Heathcote Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a rapidly growing school within a rapidly growing community. Leaders are keen for the school to be a central part of this community.

Pupils are happy, positive and confident. There is a strong sense of pastoral care across the school. Staff know the pupils well.

Pupils said that they feel safe because the staff care for them and look after them.

The vision of the multi-academy trust (MAT) is to develop the whole child. As a result, leaders and staff have created a curriculum that supports pupils' academic achievement and their wider development.

Behaviour in classrooms, corridors and on the playground is mostly positive. Most pupils listen we...ll in lessons and concentrate on their work. However, a few pupils become distracted or lose focus in lessons and, at times, staff do not respond to this effectively.

Pupils understand and can explain the different types of bullying, including cyber-bullying. Bullying does not happen very often. Staff deal with it straight away when it does happen.

Pupils and parents value this.

Most parents spoke positively about the school. They commented that their children are happy, and they appreciate the wide range of subjects that their children study.

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

Leaders have thought carefully about the structure and content of the curriculum. In a wide range of subjects, including English and mathematics, the curriculum maps out the knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn from the start of Reception class to the end of Year 6. Teachers are clear about what to teach and when to teach it.

Teachers appreciate this clarity because they know what pupils have learned in the past, what they now need to know, and what they will be learning in the future.

In most subjects, teachers make sure that pupils clearly understand a concept and then move them on when they are ready. Consequently, learning is embedded and pupils are not held back.

However, in mathematics, some pupils, particularly the most able, spend too long completing tasks in which they are already proficient. This limits their progress through the curriculum.

The teaching of reading is a whole-school priority.

From the start, children and pupils develop their reading skills well. This is because staff have been well trained to teach phonics. However, when hearing pupils read, some staff do not have the required knowledge and expertise to help pupils practise and improve their phonic skills effectively.

In these instances, pupils' phonic skills are not reinforced as well as they could be. Leaders and teachers are continuing to work on new ways to raise the profile of reading across the school, to encourage pupils to read more. The English curriculum is planned around high-quality texts, which supports this.

Teachers have good subject knowledge. This helps them to deliver the curriculum in a purposeful and well-informed manner. Teachers model subject-specific vocabulary well.

Pupils are now starting to use this vocabulary when explaining their own understanding of a concept. For example, in music, pupils explained the meaning of 'pitch', 'tempo', 'crescendo' and 'diminuendo'.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully included in all aspects of school life.

Teachers consider the needs of pupils with SEND when they plan lessons and set tasks. Staff step in quickly if pupils need extra help. Where required, one-to-one or small-group work provides specific support for pupils with SEND.

However, during some of these interventions, some staff do not have the knowledge and expertise to support pupils with SEND effectively.

The curriculum supports pupils' wider development well. Pupils spoke confidently about the school's value of 'RESPECT', and how this underpins the day-to-day business of the school.

Forest school is an important and popular part of the school's curriculum. Pupils said that it supports them to develop their resilience. Leaders have created links with the local church and a local retirement home to develop pupils' sense of community.

A range of after-school clubs and trips enrich the curriculum. Year 6 pupils are looking forward to the planned residential trip in the summer term. Pupils have a developing knowledge of fundamental British values.

The school parliament is active, and leaders have arranged a variety of events to promote pupils' understanding of other faiths and cultures, such as a Chinese New Year workshop.

School leaders, supported by the school standards committee and the MAT, have driven improvements across the school. They have achieved this while managing the challenges of a rapidly growing school community.

Staff said that leaders listen to their views and are considerate of their well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders and staff do everything they can to keep pupils safe.

Those responsible for the leadership of safeguarding are well trained and knowledgeable. They organise safeguarding training and regular updates for all staff. Staff know what to do if they are concerned about a pupil's welfare, and they respond quickly.

When required, leaders work with external agencies so that the right support is in place for pupils and their families. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including when working online, through the curriculum and special events. Leaders also raise parents' awareness of safeguarding issues through the school newsletter.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• On a small number of occasions, pupils display low-level disruption that is not dealt with effectively. This interrupts teaching and prevents pupils from learning as well as they could. Leaders need to provide staff with the necessary support to make sure that the behaviour policy is applied consistently well across the whole school.

• In mathematics, some pupils, particularly the most able, are held back and spend too long on completing tasks in which they are already proficient. This limits their progress through the curriculum and restricts the deepening of their mathematical knowledge. Leaders need to make sure that staff have the expertise and confidence to know when pupils are ready to move on, so that learning can be deepened.

• In some instances, a few teaching assistants do not have the knowledge, skills and expertise to support pupils with their learning effectively. As a result, some pupils do not progress through the curriculum as well as they could. Leaders need to provide teaching assistants with the support and training they require, so that they can carry out their roles effectively.

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