Highgate Community Primary School

Inspection of Highgate Community Primary School Heathcote Drive, Sileby, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE12 7ND

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Inadequate Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 17–18 September 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils told us that they enjoy coming to school. They feel that the staff listen to them. Staff know what to do if they are worried about a pupil. Leaders do not always pass on these concerns or record what they have done in response.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that the work that they do makes them think. In some subjects, pupils can explain how what they have learned previously helps them with their current work. This is not the case in all subjects. Younger children settle well. However, some staff do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can do. Some pupils do not learn the sounds that letters make as quickly as they could.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. Pupils are well behaved. They can explain what their ‘diamond rules’ mean. They say that bullying is rare. They explained that they have learned how to work together as a team. They enjoy going to a wide range of school clubs. They learn about the diversity around them in modern Britain. Pupils write books to explain this to others.

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better?

Leaders have improved the curriculum for mathematics so that it is ambitious. Teachers have changed the way in which they teach mathematics. This helps pupils know more and remember more. They check what pupils understand and, sometimes, pupils practise things they are not sure of. Pupils say that they find the work challenging. For example, they could explain how they use what they already know to work out calculations using larger numbers.

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better?

The curriculum in other subjects is less well planned. Leaders are making changes to these subjects so that pupils can build on the knowledge that they learned before. However, these changes are at a very early stage. Pupils are enjoying learning new vocabulary, such as ‘tectonic plates’ in geography. They are beginning to make some connections between what they learned in previous years. For example, they can explain what they learned when they grouped materials together in science.

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better?

Leaders have not made sure that early reading is taught well all of the time. Sometimes, staff do not spot when pupils do not say a sound correctly. They do not always correct this and check that the pupil understands, practises and remembers the correct sound. Staff do not always check that the books match the sounds that pupils know. Sometimes, these books contain words that pupils cannot read. Leaders do not make sure that all pupils quickly gain the knowledge that they need to become confident and fluent readers.

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better?

Children listen carefully to stories in the early years. They enjoy joining in the parts that they remember. Relationships between staff and children are warm and supportive. However, staff do not have high enough expectations of what children are able to know and do by the time that they leave the early years. The plans for 17–18 September 2019

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children’s learning in the early years are not ambitious enough. For example, leaders do not know the words that children need to learn to make sure that they are ready for future learning. Some children are not well prepared for Year 1.

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Leaders plan trips and visits so that all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, can learn about the world around them. Pupils visit places of worship from different faiths. They know the importance of treating everyone equally. The school council represents pupils’ views. Members worked with leaders to choose the sports clubs. There are many different clubs, including cosmic yoga and football. Pupils in the school choir perform for local older people.

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Pupils care about their work. They generally listen well to staff and to each other. They cooperate well together, and lunchtimes are happy, busy occasions. Attendance is good and almost all pupils come to school every day that they can. The ‘hub’ supports pupils well. They learn to manage how they feel. Teachers work together to make sure that pupils with SEND learn well at all times.

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The staff we spoke with felt that leaders, including governors, had listened and acted upon their views about the amount of work they did.

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Leadership is inadequate because the arrangements for safeguarding are not effective. Leaders have not always kept accurate records of what they have done when they are worried about a pupil. All staff, including leaders, have had training so that they know how to recognise if a pupil might be in danger. However, leaders have not always acted on these warning signs.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have made sure that pupils learn about dangers around them. Pupils know who to speak with if they are worried about anything. They understand who they can contact if something happens when they are not at school or if they are online.

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Safeguarding

Governors make some checks on safeguarding. However, they are reliant on what leaders tell them is working well. Leaders, including governors, have not checked well enough that leaders completely understand what they must do to safeguard pupils.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not maintained effective records of all safeguarding concerns. They have not followed the statutory guidance. Leaders, including governors, should ensure that they follow statutory guidance. They should use this to identify and manage all safeguarding concerns. Leaders, including governors, should ensure that they fully understand their statutory roles and responsibilities so that they 17–18 September 2019

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always carry them out effectively.  Leaders have not ensured that the youngest pupils learn to blend sounds fluently. They have not made sure that there is a consistent approach to the teaching of early reading. Leaders need to make sure that all staff have had appropriate training. They need to make sure that all staff model pure sounds consistently. They need to make sure that the books that pupils have match the sounds they know.  Some pupils are not well prepared for the next stages of their education. The curriculum has not always helped them to know more and remember more. Leaders should make sure that they enact and embed the more ambitious curriculum that they have planned. Leaders need to make sure that they identify gaps in teachers’ subject knowledge. Leaders need to provide training for them when this is needed. Leaders should check that pupils understand and use subject-specific vocabulary.

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 Leaders have not made sure that the curriculum in the early years is ambitious enough. Leaders have not clearly identified what children need to be able to know and do before they start Year 1. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is sequential and progressive from the early years to key stage 1.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the provider and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 17–18 September 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110078 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 September 2018

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Information about this school

 The school does not use alternative provision.  There have been some changes to the governing body since the previous inspection. Some governors are new to their roles.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. In accordance with section 44(2) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform.

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Information about this inspection

 We spoke with the headteacher and other school leaders. We spoke with the governors, including the chair. We also met with an adviser from the local authority.  We considered mathematics, early reading, science and geography in depth. We spoke with leaders and teachers, visited lessons and spoke with pupils about their 17–18 September 2019

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work.  We looked at a range of child protection files and documents related to staff recruitment. We considered records of staff training and audits of the school’s documents and practices related to safeguarding. We spoke with groups of staff and pupils and considered the responses to Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Hazel Henson, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Carol Smith Ofsted Inspector 17–18 September 2019

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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