Headlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior, Infant and Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to be part of 'Team Headlands.' They enjoy coming to school.

Relationships between adults and pupils are positive and respectful. Pupils feel confident that staff will always listen and help if they have any worries. Pupils say that this helps them to feel safe and secure in school.

This is a highly inclusive school. Every pupil is welcome and valued as a unique individual. Adults support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well.

Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. This is reflected in their positive behaviour in lessons and around school. Children in the early years settle quickly into the expected routin...es.

Pupils benefit from the school's generous and well-developed outdoor space. This aspect of the school's provision helps to support pupils' physical and mental health and well-being. Pupils go on a range of educational visits and take part in many clubs and activities, such as forest school.

These wider activities contribute well to pupils' development.

Leaders and staff put the best interests of pupils at the heart of everything they do. The school has high academic expectations for all.

Overall, pupils achieve highly as they move through the curriculum. As a result, pupils are well prepared for their next stage of learning.

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

The school has been through a period of significant change since the last inspection.

There have been several changes to the leadership team. This has now settled. Pupils, staff, parents, and carers are positive about the many recent improvements to the curriculum, pupils' behaviour, and pupils' wider development.

Pupils achieve broadly in line with national averages in published outcomes at the end of key stage 2 in reading and mathematics. The school's work to develop pupils' writing is effective but is taking longer to impact on published outcomes.

Pupils learn to read as soon as they start school.

Staff have received the training they need to deliver the phonics programme skilfully. Pupils learn to use phonics to blend sounds and read words quickly. Books match the sounds that pupils learn, which helps them be successful, confident readers.

The school fosters a love of reading and ensures that all pupils can enjoy a wide range of books from the newly stocked library.

Children in the early years learn to work and play well together quickly. There are warm relationships between staff and children.

Children engage with each other and take part in activities with enthusiasm. The curriculum is well planned and builds on what children can do. Teachers lead whole-class and group sessions effectively.

However, the indoor and outdoor learning provision is not well developed. This means there are insufficient opportunities for children to practise and embed new learning and language. Some children do not achieve as well as they could.

Pupils study a wide range of subjects. The school has carefully planned and sequenced the curriculum. From the early years through to Year 6, the knowledge that pupils should learn is clearly identified.

However, in some subjects, pupils' knowledge is less secure than in others. Sometimes, staff use lesson tasks that are not well designed to support pupils' learning. This means that pupils struggle to focus on the most important knowledge.

The school identifies pupils with SEND as early as possible and provides focused support. The school works effectively with different agencies to ensure that children with SEND receive the support and care that they need. Pupils are taught to understand their emotions and ways to manage them.

High-quality pastoral care supports pupils and their families well. Pupils attend school regularly. The school tracks attendance closely and responds quickly when concerns arise.

The school has developed an effective programme for pupils' personal development. Pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain. They believe that everyone should be treated equally and fairly.

Pupils regularly discuss topical news issues. This helps pupils to appreciate that people have different opinions. Pupils are taught how to stay safe online and are taught about essential road safety and stranger danger.

Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of healthy friendships and relationships.

School leaders and governors have a clear, shared vision for the school. They have effective strategies in place to make sure that improvement priorities are making a difference.

The school makes sure that staff's workload and well-being are considered at every stage. Staff say there is a listening and supportive culture. They 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)

• In some lessons, teachers do not focus on teaching the most important knowledge. Sometimes there is too much lesson content, or exciting activities distract pupils from the intended learning.

As a result, pupils do not internalise and remember what they have been taught. The school should make sure that teachers precisely teach the most important knowledge and that pupils remember it. ? In the early years, some areas of indoor and outdoor provision do not provide rich and meaningful opportunities for learning across the curriculum.

Some adults are unsure of the intended learning in areas of provision. As a result, children are not achieving as well as they could. The school must ensure that all aspects of provision in the early years contribute effectively to children's learning and development and that adults are clear about the intended learning in each area.