Henry Maynard Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Henry Maynard enjoy school and value their learning. They are attentive and focused in lessons. Pupils, parents and carers, staff and governors are all proud members of their school, which is at the heart of the community.

The school's core values of 'community, creativity and ambition' thread through all aspects of school life. One parent summarised the thoughts of many by saying: 'What I love about the school is how learning is equally matched with kindness, collaboration and understanding the world around us.'

All staff are ambitious for what pupils can achieve, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils ri...se to staff's high expectations in their learning and behaviour. They achieve and behave well. Pupils are polite, caring and respectful to each other and adults.

This helps pupils to feel safe. Pupils trust adults to deal with any issues, such as bullying, when they arise.

Pupils enjoy the wider opportunities that they are given.

They can participate in a range of extra-curricular clubs. Pupils also have opportunities to develop a sense of responsibility, for example, through roles such as school council members, play leaders or as part of the eco-team. Through the school's work on sustainability, pupils enjoy the various outdoor learning experiences.

This includes the creation of a school kitchen, where they will grow their own food to use for school meals.

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

In early years, children get off to a great start. Clear routines and expectations enable children to settle into school life very quickly.

Adults are positive role models and use every opportunity to reinforce children's communication and language. The early years curriculum is delivered purposefully, centred on clear goals for what children need to learn. With focused adult support, children build their knowledge across the seven areas of learning.

However, in some areas, the school's curriculum design is less clear about how these foundations in early years should be built upon through learning in Year 1 and beyond.

The curriculum from Year 1 to Year 6 matches the expectations of the national curriculum. All subjects have clearly defined expectations for the key knowledge and skills that should be taught.

This helps teachers to be clear about what they need to focus on when planning and supporting learning. Teachers use their secure subject knowledge to help pupils grasp subject content. Consequently, pupils achieve well overall.

However, some of the school's work on the curriculum has not been in place for very long. The school is at the early stages of checking and ensuring that all pupils are remembering the knowledge in the curriculum. For example, checks on what pupils know are used purposefully in mathematics and reading.

Adaptations are made to address pupils' misconceptions and ensure that they recall knowledge successfully. While this does happen in subjects other than mathematics and reading, it is not yet as well established.

Reading is a top priority at Henry Maynard.

Through an ambitious phonics programme, pupils benefit from daily lessons that offer them lots of opportunities to use and practise the sounds that they have been taught. They also read books that are matched to the sounds that they know in order to build fluency and accuracy. Pupils who are falling behind are identified and given support to catch up.

Pupils develop a love for reading through daily story times, use of the 'reading sheds', author visits and local library visits.

In a few instances, in part because the curriculum is new, the approach to early reading does not match the school's expectations. There are occasions where extra help and reading practice for weaker readers are not finetuned to their needs.

In other instances, the language and approaches used are not consistent between classes, which can be confusing for pupils. The school already has plans to ensure that these inconsistencies are addressed.

Pupils with SEND are identified and support is quickly put in place.

They are fully included in all activities and learn alongside their peers. Pupils' additional needs are met through adaptations to learning and extra support, both in and out of lessons. On occasion, this is not as effective as it could be.

For example, the resources provided are not always precisely matched to pupils' needs and enabling them to fully access the learning.

Pupils' wider development is well supported through the curriculum for personal, social and health education. This includes a focus on helping pupils to be ready for life in modern Britain.

For example, pupils are taught how to keep safe online and in real life. They explore their emotions and different things that can help their well-being. Pupils develop an understanding that not everyone has the same experiences or backgrounds.

Diversity is celebrated and, through this, important messages about treating everyone fairly are reinforced.

The governing body knows the school well. It has clear strategic oversight of the education that pupils receive.

The governing body is reflective and responsive to ensure its work makes a difference.

Staff feel well supported. They appreciate the efforts taken to manage their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Recent changes to the design, delivery and leadership of the curriculum mean that, in a few areas, high expectations for pupils' learning are not well established in practice. Where this is the case, it reduces the quality of the school's work to make sure that pupils, including those with SEND, learn and remember knowledge securely and in the long term.

The school should take steps to make sure that, in all curriculum areas, what pupils learn in Year 1 and beyond links purposefully with the foundations provided in the early years. The school should also ensure that the curriculum is taught in a way that enables pupils to develop knowledge progressively and overcome any misconceptions or barriers to learning the curriculum successfully. This includes finetuning the additional support and adaptations planned for pupils with SEND.

• On occasion, approaches to supporting weaker readers, including through additional reading practice, are not consistent with the school's ambitious expectations. This can lead to weaker readers becoming overloaded or confused by what they need to practise or do. The school should ensure that the phonics programme is taught in line with agreed intentions, focusing especially on the weaker readers to ensure they get maximum opportunities to practise using their phonics skills to become confident and fluent readers.