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Heron Primary School is an inclusive, welcoming school. All staff in the school are ambitious for pupils to be successful learners. The Heron 'drivers' help the school focus its efforts on this aim.
Pupils appreciate that staff care about them. They are happy and feel safe. They trust adults to look after them.
Most say that staff deal with any worries they have quickly.
The school has put a great deal of effort into supporting pupils' mental health and well-being in the wake of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. An extensive 'well-being' curriculum sets out how this will happen.
These lessons help pupils to develop resilience, confidence and self-...belief.
Expectations for pupils' behaviour are high. Staff in the school apply the rules consistently.
Pupils understand and follow the behaviour code. As a result, they behave well and show respect for staff and each other. Pupils follow instructions without hesitation.
Lessons flow without interruption. Pupils move around school safely and sensibly.
The outdoor play and learning project contributes much to pupils' good behaviour and well-being.
It enables them to play, learn and mix well together. It gives them a chance to let off steam, challenge themselves and be active.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school's curriculum builds pupils' knowledge about each subject securely.
The process begins in Reception. As pupils move through the school, they meet and revisit important knowledge many times. This helps them to store the knowledge gradually into their long-term memory.
As a result, they can recall and apply what they have learned over time with success.
Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well at Heron. Targets for pupils with SEND are clear and precise.
This ensures that teachers know what their needs are. Teachers adapt lessons as needed to ensure that pupils with SEND are learning what they need to keep up with everyone else.
Pupils begin learning to read as soon as they start Reception.
Most master the phonics code by the end of Year 1. Some need a little longer, but get there by the end of Year 2 or early in Year 3. As they move through Years 3 to 6, pupils learn to read and understand increasingly complex texts.
As a result, most are competent, independent readers by the time they move on to secondary school. However, a few older pupils do not enjoy reading. They do not read unless they have no choice.
Some lack confidence in reading and this is why they avoid it. As a result, these pupils are not reading enough to gain the fluency, understanding and confidence that they need.
The school places great emphasis on teaching pupils to use correct, subject-specific language.
They identify exactly which words pupils need to learn and when. Learning the correct vocabulary helps pupils to talk about their learning. This focus begins in Reception.
For example, children can say that a circle containing six bean bags has 'fewer' than one containing eight.
Staff in Reception also use high-quality language when working alongside children during independent activities. However, teachers have not identified all the words they want children to learn.
In particular, there is less precision about the words that children will be taught to help them ask questions, express their feelings or hold a conversation. Therefore, teachers cannot be completely sure that children are learning all the vocabulary that they need.
The school works hard to encourage and support pupils to attend school regularly.
For most, this work is successful. The school keeps a close check on who is absent from school, when they are absent and why. Staff work closely with parents and carers to try to support them in bringing their children to school every day.
However, the school knows that more needs to be done to reach some families. It has raised its expectations around attendance. It has speeded up the pace of action to engage with parents who do not bring their children to school often enough.
This effort is paying off. Bit-by-bit, some of the poorest attenders are coming to school more regularly.
The governing body and staff in the school value the strong relationships they have forged with many parents and the wider community.
They take parents' opinions seriously and act upon them. For example, a recent survey showed that parents wanted more extra-curricular clubs for their children. The school has increased the number available.
Most parents appreciate such efforts and are supportive of what the school does for their children. However, the school is aware that there is more to do to convince a minority of parents that the school is doing well for their children.
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
What does the school need to do to improve?
(Information for the school and appropriate authority)
• Some older do not enjoy reading and choose not to read outside lessons. Therefore, they do not practise reading enough to build confidence and a love of reading. The school should promote the value of reading to all pupils and ensure that a love of reading is part of the school's culture.
• A small number of pupils continue to be absent from school too often. When they are absent, the school cannot ensure that they are learning the curriculum. The school needs to ensure that it implements its renewed expectations and policies robustly and that persistent absence reduces as a result.
• The school has not identified all the specific vocabulary that children need to know to support their personal, social and emotional development in the early years. Therefore, some children might not learn to express themselves clearly or interact socially. The school needs to ensure that all children are taught the specific vocabulary they need to be able to express themselves clearly, interact socially and that they can apply this to communicate effectively.
• The school's work to engage with parents openly so that they know it takes their views seriously has had mixed success. Consequently, some parents do not believe that the school is working in the best interests of their children. The school should continue its work to build positive relationships with all parents.
