Henley-In-Arden CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to belong to this truly inclusive school. Staff know the children, parents and carers well.

Their genuine interest and care make everyone feel welcome, and this enables the pupils to feel safe and happy and to thrive.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the published outcomes related to pupils' achievement have not been as good as the school would like. However, recent changes at the school have reinvigorated learning and pupils are now achieving well.

There is a real buzz in the classrooms and pupils are enthusiastic learners. The school provides experiences and activities that enable all pupils to fulfil the school vision of 'living life t...o the full'.

Staff and pupils have built relationships based on respect and trust.

Pupils are well behaved and are kind and considerate to each other. Older pupils care about the younger children. They play happily together, enjoying playground activities such as 'Wheelie Wednesday'.

Pupils benefit from trips to museums and local places of interest that help their learning come to life. The children in early years visit a local Chinese restaurant, and older pupils try adventurous activities on a residential trip. These experiences help pupils to develop their independence and prepare them well for the next stage of their education.

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

The school has designed a broad curriculum that successfully meets the needs of pupils in mixed-age classes. Teachers organise the learning well so that each year pupils build on things they have done previously. For example, in early years, children learn to use simple story maps to follow journeys in books.

In Years 1 and 2, pupils then use this understanding of maps to plot their own journey to school using local landmarks. The curriculum includes plenty of opportunities to learn beyond the classroom. In geography, all pupils have opportunities to develop fieldwork skills.

The youngest children spend time each week in forest school. Teachers follow up the things they learn outside with activities in the classroom. This helps the children to remember knowledge and develop skills.

Teachers have secure subject knowledge and design interesting activities. Pupils are proud of the work they produce. However, staff do not always check carefully that pupils have remembered previous learning before moving on to new content.

This means that some gaps in pupils' knowledge are not consistently addressed.

The school is determined that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are happy and flourish here. Pupils with SEND achieve well because they get the support they need.

The school is rightly proud of Tillman Lodge, which is a lively and friendly additionally resourced provision. Here, pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs learn in an expertly staffed, nurturing environment. They successfully join the other classes for many aspects of school life and become more resilient and confident.

The teaching of reading is a high priority. This starts in Nursery, where staff support children to develop their language skills. Across the school, pupils read books that contain the sounds they know so they can concentrate on developing their fluency.

Any pupil who needs more help with reading gets extra practice. This helps them to catch up. Older pupils are proud to take responsibility for maintaining the school library.

Pupils know that reading is important, and the school inspires them to develop into confident readers.

Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. The expectations for behaviour are clear and staff use a consistent approach to promote and reward good behaviour.

This creates a happy environment for pupils to learn in. Pupils understand that some pupils may need additional support to help them maintain focus in lessons but they trust the adults to deal with this effectively. Pupils love coming to school and most pupils attend well.

The school analyses trends in attendance effectively and provides additional support for pupils who do not attend regularly enough.

The school provides effective nurture and pastoral support for all pupils, including counselling for those who need it. Pupils who have received this support say it has really helped them.

Pupils enjoy the leadership opportunities the school provides. This includes as school council members, librarians and play leaders. Pupils know that they are listened to by leaders and can make a difference to the school.

For example, the introduction of 'Hot Chocolate Fridays' was the school council's idea to raise extra school funds. Pupils are clear that everyone is equal at Henley-in-Arden Primary School. They talk about the many ways in which people can be different and they understand that these differences are enriching and exciting.

However, pupils do not get many opportunities to experience a range of cultures and other faiths first hand.

Leaders are highly aspirational for all pupils. Staff, governors and the trust share the same inclusive vision and keep pupils at the heart of decision-making.

Governors are well informed and support the school effectively. Staff are proud to work here and are positive about the support they receive from leaders and the trust. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school.

They value the approachable staff and nurturing approach. One parent, reflecting the views of many, said, 'There is a real team feeling between our family and the school.'

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some lessons, assessment is not used as effectively as it could be to check whether pupils have remembered previous learning. As a result, teachers do not always have a clear understanding of the gaps in pupils' knowledge, and some activities do not match what pupils know, allowing misconceptions to persist. The school should ensure that assessment is used effectively to check the right things at the right time in order to ensure that pupils can use and build on previous learning.

• The school has not provided pupils with enough opportunities to experience first hand the richness and diversity of different cultures in modern Britain. As a result, pupils do not have a detailed-enough knowledge of different faiths and cultures. The school should ensure that pupils have opportunities to learn about other cultures in a meaningful way to develop their understanding of the cultural diversity of modern Britain.

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