Heckmondwike Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Heckmondwike Primary receive a very poor standard of education. The curriculum does not meet the needs of pupils, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have not ensured that staff are well trained in delivering the school's curriculum.

Consequently, pupils do not achieve well, including children in the early years.

A significant proportion of pupils with SEND receive part or all of their education in separate spaces from their peers. This is called the 'ARC' provision.

These pupils do not have full or equal access to the curriculum. This prevents them from developing the knowledge and skills that they ne...ed to succeed.

Pupils are friendly, courteous and welcoming to visitors.

They behave well. Pupils enjoy receiving rewards for their positive behaviour. They say that adults help them to sort out any problems that they may have.

Bullying is rare. Staff respond swiftly if it does occur. Pupils say they feel safe and well looked after.

They try to live by the school's values, 'PRIDE', which include qualities such as respect, integrity and determination.

Pupils participate in different sports and visit local places of interest. They have the chance to develop leadership skills through being a play leader, or part of the school council.

Despite this, the curriculum for pupils' personal development is not well planned. It does not prepare them for life in modern Britain.

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

The pupils who attend this school, particularly pupils with SEND, have been failed by deep-rooted weaknesses in leadership.

Senior leaders, including governors, have done too little to tackle the significant shortcomings of the school. As a result, the school's effectiveness has declined significantly since the last inspection.

Pupils do not benefit from a well-thought-out and ambitious curriculum.

In many subjects, leaders have not decided on the crucial knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn. Additionally, leaders have not thought about the order in which key knowledge will be taught. Many subject leaders have not had the time or support that they need to ensure that pupils study a meaningful curriculum.

Staff have not accessed relevant curriculum training to develop their subject knowledge. This has contributed to a weak curriculum.

Teachers do not use assessment well enough.

This means that, in most subjects, gaps in pupils' knowledge are not identified and misconceptions are not effectively addressed. Consequently, pupils struggle to remember what they have been taught previously. In a wide range of subjects, pupils do not achieve as well as they should.

The provision for pupils with SEND is of poor quality. Leaders do not identify pupils' additional needs accurately. They do not provide staff with useful information to help them to support pupils with SEND.

Staff do not adapt the curriculum or teaching to meet pupils' needs. Most pupils with SEND do not receive the support that they need. Because of this, they do not achieve as well as they should.

While some parents of pupils with SEND are happy with the support that their children receive, many are not. Parents feel increasingly frustrated because things do not seem to improve.

Leaders have been slow to bring about improvements in early reading.

They have recently identified a new phonics scheme to develop a more consistent approach to teaching early reading. Pupils who are less confident with reading get extra support at times, but the quality of this support is variable. Staff are not trained well enough to make sure that the teaching of phonics is of a consistently high quality.

Because of this, some pupils do not catch up sufficiently when learning to read.

Children in the early years do not experience an acceptable education. Despite some recent improvements in the Reception Year, many weaknesses remain.

Staff do not routinely interact with children in a way that supports their development. Some staff lack the expertise that they need to improve children's spoken language and vocabulary. As a result, children in the Reception class are not well prepared for Year 1.

Some pupils benefit from some wider experiences, such as residential visits and after-school clubs. Yet, these opportunities do not broaden pupils' experiences well enough. Pupils' knowledge of healthy relationships and fundamental British values are not well developed.

Consequently, pupils are not being sufficiently well prepared for life in modern Britain.

A significant number of pupils are persistently absent from school. These pupils are falling further behind.

Leaders are working determinedly with families to ensure that pupils' attendance improves. For example, staff arrange free breakfast to encourage pupils to come to school. Despite this, attendance rates remain stubbornly low.

Leadership is weak. Governors have not sufficiently challenged senior leaders to improve the school, including on the quality of education. They accept too much of what leaders tell them without question.

Governors have failed to recognise the growing discontent among staff. Leaders, including governors, have not ensured that staff are well supported. They are unaware that some staff feel that their workloads are excessive and insurmountable.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that safeguarding records are accurate and up to date. They ensure that the necessary checks are made on adults who work with pupils.

The designated safeguarding team is dedicated and makes sure that there is a strong culture of keeping children safe in the school. Staff receive regular safeguarding training and weekly updates. These keep staff well informed.

Staff are vigilant. They know how to raise concerns. The school's work to support families, including their partnership work with other professionals, is having a positive impact.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The provision for pupils with SEND is extremely weak. Their needs are not identified, or met effectively. Some pupils with SEND do not access the full curriculum.

Leaders have not ensured that pupils with SEND receive the support that they need. Because of this, too many pupils with SEND experience a poor quality of education. Leaders need to make significant and rapid improvements to how they meet the needs of pupils with SEND so that these pupils can make necessary progress through the curriculum.

• The curriculum does not meet pupils' needs. Leaders do not identify the important knowledge they want pupils to learn or the order in which this should happen. Leaders need to work with staff to develop a curriculum that enables pupils to gain the knowledge and skills they need over time.

• Leaders have not ensured that staff have the subject knowledge to teach the curriculum well. Sequences of lessons are not well planned to help pupils to revisit and remember essential knowledge. Leaders should ensure that staff receive the necessary subject-specific training so that they can deliver the curriculum effectively.

• Leaders have not ensured that staff have the expertise to teach the school's chosen phonics programme. As a result, pupils who need help with their reading, including pupils with SEND, are not getting the support that they need. Leaders should urgently ensure that staff are suitably trained so that pupils get the help that they need to catch up.

• Teachers do not have a clear picture of where gaps in pupils' knowledge exist. This means that pupils struggle to remember previous learning in a wide range of subjects and they do not achieve as well as they should. Leaders must develop assessment processes that check how well pupils are learning important knowledge from the taught curriculum.

• Leaders have not mapped out the knowledge and skills that they want children to learn in the early years. Children do not build the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to be ready for Year 1. Leaders must identify what children need to know and do by the time they leave Reception, so that children can develop the foundational knowledge they need in readiness for key stage 1.

• A significant number of pupils are persistently absent from school and this is showing little or no sign of improvement. This contributes to the lack of progress made by some pupils. Leaders have started to try and engage with families.

However, the rates of persistent absence remain high. Leaders should take more effective action in order to improve attendance and reduce persistent absence rates. There are weaknesses in the organisation and planning of the personal development curriculum.

Opportunities to promote pupils' understanding of fundamental British values are not meaningfully planned. Leaders need to significantly improve the personal development curriculum so that pupils are prepared for life in modern Britain. ? Leaders' systems for quality assurance are not effective.

As a result, leaders and governors do not know how well the school is meeting the needs of pupils. Leaders, including governors, must review quality assurance systems to ensure they precisely identify what will make a positive difference. ? Governors have not sufficiently challenged leaders to tackle the significant weaknesses in the school.

As a result, they do not assure themselves that leaders' actions are effective. Governors should ensure that they receive the training they need so that they can hold leaders to account effectively in order to rapidly improve the school. ? Having considered the evidence, the inspectors strongly recommend that leaders and those responsible for governance do not seek to appoint early career teachers.