Honilands Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive at this inclusive and happy school. They are safe, and trust the adults in school to help them.

Pupils said the school's values of determination, kindness and responsibility help them have positive attitudes towards life and learning. They enjoy their lessons and work well with their peers.

Leaders expect pupils to achieve well.

They view strong relationships as central to success. Therefore, staff make sure they know pupils as individuals. This means pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), get the support needed to meet leaders' expectations.

Behaviour is good. Leaders have created a calm and ...purposeful learning environment. Pupils play respectfully with each other at breaktimes.

They know what bullying is but said that it rarely happens. Pupils told inspectors that adults in school would help them sort bullying quickly if it did occur.

Pupils enjoy positions of responsibility such as school councillor.

They recently produced a short film reminding everyone why it is healthy to walk to school. Pupils across the school have worked with artists to promote creativity through poetry in the local area. They are rightly proud of their 'Words Not Walls' poetry mural.

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

Leaders have put in place a curriculum that is logically planned and sequenced. It covers all the subjects within the national curriculum. Leaders have identified the most important knowledge they want pupils to learn.

In most subjects, teachers check what pupils already know and remember. For instance, in mathematics, teachers know that when children start school, they are not always secure in their knowledge of number. They have therefore adapted the environment in the early years to include pictorial representations of numbers wherever possible.

However, in some subjects, teachers are not consistently checking, revisiting, or recapping key learning. This makes it difficult for pupils to remember the important knowledge in the long term. For example, pupils in Year 5 did not understand what was meant by the musical concepts of 'beat', 'rhythm', 'texture' or 'dynamics' despite these being taught lower down the school.

During the pandemic, some pupils fell behind in mathematics. Leaders implemented a programme to encourage pupils' confidence when tackling new concepts in class.

Pupils with SEND are also supported effectively.

For example, in art, teachers adapt learning by pre-teaching technical vocabulary. In the early years, pupils' interests are embraced to encourage engagement with numbers and letters. Support staff break down tasks so that pupils' working memory is not overloaded.

Reading is prioritised. Leaders strive for every pupil to leave the school as a fluent reader. They make sure all staff receive regular training in the school's chosen phonics programme.

This means the programme is taught consistently well. Pupils begin learning the sounds letters make in the Nursery Year. They then apply this knowledge to read books that closely match the sounds they have learned.

Most pupils become fluent quickly. Leaders make regular checks on pupils' progress. They identify any pupils in danger of falling behind with their reading and provide additional lessons to help them catch up.

Leaders and staff have worked hard to promote positive behaviour through consistent rewards and routines. Parents and carers report positive views regarding behaviour in school. Teachers and pupils work together to establish what effective learning looks like in the classroom.

This collaboration means pupils' understanding of what is expected is well understood. Any low-level disruption is picked up swiftly and does not impact learning.

Staff help pupils develop an awareness, appreciation, and respect for each other.

Pupils visit places of worship such as the local synagogue and a church. This helps pupils understand different faiths and why cohesive communities are important. Pupils' contributions to the wider community are admirable.

They have a solid grasp of how humans negatively impact on the environment. Leaders consider pupils' physical, emotional, and mental well-being. They provide clubs to meet a specific need.

For example, breakfast club is often used to facilitate good attendance.

Pupils learn about equality. They are clear that no one should be treated differently based on their race, gender, or beliefs.

They are respectful and polite to each other and adults alike. Pupils know how to stay safe online. For instance, pupils said they would never give anyone their personal details and they understand the 'stop, block and report' strategy when using devices that connect to the internet.

Leadership is a strength. Leaders have an accurate view of the progress made with the curriculum and what they need to do next. Governors understand the school's vision.

They draw on a wealth of external validation to help their own work in holding leaders to account.

Staff say they feel supported and valued by leaders. They said senior leaders are approachable and look after their well-being.

They are proud to be members of staff at this school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Pupils' safety is prioritised.

Leaders and staff know the dangers pupils face in the immediate community and the signs to look out for. Systems are in place to log even the smallest concerns.

Leaders take quick, appropriate, and decisive action when a pupil is at risk.

They use a wide range of external agencies to secure help and promote safety.

Pupils know how to stay safe. Older pupils understand the reasons people might join gangs and get involved in transporting illegal drugs.

The safeguarding governor checks recruitment processes termly. This ensures only adults deemed safe to work with children are appointed.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects including music, pupils are not always remembering key knowledge.

This is because teachers do not consistently check what pupils know and remember in these subjects. Leaders should make expectations clear on how teachers check what pupils already know including for any gaps in prior knowledge. This will help teachers adapt learning to help pupils know and remember more in the long term.

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