Hapton Church of England/Methodist Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school's high expectations for pupils' learning and behaviour enable pupils, including children in the early years, to flourish. Pupils feel happy and safe.

Pupils achieve well across a range of subjects. They leave the school prepared for the next stage of their education.

Pupils' behaviour is commendable, and their attitudes to learning are typically positive.

Relationships are respectful and pupils are kind towards one another. As a result, the school is calm. Pupils know that adults will help them if they have any worries or concerns.

Pupils appreciate, value and celebrate the differences between themselves and others. For example, they told ...inspectors that all pupils are welcome at the school regardless of race or gender.

Pupils enjoy the time they spend outdoors, where they access a wide range of activities and enjoy active times with their friends.

Pupils are given a wide range of opportunities to take on responsibility. They are proud to hold roles such as reading ambassadors, well-being champions and whole-school worship leaders. All pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are encouraged to develop their interests and talents in sport, music and the arts.

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

The school and members of the governing body are united in their ambition to give all pupils, including pupils with SEND, the best start in their education both academically and socially.

The school places a high priority on the teaching of phonics and reading. Parents and carers are provided with activities in school to understand how phonics is taught so that they can support their children at home.

The phonics programme is delivered effectively across the early years and key stage 1 by well-trained staff. Reading books are well matched to the pupils' phonics ability. Pupils who need extra support are quickly identified and are given the support that they need to catch up quickly and keep up.

Even so, some pupils rely heavily on sounding out all of the words in a sentence. Consequently, this makes it harder for them to read books fluently. It also reduces their ability to understand what they are reading.

Older pupils are keen readers. They talked eagerly about the books that they enjoy reading.

The school has developed a well-organised and broad curriculum from the early years to Year 6.

Pupils, including pupils with SEND, access all of the national curriculum subjects. The knowledge that pupils should learn and the order in which this should be taught have been considered carefully. The school has also identified the key vocabulary that it wants pupils to know as they move through the school.

As a result, pupils, including children in the early years, develop a secure body of knowledge over time.

Teachers present new learning clearly. They typically check that pupils have understood key concepts before they move on to the next steps in their learning.

However, in some subjects, some teachers do not use assessment strategies as effectively as they could to shape pupils' future learning. On occasion, this hinders how well some pupils build on what they know and can do already.

The school supports pupils with SEND well.

Staff identify pupils' needs quickly and ensure that any barriers to learning are overcome. Staff subtly adapt their delivery of the curriculum in different ways to meet the needs of individual pupils. Pupils with SEND achieve well.

They take part in all that the school has to offer.

Pupils are inquisitive. They focus on their learning.

All pupils, including children in the early years, behave well. Lessons are free from disruptions. Pupils play well together, and interactions are positive throughout the day.

Pupils' personal development is a priority. Through cultural work, including close links to other schools, pupils' knowledge and understanding of places and people who are different to themselves are developed well. Pupils learn how to be healthy and safe.

They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Staff know pupils and their families very well. The school ensures that vulnerable families receive the support that they need in a timely manner.

An overwhelming number of parents reported their appreciation of the care that staff show towards their children. Parents value the information that they receive about their children's learning.

Governors are committed to the school and provide effective levels of challenge and support.

Staff benefit from the training and support offered throughout the year.

The school cares about its staff, and morale is high. Staff are positive about leaders' commitment to ensuring that their workload is manageable when changes are made.

This makes staff feel valued.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils at the early stages of learning to read are struggling to become fluent readers.

This is because they encounter too many new words that they cannot read at a glance. Consequently, they rely heavily on sounding out each sound in every word. The school should ensure that pupils gain the phonics knowledge that they need to read with greater fluency and confidence.

• In some subjects, teachers' checks are not effective enough in identifying what pupils already know and can do. This occasionally hinders how well teachers design learning to help pupils deepen their knowledge. The school should ensure that teachers' checks on pupils' learning inform what pupils should learn next.