Hearsall Community Academy

Inspection of Hearsall Community Academy Kingston Road, Coventry, West Midlands CV5 6LR

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 21–22 January 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of Hearsall. It is a happy school where pupils feel safe. Staff care about the pupils and look after them very well. Pupils told us that bullying is not a problem and we agree. Pupils know that staff will help them with any worries they might have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons. This is because they are interested in their learning. Everyone wants to do their best. Pupils play well together at break and lunchtimes. They are polite and well mannered. Pupils have super relationships with the staff. They make visitors very welcome.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the wider opportunities they have. There are a variety of after-school clubs including a range of sports and choir. Pupils are keen to look after the environment. The school council is working with the local authority to improve recycling facilities at the school. Pupils value the local community. For example, pupils look forward to chatting with older residents at the weekly pensioners’ lunch.

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What is it like to attend this school?

School and trust leaders work tirelessly to ensure that the curriculum is well matched to pupils’ needs. Pupils’ academic and personal development are given equal value. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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better?

Leaders have improved the way the curriculum is organised. Plans in subjects like history, geography and Spanish are well sequenced. This means that pupils build specific knowledge and skills. Pupils told us about what they had learned in geography. They can recall details about key landmarks and features of different locations. Leaders have ambitious plans to further develop the curriculum. This includes strengthening links between subjects to deepen pupils’ understanding of what they are learning about.

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better?

Art and music are less well sequenced. Current plans do not connect learning well enough to help pupils improve their skills and deepen their knowledge as well as they could. This means that pupils make less progress in these subjects than other parts of the curriculum.

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better?

Leaders are knowledgeable about the subjects they are responsible for. They provide training for teachers to help them implement the curriculum. This has been very effective in English and mathematics. Some subject leaders are very new. While they are very enthusiastic they have not yet had enough time to evaluate the quality of education in their subjects. Leaders have plans to address this.

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better?

Reading is a high priority. It is at the core of the curriculum throughout the school. Pupils have frequent opportunities to read texts that have been chosen for interest 21–22 January 2020

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and challenge. Teachers also choose texts that are linked to topics that pupils study. This helps pupils to deepen their understanding of what they are learning about.

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Leaders ensure that all staff are trained to teach phonics well. Pupils become fluent readers because they practise reading daily. The books they read are well matched to the sounds they know. Pupils who are new to English make strong progress with reading. This is because teachers provide appropriate support to help them keep up with their classmates.

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The leader with responsibility for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) ensures that support provided for this group of pupils is appropriate. This includes extra help when pupils are at risk of falling behind.

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Pupils’ personal development is given high priority. Pupils particularly enjoy learning outdoors. Here, they learn to work as part of a team to overcome challenges and solve problems.

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Staff provide excellent pastoral support for pupils. There is genuine concern for pupils’ well-being. There is good support for pupils who have difficulties managing their behaviour or emotions. This helps pupils to develop positive relationships with others and to be as well prepared to learn as they can.

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The early years curriculum is exciting. Adults use good subject knowledge to plan tasks that build on what children already know. Children, including those who are disadvantaged, achieve well. Children particularly like stories. Favourites include ‘The Gingerbread Man’ and ‘The Gruffalo’. During visits to lessons we saw children acting out the stories, becoming the different characters with enthusiasm. Positive relationships with parents begin before children join the school. The ‘Bear diary’ is completed by families before children start. This approach helps children settle quickly, and learning can be matched to the needs and interests of children straight away.

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The trust provides effective support when it is needed. Staff appreciate the opportunity to work with colleagues in different trust schools. Staff enjoy working at the school because they feel valued. Staff told us that leaders are considerate of their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff work together to make sure that keeping pupils safe is at the core of what they do. Leaders act promptly when any concerns are raised about a pupil’s welfare. They know the needs of the most vulnerable pupils and their families. This means they can provide the right support to make sure these pupils get the help they need. 21–22 January 2020

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Leaders make sure that all staff receive up-to-date training. This includes training linked to any potential risks in the local area. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. They know who to talk to if they have any worries.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Curriculum plans for art and music are not sequenced well enough. This means that pupils do not build and deepen their knowledge in these subjects as well as they could. Leaders should continue with their work to improve the organisation of knowledge and skills in subject plans.  Some subject leaders are new to the role. They have not yet had sufficient time to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses in their subject. Leaders should ensure that new subject leaders are able to evaluate effectively their subjects and have a positive impact on the quality of education.

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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 school 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. 21–22 January 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10122434 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Hearsall Community Academy converted to become an academy on 1 April 2017. When its predecessor school, Hearsall Community Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted it was judged to be good overall.  The school is part of the Inspire Education Trust. The trust consists of five primary schools.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and the leader with responsibility for pupils with SEND. We met with a representative of the local authority.  We carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, science and history. This involved speaking to curriculum leaders, teachers and pupils, evaluating pupils’ books and visits to lessons. Inspectors also considered planning and reviewed pupils’ work in geography, Spanish, music and art. 21–22 January 2020

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 We met with the chief executive officer of the trust, two trust directors and several members of the local governing board. This was to discuss how they fulfil their statutory duties, including those around safeguarding. We also discussed staff workload with trust members and governors.  We checked safeguarding arrangements at the school. We looked at the record of checks made on staff employed by the school. We met with the designated safeguarding lead and looked at examples of the school’s record keeping. We spoke to pupils, staff and governors about safeguarding.  We considered a range of documentation provided by the school. We looked at the school’s website, policies and curriculum documents. We evaluated safeguarding information, SEND records and published information about pupils’ performance.  We considered 67 responses to Ofsted Parent View and 45 free-text responses. We spoke to parents informally in the playground.

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 We considered 43 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire. There were no responses to the pupil questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Jo Evans, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Graeme Rudland Ofsted Inspector 21–22 January 2020

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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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