Hedon Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Hedon Primary is a welcoming and kind school, where pupils quickly settle. Staff have high expectations of behaviour, and these expectations are understood by pupils.

As a result, the school is a calm and orderly place to learn. This helps to ensure that pupils feel safe and are kept safe at school. Pupils are respectful of each other and staff.

The school aims are to inspire pupils and for them to aspire and achieve. Pupils benefit from an increasingly ambitious curriculum. Pupils follow a broad and interesting curriculum.

In some subjects, they produce good work and learn well, remembering important knowledge. However, there are subjects in which pupils do ...not learn as deeply, as the curriculum is at an earlier stage of development. Pupils enjoy their lessons.

They learn well in reading, but their learning in mathematics is less secure.

Staff take effective action to enhance pupils' personal development. Pupils make a positive contribution to school and society.

For example, they raise money for a cancer charity by having a coffee morning. Pupils are proud to take on leadership roles, such as travel and road safety ambassadors.

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

Leaders are taking purposeful action to improve the quality of education.

The school has developed an effective reading curriculum. In subjects such as science and physical education, improvements to the curriculum have been implemented well. Pupils are learning well in these subjects.

The school's actions to improve the mathematics curriculum are less securely in place. There is variation in how well mathematics is taught. Pupils do not build their mathematics skills and knowledge securely over time.

Leaders are aware that more needs to be done for improvements to the mathematics curriculum to have further effect.

Children learn to read as soon as they start Reception. Staff benefit from training and support to teach the school's phonics programme well.

Reading books match the sounds that children have been taught. In key stages 1 and 2, reading lessons take place every day. Pupils enjoy reading sessions, and they help them to become more fluent readers.

Pupils develop a love of reading and talk about their favourite authors and genres.

In the wider curriculum, pupils value their learning. In geography and design and technology, pupils talk with enthusiasm about their work, particularly practical work and model making.

However, pupils' skills and knowledge do not build systematically over time. This is because the curriculum is not sequenced in a sufficiently logical way. For example, in Year 1, geography pupils are taught to name seven continents before developing a secure understanding of local places, countries and capital cities.

As a result, pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), do not routinely build the understanding they need.The school has seen an increase in the number of pupils admitted with a wide range of specific learning needs. Some pupils with SEND receive good support.

Pupils enjoy good relationships with the staff who help them in class. However, some pupils' needs are not precisely identified and met. Staff have not had the necessary training to meet the learning needs of these pupils.

Support plans do not sufficiently identify how specific learning needs will be met. This means that some pupils with SEND do not benefit from the school's full curriculum.

Pupils behave well in classrooms and around the school.

They engage well in learning activities because staff make their expectations clear. Pupils attend school regularly and arrive on time and ready to learn. Pupils' wider personal development is developed well.

The curriculum is designed to help pupils to learn about world religions and understand the importance of healthy relationships, respecting differences and the different protected characteristics.

The early years offers an interesting and stimulating environment, in which children learn well. Adults help children to settle quickly.

Adults talk to children in ways that deepen their questioning and understanding. Pupils explore and discover new learning through play and through a carefully designed learning environment. They also access more formal teaching sessions with adults, where they learn important knowledge and skills.

Leaders, including those responsible for governance, know where important improvement is needed and have clear improvement plans in place. Leaders support staff and have taken steps to make their workload more manageable. The governing body offers appropriate support and challenge to the school.

Governors spend time in school; they visit classes and talk to pupils. Staff appreciate this support and challenge.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The mathematics curriculum is not implemented well enough. Pupils do not secure the knowledge and skills they need to do well in mathematics or to complete more complex tasks. The school should ensure that staff are trained to implement the mathematics curriculum to meet all pupils' needs and fill gaps in basic skills.

• In some subjects, the curriculum is at an earlier stage of development. In these areas, the most important ideas that pupils need to learn and remember are not sequenced with sufficient care. The school should ensure that it maps out what pupils need to learn clearly so that pupils learn well across all subjects.

• Due to the increasing number of pupils with SEND, the school is not identifying the needs of pupils well enough. This means that some pupils do not get the support they need. The school should identify pupils' needs more carefully and provide staff with better training and guidance to support these pupils.