Hollington Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Too many pupils do not show respect for others at Hollington Primary Academy. Some pupils frequently disrupt the learning of others and remove themselves from lessons. Too often, they demonstrate violent and anti-social behaviours towards staff and their peers.

Leaders do not deal with serious incidents effectively. Leaders do not have high enough expectations for pupils' behaviour. Consequently, some pupils and staff do not feel safe in school.

Some pupils want to learn and look forward to lessons. They enjoy positive relationships with their teachers. For instance, children in the early years focus well on their lesson activities and explore their environment enthus...iastically.

Pupils in the younger year groups demonstrate positive behaviour by lining up sensibly for their lunch. However, a number of pupils in key stage 2 cooperate poorly and use abusive language towards others during social times.

Pupils have some opportunities to explore what is important about their town.

For instance, they take trips to Battle Abbey and the local seaside. Visits from the police and fire service enhance pupils' understanding of personal safety. There are a small number of clubs on offer.

However, many pupils do not take part in this provision.

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

Pupils study a broad range of subjects at this school. Leaders have ensured that the curriculum overall is well ordered and identifies key knowledge that pupils should learn, including in the early years.

Leaders are ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to access the same curriculum as their peers. However, the continued poor behaviour of some pupils impacts others' curriculum learning opportunities.

In most subjects, the curriculum is organised to help pupils build on their learning.

For example, in history, pupils in Year 2 described with accuracy how changes in design made castles stronger and more secure over time. However, in some foundation subjects, such as design and technology, pupils' work is less well developed. This is because leaders have recently implemented the curriculum and it is not yet fully embedded.

Pupils have regular opportunities to revisit their learning through 'do now' tasks. Teachers identify what pupils know and need to do next to get better. They change learning activities to ensure that there are no gaps in pupils' knowledge.

Pupils with SEND are supported to access the full curriculum by staff who know their needs well.

The school's current approach to teaching reading is not effective. As a result, most of the weakest readers do not learn to read quickly and fluently.

The phonics programme does not systematically allow pupils to practise their phonics knowledge. Staff are not expertly trained to ensure that the books pupils read are matched appropriately to sounds that they have learned. In the early years, phonics learning does not sufficiently challenge and engage children, so they are not fully ready to move to the next stage.

Leaders have acted slowly but are now addressing this by implementing a new phonics programme from September.

Children in the early years enjoy learning in an interesting environment that promotes understanding of language and number. Children in Reception and Nursery benefit from high-quality conversations to develop their vocabulary.

Children with SEND receive additional support through the high number of adults who work with them. Nevertheless, a small number of children in the early years demonstrate disruptive behaviour which affects the learning and well-being of others.

Nearly a third of pupils do not attend school regularly.

Leaders' actions have not yet improved this. Too many pupils miss out on essential learning and enrichment experiences due to persistent absence.

Leaders have recently put in place a new personal, social, health and education (PSHE) curriculum.

Pupils learn about healthy relationships in an age-appropriate way. Pupil parliament members contribute to school life by producing a friendship and anti-bullying policy. Awareness of diversity and inclusion is promoted through the reading curriculum and assemblies.

However, despite this, many pupils do not demonstrate respect and care for others.

Pupils join each other to celebrate some events such as the Queen's platinum jubilee. A limited number of clubs, such as dance and football, are on offer.

However, additional funding has not been used to ensure that the most disadvantaged pupils have opportunities to take part in these.

Members of the local governing body and trustees do not fully understand the weaknesses of the school. They have not engaged effectively with staff to know the extent and impact of poor pupil behaviour.

Members of the local governing body and trustees are unaware of areas of inadequate safeguarding practice in the school. Senior leaders have invested in training to improve staff's knowledge and teaching of the curriculum. However, they have not supported staff sufficiently to tackle ongoing anti-social behaviour in the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

Leaders' actions have not protected all staff and pupils from the risk of physical harm and/or verbal abuse from some pupils. This means that pupils are at continued risk of potential harm.

Safeguarding records about pupils at risk of harm are well kept. Staff receive regular safeguarding training and know how to identify and report concerns. Leaders work with outside agencies to ensure that the most vulnerable pupils and their families receive the help that they might need.

However, safeguarding concerns about staff are not always referred quickly enough to the local authority designated officer (LADO) by leaders.

Although pupils know who to report concerns about their safety to, they do not all feel safe in school. Through the PSHE and computing curriculums, pupils learn how to keep themselves safe on- and offline.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate

• Behaviour management strategies are not effective. This means that staff and pupils are at continued risk of physical and verbal abuse from other pupils. Leaders need to ensure that the behaviour policy is fit for purpose, and consistently applied by all, so that the school becomes a calm and orderly environment for everyone.

• Some pupils do not attend school as much as they should. These pupils miss out on important learning and enrichment opportunities. Leaders need to review strategies to improve attendance of pupils, with a particular focus on those who are persistently absent and/or from disadvantaged backgrounds.

• Leaders have not had sufficient capacity to address areas of weakness in the school. They have not done enough to improve the school. The trust needs to ensure that planned additions to the senior leadership and pastoral teams result in rapid improvement in the areas that they already know are not as strong as they could be.

• Pupils in key stage 1 do not have sufficient opportunities to practise the phonics knowledge they have learned. This means that pupils do not get better at reading as quickly as they should. Leaders need to ensure that staff are well trained to embed the school's new phonics programme swiftly.

• Leaders have not ensured that the personal development programme is successful in developing pupils who show respect for others and the school environment. Leaders need to ensure that pupils' personal development offer is improved so that pupils become responsible and respectful citizens who play an active role in the school and wider society. ? Leaders do not make timely referrals to the LADO.

This means that too often pupils remain at risk of potential harm. Leaders need to improve systems to safeguard pupils by ensuring that timely referrals are made to the LADO when there are concerns. Leaders must follow up referrals adequately so that pupils are not put at further risk.