Old Trafford Community Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, enjoy school.

They have positive relationships with their teachers and feel safe in their care. Staff swiftly resolve any issues of bullying.

Pupils particularly enjoy playtimes with their friends.

They have access to a range of extra-curricular opportunities which they appreciate. These include extra lunchtime clubs for pupils who might not be able to stay for after-school clubs.

Leaders have raised their expectations of what pupils can achieve in the curriculum.

This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Recently, leaders have significantly overhauled many ...subject curriculums. This is beginning to have a positive impact on how well pupils achieve.

However, much of this work is still in its infancy. This means that pupils are not currently achieving as well as they should in some subjects.

When children start in the early years, they learn positive routines for behaviour and follow these well.

However, staff's expectations of behaviour in key stages 1 and 2 are not high enough. As a result, pupils in these year groups occasionally veer off task and cause disruption to lessons. Staff do not consistently manage these disruptions well.

Pupils behave well during their social times.

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

Leaders have made many recent improvements to the school's curriculum. Some subject leaders have taken rapid action to carefully identify the knowledge that pupils must learn and the order in which they will learn it.

Leaders' actions are already beginning to have a positive impact on what pupils know and remember in these subjects. However, other subjects are still at an earlier stage of development. In these subjects, leaders are still defining the important knowledge pupils need to learn.

This means that, in these subjects, teachers are not clear about how to design or order suitable learning in a way that helps pupils to build their knowledge securely over time. As a result, pupils' achievement across different subjects is uneven.

As leaders have not fully identified what pupils must learn in some subjects, some teachers do not know how to assess how well pupils are learning new content.

Furthermore, some teachers do not accurately identify and address pupils' errors and misconceptions. This leads to gaps in pupils' learning.

Leaders have recently introduced a new phonics programme.

This has brought about improvements to the teaching of early reading. Children learn phonics as soon as they start in the early years. Staff who teach phonics have been well trained and deliver the programme consistently well.

Pupils read books that are well matched to the sounds that they know. Teachers quickly identify, and then support, pupils who need extra help to read fluently.Children in the early years settle into school life well.

They learn classroom routines quickly and behave well in their welcoming environment. Children experience a well-designed and well-delivered early years curriculum. Teachers organise activities carefully to engage children's natural curiosity.

This helps children to achieve well. Staff model communication and language well. They interact positively with children to foster respectful relationships.

Leaders identify the needs of pupils with SEND early. They ensure that these pupils access the same curriculum as their classmates wherever possible. When pupils have more complex needs, leaders involve external agencies to provide the support that these pupils need.

Leaders celebrate pupils' diversity and promote their personal development well. They ensure that pupils are prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils develop their knowledge of different faiths particularly well.

They learn how to develop healthy relationships with others.

Most pupils behave well, especially at social times. However, some pupils and staff reported to inspectors that, sometimes, the behaviour of some pupils in lessons is less positive.

Some teachers do not deal with these disruptions effectively. This impacts on the ability of other pupils to concentrate on their work. Leaders, including those responsible for governance, do not have high expectations of pupils' attendance, including that of children in the early years.

They do not do enough to remove the barriers that prevent pupils from attending school regularly. This means that pupils miss out on important learning and bad attendance habits form at a young age.

Governors know the school well.

They fulfil most of their duties effectively. Leaders take account of staff's workload and well-being and help them manage this.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that staff know how to identify the signs that a pupil might be at risk of harm. Staff know how to report any concerns they may have and alert leaders to these concerns quickly. Leaders review any concerns raised and act accordingly to keep pupils safe.

Leaders take action to provide support for vulnerable pupils when concerns are raised by staff or other agencies. Teachers make sure that pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including when using the internet.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• A number of pupils, including children in the early years, do not attend school regularly.

This means that children and pupils miss out on important learning. Leaders should implement effective strategies to secure the attendance of all pupils. They should also work with parents and carers to remove the barriers that prevent pupils from attending well.

• In several subjects, leaders are still at an early stage of breaking down the knowledge that they want pupils to know and the way in which it will be delivered. This means that pupils do not build on their knowledge securely over time. Subject leaders should clarify the specific knowledge pupils need to know, and the order in which it should be taught, so that teachers can design activities which help pupils to know and remember more.

• Some teachers do not use assessment strategies effectively to check pupils' learning. This sometimes means that teachers do not address pupils' errors and misconceptions. Leaders should ensure that teachers are well equipped to spot and correct pupils' mistakes so that pupils' knowledge deepens.

• Some teachers do not deal with some low-level misbehaviour well. As a result, the learning for some pupils is disrupted. Leaders should ensure that teachers have effective classroom management strategies to help pupils to remain on task so that learning is not interrupted.