Holme Slack Community Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Holme Slack Community Primary School Manor House Lane, Preston, Lancashire PR1 6HP

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Outcome

Holme Slack Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils really enjoy coming to this school. Staff do all that they can to ensure the school motto ‘our children can achieve’ is a lived experience. Pupils appreciate the range of activities and experiences that their teachers provide for them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils are proud to be recognised and rewarded for their positive behaviour. They work hard to earn a choice of treats. By far, the most popular choice of reward is the chance to walk the school dog, Stanley.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a clear understanding of the different forms that bullying can take. They said that bullying is rare and always dealt with well by teachers. Pupils feel safe in school. They are taught how to be alert to dangers online and in the wider world.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ personal development is catered for well. During their time in school, pupils can attend a range of trips and visits to places of interest to broaden their experiences. Diversity is celebrated by everybody in the school. As one pupil told inspectors, ‘Teachers tell us it is good to be unique and celebrate differences.’

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders, staff and governors work together to ensure that the curriculum is ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders seek opportunities throughout the curriculum to develop the resilience and motivation of learners. Their goal is for all pupils to be aspirational about what they can achieve in life.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders’ effective work has resulted in curriculum plans that allow pupils to build on their learning. Leaders ensure planning for their subject area follows the national curriculum and starts in the Reception Year. This means that children start their learning journey as soon as they begin school. Leaders provide support that enables staff to teach each subject with confidence. As a result, pupils achieve well in most subjects. 8–9 July 2021 However, in a small number of subjects, the impact of the pandemic and disruption in staffing has slowed down curriculum development. Consequently, in some subjects, the key knowledge that pupils need to learn is less well defined. This means that teachers do not ensure that pupils gain the essential knowledge that they need to be successful. Furthermore, assessment systems are not fully developed for some subjects. This means leaders are less able to check that pupils are remembering all that they have been taught.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The special educational needs coordinator has trained staff to make effective adaptations to curriculum plans. Staff are adept at providing the correct level of support to ensure that all pupils are included. This means that pupils with SEND, including those who attend the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND (specially resourced provision), experience the same learning as their fellow pupils.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. Pupils learn to read as soon as they start the Reception Year. Pupils’ phonics knowledge is developed effectively by well-trained staff. The books that children and pupils read are well matched to the sounds that they know. These actions are helping younger pupils become more confident and fluent readers. Older pupils told inspectors that they enjoy reading. They have access to a range of engaging books from the well-stocked library. Pupils talked with enthusiasm about the books that teachers read to them in class. Teachers use these reading sessions as opportunities to further develop pupils’ vocabulary.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils’ positive attitudes to school and their strong behaviour mean that learning is rarely disrupted. Pupils are respectful to all adults on the playground and in the lunch hall. Pupils respond well to the playground activities that encourage teamwork and helping each other.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders and governors are committed to giving pupils a range of experiences, so that they all have a chance to shine. Pupils were animated when talking about the street dance club that takes place after school, as well as their role on the school council. Staff at the school are proud to serve the local community. They told inspectors that they are grateful to the leaders of the school for the thought given to their workload and well- being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and governors have established a culture of safeguarding that ensures all adults understand the importance of keeping pupils safe. Staff have received training that enables them to recognise any signs of abuse and neglect. Reporting procedures are robust and swift.

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Safeguarding

Teachers understand the risks that pupils may face in the local area. They teach pupils how to safely deal with these risks. Leaders have used visitors, including the police, to give pupils a better understanding of the dangers that they may face outside school, such as gangs and knife crime. 8–9 July 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders do not have systems of assessment in place for all curriculum subjects. As a result, teachers are not always clear on the knowledge that pupils have been taught in previous years. Leaders should ensure that all curriculum subjects have an effective way of checking what pupils have learned. Teachers will then be able to use this information to help build on what pupils already know.  Leaders have not fully defined the key knowledge to be taught in a small number of subjects. This means that teachers are trying to teach too much content in too little detail. Leaders should ensure that this knowledge is more clearly defined in curriculum plans. This will enable teachers to give greater time and depth to the teaching of essential subject content so that pupils can know and remember more.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that a good school could now be better than good, or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 24 and 25 November 2015. 8–9 July 2021

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How can I feed back my views?

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 here .

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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. 8–9 July 2021

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Mr Keith Manogue

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School details

Website www.holmeslackprimary.co.uk Date of previous inspection 24 and 25 November 2015, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, the deputy headteacher has left the school and been replaced with an acting deputy headteacher and acting assistant headteacher. Five teachers have left the school and five have been appointed. At the time of the inspection, two temporary teachers were covering the maternity leave of two permanent members of staff.  The school has specially resourced provision for up to eight pupils with hearing impairment. There are currently two pupils on roll.  The governing body manages the breakfast club provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held discussions with the headteacher, other senior leaders, subject leaders and members of staff. An inspector met with three members of the governing body, including the chair of governors, and spoke to a representative of the local authority. 8–9 July 2021  Inspectors reviewed leaders’ arrangements for safeguarding. They also discussed the checks leaders carry out to ensure adults are safe to work with children and pupils. Inspectors also spoke to staff to check their understanding and approach to keeping children and pupils safe.  Inspectors met with different groups of pupils to gather their views about all aspects of school life. Inspectors also observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, in the lunch hall and

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Information about this inspection

at playtime.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and science. They reviewed work in books, looked at planning, spoke to subject leaders, visited lessons and talked to pupils and teachers. An inspector listened to children and pupils from the Reception Year to Year 3 reading to a familiar adult. An inspector also talked to the subject leaders of geography and religious education and reviewed the planning for these subjects.  Inspectors considered 11 responses to Ofsted Parent View, the online questionnaire. This included 11 free-text responses. Inspectors evaluated 12 responses to the staff questionnaire. An inspector also spoke with nine parents at the start of the school day.

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Inspection team

John Tomlinson, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Cole Andrew Ofsted Inspector 8–9 July 2021 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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