Hunloke Park Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that the most able pupils in all year groups receive work that is of a high enough challenge, so that they consistently make strong progress in all subjects.
• Ensure that pupils across all years receive regular opportunities to practise their writing skills, so that progress in this subject matches that seen in reading and in mathematics.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher has taken decisive action to resolve the concerns that the previous inspection raised. Her determined leadership has ensured that all staff and governors have engaged well in securing the necessary improvements to the school’s provision.
• Leaders have put in place detailed plans of action that focus sharply on the aspects of the provision that require further improvement. Leaders’ regular review of the plans ensure that the actions bring about the improvements in a timely manner.
• In implementing these improvements, leaders have further built upon the high quality, inclusive provision that secures pupils’ outstanding personal development.
• Leaders understand precisely how much progress pupils make. They ensure that pupils who are not making enough progress receive further support. Current pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics is much stronger than that seen previously.
• Leaders have made sure that teachers provide challenging work that enables pupils to become secure in their learning. However, the most able pupils do not receive work that is challenging enough across all subjects.
• Through their regular checks on the quality of classroom practice, leaders have a secure understanding of the quality of teaching. Teachers whose practice does not meet leaders’ high expectations receive effective support.
• Teachers receive regular training to improve their classroom practice, including through working with each other and with those from other schools. The teachers value these opportunities to reflect upon and improve their teaching further.
• Leaders who are new to role receive regular support from the headteacher. This ensures that they are effective in their area of responsibility and can take prompt action to bring about any necessary improvements.
• Leaders use additional funding well to support disadvantaged pupils’ progress. Leaders identify any needs that these pupils may have and ensure that they receive appropriate support. Disadvantaged pupils across the school make good progress.
• Leaders use the sport premium creatively to increase pupils’ engagement in physical activity. Pupils receive training to become sports ambassadors. Leaders have also ensured that pupils experience a wide range of sports, including boxing and fencing.
• The special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCo) uses additional funding well to provide pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities with appropriate support. These pupils make good progress.
• The theme-based curriculum provides effective opportunities for pupils to develop their learning across a range of subjects. Pupils complete well-designed activities that enable them to become secure in their knowledge and understanding. Through this, pupils develop the skills necessary to be effective citizens in modern Britain.
• Carefully-considered enrichment activities, such as visits to places of historical or environmental interest, compliment pupils’ learning across the curriculum well.
• Wide-ranging clubs and activities enable pupils to develop interests outside the curriculum. Sports clubs, inter-school competitions, music lessons and curriculum-based clubs encourage pupils to explore their interests in full.
• Pupils receive regular opportunities to become secure in their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils learn about different religions and cultures, including by visiting different places of worship and by learning about different festivals.
• Pupils have a secure understanding of the principles behind the fundamental British values. Elections to the school parliament, for example, develop pupils’ understanding of democracy, while leadership roles allow pupils to take on positions of responsibility.
• To develop their own leadership skills, leaders work well with representatives from local schools and from the local authority. Working with local primary schools also allows leaders to check the accuracy of teachers’ assessment of pupils’ work.
• Leaders know that pupils’ progress in writing is not rapid enough across all years. It is too early to assess the impact of the actions they have undertaken to resolve this.

Governance of the school

• Governors have full confidence in the headteacher’s leadership of the school.
• Governors have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, due to the detailed information that the headteacher provides them.
• Governors know which aspects of the school’s provision need further improvement. They provide leaders with appropriate levels of challenge and support to ensure that the necessary improvements take place.
• Governors check for themselves on the quality of the school’s provision, including through meeting with different leaders and teachers, and talking to pupils.
• Governors undertake regular reviews of their own skills to make sure that, as a body of people, they have the necessary skills to hold leaders to account.
• Governors understand their responsibilities and duties to keep pupils safe.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders have made sure that there is a culture of vigilance which promotes the understanding that safeguarding is the responsibility of all staff.
• All staff know what to look for when checking on the welfare of pupils. This is because they receive regular, detailed training on safeguarding.
• All staff know to report any concerns that they may have about pupils’ well-being. They are confident that leaders will take timely, decisive action in responding to any safeguarding concern that staff may raise.
• Safeguarding leaders maintain detailed records. These records show that leaders’ actions are timely and appropriate. Leaders communicate their concerns to parents and work with other agencies, where such actions are appropriate.
• Staff attend regular meetings at which they discuss any safeguarding concerns that they may have. Staff also receive regular information from leaders about any safeguarding issues that may affect the pupils, including issues in the local area.
• Pupils say that they feel safe at the school and that they have adults to whom they can speak if they have a concern. They are confident that these adults will provide them with appropriate support.
• All parents who expressed a view said that their child is happy, safe and well-looked after at the school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers plan lessons that take into account pupils’ prior learning and provide tasks that appeal to pupils’ interests. Pupils engage well with their learning.
• Teachers have high expectations of their pupils. They set clear routines that pupils understand and follow. Pupils’ behave well in lessons.
• Teachers use questioning well to check pupils’ understanding. They are quick to clarify any misconceptions and to provide well-targeted support to pupils who need it.
• Teachers set purposeful homework that enables pupils to explore their learning across all of their subjects.
• Teachers provide effective support to develop pupils’ reading and comprehension skills.
• Teachers support pupils who have low prior attainment well. This support ensures that these pupils make good progress, particularly in reading and mathematics.
• Teachers make sure that pupils complete tasks that increase in challenge to help to deepen their understanding or to master a skill. Pupils respond to this challenge well. These tasks do not always provide enough challenge for the most able pupils.
• The tasks that teachers set to develop pupils’ writing skills have yet to ensure that pupils make consistently good progress in this subject, particularly in Years 2 and 5.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school's work to promote pupils' personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils have very positive attitudes to their learning. They enjoy coming to school and are keen to do well. They are proud of their school and of their own achievements.
• Pupils take on various leadership roles, including anti-bullying ambassadors, reading buddies and sports ambassadors. Pupils know the importance of helping others.
• Pupils and staff alike are proud of the school’s inclusive culture. Pupils know to respect all people, including those who have different opinions and beliefs to them.
• Frequently, leaders involve pupils in the running of the school. Pupils contributed to the creation of the theme-based curriculum and to the drawing up of the school’s values of ‘PRIDE’ (positivity, respect, inclusion, determination, enjoyment). Such opportunities help pupils to feel valued and to grow in confidence.
• Pupils understand the different types of bullying. They know that all forms of bullying are wrong. Pupils work with staff to make sure that there is swift and decisive action to resolve the very rare incidents of bullying.
• Through using the ‘buddy bench’, pupils work together to resolve any possible friendships fall-outs and to help any pupils who may feel lonely.
• Pupils know how to live healthy lives. Pupils are enthusiastic about the daily afternoon ‘breakercise’, during which they undertake physical activity.
• Pupils learn how to be safe, including when online and when they meet strangers. Pupils also receive visits from members of the local emergency services.
• Learning about the lives of people who live in the local community reinforces pupils’ understanding of the need to be respectful and empathetic towards other people.
• Opportunities to work with local businesses and enterprises ensure that pupils begin to develop an understanding of the world of work.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils’ attendance is above the national average.
• The very few pupils who are regularly absent receive well-targeted support.
• Pupils conduct themselves well at breaktime and lunchtime. Appropriate levels of supervision ensure that staff manage any occasions of poor behaviour well.
• Pupils who need it receive appropriate support to learn to manage their behaviour. As a result, there are very few occasions of repeated challenging behaviour.
• It is very rare for pupils to receive an exclusion from school due to poor behaviour.
• On some occasions, particularly in assemblies, pupils’ behaviour does not match the very high expectations that leaders have of them.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• In 2018, the proportion of Year 6 pupils who attained the expected standard in reading and in writing was well above the national average. In both subjects, these pupils’ progress was much stronger than that seen the previous academic year. This was due to the sharp focus on developing pupils’ literacy skills last academic year.
• Timely support to develop last year’s Year 6 pupils’ mathematical knowledge and skills ensured that most were able to catch up in this subject where previously they had fallen significantly behind. The proportion of Year 6 pupils who attained the expected standard in mathematics in 2018 was in line with the national average.
• The school’s performance information shows that current key stage 2 pupils are making good progress in reading and mathematics. Pupils’ books confirm this.
• Pupils in key stage 1 make good progress in reading and mathematics.
• In 2018, the proportion of Year 1 pupils who achieved the national standard in phonics was well above national. This was a significant improvement on previous years.
• Year 6 pupils’ attainment in science in 2018 was well above average. This was due to a strong focus on developing pupils’ scientific investigative skills.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress, due to the well-targeted support that they receive.
• Pupils receive effective support to prepare them for the next stage of their education. This is the case for pupils moving between year groups, and for those who leave the school, including at the end of Year 6. As a result, pupils begin the new school year ready to learn straight away.
• In some year groups, the most able pupils do not make as much progress as they should because they do not receive work that is challenging enough.
• The progress that current pupils make in writing is not as strong as the progress that they make in reading and mathematics, particularly in Years 2 and 5.

Early years provision Good

• The leaders of the early years have an accurate understanding of the quality of the provision. Their plans to bring about further improvement are precise and effective.
• From broadly-average starting points, an above-national proportion of children attained a good level of development at the end of Reception Year in 2018. Most children complete Reception well prepared for Year 1.
• Staff receive regular safeguarding training. They know what they must do if they have a concern about a child’s welfare. Staff are vigilant in checking on children’s well-being.
• Children learn to be safe, including when online and when out in the local community. There are adults available to whom children can speak if they have a concern.
• Children behave well in Reception. They work well with other children and with adults when they are taking part in activities.
• Staff maintain regular communication with parents so that parents know what their child is learning and how to support their child at home.
• Through their close contact with the local nurseries, staff manage children’s arrival into Reception well. Staff also work closely with key stage 1 teachers so that children make a purposeful transition into Year 1.
• Staff have an accurate understanding of children’s prior attainment, using information that they obtain from parents and from the nurseries that children have attended. Staff observe each child’s learning upon their arrival in Reception, to confirm the accuracy of their assessment of the child’s abilities and aptitudes.
• Staff plan activities that are appropriate to children’s learning needs and interests. Children engage well with their learning and make good progress. Staff use questioning well to explore children’s understanding.
• Staff maintain learning journals that demonstrate children’s good progress.
• The parents that inspectors met were very positive about their child’s experience in Reception. They spoke highly of the support that staff give to the children.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 112697 Derbyshire 10052956 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 217 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Catherine Dale Jennifer Murphy 01246 276 831 www.hunlokepark.derbyshire.sch.uk headteacher@hunlokepark.derbyshire.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 17 January 2018

Information about this school

• Hunloke Park Primary School is a smaller-than-average primary school located in Wingerworth, close to Chesterfield.
• The majority of pupils are White British.
• The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged is well below national.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is lower than national. The pupils who have an education, health and care plan is above national.
• The school is part of George Stephenson Community Learning, a cluster of local primary and secondary schools.
• The deputy headteacher started at the school in September 2018.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited 11 lessons to observe pupils’ learning. Six of these visits took place jointly, with the headteacher. Inspectors looked at pupils’ books and spoke with pupils during their visits to lessons.
• An inspector observed an assembly.
• Inspectors held meetings with: the headteacher; the literacy and numeracy leaders; the SENCo; the curriculum leader; the leader of the early years provision; the leader responsible for spiritual, moral, social and cultural education; three members of the governing body, including the chair of governors; a selection of staff; and a representative of the local authority.
• Inspectors looked at books of pupils from Years 4, 5 and 6 as a separate activity.
• Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktime and at lunchtime, during which time they spoke with pupils.
• Inspectors met with pupils from all key stages both formally and informally.
• Inspectors considered the 32 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and the 21 responses to the free-text service. Inspectors also met with parents at the beginning and the end of the school day.
• There were no responses to the staff and pupil online surveys.
• Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation relating to the school’s provision, including: self-evaluation and improvement planning; information about pupils’ behaviour, attendance and achievement; governance; and safeguarding.
• An inspector checked the school’s single central register and the school’s system for recruiting staff.

Inspection team

Simon Hollingsworth, lead inspector Chris Stevens Mark Burgess

Her Majesty's Inspector Her Majesty's Inspector Ofsted Inspector