Helpringham Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Helpringham School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend Helpringham School.

It is a happy and welcoming place. The school has high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils speak with enthusiasm and passion about their learning.

They confidently explain how their teachers help them to learn well.

The school ensures that its behaviour policy is consistently applied. Pupils behave well in lessons and at social times.

Children in the early years follow the adults' instructions carefully. There is a strong focus on teaching pupils t...o be respectful and kind. As a result, pupils are polite and courteous.

Pupils feel safe. Bullying is not something they worry about. They trust adults to help and listen to their concerns.

The school ensures that all pupils, including those with SEND, benefit from a wide range of opportunities and experiences. Pupils like the trips on offer to enhance the curriculum, such as the visit to the National Space Centre in Leicester. They celebrate local, rural culture and enjoy their residential stay at a farm park.

Pupils have a voice in the school. They speak with pride about their 'Children we Feed' campaign and the donations the school has made to a local foodbank.

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

The school understands pupils' needs very well.

It has thought carefully about how to help the pupils at Helpringham become successful learners. Pupils learn about themselves, their local community and the world around them.

The curriculum is ambitious and well planned.

The school ensures that staff have a secure understanding of the curriculum in all subjects. Staff know which parts of the curriculum are the most important for pupils to remember. In some subjects, the school has successfully strengthened how staff check what pupils know.

However, the school does not check closely enough on pupils' learning in all foundation subjects. On occasion, gaps in pupils' knowledge are not identified and addressed. In addition, the curriculum is not always implemented as the school expects.

In mathematics, for example, pupils do not consistently benefit from the use of apparatus and practical equipment to support and strengthen their understanding.

Pupils love to read. They follow a carefully thought out reading curriculum.

Children begin to learn to read as soon as the start in the early years. Pupils read books that match their ability. As a result, they develop into confident readers.

The school monitors pupils' reading development closely. It provides high-quality support for anyone who is struggling so they can catch up quickly. The school provides information to parents and carers so they understand how best to support their children when reading together at home.

Pupils have regular opportunities to listen to staff read aloud. Pupils and staff recommend authors to each other. Pupils say this helps them to discover new books.

Children develop good communication and language skills in the early years. The early years learning environment is purposeful, with well-planned activities both indoor and outdoor. Children develop positive attitudes in the early years.

They play well with one another. They take turns and they are respectful.

The school is ambitious for what pupils with SEND can achieve.

The school quickly identifies pupils' individual needs. Staff adapt their lessons successfully so that pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum as their peers. The school ensures that the needs of pupils with SEND are carefully assessed at regular points during the year so they continue to engage in their learning and succeed.

Pupils' wider development is a priority. The school ensures that pupils develop an understanding and appreciation of different cultures and religions. Outdoor education and residential trips are designed to develop pupils' character, helping them to overcome challenges and build resilience.

A wide range of clubs and activities give pupils a rich variety of experiences to develop their talents and interests. The school ensures that these opportunities are open to all, for example by making use of pupil premium funding so that transportation is not a barrier to participation.

Staff feel proud to work at the school.

They appreciate the consideration that is given to their well-being. Governors understand what is working well. They hold leaders to account for the quality of education.

Governors share a vision for the school's continued development.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school does not check closely enough on pupils' learning in all foundation subjects.

Consequently, some pupils do not achieve as well as they could because gaps in their knowledge are not always identified and addressed. The school should continue to strengthen its assessment procedures so that staff can fill any gaps in pupils' learning swiftly.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2018.