Hallgate Primary School Cottingham

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Hallgate Primary School is a welcoming and inclusive school.

Pupils show enjoyment in their learning. They talk positively about their studies. Pupils describe the school as a friendly place.

Relationships between adults and pupils are strong.

The school has high expectations for how pupils behave. Older pupils act as role models for the younger pupils.

Pupils belong to 'houses'. The house captains take an active part in assemblies and hand out reward certificates. There are lots of opportunities for pupils to show leadership in school.

Pupils take on roles such as those of play leaders, librarians and classroom monitors. There is a school c...ouncil. Pupils' views are listened to at this school.

Pupils respect and celebrate differences between themselves and others. Pupils understand that everyone is unique and special. They are considerate of each other.

Pupils play well together. The school is aspirational for pupils. Pupils enjoy lessons and are keen to learn.

Pupils are proud of their many successes. For example, pupils perform their own poems in assembly. The pupils benefit from a range of visitors to school and trips to local areas.

These experiences help pupils to deepen their understanding of what they are learning in lessons.

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

Reading is woven through the curriculum. In Nursery, children enjoy rhymes and stories.

Children in early years begin to learn to read as soon as they start school. The school checks pupils' phonic knowledge well. The school promptly identifies those pupils who need extra help.

These pupils receive the help they need to catch up quickly. Reading books match the sounds that pupils are learning. This helps pupils to read confidently and with fluency.

Pupils enjoy reading in school. Pupils talk about their class books enthusiastically.

The school has designed an exciting curriculum.

It is well sequenced from early years through to Year 6. The school has identified the key knowledge that pupils need to remember in the different subjects. Pupils revisit prior learning regularly.

In most subjects, pupils confidently use what they know when they move on to new learning. In lessons, staff question pupils' understanding well. Staff are quick to address any misconceptions that pupils may have.

The school routinely checks what pupils know and can remember. However, in some subjects, the gaps in pupils' knowledge are not identified as well as they need to be. The school has recognised that this is an issue.

It is part of the school's current improvement work.

The school identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) effectively. The school works with external agencies to provide specialist support for those pupils who need it.

Pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers. When needed, pupils with SEND receive additional support from adults. Pupils with SEND achieve well.

Pupils' personal development is a high priority for the school. Pupils embrace the diverse range of enrichment activities on offer. For example, all pupils have the chance to learn to play a musical instrument.

Pupils go on a range of trips out of school that enhance the curriculum. These include visits to local religious buildings. Community leaders regularly come into school to talk to pupils.

The school encourages pupils to think about the needs of others. Pupils support a range of charities. For example, pupils recently organised a collection of toys and games to raise money for animal charities.

Pupils participate in various sporting competitions with other schools.

The school makes sure that pupils and families know the importance of good attendance. The school swiftly identifies those pupils who are not attending school as regularly as they should.

The school communicates well with parents and carers to understand the causes of absence and looks at how to support families to improve their children's attendance.

Governors have a clear vision for the school. Governors take an active part in the school and know the school well.

Governors hold the school to account effectively. The school has well-considered improvement plans in place for each subject. In a small number of subjects, this work is at an early stage.

Each governor has responsibility for an identified curriculum area. The school supports staff well. Leaders are considerate of staff workload and well-being.

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 subjects, the school's checks on what pupils know and can remember are not as effective as they need to be. This means that sometimes, pupils are not secure in key subject knowledge before they move on to new learning.

This is affecting pupils' achievement in these subjects. The school should ensure that staff have sufficient information to identify gaps in pupils' learning effectively in order to ensure that pupils can achieve equally well in all subjects in the curriculum. ? In a small number of subjects, the school's work on improving the implementation of the curriculum is not embedded.

The school's improvement plans for these subjects are not as fully developed as they are for the majority of subjects in the curriculum. This is limiting pupils' achievement in a small number of subjects. The school should review the improvement plans it has written for subject areas to ensure that these plans identify precisely the actions that are needed to support pupils' achievement consistently in all subjects across the curriculum.