North Ormesby Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This school welcomes pupils of many different nationalities. A considerable number of pupils join the school part way through their education. Many are learning English for the first time.

Staff are highly skilled in crafting relationships with new pupils and their families. Young interpreters help those who are new to the school feel at home. Pupils are happy here.

Staff use the school mascot 'TIM' to promote high expectations in behaviour, attendance and academic learning. Pupils respond very well to this. Pupils feel safe in school.

They know that they can always talk to an adult if they are concerned about anything. The school is a calm place, where pupil...s behave well, showing courtesy and respect to each other. Lessons are a hive of learning as pupils engage in discussions and work through their tasks.

Pupils achieve well and have solid foundations for their next stage of education.

Pupils enjoy using the wide range of resources available to them in lessons and at breaktimes. The popular outdoor gym equipment helps pupils to develop their physical skills.

The school allotment enhances the curriculum as pupils learn about growing their own food.

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

The school prioritises a love of reading. By Year 6, pupils develop effective comprehension and fluency skills.

There are many inviting reading spaces, including outdoors in the early years. Staff are well trained in teaching pupils to read. This ensures that there is a consistent approach from the Reception Year onwards.

Children in the Nursery Year learn to listen well so that they can identify sounds. Although the vast majority of pupils build their phonics knowledge well, a few pupils are less secure. The books that some pupils read are not matched sufficiently well to the sounds that they know.

This hinders their reading fluency.

This school takes the right actions to improve the quality of the curriculum. For example, the curriculum for mathematics has been redesigned.

The changes in the way that multiplication is taught have increased pupil confidence and raised their achievement. Similarly, in history, there is now more of a focus on learning about chronology. Teachers have a clear understanding of what should be taught and when.

They also have a bank of resources that reduces their workload.

Leaders monitor the curriculum closely. They were recently aware that some older pupils had a limited understanding of aspects of major world faiths.

As a result, a new curriculum for religious education (RE) has been introduced, which has clarified the key knowledge that pupils are expected to learn in this subject.

The school has correctly identified the development of oral language skills as a priority area for improvement. The programme has not yet started in earnest.

In the early years, there are inconsistencies in the way that adults interact with children. Some adults model language skilfully and enhance the learning activities with rich conversation. However, at times, other staff miss opportunities for high-quality interactions.

Additional resources such as interventions and catch-up sessions for pupils are allocated well. Some pupils who transfer from other countries, quickly build their skills in English. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are swiftly identified and supported well.

Teachers are confident in adapting lessons. This includes the use of apparatus in mathematics and prompts for writing. The school works in partnership with external agencies.

This has helped the school, for example, to set up quieter spaces for pupils who need them.

Staff know pupils and their families well. They use this knowledge to identify any barriers that may affect attendance.

The school checks on the well-being of pupils who are absent. This includes making home visits. The school promotes several initiatives to encourage good attendance.

These include both weekly and longer-term attendance rewards. Pupils rates of attendance are improving. The number of pupils who are persistently absent has reduced.

Pupils show positive attitudes to learning. They understand the school behaviour system and are keen to earn TIM tokens, rewarded for upholding the school rules and values.

There is an impressive personal development programme.

Pupils have an excellent understanding of the different groups protected by law from discrimination and of fundamental British values. Staff ensure that pupils learn about cultures and different faith communities from one another to value the variety of backgrounds represented in the school. The careers programme is innovative and inspirational.

Pupils develop a strong belief that they can succeed. This motivates them to learn even more.

Staff are proud to work at North Ormesby Primary Academy.

They feel valued and supported by leaders.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils do not read books that accurately match their current phonics knowledge.

As a result, these pupils lack suitable practise of independently decoding unfamiliar words. This hinders their progress towards becoming fluent readers. The school should ensure that pupils are assessed accurately in phonics and that this information is used to match reading books to their knowledge.

• Leaders continually review the curriculum across the school. This has led to changes, such as a new curriculum being introduced in RE. Leaders should continue their work to quality assure the curriculum, and support staff to implement the changes identified.

There are inconsistencies in the approach to supporting children's language development in the early years. As a result, some children have a limited range of vocabulary and are less effective in communicating. The school should ensure that staff are clear on what vocabulary children should learn and that adults are well trained to model language and interact with children.