Castle Hill Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Castle Hill Primary is an inclusive school. Pupils feel safe and listened to.

They are keen to attend school and enjoy their lessons. Relationships between staff and pupils are positive. The school supports families well.

This starts with the warm welcome staff give to families each morning. Pupils say that any adult in school will help them resolve issues.

The school has high expectations for pupils to achieve well.

Pupils are proud of their learning and keen to share their success. Classrooms are calm and purposeful. Teaching and resources are adapted to ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are included fully... in lessons.

As a result, pupils with SEND achieve well.

Pupils enjoy extra-curricular activities. The school has recently introduced additional clubs, such as football and netball.

Pupils talk excitedly about experiences such as a York Dungeon visit and a Roman actor in school. The school has recently taken part in competitive sporting activities with other schools. Pupils also have opportunities to take part in forest school activities.

Outside, pupils play well together. They have a range of equipment to enjoy at playtimes. There is extra adult support to enable pupils with SEND to join in all activities successfully.

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

The school has designed a bespoke curriculum. It is ambitious for all pupils, including those with SEND. In more established subject areas, leaders develop their subject knowledge using external networks.

They train teachers in school to deliver the curriculum with confidence. Pupils learn the skills and knowledge they need to remember important subject information. However, in some subjects, subject leadership is at an earlier stage of development.

Some leaders lack the knowledge they need to support the ongoing development of their subjects. In addition, the school has not developed a consistent approach to assessment in all subjects. As a result, teachers and leaders do not have the information they need to identify and address gaps in learning rapidly enough.

The curriculum begins effectively in Nursery. Staff prioritise the development of children's language and vocabulary. Staff across the early years support children's development well.

Children learn to work and play together independently. Children gain a secure start on which to build as they progress through school.

The school has recently introduced a new scheme for teaching phonics.

This has had a positive impact on how well pupils learn to read. Clear teaching routines ensure that pupils make rapid progress. This includes pupils with SEND.

Teachers explore the meaning of unfamiliar words with pupils daily. Pupils gain new language quickly and develop a better understanding of what they are reading. Staff encourage pupils to read challenging texts in their weekly library session.

The school has established effective systems to identify and address the needs of pupils with SEND. Leaders provide teachers with the support and training they need to help these pupils thrive. Teachers adapt learning activities for pupils who need additional support.

As a result, most pupils with SEND can access the same curriculum as their peers and achieve well.

Pupils behave well. They are attentive in lessons and calm when moving around the school.

At social times, pupils are respectful towards each other. When issues arise, staff intervene quickly. Pupils are polite and well-mannered.

They want to do well and to please the adults in school. Pupils are happy to come to school. Attendance is above the national average rate for primary schools.

The school tracks attendance through effective systems. Additional, targeted support for some pupils and their families is helping to improve attendance overall.

Pupils' well-being is a priority in this school.

Warm relationships underpin high expectations. Restorative practice and open communication help to resolve issues. The school has recently recruited pupil anti-bullying ambassadors.

There are opportunities for pupils to have leadership roles in school. They can become librarians, members of the communication team or house captains. Pupils know which skills they need to become leaders.

Staff support them to develop the roles they have. Pupils make links between these skills and the jobs they may have in the future.

The personal, social, health and citizenship education and religious education curriculums are designed to teach pupils about being citizens in modern Britain.

Sometimes, this content is not delivered in depth. Pupils do not have a clear understanding of different religions. They do not learn enough about the diversity of modern Britain.

Leaders, including governors, have a shared vision for the future of the school. There is a clear plan to empower leaders and improve outcomes across the school. Outcomes are currently in line with, or slightly above, national outcomes at the end of key stage 2.

Governors know the school well. They have a range of backgrounds and skills that enable them to support the school effectively. Staff feel supported.

They say their workload and well-being are considered well 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 subject leaders lack the level of knowledge they need to develop their subject effectively.

As a result, teachers do not receive the support they need to deliver these subjects confidently. The school should ensure that all subject leaders can develop their knowledge and understanding of their roles through being part of external networks linked to their subject. This will enable them to enhance the existing curriculum and to deliver training to all staff across the school.

• The school does not have consistent systems in place to check pupils' curriculum understanding. As a result, staff do not have the information they need to accurately identify gaps in pupils' knowledge. The school should ensure that new assessment systems are applied consistently and enable leaders and staff to identify and address gaps in pupils' understanding effectively.