Hollymount School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are incredibly proud of their school. They embrace and celebrate the diversity in the school.

Pupils said that they enjoy learning from each other about different cultures and ways of thinking. Pupils are very happy at this caring school where there is a strong sense of community.

Pupils are kept safe at school.

They know that they can speak to staff if they have any concerns. Pupils have confidence in staff to sort things out well. Through lessons and assemblies, pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe in a variety of situations.

Pupils really appreciate the ways in which staff take the time to listen. They said that staff are kind and ...considerate of everyone's views.

Pupils eagerly rise to the consistently high expectations set by all staff.

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well in their learning across the curriculum. The early years provides children with an especially positive start to school.

Pupils' behaviour in classrooms and around the school is exemplary.

The school has created a positive culture which is highly respectful and treats every individual with dignity. Pupils demonstrate exceptionally high levels of respect for their peers, staff and visitors. The 'Hollymount Entitlement' offers all pupils excellent opportunities to enrich and extend their learning beyond the classroom.

Every year, all pupils get the chance to experience well-planned special themed days, whole-school events and educational visits, including residentials.

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

The school has skilfully implemented an ambitious curriculum which allows pupils to build up their knowledge and skills securely from Nursery through to Year 6. In mathematics, for example, children in early years identify and learn about the properties of shapes.

Pupils in Year 1 use this knowledge well when learning to recognise and name two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes. By the time pupils reach Year 6, they have the knowledge they need to calculate the size of missing angles in shapes. Pupils use what they have learned in mathematics when they study other subjects.

For example, in science, pupils completed line graphs and tally charts with precision. Nevertheless, aspects of the curriculum are new and these are still being embedded to ensure that pupils achieve highly in all subjects. Some pupils have gaps in their knowledge in a few wider curriculum subjects.

Leaders are working very effectively to sort this out. They are working closely with teachers to help close these gaps.

Leaders provide staff with well-thought-out professional development opportunities and support.

This has ensured that staff have the subject knowledge and expertise to deliver the curriculum. Teaching routinely ensures that activities are adjusted to meet pupils' individual needs, including those with SEND. In lessons, staff check how well pupils are doing.

They identify and sort out any misconceptions well. However, in a few subjects, the school is still working out how to check what pupils know and remember in the long term. Leaders have well-established systems in place to address this and to continually improve the curriculum.

The school's early years curriculum enables children to get off to a flying start in their education. Staff are highly skilled at promoting children's communication language development. Staff make the most of all opportunities to promote and extend children's learning and development.

For example, children had great fun when they discovered a 'crime scene' in their outdoor area. They worked together admirably to work out who ate the 'gingerbread man'. All the while, staff used high-quality interactions to support children's language and their understanding of traditional tales.

Pupils with SEND benefit from high-quality support across the curriculum. Staff use their expertise to identify and meet pupils' needs. This helps these pupils to reach their goals and achieve success.

Everyone is focused on making sure that all pupils become fluent and confident readers. The school's phonics programme is implemented with consistency and this allows pupils to build up their knowledge steadily and securely. Staff make sure that pupils who need more help with reading, including older pupils, benefit from timely and well-planned support.

These pupils catch up quickly and achieve well.

Pupils display impeccable attitudes to learning. During class discussions, pupils listen attentively and respect the views of their peers.

Pupils' rates of attendance are high.

Pupils are taught about a wide range of topics which help them to find out about themselves and others. For example, pupils explore themes such as democracy and citizenship.

They get the chance to find out about parliament and how decisions are made in their local area. Pupils take on a range of responsibilities in school and take these seriously. For example, school councillors and digital leaders undertake these roles with pride and commitment.

The school provides many ways to promote pupils' leadership skills. Pupils enjoy attending the wide range of clubs on offer such as those for martial arts, yoga and netball.

Like other leaders, the governing body is highly ambitious for everything that happens in school.

Governors have established well-established systems to hold leaders to account. Together, they ensure that these high expectations are realised.

Staff are extremely proud to work here and praise the support they receive to promote their well-being.

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the work of the school.

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 few subjects, the new curriculum and approaches for checking what pupils know and remember are not fully embedded.

Pupils have some gaps in their prior knowledge and this affects how well they learn and remember new content. Where this is the case, the school should continue its work to embed the new curriculum and assessment approaches. It should continue to identify and address any gaps in pupils' prior knowledge so that pupils can learn and remember new content securely.

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