Hainford VC Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Hainford VC Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at this school are very happy. They really enjoy their learning and using the school's enquiry approach to find out more about what they are interested in.

Staff make sure that pupils are well cared for, and that those with additional needs have these met.

Staff work closely with families to support those who need extra help.

This small school benefits from being part of a larger federation. This provides additional expertise and staff development.

Pupils benefit from joining federation-wide events, such as cricket tournaments.

There is no bull...ying, but where pupils feel that they are being upset, staff work with them to make sure this is resolved. Behaviour is good.

Pupils enjoy both their lessons and playtimes. They learn about different cultures and ways of life and have respect for others.

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

Pupils learn well here.

Teachers have high expectations of what pupils should achieve. Pupils' work is of a good standard and shows they have a comprehensive understanding of what they are taught.

The curriculum maps clearly plan for the complexities of mixed age classes.

Teachers carefully ensure that the progression of skills is appropriate to each year group and their stage of development.

In English, pupils enjoy reading and sharing a range of high-quality texts. Pupils were really excited when talking about their current class story.

Good quality phonics teaching also makes sure that pupils make a strong start to early reading and writing. As they move through the school, reading and writing continues to be of a high standard.

In other subjects, such as history, pupils are highly enthused by the different approaches that teachers use.

Pupils ask questions and find out more about what they are interested in. They can apply what they have learned in previous topics to new learning.

Teachers help to develop pupils' vocabulary and use of language effectively.

This builds pupils' confidence in explaining their answers or ideas. In mathematics, teachers are building up pupils' confidence in answering why something is the case and being able to show this in words or picture form.

The usual close professional development opportunities between staff across the federation has been impacted negatively by the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

As a result, staff are not always confident to deliver all aspects of the curriculum. As a result, while pupils progress well, they are not routinely challenged to attempt the most complex aspects of the curriculum.

As part of the work of the federation, pupils benefit from specialist physical education teaching.

They take part in cross federation events. Pupils typically take part in a wide range of trips out and clubs, though the COVID-19 pandemic has limited their access to some of these.

Staff encourage pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to become confident learners.

Leaders and staff ensure that all pupils access the same high quality curriculum, and progress well in this.

Pupils behave well. When asked to listen pupils follow instructions quickly.

Leaders make sure that staff are well supported. They work closely with other leaders from the federation to share expertise.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff in the school and those from the wider federation know the pupils well. They make sure that all those who need support get it. The pastoral support provides a range of nurture, mentoring and counselling opportunities for pupils.

Leaders make sure that all appropriate checks are made on staff before they start employment.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Teachers have had limited opportunities to access professional development in the last year and a half. This means that they have not been able to further improve their subject and pedagogical knowledge.

As a result, teachers are not always confident to challenge pupils to attempt the most complex aspects of the curriculum. Leaders need to ensure that teachers have more opportunities to further develop their own curriculum understanding.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that a good school could now be better than good, or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 16–17 June 2016.