Holly Spring Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud ambassadors for their welcoming and inclusive school. They show impeccable manners, politely welcoming all, as they hold open doors and greet everyone with a smile. The school prioritises pupils' mental health and well-being.

Pupils speak with delight and enthusiasm about how much leaders and staff care about them. If they have any worries, help is never far away. For some, this involves valuable time working with members of the school pastoral team.

Others enjoy the equipment on offer at breaktimes and lunchtimes.The school has high expectations for every pupil to do their best. Despite this, in 2023, key stage 2 pupils' achievement in reading, mathe...matics and writing was much lower than the national average.

The school has taken robust action to address this, and current pupils' achievement is more secure. Pupils are fulfilling the school's high ambitions in calm and happy classrooms.The school provides pupils with the right encouragement to 'IMAGINE' their future.

Pupils understand the three school rules of: be ready, be safe and be respectful. Staff help pupils to keep to these rules consistently. As a result, pupils behave well and focus on their learning.

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

Over the last few years, the school has developed a curriculum that demonstrates strong ambition to give all pupils the best education it can, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. In nearly all subjects, the school has created a curriculum that ensures pupils learn important knowledge, skills and vocabulary in a well-sequenced order. However, in a few subjects, such as science, this knowledge is not detailed precisely enough.

This means that staff are not as clear on what to teach and when in these subjects.In almost all subjects, teachers have a good understanding of what to teach and explain new ideas clearly. They check on pupils' learning in lessons.

This helps them to identify which pupils need more help or guidance. The school is especially focused on the significant number of pupils attending who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan. Leaders make precise and individual adaptions for pupils with EHC plans, while maintaining high expectations.

Consequently, these pupils are achieving well.In reading and mathematics, teachers check pupils' understanding systematically. However, in some subjects, teachers do not use assessment effectively enough.

As a result, pupils do not achieve as well as they could in these subjects.As soon as children enter Reception, the school prioritises phonics teaching. This means pupils at the earliest stages of reading are getting the effective support that they need.

Teachers regularly assess how well pupils are learning phonics. The school provides any necessary additional support swiftly for younger pupils. Pupils enjoy the texts that they read, and pupils of all ages speak of the books their teachers read to them with enthusiasm and understanding.

In the Reception class, adults develop children's communication skills further with effective questioning and supportive conversations.Pupils show a strong sense of right and wrong. This creates classroom environments where pupils can learn.

Pupils work hard in lessons because they want to learn. Their learning is rarely disrupted by the behaviour of others. Pupils are confident that staff will sort any problems, whether in the classroom or on the playground.

Outside, pupils play well with one another. The school has a very calm and reassuring approach to pupils who sometimes find it hard to behave in the way the school would like. Well-trained staff ensure pupils can recognise and reflect on their feelings and the impact on themselves and others.

As a result, there is a warm and happy atmosphere in the school.The school's approach to developing pupils' personal development is well planned. Leaders have consulted the community to make sure that the curriculum addresses pupils' concerns and that it is responsive to issues as they arise.

Pupils consider their own and others' views and talk about them thoughtfully, for example through newspaper club, where pupils learn about local issues through interviewing people and writing articles about them. This builds pupils' confidence and prepares them for life in modern Britain.Governors have ensured that the school's provision has developed significantly in recent years.

They make key decisions with a clear vision of what they want to achieve and fulfil their statutory responsibilities with diligence. Staff are proud to work at the school and want to make the difference for every pupil.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of subjects, essential learning has not been identified as clearly as in the rest of the curriculum. Consequently, not all pupils are able to build on prior learning as effectively as they might. The school should ensure that its ongoing work to identify the specific knowledge that it wants pupils to learn leads to them developing secure knowledge across the whole curriculum.

• The use of assessment is inconsistent in the foundation subjects. This means that subject leaders and teachers do not fully understand if all pupils have learned the intended curriculum knowledge. The school needs to develop a consistent approach to assessment that identifies what each pupil knows and any gaps or misconceptions in their learning so they can be closed.

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