Heathwood Lower School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. Good quality teaching enables most pupils, including those with disabilities or who have special educational needs, to make good progress in English and mathematics and to achieve well. Teachers give pupils plenty of opportunities to talk about their learning and to explain their thinking.

This has been a key feature in improving attainment in mathematics to an above average level. Pupils feel safe in school. Behaviour is good and when any issues do arise they are tackled effectively.

The school fosters pupils' personal and social skills successfully and engenders high levels of self-confidence and their positive attitudes to learning. T...he school promotes pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development extremely well. The headteacher's strong focus on improving teaching and her high expectations for raising pupils' achievement are shared by all staff and governors.

Good leadership, management and governance ensure the school builds on its strengths and continues to improve. It is not yet an outstanding school because : The progress of more able learners is sometimes hampered because work which helps them develop skills at a higher level is not sufficiently planned, and they are not given enough opportunities to work independently. There is not yet sufficient outstanding teaching to maximise all pupils' achievement.

Information about this school

This is a smaller than average size school which has varying numbers of pupils in each year group. Pupils are taught in five classes: a Reception class, and one class per year group up to year four. Pupils enter Reception in the middle of September each year.

There is a smaller than average proportion of pupils entitled to support from the pupil premium (which provides extra funding to the school for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, children from other groups such as children in the care of the local authority). The proportion of disabled pupils, or those who have special educational needs supported through school action is average but the proportion supported at school action plus, or with a statement of special educational needs, is above average. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well below average and the number of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below average.

The school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs. This is for pupils with language and communication difficulties. There is pre-school provision on the school site, but this did not form part of the inspection.