Halebank CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, and children in the early years, enjoy coming to this happy and safe school. Relationships between staff and pupils are strong and supportive. Leaders and staff take good care of all pupils, particularly those who are vulnerable.

Pupils enjoy taking on extra responsibilities in school. The pupil parliament is proud of the new equipment that it bought for playtimes. Pupils enjoy the range of clubs and activities that they can do after school, including Irish dancing, construction and multisport.

Everyone knows the school rules well. Staff have high expectations of pupils' behaviour. Pupils try their best in lessons.

They enjoy it when adults recognise ...them as 'Halebank Heroes' for their good behaviour and attitudes. Pupils know that staff will deal with any instances of bullying quickly and effectively, so that they do not continue.

Some pupils, including those with special educational needs (SEND) and those who are disadvantaged, do not achieve as well as they could.

The curriculum is not equally well designed across all subjects. Children in the early years do not learn as well as they should.

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

Leaders are ambitious about what all pupils can achieve.

However, they have not realised this vision in full. Pupils, including those with SEND, do not learn all that they should.

Leaders have made improvements to some areas of the curriculum.

For example, in English and mathematics, knowledge is presented in a logical order. In these subjects, new learning successfully builds on what pupils already know and can do. In English and mathematics, teachers explain things clearly and check pupils' understanding in lessons.

Leaders are successfully addressing the gaps in pupils' knowledge because of missed learning due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pupils are beginning to know and remember much more of the curriculum in these subjects.

The curriculum in other subjects, including learning in the early years, is not as well designed.

Leaders have set out what they want pupils and children to learn. However, they have not identified exactly what learning is the most important. They have not established the order that pupils should be taught new knowledge.

This means that some teachers are not sure about exactly what to teach and when. As a result, some pupils do not remember the most important information.

Leaders are in the process of refining and improving their systems to check how well pupils are learning the curriculum.

Pupils enjoy the variety of enrichment activities that are designed to complement the curriculum. However, these do not always help them remember the most important knowledge that they need to achieve well. For example, pupils spoke fondly of their interesting educational visits, including a history trip to Chester.

However, this trip did not help them to remember the key facts about Roman Britain. Leaders have plans in place to address this weakness.

Leaders are appropriately prioritising the teaching of reading.

They are investing in books, resources and training for staff. This investment is enabling staff to teach phonics increasingly well to pupils, including to children in the early years. However, a number of pupils find it hard to remember the phonics knowledge that they are learning.

These pupils do not always get the extra help that they need to be able to read accurately and fluently. This hampers their progress through the wider curriculum.

Pupils' reading books match the sounds that they know.

Most pupils practise their reading at home and enjoy the rewards that they achieve for reading regularly (especially the hot chocolate). Nonetheless, a significant minority of pupils, including children in the early years, do not have enough practise to help them to become fluent readers.

Staff identify pupils with SEND quickly and accurately.

They are beginning to meet these pupils' needs more effectively and get them the additional help that they need to be able to achieve well. However, the needs of some pupils with SEND have not been met quickly enough in the past. This means that there are gaps in their learning.

From the early years, children are taught the importance of good behaviour. Pupils develop a growing understanding of the school's 'zones of regulation' and use these to self-regulate and manage their own feelings and behaviour. They say that this helps them to get ready for learning.

Staff have worked to improve attendance. There are still some pupils who are persistently absent from school. However, leaders are working closely with families to reduce the number of pupils who are regularly absent from school.

Parents and carers appreciate the efforts of school leaders and know that staff are committed to helping pupils be the best they can be.

Governors understand the turbulent journey that the school community has faced over the last few years, including several changes to the school's leadership team. Governors work closely with leaders and know their roles well.

However, they do not ask sufficiently challenging questions to better hold leaders to account for the quality of education that pupils receive.

Staff enjoy working at the school. They know that leaders are mindful of their workload and supportive of their well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have created a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff have received appropriate safeguarding training and know that pupils' safety is a priority.

They greet pupils at the door every morning and know pupils and their families very well. These strong relationships have established trust and help staff to identify any concerns quickly. They know how to report these to the designated safeguarding lead.

Leaders work with external partners to get families, especially the most vulnerable, the help that they need.

Pupils said that they feel safe in school and that teachers teach them how to keep themselves safe, including when they are online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, leaders have not clarified all of the specific knowledge that pupils, including children in the early years, must learn.

This means that teachers are not as clear as they should be about how to design learning that builds on what pupils already know. Leaders should make sure that they refine their curriculum thinking in these subjects, including in the early years. They should support teachers in designing learning activities that enable pupils to deepen their knowledge and understanding of these subjects over time.

• Pupils with SEND have not had their needs met well enough and so they have gaps in their learning. Leaders must make sure that all staff receive the training and support they need so that they can provide pupils with SEND with the help and support they need to achieve well. ? Pupils, including children in the early years, who are finding it hard to learn to read are not getting all the support that they need.

They are not getting enough practise to learn to read. This means that some pupils are not learning to read as effectively and fluently as they should. Leaders must ensure that staff provide the specific support and practise that these pupils require to be able to read well.

• Over time, governors have not held leaders to account for the quality of education that pupils receive. As a result, pupils do not experience a sufficiently well-planned curriculum that enables them to achieve well. Governors should ensure that they ask questions that hold leaders more fully to account for the quality of education that the school provides to pupils.

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