Hinguar Community Primary School

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

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Mrs Vivienne Stevens Headteacher Hinguar Community Primary School New Garrison Road Shoeburyness Southend-on-Sea Essex SS3 9FE

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Short inspection of Hinguar Community Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 9 July 2019, 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 your predecessor school was judged to be good in June 2016.

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Short inspection of Hinguar Community Primary School

During the inspection, I was unable to meet with you due to your absence from school. I worked closely with the deputy headteacher and the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Southend East Community Academy Trust (SECAT) in exploring the key lines of enquiry for the inspection.

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Short inspection of Hinguar Community Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

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Short inspection of Hinguar Community Primary School

You and other leaders have successfully addressed the areas for improvement identified in the previous inspection. Leaders have made tangible improvements to the outdoors area in the early years. This vibrant part of the school is rich in words and numbers. There are plentiful resources for children to use to develop across all areas of their early learning. It now complements the indoor area and provides children with ample opportunities to support their learning in literacy and numeracy and their knowledge and understanding of the world through purposeful play.

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Short inspection of Hinguar Community Primary School

Leaders have enhanced the teaching of science so that pupils learn well about different aspects of science. They are taught how to plan, conduct and evaluate science experiments. They learn different scientific concepts and skills. Over time, pupils develop a secure understanding of scientific facts and ways of working. Parents are highly positive about the work of the school. Nearly half of all parents completed Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and, of those, almost all would recommend the school to another parent. Behaviour, teaching and pupils’ progress all came through as clear strengths in parents’ responses. Similarly, positive views came from parents in their written comments to Ofsted, and included: ‘I couldn’t be happier,’ ‘We have been so privileged to send our son to such a wonderful school’ and ‘My daughter loves this school and so do I.’

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Short inspection of Hinguar Community Primary School

Governors are keen for the school to continue to do well. They welcome the recent involvement of SECAT in helping them to build on the existing successes of the school. There are aspects of documentation which do not accurately portray leaders’ intentions or the impact of their actions. While this has not had a negative impact on the good quality of education the school provides, it does limit governors’ ability to hold leaders to account rigorously.

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Short inspection of Hinguar Community Primary School

The leadership team has ensured that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

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Short inspection of Hinguar Community Primary School

Leaders of safeguarding make sure that staff have up-to-date training and have clear systems for passing on concerns. Leaders maintain clear records of concerns about pupils’ welfare and follow these up a timely way, including with external agencies where appropriate.

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Short inspection of Hinguar Community Primary School

Pupils feel safe in school. They report that there is little bullying and that, if it happens, it is usually dealt with well. Pupils told me that there is someone in school they would talk to if they were worried about something.

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Short inspection of Hinguar Community Primary School

Some minor administrative errors were found in the school’s single central record of pre-appointment checks during the morning of the inspection. These were quickly rectified.

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Inspection findings

 In 2017 and 2018, pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at key stage 1 was high. During the inspection, I wanted to establish if these high levels of attainment have been sustained with pupils currently in key stage 1. I also wanted to establish if the above-average attainment of pupils represents good progress from their starting points. This was because the previous inspection identified a need for the school to further accelerate pupils’ progress at key stage 1.  Current pupils’ work shows strong progress across reading, writing and mathematics through key stage 1. While there has been a slight dip in outcomes in writing, they remain above the national average. Attainment in reading and mathematics remains high. Pupils currently in key stage 1 attain highly because they make good progress from their starting points.  My second line of enquiry was to establish if pupils, and especially boys, make

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Inspection findings

good progress in writing at key stage 2. This was because the published progress measure for writing in 2018 was lower than in previous years. Girls made typically strong progress, but the progress boys made was below average.  Overall, pupils, including boys, are making good progress. However, my findings are that there is some variability in how well writing is taught. In Year 6, for example, pupils’ writing is developed particularly well by a clear focus on developing and embedding the skills pupils need to write well. This is not as strong across all year groups.  My final line of enquiry related to whether leaders support boys in the early years to read and write well. In 2018, the Reception Year had a particularly large proportion of boys. While these boys typically achieved well, their attainment in reading and writing was weaker than in the other areas of learning.  Boys in the early years are well supported by effective phonics teaching as they

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Inspection findings

begin to read and write. Teachers and leaders monitor the impact of children’s activities on their progress, including in reading and writing. Leaders and teachers tailor children’s work to their interests. They ensure that children’s activities are designed to target each child’s developmental needs. As a result, children currently in the early years, including boys, make good progress in their early reading and writing.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 school documentation accurately portrays leaders’ priorities and the impact of their actions  the trust equips governors with the skills and knowledge they need to hold leaders clearly to account, and that it checks that they do so  the best practice in teaching writing is shared and used equally well across all year groups in key stages 1 and 2.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of trustees, the CEO of the multi- academy trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Southend-on-Sea. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I spoke with school leaders, teachers, three governors and the CEO of the multi-academy trust. The headteacher was absent from the school.

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Information about the inspection

I visited classes in all key stages, accompanied by the deputy headteacher, reviewed pupils’ work in their books and listened to pupils read. I looked at information about pupils’ progress and reviewed a range of documentation relating to the school’s self-evaluation, development planning, spending of additional funding and safeguarding arrangements.

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Information about the inspection

I considered the 115 responses to Parent View, and the 53 responses from parents to the free-text option. There were no responses to Ofsted’s staff or pupils’ surveys. I spoke with a range of pupils to hear their views about school.

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