Hulland CofE Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mrs Wendy Underwood Headteacher Hulland CofE Primary School Firs Avenue Hulland Ashbourne Derbyshire DE6 3FS

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Short inspection of Hulland CofE Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 13 March 2018, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in September 2014.

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Short inspection of Hulland CofE Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the previous inspection. The good progress that pupils make has been maintained. You know what they can do and understand what they need to do to progress further. You have a good understanding of what makes teaching effective and make sure that teachers know their strengths and areas for improvement.

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Short inspection of Hulland CofE Primary School

You have been largely successful in tackling the issues identified in the previous inspection report. For example, you have begun to set targets for the outcomes you want pupils to achieve. Along with teachers, you know pupils well. This means that you quickly see where pupils need help and make sure they receive the appropriate support. However, these targets are still not used consistently across the school.

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Short inspection of Hulland CofE Primary School

You have ensured that the school’s development plans focus more sharply on evaluating the progress pupils make. However, the plans do not always help governors to know how well the school is doing, because they do not make clear exactly what improvements are needed, how they will be achieved and how success will be measured. You recognise that summaries of pupil progress and attainment need to be used regularly by governors to hold you, and leaders, to account.

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Short inspection of Hulland CofE Primary School

The school is welcoming and inclusive. Pupils are quite rightly proud to attend the school. A comment typical of their views was, ‘We learn hard and have lots of fun’. Pupils value the wide range of activities available to them before, during and after school. They eagerly told me about the work of the ‘eco-leaders’ and friendship buddy roles. Pupils say behaviour is mostly very good, although there are occasionally some minor disagreements on the playground. They told me about the importance of building each other’s self-esteem and being positive about each other, citing a song they learned to help them remember this.

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Short inspection of Hulland CofE Primary School

Pupils value the resources available to them in the well-developed school grounds. They told me they enjoy playing with children of different ages, taking on the ‘field challenge’ and following the trim-trail. They told me how they valued working with staff and parents and carers to develop the school’s sensory garden.

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Short inspection of Hulland CofE Primary School

Pupils told me that teachers give them work to challenge them. They also told me how teachers’ feedback helps them to improve their work and described how this helps them to make even better progress.

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Short inspection of Hulland CofE Primary School

All parents with whom I spoke were positive about the school and welcomed the weekly emails providing them with updates. A typical parental comment was, ‘It is everything that my wife, my daughter and I believe a school should be’. The results received on Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, back this up, although a small number said communication between parents and class teachers could be improved.

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Short inspection of Hulland CofE Primary School

Governors are ambitious for the school. They have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and know what needs to improve. They make regular visits to check for themselves how things are improving.

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Short inspection of Hulland CofE Primary School

School leaders have ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and records are well organised. The record of checks carried out on staff working at the school is robust and well maintained. Governors understand their safeguarding duties and carry out regular checks on the schools’ work.

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Short inspection of Hulland CofE Primary School

Pupils know what to do if they have a worry or concern. They described how the ‘think’ and ‘worry’ boxes in school help them to have the guidance or support they need. They know what to do to stay safe while online and how to deal with any bullying.

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Inspection findings

 Pupils in key stage 1 are achieving well, because you have begun to check more carefully on the progress they have made since the early years. This means you know which pupils need help to catch up and make sure that they receive the help that they need. You are in the process of making sure that this level of checking is extended to all pupils in the school.  The school’s plans for improvement are appropriately focused on the right areas. However, they do not make clear exactly what improvements are needed, how they will be achieved and how success will be measured.  Disadvantaged pupils achieve well because they are supported effectively, often receiving bespoke support. School leaders know this group of pupils well and make sure that the pupil premium funding is spent appropriately. However, the strategy for the use of this funding does not currently appear on the school’s website.  The primary school physical education and sport funding is used effectively.

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Inspection findings

Pupils are involved in an increasing range of sporting and physical activity. They speak proudly of the success they are beginning to achieve in inter-school tournaments and competitions. Parents value the wide range of after-school clubs and activities available to pupils.  Following a change in provider, the website is still under construction to contain the information that you should publish. However, this work is not complete and there are several items of statutory information missing. The governing body is over-reliant on the headteacher for checking that it is publishing the information it should.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:  the school’s plans for improvement make it easier for the governing body to evaluate how well leaders are doing in securing intended improvements  summaries of the progress pupils make and the standards they reach are routinely collated and used by the governing body to hold leaders to account  the school’s website consistently meets statutory requirements.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the Diocese of Derby, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Derbyshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I met with you and we discussed the school’s self-evaluation and the key lines of enquiry. We discussed safeguarding and pupils’ outcomes, including those of disadvantaged pupils. I had discussions with pupils and heard some read. I spoke informally with parents at the start of the school day. I observed playtime. I considered the responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, and the views of staff and pupils. We visited all classes together. We analysed a sample of pupils’ work and I met with a group of five governors. I reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s plans, the record of checks made on staff and minutes of meetings of the governing body.

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