English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of leadership and management by:
  • ensuring that governors and staff have a clear understanding of standards and progress, in particular the progress of disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities
  • further supporting middle leaders to help them plan for and measure the impact of their work on standards across the school
  • working more closely with the trust representatives to utilise their strengths in school improvement.
• Improve pupils’ progress by improving the quality of teaching across the school, particularly in key stage 2, by ensuring that:
  • teachers have high expectations of all pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities
  • pupils who are most able are given challenging activities through which they can apply and extend the skills they have learned
  • a higher proportion of pupils reach and exceed the expected standard in reading in key stage 2
  • a higher proportion of pupils exceed the expected standard in writing across the school
  • teachers plan learning that interests the pupils and makes them enthusiastic to learn more
  • teaching assistants receive relevant training to help them be more effective in supporting the needs of the pupils they work with.
• Improve behaviour and rates of attendance by:
  • reviewing how effectively adults supervise behaviour in the playground
  • ensuring that pupils are taught what is acceptable behaviour in the playground
  • frequently analysing the behaviour log to check that any bullying is identified and dealt with appropriately
  • continuing to work closely with the parents of pupils with low attendance. 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

• Too many pupils have not reached the standards they are capable of in key stage 2. Standards and progress in reading are still too low despite a recent upturn in other subjects.
• Governors have limited understanding of the progress groups of pupils are making throughout the school. They lack a clear understanding of monitoring and progress information.
• Leaders are not ensuring that pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are progressing quickly enough. Some teaching assistants are unclear about the individual targets for the pupils they are working with.
• The special educational needs coordinator recognises that more work is needed to ensure that the progress pupils make is measured effectively. Not all teaching assistants are fully aware of how to support this group of pupils. The funding is directed to provide extra support to those pupils who need it. However, support staff have received little training to help them become more knowledgeable in their role. Consequently, the impact of the funding is limited.
• The teaching team in key stage 2 has now stabilised after a period of successive temporary teachers. Teachers of pupils in key stage 2 are still identifying and addressing the significant gaps in learning this has caused. Leaders are using staff training effectively to raise outcomes for all pupils. Leaders are honest in their evaluation of teaching, learning and assessment. They recognise that there is still much work to be done to improve the quality of teaching and learning so that it is consistent across the school.
• The headteacher is beginning to tackle the improvements needed. After a period of staffing turbulence, she has now managed to secure a stable staff team to help move the school forward. Most leaders are new to post and have received appropriate training to help them make the improvements required, although some are in the early stages of leadership. The emerging picture of higher attainment and some improvement to rates of progress show that leaders are making the right decisions.
• Leaders know their pupils well individually. They can see who is making the progress expected of them. They put support in place for pupils where they identify a need.
• Leaders check the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and know where teaching is strongest and where improvements are required. Feedback provided to teachers provides them with support to help them improve their practice.
• Middle leaders have received training from both the leadership team and the local authority to help them develop their roles. Middle leaders observe teaching and learning in their subjects and provide helpful feedback to teachers. The middle leaders require further development to support them in writing detailed action plans through which they and other leaders can measure the impact of their work.
• Leaders are not monitoring the effectiveness of pupil premium funding closely enough. Leaders plan where support is needed and use the additional funding to meet identified needs. Progress is not as rapid as it needs to be to ensure that all pupils, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, make the progress they are capable of.
• Attendance is below the national average. A higher proportion of pupils are persistently absent than seen in other schools. Leaders have appointed a safeguarding and welfare officer to work with some families who need support. Through their analysis, leaders know that a high proportion of these pupils have medical needs which are reflected in their attendance rates.
• Senior leaders have ensured that systems in place for managing teachers’ performance and checking on the quality of teaching and learning are appropriate. Targets link to the school development plan and leaders provide training to support development. Consequently, the quality of teaching and learning is improving, but is still too variable.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced. Pupils enjoy a wide range of activities and work in science is well developed. History and geography are covered well and often link to visits, which further enhance the curriculum. Work on personal, social and health education takes into account pupils’ needs. Pupils enjoy regular opportunities to cook as part of their work on healthy eating. Pupils demonstrate a strong understanding of British values and can explain democracy in simple form.
• Leaders use the primary physical education (PE) and sport premium funding well. They provide a range of sporting activities, as well as transport to and from events.
• The trust has brokered effective support from the local authority to help improve standards in key stage 2. The impact of the work is evident in the improvement to standards in writing this year. However, leaders do not always take advantage of the range of support provided by the trust.

Governance of the school

• Governors have been too over-reliant on what the headteacher has told them about current rates of progress across the school. The information they receive has not given them a clear picture of the variance in progress across the classes. They demonstrate a sound understanding of published information, but their knowledge is more limited when looking at groups within the school.
• Governors recognise the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They are particularly proud of the pastoral work the school undertakes and the strong Catholic ethos that permeates the school.
• Governors have fully supported the headteacher through the many changes in staffing. They provide challenge and support through the questions they ask at meetings and through the monitoring work they carry out.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• All staff and governors undertake regular safeguarding training. Consequently, everyone is kept up to date with new guidance and takes their responsibilities seriously. Correct procedures are in place for the appointment of teaching staff. Where leaders are waiting for checks to come through, they put risk assessments in place to ensure the safety of all pupils.
• The headteacher and safeguarding lead know the needs of vulnerable pupils well. They provide effective support for families and work well with outside agencies. All pupil information is kept securely and incidents are recorded in detail. Where outside agencies are involved, information is recorded appropriately.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment has been too variable over time and there are still inconsistencies in the quality of teaching across the school.
• For some pupils, learning is slow because teachers do not always plan lessons to meet the needs, abilities and interests of pupils. As a result, progress for the least able and the most able is not consistently strong.
• Teaching is not consistently providing well-matched work to extend learning for the most able pupils. When work was well matched, pupils sometimes did not receive clear explanations to help them succeed. Therefore, some pupils could not move on to extension activities quickly enough and time was wasted. In classes where teaching was stronger, pupils were engaged in their learning because they were interested and found the tasks challenging.
• Teachers do not consistently plan learning that engages pupils. On too many occasions, pupils complied with instructions but lacked enthusiasm and resilience. This is because teachers do not take the interests of the pupils into account when planning. Pupils are not provided with enough opportunities to deepen their learning.
• Some support for the least able pupils successfully helped them to find their own solutions to tasks and improved their learning. Again, this was not consistent across the school. In other classes, support did not meet the needs of the pupils and teaching assistants were unsure of what pupils had to do.
• In mathematics, pupils often work on number and place value without developing reasoning skills. Work seen in books showed that although learning had taken place, the content was often dull and uninspiring. Where teachers are using more problem solving, pupils enjoy their lessons and make better progress.
• Teachers are becoming more confident in how they assess standards in writing. Training and moderation have helped raise expectations and improve the quality of written work across the school.
• Teachers are beginning to implement the new reading system across the school, giving reading a higher profile. A stronger focus on vocabulary and inference is helping to develop higher order reading skills. Pupils in key stage 2 read books which are at the right level, both to give them a growing confidence and to introduce them to new vocabulary. Older pupils show proficient reading skills and demonstrate positive attitudes.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.
• Leaders are not ensuring that all behaviour incidents are recorded during breaktimes, so they are unable to recognise when bullying occurs.
• Pupils understand the different types of bullying that exist and say that some bullying does happen at the school. However, pupils say they feel safe and they can speak to adults when they require support.
• Pupils demonstrate a sound understanding of other religions and cultures. They demonstrate empathy and consideration, for example when speaking about how they had welcomed some new refugee pupils to the school.
• Pupils raise money for charity and regularly take part in a variety of events. Some parents spoke about how well the school staff had supported them, buying clothing and signposting them to food banks.
• Pupils have a sound awareness of the risks posed by use of the internet, including online bullying and social media safety. Leaders have ensured that useful information is available for parents on their website.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• At breaktimes, behaviour by a minority of pupils can be boisterous because the adults who are ‘on duty’ are not vigilant enough. Staff are not addressing inappropriate behaviour quickly enough to stop it escalating. As a result, play for a minority of pupils can become unruly. A number of parents who responded to Parent View also felt that behaviour was not always good at the school.
• The majority of pupils behave well. Pupils say they feel safe and they know to speak to an adult if they have any concerns. During key stage 1 breaktime, pupils played together well, took turns and shared equipment.
• Pupils behave well in the classroom. They listen to the teacher and apply themselves to their work. However, because the quality of teaching is variable, pupils do not consistently approach their work with enthusiasm or excitement in key stage 2.
• Attendance, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, shows little sign of improvement. Leaders have identified attendance in their development plan and offer a range of rewards and sanctions. A number of individual pupils with medical needs are often ill, and leaders are monitoring this. The safeguarding and well-being officer monitors attendance daily and works with the educational welfare officer to support parents when needed.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• The turbulence in teaching staff in key stage 2 has resulted in too many pupils not making good enough progress from their starting points.
• Standards at the end of key stage 2 in the 2016 national tests were well below the national averages in all subjects. Provisional outcomes for 2017 show that there has been significant improvement to writing, mathematics and grammar standards. However, standards in reading remain disappointingly low.
• The achievement and progress of pupils in key stage 1 is similar to that seen in other schools nationally.
• Progress rates are too variable across key stage 2. Pupils make better progress where teaching is stronger and pupils are more engaged in their learning. Where teaching is weaker, and teachers demonstrate weak subject knowledge or do not match work to the needs of the pupils, progress is weaker.
• Outcomes in writing across the school improved significantly during the previous academic year. Work seen in pupils’ books shows much higher teacher expectations halfway through the year. Leaders attribute this to the focus on writing standards and work with the local authority adviser. While the number of pupils reaching the expected standard has improved, too few pupils are reaching greater depth across key stages 1 and 2. This is because teachers do not consistently match the work to meet the needs of the most able.
• Standards in mathematics have improved, particularly for the most able pupils. A high proportion of pupils reached greater depth in the Year 6 tests. Leaders have put support in place for older pupils to help identify where they have gaps in their learning and work has been successful in addressing them. Over time, pupils receive a range of mathematics activities, including work on number, place value, and shape and measures. However, work on problem solving and reasoning is not as well developed.
• Reading standards remain too low in key stage 2 because pupils are not being taught how to answer questions in depth. Leaders have introduced whole-class reading sessions to strengthen understanding and develop a love of reading. Leaders have prioritised reading standards, but it is too early to see if their work is having the effect required.
• Standards in phonics have continued to rise and are now in line with most pupils nationally. Pupils apply their skills to tackle unknown words. Pupils who are struggling to catch up receive appropriate work to help them practise their skills.
• Disadvantaged pupils make strong progress across the early years and key stage 1. In key stage 2, progress is too variable. Many pupils also have special educational needs and/or disabilities, so progress is slower.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make variable rates of progress. Where their needs have been clearly identified and staff know what their targets are, they make stronger progress.

Early years provision Good

• The early years leader sets high expectations for all children and, as a result, children make good progress across both Nursery and Reception. Many children begin Nursery with skills and abilities below those typical for their age. By the time they leave the Reception class, most children have achieved a good level of development.
• Children respond positively to the warm and positive relationships created by adults. Nurture groups have already begun to target those children who need additional support. Adults are skilful when dealing with some difficult behaviours and act quickly to calm pupils down.
• Adults know when to intervene to support and enhance learning, but equally when to stand back and allow children to explore for themselves. Children are independent, well behaved and show positive attitudes to learning. A good range of questioning used by adults builds on what children know already, and supports a deepening of understanding.
• Adults place strong emphasis on developing vocabulary because many children enter the Nursery with delayed speech and language skills. Staff know their children well and they plan appropriate activities, which build on what children know. Staff skilfully extend learning opportunities for the most able and model or revisit learning for the least able.
• Children learn phonics from the time they start in the Nursery. The youngest children listen and distinguish sounds around them, and older children in Reception are already blending letters to read simple words.
• Assessments begin with a strong baseline, which is based on observations over time. Evidence collected in learning journals successfully provides a comprehensive picture of what children can do. The early years leader has introduced an electronic evidence system this year because she has identified that some journals did not contain enough next steps to inform planning. Leaders ensure that their assessments are accurate through moderation across the trust and the local authority. As a result, assessment is accurate.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 141595 Wakefield 10036392 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 converter 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 252 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Headteacher Mr James Rawlinson Mrs Catherine Flood Telephone number 01924 299244 Website Email address www.englishmartyrswakefield.org.uk office@englishmartyrs.bkcat.co.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. It also complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• The school met the government floor standards in 2016.
• The school met the DfE’s coasting school definition in 2016.
• English Martyrs is an average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, those who are eligible for the pupil premium funding, is higher than the national average.
• The proportion of pupils with a statement or an education, health and care plan is higher than that seen nationally.
• English Martyrs became a voluntary academy in December 2014 as part of the Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust. The trust provides the school with effective support through the local authority adviser.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed pupils learning in all classes.
• Inspectors looked at work in pupils’ books and listened to pupils read. They interviewed groups of pupils to gain their views and spoke with pupils informally. The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktime, lunchtime and during lessons.
• The inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including information on pupils’ progress, governing body minutes, school development plans, and safeguarding information. They also looked at records relating to the quality of teaching.
• Meetings where held with the headteacher, middle leaders, and the teacher with responsibility for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. A group of special needs teaching assistants and two governors, including the chair of the governing body, met the inspectors. Meetings were also held with the standards officer from the trust and the local authority adviser. A telephone conversation was held with the diocese representative.
• The inspectors spoke with parents before the start of school and took account of the 41 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and the 20 staff responses to their online questionnaire.

Inspection team

Janet Lunn, lead inspector Ella Besharati Tim Scargill Gary Nixon Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector