Laceby Acres Primary Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of leadership and management within the early years by:
  • rapidly introducing planned systems which allow leaders to measure accurately the progress of groups of children across Reception.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The headteacher knows the school exceptionally well. Her very clear understanding of the school’s strengths and areas which need to be even better are very accurately reflected in the school’s plan for further improvement.
• Leaders work tirelessly to bring about improvement. The constant checks they carry out on the quality of teaching within the school have seen the quality of learning in classrooms rise. Leaders’ reflective and strategic approach to mapping out further improvement, coupled with very close attention to detail, has brought about change at a very fast pace.
• The introduction of a new system of middle leadership has accelerated improvements in the quality of teaching across the school. Middle leaders work very closely with teaching staff within their phase and closely monitor pupils’ progress. Middle leaders take swift and effective action if pupils start to lag behind and this enables pupils to make excellent progress over time.
• The performance of all staff is very closely linked to the challenging and precise targets they are set, which link exceptionally closely to plans for the school’s improvement. This enables leaders to monitor progress rigorously and reward excellence accordingly.
• The innovative and well-organised school curriculum offers pupils a wide range of opportunities to learn both inside and outside the classroom. Pupils’ enthusiasm and excitement for learning is palpable. Their mature attitudes, conscientious approach and the depth of their insight in forming questions at the start of a new topic are impressive. The development of these skills from a young age enables pupils to make outstanding progress across the school.
• Disadvantaged pupils make equally strong progress to others in the school. This is because of the leaders’ and governors’ effective use of the pupil premium funding to support the needs of this group.
• School leaders use extra funding to support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities very well. The work of staff in the school’s two ‘star rooms’ enables pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities to make excellent progress. Each of these pupils work on a bespoke programme which supports their individual needs.
• The prudent use of the physical education and sport funding has enabled the school to employ sports coaches to deliver a very wide range of extra clubs and activities, both at lunchtime and after school. A key focus has been to increase levels of fitness. An evaluation of the fitness levels of all pupils in school was recently undertaken. The results showed that one particular group of pupils was less fit than others. When extra activities were put in place for this group, all attended. A re-test of the pupils showed that their fitness levels had improved significantly
• Through opportunities to study other faiths and celebrations, pupils gain a very good understanding of life in modern Britain. Through trips to a wide range of different places, including an outdoor pursuits centre, pupils develop a range of new skills and understanding. As one pupil commented when describing climbing up a steep slope: ‘At first I was very scared but then I was able to conquer my fear. This made me feel exhilarated.’ Experiences such as these contribute well to the pupils’ high levels of spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding.
• The school’s leaders do not receive external support other than from the trust to which they belong. The trust supports the evaluation of the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and pupils’ progress through regular reviews. The impact of this work can be seen in the improvements in the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes.

Governance of the school

• The governance of the school is shared by the trust and a local governing body.
• Many governors remained on the school’s local governing body after the school became an academy. Their collective knowledge of the school’s current and past performance has enabled them to support the leadership team in bringing about the fast pace of improvement.
• Governors’ pride in the progress made by pupils in the school is clear. Governors’ belief in the excellent job done by staff is based on a clear knowledge and understanding of pupil progress data.
• While the governors receive accurate and regular updates and reports from the headteacher, they are clear that this is not the only way they receive information about the school. Through undertaking short visits to lessons with senior leaders and through regular discussions with staff they gain a strong understanding of the school’s strengths and areas in need of improvement.
• The regular audits carried out by the trust leadership on the quality of provision within school and on pupil progress, enable them to hold school leaders to account very effectively.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The school leadership team, trust and governors have ensured that the school meets all statutory requirements for safeguarding. This includes robust checks carried out on all adults to ensure their suitability for working with children.
• School leaders work closely with a range of other agencies including social care and health. These close working partnerships ensure pupils’ safety and care.
• School leaders have developed a clear culture of safeguarding within the school which ensures that keeping children safe is everyone’s responsibility. A recent discussion between staff illustrated this well, when a member of the office staff asked that the telephone number of the local authority safeguarding lead should be displayed in more than one place in the school, should an urgent referral be necessary.
• All staff are very well trained and record any concerns effectively in the class pastoral care books. A table in the staffroom on which safeguarding documentation is kept forms a good point of reference for staff. New staff spoken to during the inspection expressed their appreciation of the high standard of training they have received.
• The well-written and detailed safeguarding policies ensure that all staff are clear about what constitutes a safeguarding concern and what actions are required.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• Teachers and teaching assistants work very closely together and are passionate about ensuring that all pupils make the very best progress possible from their starting points.
• Staff are very knowledgeable and creative in their approach. They provide a curriculum that engages pupils and deepens their knowledge through their active participation in planned activities. For example, staff encourage pupils to approach any task by looking for clues and questioning what they see in front of them. This develops pupils’ stamina for writing and tenacity and curiosity for learning. For example, in Year 6 English, pupils started a new area of learning by ‘interrogating’ the cover of their new book, gaining clues from the picture on the story content. Pupils’ very strong questioning skills were used to excellent effect and through working collaboratively they quickly and accurately established the story setting and lead character.
• Staff at the school recognise that their pupils learn best when they are offered challenges which make them think and deepen their understanding. Learning in this way is clearly evident in mathematics across the school. A clear focus on mastering concepts and then using them to solve problems has been introduced and has been key to the continuing improvement and excellent progress made by pupils.
• The highly effective phonics teaching in both the early years and Year 1 ensures that nearly all pupils score highly in the phonics screening check. As a result of the very high expectations of staff and their perseverance and patience in ensuring that all succeed, very few pupils do not reach the required standard by the end of Year 2.
• Staff plan learning meticulously and spend much time reflecting on how successfully pupils have progressed. This very close attention to detail ensures that teachers refine and develop learning for groups of pupils and this maximises pupils’ progress. Teachers also encourage pupils to take a reflective approach to learning and to monitor their own progress through, for example, reflecting on work they had completed last year and identifying improvements based on their current knowledge and understanding.
• Staff assess pupils’ needs exceptionally well. They check and measure progress very carefully and ensure that any gaps in learning are addressed through catch-up sessions. Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make excellent progress because their needs are identified and extra help is given. Much of this support takes place in the school’s star rooms. These are specially designed classes which deliver bespoke learning for individual pupils. The teachers who work in these classes have an excellent understanding of the needs of pupils who attend and, as a result, pupils often make outstanding progress over time.
• Pupils spoken to, who brought their books with them, were very keen to demonstrate the progress they had made during their time in school. They were eloquent in their description of how tasks set by teachers enabled them to learn and all said how much they enjoyed learning because staff made it ‘fun and exciting’. A comment made by one pupil summed up the views of others: ‘I love learning and can’t wait to start work each day. Sometimes I even miss school at the weekend.’

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils are immensely proud of their school. Those spoken to during the inspection were very keen to explain to the inspection team how well cared for and safe they felt in school.
• The democratically elected school council represents pupils’ views well. The council fund-raises for a wide range of different improvements to the school. For example, the council recently elected to contribute towards a whole-school approach to fitness. They consulted with staff and the sports coaches in order to find out what resources might make the most difference. They identified that improving catching skills was important, so after further research they purchased two scoop and ball sets for each class to be used at break and lunchtime. The depth of research undertaken, and clear focus on improvement across the school, demonstrated the pupils’ very mature attitudes and insightful thinking skills.
• Projects such as these, pupils say, have enabled them to feel as if they are making a difference. They also say they have made them feel listened to and have improved their understanding of the needs of others.
• From community support officers to the road safety personnel, a wealth of experts make regular visits to the school. As a result, pupils have received comprehensive training on how to stay safe on their bikes, scooters and when crossing the road. This ensures that they learn to be safe both inside and outside the classroom.
• Pupils develop a very sharp understanding of the need for democracy and the importance of the rule of the law through work completed in personal, social and health education. Their strong understanding of cultural differences within society comes from the diverse range of activities planned across the curriculum. For example, younger children learn about celebrations such as Diwali and Eid, while in English lessons, older pupils learn about the differences between life in Ghana and Britain.
• The effectiveness of teachers’ planning for learning combined with visits to a range of different locations, including residential visits to outdoor pursuit centres, enables pupils to develop excellent levels of social, moral, spiritual and cultural skills and understanding.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils are very courteous and kind to each other. They quickly learn how to respect the needs of others both in school and in the wider community.
• Pupils are clear about the different forms bullying can take and are very clear about what to do should incidents occur.
• The pupils’ love of learning is apparent in their excellent behaviour inside the classroom. Their delight at returning to learning after break and at the start of the day is clearly reflected in the exuberant way they return to the classroom.
• The thoughtful approach pupils take to assessing their own and other’s work reflects their mature attitudes and behaviour well. The views of one pupil summed up the feelings of others when they said ‘It’s important to be honest about other people’s work but it’s also very important to be kind.’
• Pupils’ attendance remains above the national average overall. Senior leaders work hard at reducing term-time holidays, which they rightly believe can impact negatively on their pupils’ progress.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• Outcomes for pupils have continued to improve since the school became an academy.
• Last year, national data showed that pupils in key stage 2 attained very well in writing, but slightly less well in reading and mathematics. School leaders accurately predicted this dip after unexpected changes to staffing in upper key stage 2. Leaders have worked hard to ensure that it does not happen again.
• Current data collected by the school is demonstrating a pleasing picture. The clear focus on improving pupils’ vocabulary has accelerated pupils’ progress in reading back to previous levels. Changes in staffing and a school-wide focus on developing a ‘mastery’ approach to mathematics has very quickly begun to drive up standards to previous levels.
• Work in pupils’ books confirms that pupils are making good and often exceptional progress from a range of starting points. Work in the books of last year’s Year 6 also confirms the very strong progress made by pupils. This represents outstanding progress over time.
• Currently the most able pupils are making excellent progress across the school. New strategies in place to deepen pupils’ knowledge and skills, particularly in mathematics, are having an effect and data shows an acceleration in pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills.
• The very focused approach taken by the school to meeting the needs of disadvantaged pupils ensures that they are also making very strong progress across the curriculum. Work in pupils’ books demonstrates that the more able in this group are making accelerated progress over time.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make exceptional progress from their starting points. Their progress, alongside that of others, is very closely tracked and monitored. Work in the school’s star rooms enables the pupils in these classes to proceed at their own pace, and any gaps in their learning or misconceptions to be very quickly addressed. Because of the strong communication between staff, the new learning undertaken by pupils in their star class is very effectively followed up and reinforced on their return to their usual classroom.
• Pupils across the school enjoy reading. Older children were very keen to explain to the inspection team how much they enjoyed losing themselves in a good book. The well-stocked library enables pupils to choose from a wide range of books and they very confidently talk about their favourite authors. Those more able pupils who read to the inspector were very confident and used quotes from the text to illustrate their understanding. From pupils’ starting points this demonstrated excellent progress.
• During the inspection the most able pupils clearly demonstrated their ability to work at greater depth, particularly in English. A large proportion of middle-ability pupils are also making this accelerated progress.
• Where pupils have not yet reached their age-related expectations, often because they have additional needs, the expectation is that they will reach the required standard and support is put in place which ensures that the vast majority make rapid progress.

Early years provision Good

• Children join the early years with a range of different skills and knowledge. Overall they are broadly in line with age-related expectations. However, in some of the year groups currently children started the early years with skills and knowledge a little below that typically found.
• Children settle into school routines quickly thanks to the care and attention given by skilled staff. Parents spoken to feel that staff are very approachable and make the children’s transition into the Reception class as easy as possible.
• Children make very good progress overall due to the skills of the staff and the well-organised curriculum. Most children, including those who have additional needs, leave Reception having reached, or close to reaching, the expected standard for their age.
• The early years teacher has an accurate picture of the strengths and areas for development within the unit. However she, alongside the senior leader responsible for the unit, have yet to put in place the planned system for measuring the progress of different groups of children. As a result, although staff are very clear about the progress of individual children, it is not easy for school leaders to measure the progress of different groups, for example the most able. This lack of clarity hinders the effectiveness of leaders in providing support for these groups and slows progress overall.
• Staff plan work which engages boys and girls well. Staff are aware of the dip in the progress of boys last year and have sought to improve provision across the unit. At the time of the inspection, the Reception area had been turned into a station and children were busily engaged in buying tickets and preparing to ride on the train, practising both their numeracy and early writing skills well. A planned visit to a local railway station was eagerly anticipated by the children and adults. Excitement levels were heightened for some, as it was to be their first train ride.
• The outdoor area is shared with a private on-site nursery and out-of-school club. This sometimes leads to minor issues when children from the Nursery play with resources designed for Reception children. However, staff are now working more closely together to resolve future conflicts and plan resources which meet the needs of both groups.
• Statutory welfare requirements are met.

School details

Unique reference number 140581 Local authority North East Lincolnshire Inspection number 10023844 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 210 Appropriate authority Academy trust Chair of the governing body Councillor Ian Lindley Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Sharon Clapson 01472 320601 www.lacebyacres.ne-lincs.sch.uk/ office@lacebyacres.ne-lincs.sch.uk 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.
• The school converted to an academy in 2014, joining the Enquire Learning Trust, a multi-academy trust.
• The school shares its site with a privately run on-site nursery and before- and after-school club.
• The school is organised into two phases: Reception, Years 1, 2 and 3 make up one phase and Years 4, 5 and 6 make up the second phase. Both phases are led and managed by a phase leader.

Information about this inspection

• The inspection team observed learning in a range of lessons and parts of lessons across the school. Some observations were carried out jointly with members of the leadership team.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, a member of the leadership team from the academy trust, teaching staff, three members of the governing body, a group of pupils and a parent. Informal meetings were also held with 16 parents at the start of the school day.
• The inspection team also took into account the 26 responses from parents to the Ofsted online parent questionnaire, Parent View.
• The inspection team analysed a range of documents including safeguarding documentation, curriculum documentation and data compiled by the school to measure pupils’ progress. Inspectors also checked the work in a range of pupils’ books.

Inspection team

Marian Thomas, lead inspector Beverley Riddle Victoria Johnson

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector