Hawksworth Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Hawksworth Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Hawksworth Church of England Primary School is a warm and welcoming place. Staff and pupils describe it as 'one big family'. The relationships between staff and pupils are a strength.

This helps to contribute to the calm and purposeful atmosphere across the school. Pupils treat each other with kindness. Bullying is very rare.

The school has designed a curriculum that has been personalised to its context and pupils. Leaders have identified precisely what they want pupils to learn across mixed-aged classes. As a result, pupils get off to a strong start in the ear...ly years and then their learning builds and grows as they move through the school.

This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), who are supported by staff who know them well.

Pupils' wider personal development is a sharp focus for the school. It stems from the school's distinct Christian ethos.

Pupils learn important knowledge through both collective worship and the personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education curriculum. This prepares them well for life in modern Britain. Pupils take an active role in their local community.

They raise money for good causes, such as the Leeds Children's Hospital and the Royal British Legion.

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

The school has given great thought to how it has designed its ambitious curriculum. The school has identified the important knowledge that it wants pupils to learn in each subject.

New knowledge builds effectively on what pupils already know because teachers have a clear understanding of the curriculum in each year group.

Pupils learn about their local area and beyond. The 'Ey up Yorkshire' topic teaches pupils about important food, artists, poets and authors that originate from the county.

Consequently, pupils from the early years to Year 6 can talk confidently, for example, about artists such as Barbara Hepworth and David Hockney.Pupils achieve well at Hawksworth Church of England Primary School. A small number of pupils do not perform as well as they could in mathematics at the end of key stage 2 national assessments.

Leaders know this is because of gaps in pupils' arithmetic knowledge. The school has already adapted the mathematics curriculum to address these gaps and pupils are already demonstrating greater confidence and fluency in arithmetic.

Staff in the early years have created an environment that supports children's needs.

The indoor and outdoor spaces are planned to promote curiosity and independent learning. The relationships between adults and children are strong. Children show positive attitudes to their learning.

They are developing the knowledge that they need for the next stage of their education.

Leaders prioritise the importance of reading. The youngest children start reading as soon as they join the school.

Leaders have established a consistent approach to teaching phonics. Pupils who need extra help with reading get the support they need. This includes those pupils in key stage 2 who require support to become confident and fluent readers.

The school has recently refined its behaviour expectations to further strengthen pupils' behaviour. These are well understood by staff and pupils. Staff help pupils to develop a mature understanding of relationships and feelings.

They model the nurturing and caring behaviours that they want pupils to demonstrate. Respectful, positive relationships are evident between all adults and pupils. Pupils attend school regularly.

They enjoy school and do not want to miss out on vital learning.

Leaders provide a range of activities to support pupils' well-being and their personal development. Pupils are encouraged to take on responsibilities, such as being a member of the school council or house captains.

Pupils are proud of the contribution that they make to the life of the school. Leaders also provide well for pupils' mental health, with activities such as 'Worry Wednesday' that help them to manage their emotions or talk about their feelings.

Governors are highly committed to the school.

Together with leaders, they are dedicated to ensuring that pupils receive a high-quality education. Staff are immensely proud of their school. They feel well supported by leaders, who are considerate of staff's 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)

• A small number of pupils have gaps in their arithmetic knowledge. Consequently, they are not as well prepared for future learning in mathematics.

Recently, some older pupils have not achieved as well as they could in mathematics, at the end of key stage 2 national assessments. The school must continue to implement its plans to improve the mathematics curriculum to ensure that all pupils achieve their potential by the end of key stage 2.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in December 2018.

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