Hutchinson Memorial CofE First School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Hutchinson Memorial is a school where everyone is welcome. Positive relationships between staff and pupils, supported by the school's values, underpin the school's work.

Pupils value the 'kindness that lives within the school', which makes them feel safe.

In lessons, pupils listen well and focus on their work most of the time. There is a relaxed atmosphere around the school.

Pupils enjoy being with their friends and they are kind to each other. At breaktimes, pupils enjoy playing a range of games organised by the sports coach.

The school has high expectations for pupils and wants every individual to reach their full potential.

It has started... to take action to improve the quality of education that pupils receive. However, plans are in the early stages of development and have been impacted by turbulence in staffing.

A significant proportion of parents and carers raised concerns about some aspects of the school's work.

They are worried about the impact that staff absence has on their children's well-being and education. Nonetheless, parents value the support that the staff are providing to their children.

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

Children have a great start in the early years.

The early years curriculum guides staff so they know what to teach and when to teach it. As a result, children learn new things every day, building on what they already know. Staff know the children extremely well and plan activities that meet their needs.

They help them to develop their language skills at every opportunity. In addition, staff maintain strong links with families throughout the year. The learning environment, indoors and outdoors, is well resourced and supports the different areas of learning.

In some subjects, the school has set out the knowledge, skills and vocabulary that pupils will learn from Year 1 onwards, which link to what pupils have learned in the early years. In these subjects, new learning builds logically on what pupils already know. However, in some subjects, this is not the case.

In these subjects, pupils sometimes experience a jumbled series of lessons where learning activities do not build on what pupils have done before. This creates gaps in their knowledge and understanding and slows their learning.

In some subjects, teachers have secure subject knowledge.

In these instances, teachers explain new learning clearly in a step-by-step manner. Through effective questioning, they check that pupils have understood their learning and adapt their teaching if required. However, this is not the case in all subjects, particularly in curriculum areas where teachers have not received subject-specific training.

Reading is at the centre of the school's curriculum. Phonics sessions follow a set structure, which pupils are becoming more familiar with. Staff have had limited phonics training.

As a result, there are small pockets of inconsistency in phonics teaching. The school has put systems in place to track pupils' progress through the phonics curriculum. This information is used to identify any pupils who need extra help so that support can be put into place.

The school identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) accurately. Pupils with SEND are fully included in lessons and learn alongside their peers. Teachers know their pupils well, and in most instances, plan learning activities that are matched to their needs.

Staff are quick to step in if a pupil needs extra help.

Currently, there are limited opportunities to make checks on how well subjects are being taught. As a result, they are not able to identify what is working well and pinpoint any areas that need to improve so they can be addressed.

Older pupils speak confidently about the school's values such as 'kindness and forgiveness'. Pupils embody these values by showing good manners and displaying respect to others. Pupils who sit on the school council and worship team take their responsibilities seriously.

They enjoy meeting with the school's church worker. Pupils value the menu of after-school sporting clubs and the range of trips that are on offer. However, pupils' knowledge of other faiths and cultures is less developed.

Those responsible for governance are concerned about the current staffing situation. The school, supported by the multi-academy trust (MAT), has taken quick action to bring stability to the leadership and staffing structure to support the school at this time. Leaders at all levels know improvements to the curriculum are needed and they are supporting the school in this.

Many staff are excited about the changes that are taking place in school, particularly in relation to the curriculum. They say the school has made decisions to support their well-being, which they appreciate. However, leaders, including those at trust level, recognise there is work to do to ensure all staff feel well supported.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, the curriculum from Year 1 onwards does not build on what pupils have learned in the early years. Consequently, pupils' learning is disjointed and gaps in pupils' knowledge appear.

In these subjects, the school should develop a well-sequenced curriculum that maps out the knowledge, skills and vocabulary that pupils will learn within and across year groups. In some subjects, the curriculum is not taught consistently well. As a result, pupils are not learning the intended curriculum as well as they should.

The school should provide teachers with the necessary support so they can deliver the curriculum consistently well across all subjects. ? The school is not making effective checks on how well the curriculum is being implemented. This means that leaders are not always aware of what is working well and where improvements may be required.

The school should make effective checks on how well the curriculum is taught so that any inconsistencies can be identified and appropriate support put in place. ? A significant proportion of parents do not feel listened to and they do not feel that their concerns are taken seriously by the MAT. Leaders at all levels, including the MAT, should continue to rebuild relationships with those parents who feel disengaged so that they can work together as a united school community for the benefit of the pupils.

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