Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Rachel Ayres St Mary’s Church of England Primary School, Hinckley Station Road Hinckley Leicestershire LE10 1AW

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England Primary School, Hinckley

Following my visit to your school on 15 June 2021, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the monitoring inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave during the inspection and for the time you made available to discuss the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent section 5 inspection.

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England Primary School, Hinckley

The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005 and has taken place because the school has received two successive judgements of requires improvement at its previous section 5 inspections.

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England Primary School, Hinckley

This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. I discussed the impact of the pandemic with you and have taken that into account in my evaluation.

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England Primary School, Hinckley

Having considered the evidence, I am of the opinion that at this time:

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

in order for the school to become a good school.

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

The school should take further action to ensure that:

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

 the curriculum plans in all subjects identify the important knowledge that pupils need to know  staff plan learning tasks in all subjects that help pupils to know more and remember more  support for those pupils who are furthest behind with reading is more consistent.

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Main findings

Leaders are improving the school’s curriculum. They seek support from national leaders of education and use research to inform their decisions about the curriculum. In some subjects, leaders identify the important knowledge that they want pupils to learn. For example, in geography leaders set out key vocabulary such as erosion, transportation and deposition when pupils learn about rivers. Plans make clear what pupils need to know and remember. This includes the water cycle, why rivers are important and the causes of river pollution. Pupils can explain how the water cycle process works. They understand about evaporation, condensation and precipitation.

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Main findings

The knowledge that teachers expect pupils to learn is not set out clearly enough in all subjects. When discussing their learning in history, pupils enjoy dressing up as an evacuee but are unclear about when the Second World War took place. Curriculum plans in other subjects such as music and modern foreign languages are still at the early stages of development.

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Main findings

Leaders’ improvement plans focus on reading, writing and mathematics, as well as the wider curriculum. Leaders’ priorities include the well-being of pupils as well as training for staff and governors.

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Main findings

Support for pupils who are furthest behind in reading is not consistently effective. For example, books are sometimes too hard for readers. Pupils who need support with reading are given extra sessions to help them catch up. Staff are trained to deliver phonics teaching and encourage pupils to apply their phonics knowledge when tackling unfamiliar words.

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Main findings

Teachers adapt the curriculum so that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) can access the same lesson content as others. Pupils’ books show that pupils with SEND are provided with appropriate support.

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Main findings

Governors hold leaders to account and know the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They seek support from the local authority and understand their responsibilities.

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Main findings

The majority of parents and carers support the work of the school. They recognise the work of leaders and staff during lockdown. A significant minority of parents do not support the school. Leaders are working to address this barrier.

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Additional support

Representatives of the local authority provide regular support for the school. This includes support for training subject leaders and governors. The local authority checks the impact of leaders’ actions.

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Evidence

During the inspection, meetings were held with you, other senior and curriculum leaders, pupils, staff, governors and representatives of the local authority to discuss the actions taken since the last inspection.

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Evidence

I observed pupils reading to staff. I reviewed responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, including 29 free-text responses, and 36 staff questionnaires. I reviewed the school’s plans for improvement and minutes of governors’ meetings. I scrutinised the single central register of pre-employment checks.

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Evidence

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

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