Hesters Way Primary School

Inspection of Hester’s Way Primary School Dill Avenue, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL51 0ES

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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 Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 3 and 4 November 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy being at this school. They are happy to be with their friends, learning together. They respond well to staff’s high expectations of behaviour and learning. Pupils are well mannered, polite and courteous. There is a calm and orderly atmosphere in school and in the playground. Pupils respond well to the learning challenges set by teachers. They can concentrate on their work in class because there is very little poor behaviour.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a range of exciting learning activities. Staff encourage pupils to read for pleasure and all classes have story time each day. Pupils enjoy the after-school clubs and are looking forward to joining more of these when the restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic are removed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff encourage pupils to keep fit and healthy. Pupils learn about the importance of a good diet and about healthy relationships. They know about a range of cultures and religions. They have respect for each other and value the opinions of others. Pupils say that bullying is very rare and that, if it occurs, staff ‘sort it out’ straight away. Pupils trust all members of staff and particularly appreciate the pastoral support and advice offered in the ‘Pod’.

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better?

The headteacher has a clear vision and determination for every child in the school to succeed. She has established a strong and committed leadership team. Leaders have designed the curriculum well. They have set out clearly sequenced steps of learning in each subject. Staff understand the aims of the curriculum. In the Reception class, staff use the learning environment effectively to include a wide range of activities to support all areas of learning. Children cooperate well together and learn to share resources and to take turns. This leads to effective learning.

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better?

Subject leaders monitor the effectiveness of the curriculum well in most subjects. In some subjects, for example art, leaders have recently reviewed the curriculum and introduced new sequences of learning. In these subjects, staff have some gaps in their knowledge.

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better?

Staff use assessment procedures well to identify pupils who have misconceptions or who have fallen behind in their work. Staff are skilled in offering pupils extra help, or intervention, to help them catch up.

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better?

Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is a strength of the school. Staff carefully consider pupils’ needs and provide detailed individual support plans. Teachers use these plans effectively to support pupils’ learning.

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better?

Leaders have promoted a love of reading across the whole school. Staff across the school constantly encourage reading for pleasure. Pupils enjoy a range of literature, including traditional classics, modern tales and poetry. The teaching of phonics is 3 and 4 November 2021

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systematic and rigorous. It starts from when children join the school in the early years, and this helps them to develop fluency in reading.

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Pupils’ personal development is well nurtured. Staff encourage pupils to be responsible and respectful citizens. Leaders promote British values and pupils have learned about democracy recently by voting for class representatives on the pupil council. Pupils understand the dangers of drug misuse and how to stay safe when online. Staff encourage pupils to eat healthily and to be physically active. Pupils respect different views and opinions and have a secure understanding of how to have healthy relationships. Pupils in all key stages have positive attitudes to learning. Their good behaviour contributes to their successful learning.

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Leaders have focused on a whole-school approach to encouraging good attendance. This, combined with close monitoring of absence, has led to an improvement in pupils’ attendance.

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Governors have used the support offered by the local authority well. This has enabled them to hold leaders to account well and to ask challenging questions. They evaluate how the school improvement plan is driving the school forward. Governors carefully monitor the progress of improvement plans and visit the school to focus on this.

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Staff feel that leaders carefully consider their well-being and workload. They feel they can approach the headteacher who always supports them with sensitivity.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. Staff receive regular training in how to spot signs that a child might be at risk of harm. They follow procedures to refer their concerns and know that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Pupils say they feel safe and well cared for by staff.

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Safeguarding

Leaders refer concerns promptly to appropriate agencies and follow these referrals up meticulously. There are strong systems in place to ensure staff are suitable to work with pupils.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, for example art, leaders have implemented changes recently. This means that some aspects of these subjects are unfamiliar to teachers and they have gaps in their subject knowledge. Leaders should ensure that staff develop secure knowledge in these subjects. 3 and 4 November 2021

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 Some subject leaders have only recently started to check the implementation of the curriculum. This means that they are not yet able to evaluate fully the effectiveness of the curriculum in their subjects. Senior leaders should ensure that subject leaders develop their monitoring and evaluation of the curriculum further.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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. 3 and 4 November 2021

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.hestersway.gloucs.sch.uk/ Date of previous inspection 17 and 18 January 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The headteacher has been in post since shortly before the previous inspection.  The school does not use any alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, curriculum leaders, governors and staff.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, science and physical education. They also looked at learning across other subjects.  Inspectors gathered the views of pupils by talking to them in small groups and looking at responses to the pupil questionnaire. 3 and 4 November 2021

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 Inspectors considered the views of staff and parents by talking to them and reviewing the staff questionnaire and Ofsted Parent View.  Inspectors reviewed safeguarding records, including the single central record of staff suitability checks.

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Inspection team

Martin Greenwood, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

David New Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 November 2021

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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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