Halley House School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Halley House is a warm and inclusive place.

Relationships between staff and pupils are positive and nurturing. Pupils enjoy coming to school and are kept safe. They know how to seek help if they are worried about something.

The school ensures that pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe, including when online. Bullying is rare and pupils are confident that staff will take effective action if it occurs.

Following a difficult and unsettling period of change for the school community, staff have raised expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or physical disabilities (SEND).

All pupils follow the same ambitio...us curriculum. Staff provide pupils with extra help swiftly when they need it. Pupils typically achieve well across subjects.

The school is calm and orderly. Pupils behave well and show respect to each other. They have positive attitudes to learning and are keen to contribute ideas.

Children in early years show curiosity in their learning. They respond positively to adults and each other.

Pupils appreciate the rich range of clubs and opportunities for their wider development.

Most participate regularly in clubs such as football, fencing, knitting and chess. Pupils look forward to an extensive visits programme, including residential trips which take place in Years 5 and 6.

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

The school has developed a curriculum that is designed to give pupils the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life.

This covers the scope of what is expected nationally. Staff have made changes to the curriculum since the previous inspection, so that there is greater precision in the sequencing of the knowledge pupils will learn from early years to Year 6. In most subjects, this enables pupils to build upon and revisit concepts, so that they can confidently apply the knowledge they need, ready for the next stage.

Teachers have good subject knowledge and present information clearly. In most curriculum subjects, they select activities and resources which support pupils, including those with SEND, to deepen and consolidate what they have learned. Assessment is used effectively to identify gaps in pupils' knowledge.

Staff are highly appreciative of the school's support for their professional practice. They value the regular opportunities to develop their subject knowledge and to learn from colleagues in other schools in the trust.

In a few subjects, changes to the curriculum are more recent and the implementation is not as consistent.

Occasionally, this means that pupils do not gain the knowledge they need to meet the intended outcomes securely. The school has focused more sharply on consistency of practice recently, but this is not fully embedded across the curriculum.Reading is a priority from when children start in early years.

In Nursery, children enjoy opportunities to develop their vocabulary through, for example, joining in with familiar stories and songs. From the Reception year, children follow a clearly structured phonics programme, enabling them to gain confidence and fluency in reading. Staff have received high quality training and teach with precision.

Pupils, including those with SEND, have regular opportunities to practise their reading with books carefully matched to the sounds they are learning. Staff use assessment well and ensure that any pupil who falls behind is given effective support to enable them to catch up. The school has ensured that the focus on developing a love of reading continues throughout the school.

Pupils enjoy choosing books and talking about what they are reading.

The school has introduced a revised behaviour policy ensuring there are high expectations. Consequently, pupils behave well in classrooms and around the school.

Older pupils relish taking up responsibilities and act as role models for their younger peers. Pupils value the school's recognition of their positive contributions to school life. Relationships at the school are respectful and accepting of difference.

The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND with precision. Staff receive useful information and training about how to support all pupils to access the full curriculum. The school works closely with external agencies and provides high quality pastoral support for pupils, for example through play therapy.

The school's programme for pupils' personal development is extensive. This includes a wide range of clubs and activities matched to pupils' talents and interests. Pupils appreciate how the school teaches them about looking after their physical health.

For example, all pupils have regular opportunities to learn to swim and to develop confidence in the water, from the time they join the school. Pupils value opportunities to learn about good mental health and to debate a range of beliefs, perspectives, and ideas.

The school has ensured that the importance of good attendance is regularly communicated.

Pupils attend well and the school takes swift and supportive action if any patterns of concern are identified. Staff ensure that the well-being of pupils is a priority, working closely with external agencies where needed.

Leaders, and those responsible for governance, have a realistic and accurate view of current strengths of the school and priority areas for further development.

Staff are well supported by the trust. Improvements are being made swiftly and in the right areas. Trustees and local governors understand their responsibilities well.

They are well informed and maintain highly effective strategic oversight of the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, changes to the curriculum are not fully embedded.

In these instances, the implementation of the curriculum is less consistent meaning some pupils do not secure the knowledge and understanding they should. The school should ensure the curriculum in all subjects is embedded. The school should also continue to develop staff expertise so that they can implement the curriculum with confidence, including identifying and addressing gaps in pupils' knowledge.

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