Castleford Three Lane Ends Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Staff at Castleford Three Lane Ends Academy have high expectations of pupils. Castleford Academy Trust support this ambition.

Pupils are happy and feel safe. In lessons, such as art and history, pupils work purposefully. They remember what they have been taught in previous lessons.

In discussion and debates, pupils converse well. They are polite and respectful to each other. Behaviour is calm and orderly.

Pupils are honoured to be nominated for a 'PRIDE' award by their peers. Pupils present their work in books well. They take on responsibility and show independence.

All members of the school community embrace equality of opportunity. Pupils are in ad...miration of the significant figures in history they have studied, such as the suffragettes. Pupils can explain about the injustice experienced by these groups.

The school provides many opportunities for pupils to develop their talents and interests. Pupils enjoy attending clubs after school, such as choir and art. Staff link educational trips and visits to curriculum topics that the pupils study.

A trip to a zoo, for example, helped pupils to remember more about the rainforest. Pupils enjoy their annual residential, where they work as a team and learn how to complete tricky tasks.

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

The school has a well-designed curriculum.

Leaders have carefully considered learning steps that build to ambitious end points. Staff provide pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) with the same ambitious curriculum as other pupils. Staff provide these pupils with adaptions in lessons, such as specialist equipment that helps them to access learning.

The trust has provided training to help develop curriculum leaders' understanding of school improvement. Curriculum leaders are able to explain the curriculum structure with confidence. They check that teachers deliver their subject consistently well.

The school has established systems to check what pupils know and understand. In subjects such as mathematics, teachers use these systems well to identify gaps in learning. However, this is not the case in all subjects.

Curriculum leaders have recently evaluated and made changes to the school's approach to teaching phonics. Teachers acknowledge the positive benefit of these changes. The teaching of early reading is consistent.

All adults follow the school's phonics programme and teach phonics appropriately. Pupils read books that contain the sounds that they know. Individual phonics tutoring is in place for pupils who are catching up in reading.

Leaders celebrate reading in many ways across the school. Pupils enjoy listening to their teacher read the class reading book.

The curriculum in the early years is well organised and logically sequenced.

Teachers know and use the vocabulary that they want children to learn. Staff use songs in the classroom routines to help children learn this vocabulary. Staff design learning activities well to help children build the knowledge and skills they need for later learning.

For example, children could talk about the poppies they were making for Remembrance Day and what these represented. In the outdoor environment, children independently make courses to run through. Children concentrate well on tasks when working in small groups and independently.

They cooperate well together.

The high quality of education that pupils receive is not reflected in the outcomes at the end of Year 6 achieved last year. These pupils did not benefit from more recent changes to systems, such as the improved teaching of early reading.

Pupils benefit from the school's personal development programme. This supports pupils' well-being. Pupils know how to treat others respectfully, irrespective of difference.

Pupils have knowledge of different faiths and can make comparisons between religious celebrations. Through student elections, they have learned the importance of voting. Pupils learn to stay safe online, ride a bicycle safely and know how to stay safe when crossing the road.

The school has worked with local partners to improve the systems to check pupils' attendance. This work has had a positive impact on most pupils. Leaders continue to work on further improving those pupils who do not regularly attend.

The chief executive officer, trustees and governors have been key partners in reshaping the strategic direction of the school, which has rapidly improved in all areas. The trust has worked alongside school leaders to drive timely and sustainable improvements. Governors and trustees perform the required statutory duties with care.

They hold senior leaders to account effectively. Teachers feel that leaders consider their needs and prioritise their well-being.

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 not developed an accurate and consistent system to check what pupils know. This means that teachers cannot accurately identify gaps in pupils' knowledge or misconceptions in pupils' learning in all subjects. Leaders should ensure that a consistent system is in place that helps teachers to purposefully check what pupils do and do not know across the breadth of the curriculum.