All Saints Academy Darfield

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are welcoming at All Saints Academy Darfield. Pupils enjoy school. Relationships between adults and pupils are positive.

Pupils, right from the early years, are well cared for.

The school is ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to receive a high-quality education. In some areas, including in the early years, these high expectations are realised.

However, in some subjects, pupils' achievement does not match the school's intentions. Some pupils do not achieve as well as they should. There is still work to do to ensure that all pupils have the breadth, and depth, of knowledge that they need t...o be ready for the next stage of their education.

The school has high expectations for pupils' behaviour. Pupils respond to positive praise and behave well. Pupils value the rewards that they receive for following the rules of 'ready, respectful and safe'.

They are polite and respectful to each other and adults. Pupils know the importance of treating everyone equally. Children in the early years learn about difference through stories.

Pupils are safe. They trust the adults in school to take care of them. Parents and carers appreciate the care and support that their children receive.

Pupils have a secure understanding of how to stay safe online. Pupils take pride in their responsibilities including school councillors and reading ambassadors. School councillors raised money through a `bring and buy' sale to fund a healthy tuck shop.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Since the previous inspection, the school has restructured the curriculum. It is well designed to build pupils' knowledge from the early years to the end of Year 6. The key knowledge that leaders want pupils to learn has been carefully thought out.

Vocabulary is deliberately identified and revisited. Pupils are learning the intended curriculum. However, the curriculum is at the very early stages of implementation.

While pupils are able to remember recent learning, they do not yet build their knowledge well over time.

Reading is prioritised. There is a focus on developing pupils' love of reading.

The school has invested in new and engaging books. Pupils enjoy the 'repeated reads'. The school has ensured that a clearly structured phonics programme is in place.

Staff have received appropriate training to teach the phonics programme consistently. However, the support that pupils receive in key stages 1 and 2 to catch up is not sharply focused on addressing the gaps in their reading knowledge. These pupils do not become confident and fluent readers as quickly as they should.

The curriculum for mathematics is well structured. The school has recently made changes to how mathematics is taught in lessons. However, too many pupils still have gaps in their knowledge.

Pupils do not build their mathematics knowledge securely over time. The school is aware that more needs to be done to ensure that pupils build their knowledge over time by making connections to their previous learning.

The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND right from the early years.

Leaders work well with external agencies to access specialist support. Staff are well trained to ensure pupils get the support that they need quickly. The curriculum is successfully adapted so that pupils access the full curriculum offer.

The school has ensured that the early years curriculum builds children's knowledge and appeals to children's interests. A growing number of children start school with communication needs. They are supported well from the start in a language and vocabulary rich environment.

Adults use assessment consistently to adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of children. Well-trained staff engage with children to encourage independence and self-care. The early years environment is calm and purposeful.

Children play well together. They share and take turns.

Pupils understand the importance of attending school regularly.

The school has worked hard to improve pupils' attendance. Leaders analyse and track absence thoroughly. They have put in place a range of strategies to address the high number of pupils who are persistently absent.

This has been successful and attendance has improved.

Pupils move around school sensibly, both inside and outside. They enjoy the range of activities on offer at playtimes, including the 'trim trail' and 'book nook'.

They listen well to teachers in lessons. In 'Life Lessons', pupils broaden their knowledge and understanding of the world. For example, they learn about finance, stereotypes and refugees.

The school offers a wealth of experiences for pupils both within and beyond their local community. Pupils enjoy these opportunities, which include residential visits, theatre visits and working with the local church and care home.

The trust has an ambitious vision for the school.

It is committed to improving the school. Recently, there have been significant changes to the governance of the school. Trustees and governors carry out their statutory duties well.

However, governors do not hold leaders to account well enough, including over the quality of education. Staff, including early careers teachers, value the support they get from leaders and each other.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school has recently made changes to the curriculum in some of the areas of the wider curriculum. Pupils have not developed a secure understanding of the knowledge that the school has identified as being important. The school should continue to implement the intended curriculum so that pupils' knowledge deepens over time.

• For pupils who need additional support in reading and mathematics, the school has not identified precisely enough the gaps in their knowledge. This means that too many pupils do not achieve as well as they should in reading and mathematics. The school should ensure that any gaps in pupils' knowledge are clearly identified and addressed so that all pupils achieve well.

• Governors do not have a sufficient depth of understanding of the quality of education that pupils receive. This means that governors have not challenged leaders sufficiently well about how well pupils at the school are achieving. Governors should continue to develop their role so that they hold leaders fully to account for the school's performance.

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