Hale Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy, nurturing school. Friendships across all age groups thrive. Pupils talk about how kind everyone is, with one pupil saying, 'There are no bad vibes at Hale.'

Pupils love spending their summer lunchtime breaks playing on the village green with their friends. They learn how to share this space safely with the New Forest ponies. Older pupils make sure that younger children walk carefully to the village hall for lunch.

Pupils love nominating each other for a 'friendship award'.

The school has high expectations for pupils' achievement and personal growth. Pupils meet these.

The 'Roots curriculum', with its six 'roots' of boundaries, respe...ct, self-regulation, resilience, focus and independence, is central to all that the school teaches. It equips pupils with the skills they need to negotiate social situations and builds their emotional strength. Pupils know how to behave in lessons and around the school.

They do this well.

Parents are highly complimentary of the school. As one parent wrote, summing up the views of many, 'My child loves this school.

She leaves the house in the morning so excited to get to school and comes home so happy.'

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

The curriculum is carefully sequenced. It sets out clearly what teachers should teach and in what order from Reception to Year 6.

The school has considered how pupils build on learning in the mixed-age classes carefully. Curriculum delivery is well established. Teachers have strong subject knowledge.

Subject leadership, spread across the federated schools, is knowledgeable. Staff make well-judged decisions about curriculum improvements and support for pupils.Central to the curriculum is an exceptional personal development programme.

As well as laying out, with absolute clarity, what pupils need to know and remember in academic subjects, each project links key concepts and questions to promote deeper thinking extremely well. For example, while learning about Ancient Egypt, pupils in the mixed Year 5 and 6 class consider how beliefs in the modern day can drive people's actions. The school ensures that pupils learn about life beyond the rural community in which they live.

Pupils care for their world with a passion. Whether it is organising their own crisp packet recycling scheme, upcycling clothes or learning about protected characteristics in an age-appropriate way, pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. The school promises all pupils that they will have access to 50 rich experiences during their time at school, such as fossil hunting and cloud watching.

This is a small school with big ideas.The school identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities quickly. Teachers ensure that all pupils have the right support to be successful learners.

Pupils learn well at Hale, but they could learn even better. In some subjects, there is a long gap between projects. Whereas pupils know their current learning well, some pupils struggle to remember key learning over longer periods of time.

Sometimes pupils remember the activity rather than the concept identified in the curriculum. The school has spotted this and has recently introduced effective strategies to support pupils' recall. This approach is in its infancy and not yet showing the desired impact in helping pupils learn and remember more over time.

Teachers' checks on how well pupils are learning the curriculum in English and mathematics are precise and useful. However, in a small number of foundation subjects, these checks on learning are not as effective and do not always spot gaps and misconceptions well enough. Again, the school has a clear plan for a way forward.

Staff ooze a love of reading and children's literature. This has rubbed off on the pupils brilliantly. Pupils talk about their favourite books and authors confidently with fond memories of the books teachers read to them.

A pupil-led book club ensures that pupils have positive attitudes to reading. Staff teach phonics with rigour and expertise. They give pupils extra help to keep up when they need it.

Children in Reception are already reading words such as 'rabbit' and 'ladder' with ease. They have got off to a flying start in their reading journey.Governance is another strength in the school.

The governing body has a wide range of skills which it uses to good effect to support and challenge the school. It makes sure pupils benefit consistently from a good education. Morale is high among staff.

They appreciate the support they get with their well-being and professional development. Staff and pupils benefit greatly from working closely with other schools in the federation and sharing expertise.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some foundation subjects, there is a large gap before pupils learn the subject again. As a result, pupils are not always able to recall the key knowledge that leaders have identified as the most important to remember. The school should continue with their plans to implement robust recall and retrieval opportunities to help pupils remember key content over time.

• In some foundation subjects, checks on pupils' learning are not fully effective in identifying gaps in knowledge. Consequently, pupils are not always as ready for future learning as they could be. The school should establish procedures for checking what pupils know in all subjects so teachers can act on these swiftly.