Hartsholme Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils are happy to be part of Hartsholme Academy. They work hard to earn house points that reward their efforts.

Pupils love to receive the 'Star of the week' award. In lessons, most pupils behave well and say that they feel safe. Some pupils say that the behaviour of others on the playground makes them feel less safe.

Staff care for the pupils and want the best for them. Pupils value the kindness of the staff, including the new headteacher. They say, 'She listens to us and gets lots of things done.'

However, some pupils are missing valuable opportunities to learn because they do not attend school often enough.

Pupils say that bullying sometim...es happens. Most pupils are confident that staff will sort out incidents of poor behaviour and bullying.

However, some pupils feel that staff could do more to support them in this regard. Pupils appreciate the 'worry monsters'. These help them to share their concerns.

Leaders are ambitious and have high aspirations for pupils. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders are working to make improvements to the curriculum.

They are taking action to ensure that the whole curriculum is well planned and sequenced.

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

The new headteacher has a clear vision for the pupils in school. Staff share this vision.

Leaders are working well to bring about improvements in many areas of school. They are further ahead in some respects than they are in others. In some subjects, the curriculum is well sequenced.

Leaders have identified the precise knowledge that they want pupils to learn and when. In other subjects, leaders have not made sure that the curriculum is well crafted. They have not identified the essential knowledge that pupils should learn.

Learning does not always build on what pupils already know. In these subjects, pupils do not achieve as well as they could.

Children make a strong start in the early years.

They show high levels of independence and curiosity. Staff know the children's needs. Adults and children have positive relationships.

The early years curriculum is well designed and sequenced. Early years staff are trained well to teach the curriculum. Children are happy and confident.

They take pride in their achievements.

Leaders understand the importance of reading. Children in the early years experience a wide variety of books, stories and rhymes.

The books that the children read are well matched to the sounds that they know. They begin to learn to read as soon as they start school. The phonics programme is well sequenced, and staff who deliver phonics are well trained.

Staff provide support for pupils who need to catch up. They ensure that pupils read often. However, some older pupils find reading difficult and do not like reading.

This is because the books they have to read are not well matched to their reading abilities.

Leaders work with external agencies to provide support to help pupils with SEND access their learning. Some pupils, however, say that they do not always attend school because they find their learning difficult.

Staff do not provide pupils with the help and resources that they need to help them learn successfully. This is also the case for some pupils who speak English as an additional language. Leaders have not identified their specific needs.

As a result, the support that these pupils receive is not as effective as it could be.

Pupils usually behave well in lessons. Some pupils' attention can wander when the learning does not engage them.

On the playground, the behaviour of some pupils concerns others. Some pupils struggle to behave with respect, and make others feel unsafe. Leaders are determined to improve some pupils' attendance.

However, too many pupils do not attend school often enough. They are missing out on vital learning.

Pupils talk with pride about their leadership opportunities.

These include being school councillors and prefects. Pupils talk about difference and diversity with respect. One pupil said, 'If you believe in one faith and someone else doesn't, you can still be friends.'

Pupils learn about keeping themselves safe in the local area. Leaders ensure that pupils experience some activities to support their personal development. However, many activities happen by chance rather than being linked to a well-sequenced curriculum.

Staff are proud to work at the school. Leaders are mindful of staff's workload. Teachers in the early stages of their career receive effective support from leaders.

Staff are positive about the new headteacher's arrival.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders know vulnerable pupils and their families well.

Leaders ensure that staff receive regular training to ensure that they can identify if a pupil might be at risk of harm. Staff report any concerns about pupils' safety promptly. Leaders work with external agencies, when necessary, to ensure that pupils are safe from harm.

They ensure that they make the appropriate checks on adults before they work with pupils.

Pupils learn how to stay safe when using the internet. They learn about risks to themselves in the local area, including keeping safe near the local lake.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, leaders have not identified and mapped out the precise sequence of knowledge that pupils should learn and remember. Consequently, pupils are not building on previous knowledge that will enable them to know more and remember more over time. Leaders need to make sure that the essential knowledge that pupils need to know and remember in each subject is clear and carefully set out.

• Some pupils struggle to read fluently and do not like reading. This is because the books that they are reading are too hard. Leaders need to ensure that these pupils access books that match their phonic knowledge so that they can develop their fluency, confidence and enjoyment in reading.

• The proportion of pupils who are regularly absent from school is too high, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. These pupils are missing out on vital learning. Leaders should continue their work to reduce this so that the systems in place to help all pupils attend as well as they can are successful.

• A few pupils show disrespect to their peers, and some pupils do not think that incidents of bullying are dealt with effectively by staff. This makes some pupils feel unsafe in school. Leaders need to support staff in managing incidents more effectively so that pupils' behaviour and attitudes continue to improve.

• Leaders have not thought carefully about a planned range of experiences to develop pupils' talents, interests and cultural experiences. Pupils' wider curriculum experiences are inconsistent and disjointed. Leaders should develop a programme of wider curricular activities that support pupils' personal development and help pupils to develop their interests and cultural experiences.

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