Hungerford Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and happy at this warm and nurturing school. Leaders place a high priority on pupils' mental health and well-being. Staff forge strong relationships with pupils and know their families well.

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/ or disabilities (SEND), told inspectors that there are many staff to whom they can talk if they have any difficulties or worries. Leaders quickly deal with any incidents of bullying or unkind behaviour effectively.

Leaders expect pupils to behave well.

The youngest children listen attentively to their teachers and respond well to instructions. Pupils' conduct across the rest of the school embodie...s the school's values.

Leaders have the highest of aspirations for pupils' learning across the curriculum.

Pupils strive to meet these expectations. That said, there are gaps in pupils' knowledge across a range of subjects. They do not learn as well as they should.

Leaders work hard with families to support them in ensuring that pupils attend school regularly. However, there are still too many pupils who do not attend school often enough. This hampers the progress that these pupils make through the curriculum.

Pupils, including those in the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND (specially resourced provision), enjoy helping to make their school a better place. They are proud of the roles that they have within school, for example as school councillors and well-being ambassadors.

Parents and carers who shared their views with inspectors appreciate the improvements that leaders have made to the school.

They value the support that leaders and staff provide.

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

Leaders have the highest ambition for what they want pupils to achieve academically. Trust and senior leaders have empowered subject leaders to make significant changes to the design of their curriculums.

These changes have ignited pupils' interest and enthusiasm.

Leaders have identified the knowledge that pupils will learn from the early years to the end of Year 6. Leaders make sure that teachers introduce new content in a logical order.

Leaders rigorously check how well teachers deliver the curriculum. Leaders and teachers quickly make adaptations to bring about improvements. For example, teachers now begin lessons with a recap of prior learning to support pupils to remember and apply their learning in the longer term.

However, the delivery of some curriculums is not as consistently strong as others. Some teachers move on to new learning without checking that pupils are fully secure with previously taught concepts. This impedes pupils' ability to make sense of new curriculum content.

Due to a legacy of underachievement, pupils do not learn as well as they should. They do not have a rich body of knowledge across the curriculum.

Leaders place a strong emphasis on teaching pupils to read.

They have put in place a well-thought-out early reading programme. Children in the early years get off to a good start with the school's phonics programme. They join in enthusiastically with rhymes and songs.

Teachers grasp every opportunity to develop children's language and love of books. Staff have created cosy and inviting reading areas to foster pupils' love of reading.

Pupils who are in the early stages of learning to read use the sounds that they know to read unfamiliar words from books.

Staff check how well pupils are keeping up with the phonics programme. However, not enough is done to support pupils who fall behind and are not fluent readers. Regular absences hinder the progress of some pupils through the reading curriculum.

By the end of key stage 2, most pupils read confidently. They have positive attitudes toward reading.

Leaders work tirelessly to make sure that the needs of pupils with SEND are accurately identified.

As a result, pupils with SEND, including those in the specially resourced provision, quickly receive the support that they need to be able to access the same curriculum as their peers. They feel part of the school community.

Children and pupils, including those in the specially resourced provision, work well together.

They listen carefully to their teachers. Pupils focus well and can learn without interruption.

Leaders make sure that pupils have many opportunities to enrich their learning beyond the academic curriculum.

Pupils proudly spoke to inspectors about the different clubs that they can attend. Pupils show respect for other faiths and cultures. They enjoy trips to the local area; these include visiting the library and theatre.

Trustees and governors have strong oversight of the school. They offer support and challenge in equal measure. Teachers appreciate the rich opportunities that leaders provide to develop their subject knowledge.

This helps teachers to explain concepts clearly. Trust leaders and governors place a high emphasis on staff's well-being. Staff are proud to work at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Trustees, governors and leaders ensure that a strong safeguarding culture permeates throughout the school. Leaders make sure that staff receive regular training to keep their safeguarding knowledge up to date.

Staff act swiftly to alert leaders to any potential issues or concerns about a pupil's welfare or well-being.

Leaders keep meticulous records. They are highly proactive and engage very effectively with external agencies and other partners.

Pupils learn about different aspects of safety through a well-designed personal development programme. They learn about the importance of using the internet safely.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils do not keep up with the early reading programme.

This means that they are not ready to access the next stage of their learning. Leaders should ensure that these pupils receive effective support so that they become confident and fluent readers. ? Leaders' changes to the design of their curriculums are fairly recent.

It is too soon to see the full impact of this work. This means that pupils have significant gaps in their knowledge and do not remember what they have learned as well as they should. Leaders should make sure that the improvements made to their curriculums result in pupils gaining a strong body of knowledge in the longer term.

• Some teachers do not routinely check that pupils are fully secure with prior learning before they move on to new content. This means that pupils do not build on their prior knowledge as well as they should. Leaders should make sure that teachers check what pupils understand so that misconceptions are quickly addressed before new learning is introduced.

• A small number of pupils miss too much school. They miss valuable learning time which negatively impacts their achievement. Leaders should ensure that the attendance of these pupils improves so that they do not miss important learning.