Haytor View Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, staff, parents and carers agree that Haytor View School is a happy place to learn. Pupils feel respected as individuals.

Leaders ensure that all pupils receive the help they need to be ready to learn. However, leaders' expectations for what pupils can achieve are not high enough. Too many pupils have gaps in their knowledge.

This makes it hard for them to learn as well as they could. Leaders have made some recent improvements to the curriculum. However, this work has not happened fast enough.

Strong relationships feature throughout the school. Pupils behave well. They feel safe, valued and able to voice their opinions.

They say that staff lis...ten to them. Parents share this view. Staff model and support pupils to resolve fallouts.

They help pupils to consider how their actions have an impact on others. Over time, pupils learn how to do this for themselves. Pupils learn about the different types of bullying and what to do if it happens to them.

However, pupils say that bullying is rare.

Parents consider the school to be a nurturing and caring environment. 'Leaders have an unwavering commitment to the well-being of every child', was a comment from a parent.

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

Leaders have a vision for all pupils to do well. They have made some recent changes to strengthen key parts of the curriculum. However, their vision is not yet reflected in pupils' day-to-day experiences of learning.

Leaders' actions do not always focus on the areas that will make the biggest difference to pupils' education.

Leaders have recently introduced a new phonics programme. They provide training that helps staff to deliver the programme with accuracy.

Pupils regularly listen to teachers reading books aloud. They enjoy this and say it helps them to explore new authors. Most pupils read books that match their reading ability.

However, leaders do not ensure that pupils who fall behind receive the help they need to catch up quickly. Some pupils move through the school with gaps in their phonic knowledge. This makes it hard for them to read with confidence and fluency.

The new approach to mathematics is beginning to improve how pupils build their mathematical knowledge over time. Leaders have started to make changes to the sequencing of the curriculum. Teachers break learning down into small steps.

However, some pupils have gaps in their mathematical knowledge. Teachers do not always identify these gaps with enough precision. This means that some pupils do not build their knowledge securely.

Subject leaders have expertise in their areas of responsibility. They support teachers to design interesting activities that help pupils to learn the curriculum. However, they do not check pupils' learning closely enough.

Some subject leaders do not know what is working well and what needs to improve. As a result, in some subjects, pupils do not gain new knowledge as well as they could.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities have suitable learning targets.

Leaders ensure pupils receive the support they need to access the curriculum. Parents feel included when discussing next steps for their children.

Children get off to a strong start in the early years because learning is well organised.

The learning environment is calm and purposeful. All adults set high expectations for how children will conduct themselves. Children develop independence because adults know when to guide them and when to let them have a go for themselves.

Pupils' personal development is at the heart of leaders' work. Parents say that leaders go 'above and beyond' to meet pupils' social and emotional needs. Leaders provide a wide range of opportunities for pupils to take responsibility and make a difference.

Pupils fulfil their roles, such as playground leaders and early years ambassadors, with pride. They have a deep understanding of equality and diversity. 'Everybody belongs here', was a comment from a pupil.

Pupils understand equality to be everyone getting what they need, rather than everyone getting the same.

Staff are proud to work at the school. They feel appreciated and valued as members of the team.

Leaders consider staff workload when introducing new ideas. Staff feel able to approach leaders with any concerns about their well-being.

Governors have an over-generous view of the quality of education.

They do not always ask the right questions to hold leaders to account. Improvements to the quality of education have not happened quickly enough. Too many pupils move on to the next stage in their education without the knowledge they need to be successful.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders provide regular safeguarding training. Staff have the knowledge they need to identify pupils who may be at risk.

They record and report concerns promptly. Leaders take fast action to secure the help vulnerable families need.

Leaders check that adults who work in school are suitable to do so.

Staff understand the whistle-blowing policy. There is a common understanding that safeguarding is everyone's responsibility.

Pupils have trusted adults they can share their worries with.

They have confidence that staff will help them. Pupils have high expectations of their conduct online and know how to keep themselves safe.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders do not ensure that pupils who fall behind with their reading receive the help they need to catch up quickly.

Pupils move through the school with gaps in their phonic knowledge. They are unable to read with confidence and fluency. Leaders must ensure that they prioritise reading and enable all pupils to learn to read well.

• Some pupils have gaps in their mathematical knowledge. Teachers do not always identify these gaps with enough precision. This means that subsequent learning is not then based on pupils' prior knowledge.

Leaders need to make sure that teachers check pupils' learning effectively and then adapt learning as necessary. ? Subject leaders do not monitor their subjects closely enough to know what is working well and what to improve. Leaders' actions to improve parts of the curriculum are then not considered well enough to bring about improvements to pupils' learning.

Leaders need to ensure that all subject leaders closely monitor the implementation of their subject and identify and address the improvements that will make the most impact on pupils' education. ? Governors have an over-generous view of the quality of education. They do not always ask the right questions to hold leaders to account.

They are then not aware that pupils do not learn as well as they could. Governors need to check that the information leaders share with them is accurate. They should then provide the effective support and challenge needed to improve the quality of education.

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