Henbury Court Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to belong to this caring and welcoming school.

Through positive relationships with each other and adults, pupils demonstrate the school's values of being confident, playful, respectful and working as a team. If pupils feel anxious, they know they can speak to an adult or use the worry box to share concerns. This ensures that pupils' voices are heard.

Over time, the curriculum has not equipped pupils with the knowledge they need to achieve well. Too many pupils leave the school not ready for the demands of secondary education. The school has raised expectations of what pupils can achieve and made bold changes to improve the curriculum.

However..., some changes are recent and have not had time to fully impact pupils' learning, especially in upper key stage 2.

Well-established routines and high expectations of pupils' behaviour start in the early years. Children settle in quickly.

The school's 'golden rules' guide pupils to make the right choices in their work and play.

Pupils know that respect and tolerance are important. They proudly talk about the different flags in the hall that celebrate each pupil's diverse cultural background.

Special events like the Iftar during Ramadan and 'cultural week' develop a sense of belonging.

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

Many factors have negatively impacted pupils' learning over time. These include the COVID-19 pandemic, low attendance and a weak curriculum.

Published outcomes show that not enough pupils leave the school in Year 6 able to read, write or apply mathematics sufficiently well for their age. With expert support from the trust, the school is now moving forward at pace.

Curriculum development is at the forefront of the school's work.

Recently, the school has introduced a more ambitious curriculum. It sets out the important knowledge pupils need to learn and the order in which it will be taught. Pupils are beginning to link learning across subjects.

For example, in geography, they learn how rivers are formed. This helps them understand the importance of the River Nile to Ancient Egyptian civilisation. However, in some subjects, the school does not carry out effective checks to ensure that teachers teach the curriculum as intended.

Some staff do not cover content in sufficient depth. This limits the breadth of knowledge some pupils acquire.

In some subjects, a legacy of a weak curriculum remains for some pupils, especially those in upper key stage 2.

Some struggle with spelling, grammar and problem-solving. This is because they have not mastered the basics in the preceding years. Rightly, this continues to be a priority for the school, including for pupils who need support to develop their reading fluency.

The school does not routinely check what pupils know and remember in lessons and over time in some subjects. Therefore, some gaps in pupils' knowledge are not identified quickly enough. However, it is more positive for reading.

In the early years, children gain a love of stories, songs and rhymes. A clearly structured phonics programme is in place. Staff use ongoing checks to pinpoint and help pupils who need extra support.

As a result, more pupils than previously are remembering the sounds they need to read.

The school has set out the most effective way to teach the curriculum. For example, in mathematics, staff use practical equipment to help pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), learn new concepts.

Pupils with SEND have their needs identified early. Staff work closely with parents and specialists. This successfully supports children in the early years with speech and language difficulties.

The school has raised expectations of attendance. It works with families and takes swift action if a pupil's attendance declines. Consequently, the school is beginning to see improvements in attendance.

Equally, specialist staff provide support to pupils who may struggle with their behaviour. They give pupils strategies to manage their emotions so they can learn alongside their peers. As a result, incidents of poor behaviour have been reduced.

Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning.

The school plans a range of experiences beyond the classroom to prepare pupils for modern life. For example, visits to the Houses of Parliament support pupils' understanding of democracy.'

Golden time' activities such as choir and cooking develop pupils' interests and cultural experiences beyond the classroom. Older pupils proudly take on leadership responsibilities as school councillors. They learn to be positive advocates for others.

School leaders want the best for pupils. They have cultivated a strong culture of teamwork. Staff appreciate how leaders consider their workload.

Directors and trustees ask searching questions of school leaders about the quality of education so that it continues to improve at pace.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• A legacy of a weak curriculum remains for some groups of pupils, notably in upper key stage 2.

As a result, some pupils have not mastered the essential knowledge and skills to support fluent reading, writing and mathematics. The trust should continue to eradicate the legacy of underachievement so that pupils achieve consistently well in all subjects and are ready for the next stage of their education. ? In some subjects, the school does not use assessment with enough precision to check what pupils know and remember both within and over a series of lessons.

As a result, some gaps in pupils' knowledge are not identified or closed quickly enough. The trust needs to ensure that staff are equipped with the knowledge to use assessment effectively to check on pupils' understanding and to inform future learning. ? The school has not checked the impact of the curriculum in some subjects with enough rigour.

Consequently, some staff do not cover content in sufficient depth. This limits the breadth of knowledge pupils acquire. The trust should ensure that the school strengthens its checks and evaluation of the impact of the curriculum on pupils' learning.