Hanover Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school makes sure that parents and carers, pupils and staff understand and support the 'happy Hanover habits' of being kind, brave and responsible.

These are threaded through everything that happens here and help to make the school a joyful and nurturing place for everyone.

Pupils enjoy learning very much, including opportunities to learn outside of the classroom. For example, staff make use of the school's proximity to the local canal to deliver bespoke learning experiences.

These include, for instance, learning about water safety and the role of canals through the history curriculum.

The curriculum is academically ambitious. The school makes su...re that pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make strong progress through the curriculum.

The school supports pupils to be collaborative with each other to promote their learning. This emphasis contributes to pupils' enjoyment of their time at school. The school also stresses the importance of pupils attending every day.

It works closely with families and other agencies to try to realise this ambition. Pupils are kept safe.

Pupils' wider development is at the heart of the curriculum.

Leaders work to ensure that pupils learn about how to thrive in both their local context and that of the whole country. They identify many opportunities for pupils to have experiences beyond their immediate circumstances, such as the residential trips in Year 5 and 6.

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

Leaders have worked successfully to develop the curriculum.

They have made sure that what pupils learn is based upon the ambition and breath of the national curriculum and supports pupils in building their knowledge sequentially.

The importance placed on pupils learning to read is clear across all aspects of learning. Staff have received training to make sure that they deliver the phonics programme well and successfully support pupils in learning to read.

The school makes effective use of assessments to adjust phonics teaching so that pupils' reading develops well over time. Some pupils enjoy reading more than others. The school has already spotted this.

It is taking suitable steps to support all pupils to develop a love of reading.

The school wants all pupils to have a broad and deep understanding of the subjects that they learn. Overall, they make sure that training and guidance for staff supports them well in knowing how to deliver the curriculum.

In some areas, where the school's curriculum work is newer, some staff have not had the training needed to expertly deepen pupils' knowledge and understanding. This affects how well pupils' learning of the curriculum deepens over time.

Assessment is used to make sure that the curriculum is having the intended impact on the quality of pupils' educational experiences.

The school's approaches are most effective in the curriculum subjects that are fully developed and established. When pupils are identified as needing further support, timely extra help is put in place. Staff know when to adapt the planned learning, if needed, to allow pupils to be successful.

Leaders have significantly developed the early years curriculum. This work has focused on ensuring that all children, particularly those who are disadvantaged, learn and revisit knowledge in a carefully planned and delivered sequence. The curriculum is also designed and taught in a way that enhances children's cultural awareness and prepares them for their next steps in education.

The school has increased the support that pupils with SEND receive as part of its aim to respond to the complex needs that some pupils have. Pupils' needs are identified appropriately. Expectations for how they should be supported are set out in 'pupil passports'.

There are occasions, however, when these expectations are not as closely matched to pupils' needs as they could be. Additionally, in a few instances, staff are not sure how to implement the planned support. This can hamper the school's work to promote the learning of pupils with SEND.

The school has introduced new approaches to promote positive behaviour and attitudes. Leaders are continuing to work with staff to support them to apply these approaches. Pupils appreciate the increased support in place for behaviour.

The school works with staff, pupils and parents to secure good attendance. Over time, the school's actions are bringing about improvements for many pupils. However, work to improve the attendance for pupils with SEND has been less successful.

This is because the school has not focused sharply on specific barriers to attendance for those pupils.

Work to promote pupils' personal development is threaded throughout all learning. Leaders identify what is important for all pupils to learn, including topics and themes that are meaningful and relevant to their lives outside school.

For example, pupils have extra sessions on how to avoid risk, including sessions about knife crime and water safety. Pupils take on additional roles of responsibility, such as on the student council and as play partners. Pupils appreciate these extra tasks.

Staff feel very well supported by leaders. They understand how the changes made at the school recently are underpinned by a drive to ensure that all pupils learn well.

The governing body understands how to best challenge and support the school.

It works closely with the local authority to develop the effectiveness of the school and improve pupils' outcomes.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• While much of the school's work to reduce absence has been effective, some pupils with SEND are missing too much school.

This is hindering their learning. The school should support these pupils to attend school, putting in place approaches that are appropriately targeted to each pupil's needs and circumstances. ? Where aspects of the curriculum are newer than others, staff's knowledge of the curriculum and how to teach it is not as thorough as that in the more established subjects.

This means that there are times when some pupils are not consistently well supported to develop a deep understanding of subject content. The school should ensure that further training is delivered to all staff to ensure that they have the expertise to teach the full curriculum. ? On occasions, staff are unsure of how to best support pupils with additional needs.

Guidance which staff receive is, in some instances, not aligned precisely to pupils' needs. This leads to instances where these pupils are not being helped to learn the curriculum as well as the school expects. The school should ensure that all staff are provided with the guidance and training needed to provide effective support for the learning of all pupils.

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