Hob Hill CE/Methodist (VC) Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school? '

Hob Hill is a small school with a big heart', is how one person described this school.

Many parents, pupils and staff agree. Pupils feel that they belong to a 'family' and feel it is a place where everyone feels included.

Many pupils do well in their learning.

Since the last inspection, the most vulnerable pupils now make better progress. While there is still work to do, most pupils leave the school being able to read, write and tackle mathematical problems with increasing fluency.

Most pupils behave well.

Staff show kindness to pupils and successfully develop strong relationships based on mutual respect. Pupils understand the meaning of be...ing 'ready for learning' and know that they have a responsibility for making their school a calm and caring place to be. Pupils know about different types of bullying and understand how to report concerns should they feel unsafe.

Pupils enjoy taking part in wider opportunities. Visits to residential centres, holding leadership responsibilities, such as being a reading ambassador, and visits from authors all enrich pupils' learning. Pupils learn about the importance of accepting differences and understand that everybody is unique in their own way.

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

There is a strong team spirit at this school, where everybody supports each other to 'be the best they can be' for the community they serve. Leaders ensure that strategic decisions are always made in pupils' best interests. Those responsible for governance understand their responsibilities and have an accurate view of the school's strengths and weaknesses.

This is because there exists a willingness to challenge and a shared determination to face difficulties and find solutions together.

The school has designed a curriculum to meet the needs of mixed-aged classes. This means learning sequences extend over a two-year cycle.

Most subjects are well designed and planned. However, not all subjects are monitored effectively. This means that, in some subject areas, the school does not know the impact of learning sequences on what pupils know, remember and can do.

Staff have been trained in strategies to promote good learning. They ask effective questions to identify pupils' misconceptions and then model learning well to support their understanding. Some staff, however, have not received the necessary support to deliver subject-specific content.

This means that, in some subjects, pupils are not consolidating and building on the prior skills and knowledge they have learned well enough.

Some pupils do not achieve as well as they should at the end of key stage 1 in reading and writing. This means that they begin key stage 2 needing to catch up with their peers.

However, as pupils progress through the school, they are increasingly able to cope with the demands of the curriculum and achieve well by the end of key stage 2.

The school prioritises learning to read from the first days of being at the school. Those at the early stages of reading use the strategies they learn in their phonics lessons to help them read unfamiliar words.

This results in most pupils learning to read fluently by the end of Year 2, but this is not the case for all. A carefully selected range of books is found in class library areas, and these books are linked to topics pupils study in the wider curriculum. Many pupils enjoy visits from authors to the school and feel that this makes them interested to read types of books they would not otherwise have considered.

Many pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Effective systems are in place to help identify whether pupils have additional needs. Support plans accurately identify specific areas of difficulty.

They provide ways that staff can adapt lessons to help these pupils access the same learning as their peers. Parents are an important part of the review and planning process. They also take part in workshops, which are delivered to help them understand their child's difficulties, and some report that these have helped them to support their child at home.

Most pupils behave well and demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning. Many attend school regularly, and the school successfully supports those pupils for whom regular attendance is an issue.

Children in the early years settle well at school.

The curriculum is designed to support their personal and social development, as well as helping to prepare them for formal learning in reading and mathematics. Adults successfully support children to develop their independence while also helping them to understand and regulate their emotions. Many parents report that their children come to school with 'smiles on their faces'.

There is a commitment to developing pupils' spiritual awareness while at the same time connecting this to a sense of moral responsibility. Many pupils know about protected characteristics and how some people in society are treated wrongly because of who they are or where they are from.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils at the end of key stage 1 are not achieving as well as they should in reading and writing. As a result, they are not prepared well enough for the demands of future learning. The school should continue to develop the English curriculum to enable most pupils to be able to read and write fluently by the end of key stage 1.

• The school does not monitor some subjects well enough. As a result, there is some uncertainty about what pupils know, remember and can do. The school should make sure that all subject leaders are supported to monitor their subject areas effectively so that any necessary improvements can be identified and addressed.

• In some subjects, the school is not developing pupils' subject-specific knowledge and skills well enough. As a result, some pupils are not building on their learning as well as they could in these subjects. The school should ensure that staff are trained to develop pupils' subject-specific knowledge and skills effectively over time.