their thinking.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher and executive headteacher have made their expectations for the quality of teaching, learning and assessment exceptionally clear. Together, they provide the correct balance of challenge and support to staff and pupils. This has led to good teaching and to rapidly improving outcomes for pupils. One pupil, reflecting the views of others, said, ‘Things are much better now.’
• Leaders use information from their checks on the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes skilfully to tailor training for staff to improve pupils’ learning further. Leaders spot underachievement swiftly and take successful steps to address it. They have been careful to prioritise those areas that have needed the most attention, for example reading.
• Middle leaders are skilled in monitoring the performance of staff and pupils. They check that targeted support is securing better outcomes for pupils quickly. Leaders provide high-quality training that is adapted to meet the professional development needs of individual staff well. Leaders have a good understanding of the impact of their work on the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement.
• Leaders have designed the curriculum well. Pupils enjoy the wide range of opportunities to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding through topics such as the Industrial Revolution and the Egyptians. Active experiences stimulate pupils’ curiosity. Subject leaders track pupils’ skills well through regular assessments. This helps subject leaders to evaluate pupils’ progress and alter curriculum plans accordingly in foundation subjects. Work in pupils’ books and on displays demonstrates that pupils learn new skills rapidly. Current pupils are developing improved knowledge and understanding across a range of subjects.
• Senior leaders manage the performance of teachers effectively. Performance targets are sharply focused on the quality of teaching, teachers’ leadership responsibilities and pupils’ outcomes. This approach has ensured rapid improvements in the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning, particularly for reading.
• The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is knowledgeable about the needs of pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities and the best approaches to support them. She provides effective training for support staff. This is having a positive impact on pupils’ personal skills and academic progress.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. Mutual respect permeates the school. It is evident in lessons between teachers and pupils, and between pupils. Pupils work well together. They enjoy working with partners in lessons to practise discussing and debating their reasoning on a wide variety of themes. Leaders prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils talk confidently about democracy and the need for tolerance. They are able to apply these principles to their everyday lives and interactions with others. For example, older pupils engage in lively debates about current world news.
• Leaders carefully consider the needs of disadvantaged pupils and use the additional pupil premium funding wisely. Leaders fully understand the barriers to learning that disadvantaged pupils may face. Targeted support is effective in helping this group of pupils to develop good attitudes to learning, to attend school more frequently and make good progress.
• Leaders ensure that the physical education (PE) and sport premium is used effectively. Pupils take part in a wide range of sporting activities and clubs before, during and after school. For example, the early morning ‘Wake and Shake’ is well attended and ensures that pupils have a healthy start before lessons begin. Staff receive good-quality training. As a result, their PE skills are well developed and they are confident and skilled in teaching a broad range of sports.
• The Oxford Diocese Schools Trust has supported the school effectively. The trust has developed the skills of leaders, including middle leaders, well. This has enabled them to impact positively on the school’s priorities and to check on the improvements expected carefully.

Governance of the school

• Governors have an accurate view of the school and a good understanding of the impact of leaders’ actions to raise achievement. They are ambitious for the pupils and share the vision of leaders for better outcomes, and readily acknowledge that there is more work to do.
• Governors are very committed to the school and support leaders well. They visit the school to check the expected improvements for themselves. These visits are linked closely to the school’s priorities. Governors engage well with members of the multi-academy trust’s board of trustees to provide a good level of challenge to senior leaders. They know how well pupils are doing, including the performance of different groups of pupils.
• Governors work closely with senior leaders to ensure that pupils are kept safe. They have received training on safeguarding, including on the safer recruitment of staff. They keep a sharp focus on pupils’ safety.
• Governors are clear about the school’s current priorities. For example, they have been vigilant in ensuring that leaders use additional funding precisely to ensure that disadvantaged pupils make stronger progress than before.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders ensure that there is a vigilant culture around safeguarding and that all staff and governors place the highest priority on making sure that pupils are happy and safe in school. Staff are alert to any sign that a pupil may be at risk of harm. They are clear about what to do if they have any concerns about a pupil’s safety.
• The designated safeguarding lead ensures that there is rigour in following up all concerns that staff may have. Leaders ensure that support for those pupils who need it is effective and timely. They make sure that staff receive regular safeguarding updates through weekly and termly meetings.
• Leaders, including governors, ensure that the procedures for vetting staff and carrying out background checks are thorough. Details of these checks are kept in a methodical manner.
• Leaders have positive and close relationships with outside agencies and are proactive in seeking further guidance to provide pupils with additional support when it is required.
• Pupils understand risks and how to manage them effectively, the importance of healthy relationships and safe use of the internet, as a result of the school’s comprehensive personal development programme.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment has improved since the previous inspection. It is now good and is continuing to improve further. Some teaching is of a very high quality. Consequently, pupils learn well in lessons and their outcomes are moving quickly and securely towards being good.
• Teachers use their strong subject knowledge and awareness of pupils’ prior attainment to plan learning effectively. As a result, pupils find their lessons interesting, they participate fully and make good progress, particularly in reading and mathematics.
• Reading is taught well. Phonics teaching is well matched to the needs of pupils, enabling them to read with confidence and understanding. Pupils who read to inspectors were able to outline the key events of the stories and demonstrated a good understanding of characters’ feelings. Younger pupils use their strong phonics knowledge to read unfamiliar words accurately.
• When writing, pupils edit their work carefully. This has resulted in pupils using more sophisticated vocabulary. However, teachers, typically, do not challenge pupils enough to utilise their understanding of language features to achieve good-quality writing in extended pieces of work. Pupils have limited opportunities to develop their writing skills in other subjects. They are not challenged to use their understanding of sentence structures, for example, when writing in history. Consequently, pupils do not attain as highly as they could.
• The teaching of mathematics is strong. Teachers generally plan tasks carefully, particularly in problem solving, so that pupils deepen their knowledge and develop their skills well. For example, in Year 3, pupils’ understanding of fractions was significantly improved through the use of a range of resources to illustrate the value of specific fractions of numbers. However, there are times when tasks do not provide sufficient challenge. When this is the case, pupils’ learning slows.
• Teachers tackle pupils’ misconceptions well, so pupils rapidly develop their knowledge and understanding. Teachers provide pupils with precise feedback which helps them to recognise how they could improve their work. Pupils stated that they understood that making mistakes is part of learning.
• Teachers use pupils’ answers to their questions to reshape tasks and challenge pupils further. This ensures that learning moves forward rapidly and this supports the stronger progress that current pupils are making, including the most able. For example, in a Year 5 English lesson, the teacher expertly probed a pupil’s understanding of pronouns to ensure that it was thoroughly grasped.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are supported effectively by skilled staff who ensure that they make good progress. Pupils have personalised plans that identify specific targets and support to help them learn well. However, some support staff do not question pupils in enough depth to develop their knowledge and understanding. This slows the pace of their learning.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• The school is a caring environment. All staff ensure that the physical and emotional well-being of pupils and their families are of paramount importance. The staff, including the very effective home-school link workers, work closely with pupils, their families and outside agencies. The team ensures that when extra help is needed, it is provided quickly.
• Pupils have positive attitudes to learning, respond confidently in class and are keen to contribute to class discussions. They want to do their best and they know how to learn successfully.
• Pupils have a good understanding about the backgrounds, beliefs and traditions of others and have a very well-developed sense of the rights of everyone to live free from discrimination. Staff and pupils are totally committed to equality and diversity.
• Pupils are curious about and respectful of others, and are able to discuss and celebrate differences in religious beliefs, family backgrounds and traditions.
• Pupils said that they feel happy and safe at school. They have confidence in staff to deal promptly with any concerns that they might have about their safety. Pupils know about different types of bullying and said that bullying is rare.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils move around the school sensibly and follow their teachers’ guidance quickly in lessons. Through their actions, pupils demonstrate a thorough understanding of, and belief in, the school’s values, as well as a strong sense of self-discipline. This was evident throughout the school.
• Pupils are thoughtful and caring towards each other, adults and visitors. They act as full and mature partners in learning with the adults in the school. Pupils have a strong sense of moral duty. They accept each other regardless of the differences in their backgrounds or circumstances. This contributes effectively to the welcoming ethos of the school.
• Most pupils take pride in the presentation of their work. However, occasionally, work is not presented as well as it could be, particularly when teachers’ expectations are not made clear.
• Pupils play well together, and they can sort out minor fallouts themselves without the need for adults’ intervention. They are good at taking turns and sharing equipment.
• Pupils understand the school’s ‘LEARN’ strategy well and know how it helps them by supporting both their friendships and their learning. Pupils encourage one another to behave. These factors combine well to ensure that classroom environments are purposeful and calm.
• Pupils’ attendance has been low in the past. Leaders track attendance closely and have taken decisive action to reduce absence, including that of disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. The attendance of pupils in these groups is now similar to that of their classmates. Overall attendance and persistent absence are broadly in line with the national averages.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Pupils’ outcomes in the key stage 2 national curriculum tests and assessments were significantly below the national averages in 2017. Leaders have tackled the previous weak performance by improving teaching across the school and implementing carefully targeted programmes of additional support for pupils to tackle gaps in their learning. As a result, pupils’ attainment is rising quickly. However, standards in writing remain low and are not as strong as those in reading and mathematics.
• Current attainment is variable across the school and, as a result, pupils are not always as well prepared for the next stage of their education as they could be. Attainment in reading and mathematics is broadly in line with the national average. However, the proportions of pupils reaching the expected and higher standards in writing are too small. Not all pupils have enough opportunities to write at length, for a range of purposes in different subjects. Where this is the case, pupils’ achievement is not as strong as it could be. However, leaders are ensuring that pupils’ skills in writing are improving rapidly and are moving towards being good.
• Pupils’ positive attitudes to learning and the consistently good teaching enable pupils to make good progress. Leaders’ determination to improve outcomes for all pupils is aligned to the school’s effective professional development. As a result, the weaker areas of the school’s performance, such as pupils’ progress in reading and mathematics, have improved significantly.
• Disadvantaged pupils’ progress has been slow previously. This group of pupils now make good progress and, as a result, gaps in their learning are being addressed successfully. For example, pupils’ work shows that they now use their secure calculation skills to solve a wide range of real-life problems.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities typically make good progress because teachers match work to their needs. Where help is needed, support staff use extra resources well to deepen pupils’ learning.
• Pupils read well and most enjoy reading. Low-attaining pupils confidently use their knowledge of phonics to sound out words clearly and also use visual cues. They demonstrate a good understanding of the meaning of the texts. Teachers ensure that pupils’ books are well matched to their abilities.

Early years provision Good

• The early years leader uses detailed information from parents and carers to effectively plan for children’s needs as they start in Nursery and Reception. Staff find innovative ways to develop individual children’s skills and understanding from the moment they start school. For example, the greenhouse in the outside space helps children learn and understand what plants need to grow.
• Children join Reception with skills and knowledge that are well below those typical for their age. They make good progress from their starting points because teaching is effective. The proportion of children reaching a good level of development at the end of Reception is broadly in line with the national average. Consequently, children are prepared well for Year 1.
• Teachers have high expectations of children. They use assessments effectively to ensure that activities generally challenge children well, particularly disadvantaged children and those who have SEN and/or disabilities. As a result, children make good progress.
• Disadvantaged children achieve well. This is because learning opportunities in both Nursery and Reception build on what children already know well and are varied. For example, adults provide effective opportunities for children to develop their language and expand their vocabulary, by questioning children as they play and modelling language.
• Children actively engage in activities and have positive attitudes to learning because tasks interest them. For example, the ‘ice cream parlour’ developed children’s speaking, listening and mathematical skills simultaneously as children took ‘orders’ and gave change for what was bought.
• Phonics is taught effectively. Children are given meaningful opportunities to use their knowledge in challenging activities as they write and spell unfamiliar words. For example, children used their phonics knowledge well to write sentences about how to keep safe in the sun.
• Staff ensure that the links with parents are strong. Parents receive regular and clear information about their children’s learning and are shown how they can help at home. Parents have many opportunities to understand how the school teaches different skills, including how children are helped to learn to read.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 138774 Oxfordshire 10046570 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 336 Appropriate authority Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Board of trustees Jean Holderness Katie Screaton 01865 772495 www.jhnacademy.co.uk office.2000@jhnacademy.co.uk Date of previous inspection 28 September 2017

Information about this school

• The school is larger than the average-sized primary school. The school has two forms of entry in all year groups, except Year 4 and Year 6 where there is one class in each.
• The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club on the premises.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is above average. The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan is also above average.
• The proportion of pupils entitled to pupil premium funding is above average.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and who speak English as an additional language is average.
• The school does not meet the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum standards for pupils’ attainment and/or progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• The school meets the Department for Education’s definition of a coasting school based on key stage 2 academic performance results in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
• The school is part of the Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust. The multi-academy trust is governed by trustees.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed teaching and learning in every class and were joined by a senior leader for most of these observations.
• The responses of 39 parents to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, were taken into account, including their free-text comments.
• Inspectors looked through a range of pupils’ books across the curriculum and all year groups.
• The inspectors met with governors, parents, a representative from the Diocese of Oxford and the chief executive officer of the multi-academy trust.
• Inspectors looked at senior leaders’ review of the school’s performance, the development plan, a number of key policies and the minutes of the governing body’s meetings. They considered a range of documentation in relation to child protection, safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.
• The inspectors met with groups of pupils, observed them at playtimes and lunchtimes and listened to a number read their books.
• The responses from pupils and staff to Ofsted’s online questionnaires were considered.

Inspection team

Richard Blackmore, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Christopher Crouch Kusum Trikha

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector