Halfway C.P. School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Halfway CP School is a very caring and welcoming school, which promotes inclusivity in a positive atmosphere for pupils and staff.

Pupils enjoy activities and tasks, and they are keen to contribute during lessons. This is due to the effective working relationships that exist with their teachers and other staff. Staff promote a high level of support and care for pupils in all aspects of school life, which encourages pupils to consider and improve their own well-being effectively.

As a result, pupils' behaviour is very good. They demonstrate positive attitudes towards their work, which leads to strong engagement in the life of the school and in their own learning. The school helps pupils to develop confidence in themselves a...s individuals and to respect the feelings of others.

The school environment promotes beneficial learning and well-being opportunities, which includes gardening areas within an outdoor 'Learning Village'. Teaching helps pupils to make good progress in developing their speaking, listening, reading and digital skills. Pupils also develop suitable independent writing skills and their numeracy skills across the curriculum are satisfactory.

However, the quality of feedback from teachers does not impact well enough on the next steps in pupils' learning. The headteacher provides strong leadership. She is motivated and determined to succeed for the benefit of the pupils and the community.

The deputy headteacher, staff and governors share her clear vision. They work together cohesively to ensure that the school is a thriving learning community that provides positive opportunities for its pupils. The headteacher shares responsibilities effectively among staff and this contributes to a positive whole-school ethos, where staff and pupils feel valued for their contributions to school life.

Leaders evaluate the school's work carefully and plan for improvements thoroughly, using established self-evaluation processes. These evaluation and monitoring practices lead to purposeful professional learning opportunities for staff. Recommendations R1 Improve opportunities for pupils to write more extensively and independently R2 Improve opportunities for pupils to use numeracy skills independently across the curriculum R3 Ensure that the quality of teachers' feedback targets the next steps in pupils' learning effectively What happens next The school will draw up an action plan to address the recommendations from the inspection.