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Hotham Primary School continues to be a good school.
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils enjoy coming to school. Leaders' vision to enable pupils to learn with a real purpose shines through. Pupils have a wide range of experiences that build their confidence.
They are encouraged to represent the school. This includes participating in musical, sporting and performing arts roles. Pupils and parents and carers speak highly of the regular celebration events that take place.
Pupils behave well. They are polite and articulate. Pupils work together positively during their learning.
They build trusting relationships with adults. Teachers encourage pupils to disc...uss and debate their work. This helps pupils to talk about their learning to their peers and with adults.
Recent changes to the school's behaviour policy have been positive. These help staff to be more consistent in promoting good behaviour. Pupils said that bullying at the school is rare.
They told us that they all get along with each other. This is evident through their positive interactions with each other around the school. In the unusual event of poor behaviour, pupils said that staff act quickly to resolve any issues.
Parents value the staff's professionalism. They speak highly of the many opportunities for pupils to become confident learners.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school offers a good standard of education.
Leaders and governors are knowledgeable and self-evaluate the school accurately. They know their priorities for further improvement. The school's subject plans are well developed.
Pupils get off to a positive start with their early reading. Pupils gain strong phonics knowledge through good teaching. In early years, children make a good start to learning their early letters and sounds.
Adults encourage children to use their phonics knowledge to write simple sentences. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 receive regular reading support. Adults have strong subject knowledge.
This helps them to check pupils' understanding.
Pupils receive well-structured opportunities to read with an adult. This helps pupils who struggle to read to build their reading confidence.
Pupils receive focused support during these sessions. Pupils enjoy this. They speak confidently about the books that they are reading.
However, some pupils struggle to read as fluently as they should. This is because the books chosen for these pupils to read do not match their prior phonics knowledge as well as they could.
Mathematics is led well.
Staff receive many training opportunities. This includes some teachers working with other schools and organisations. Teachers have strong mathematical subject knowledge.
They use this to develop pupils' understanding. Teachers encourage pupils to discuss their strategies. For example, Year 3 pupils looked at different strategies to subtract.
Teachers use practical resources skilfully. This aids in deepening pupils' subject knowledge.
In early years, children make a confident start to numeracy.
Children learn to understand how to calculate through songs and role play. They use the resource-rich environment positively. As part of their play, children jump through number ladders and count as they go.
This helps them to recognise number patterns.
Pupils enjoy their learning in history. They develop a strong grounding in their historical thinking.
For example, pupils shared their understanding of primary and secondary historical sources confidently. Subject plans in history help build on pupils' understanding well. Pupils' knowledge in ancient history is strong.
For example, they recall the role of Mayans in developing the early number system.
The use of 'experts' as part of project work is highly appreciated by pupils. This helps them to get a broader knowledge of the history topics they study.
For example, university professors and museum curators work with pupils. Pupils develop a wide-ranging historical vocabulary.
Leaders have high expectations for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
These pupils are well supported and included in the school. Leaders know these pupils' needs well. Staff receive bespoke training.
This helps these pupils to succeed academically and personally.
Leaders have a strong oversight of pupils' attendance. They know families well and work with them to help improve low attendance.
Leaders know that the absence and persistent absence rates for disadvantaged pupils are still too high.
Pupils have rich experiences across the school. They take part in many clubs, workshops and regular trips.
These help pupils to learn first-hand about different professions, for example. Pupils are encouraged to have a voice. They campaign about the over-use of palm oil and how to reduce food waste.
Pupils work with many charities.
Staff value the headteacher's leadership. They said that leaders take their workload seriously.
Leaders are approachable and think carefully about how to support them.
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
Leaders understand their safeguarding responsibilities well.
Staff have regular training. This helps them to be vigilant and to know how to raise concerns if required. Leaders work well with external agencies to support families.
Pupils develop a good understanding of how to keep safe. They learn about the dangers of knife crime and how to keep safe on public transport through lessons and trips. Pupils know about the potential dangers of using social media.
Pupils feel safe in school. They are supported well by caring adults.
What does the school need to do to improve?
(Information for the school and appropriate authority)
Most pupils gain strong phonics knowledge and use this to read with confidence.
However, a minority of pupils struggle to read fluently. The school must ensure these pupils have regular opportunities to practise their phonics sounds. Leaders must help these pupils to apply their phonics knowledge to read books that are carefully matched to their ability.
These pupils should be given regular opportunities to practise reading these books, so that they can develop their fluency. . Attendance at the school remains strong overall.
Leaders work closely with families to improve pupils' attendance. This is sometimes successful for some pupils. However, the overall absence rate of disadvantaged pupils continues to be too high.
Some of these pupils have high persistent absence rates. The school should ensure that it continues to work with these families to reduce these pupils' persistent absence.
Background
When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.
This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.
Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.
This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2010.
