Endon Hall Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Endon Hall Primary School Hillside Avenue, Endon, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST9 9HH

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Inspection dates: 16 and 17 November 2021

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Outcome

Endon Hall Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Endon Hall Primary School is a warm and welcoming place. Pupils are happy and feel safe. This is because adults put pupils’ well-being at the heart of everything they do. One pupil said, ‘Teachers understand us and personalise the learning.’ Many other pupils echoed this.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. At breaktimes they play cooperatively with a range of sports equipment. They are eager to learn new things. They listen with interest during lessons, and support each other well in their learning. They are proud of their work and keen to share it with visitors.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and courteous. The school is a place where pupils cooperate and value each other, and respect each other’s differences. Pupils know that they can speak to an adult at any time if anything is worrying them. They said that bullying is very rare, but they trust adults to deal with it if it does happen.

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

Leaders have a clear vision for the school. They know the school well and have developed a curriculum which is broad and ambitious. Leaders have high aspirations for all staff and pupils.

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

Children get a good start to school life. Curriculum plans in the early years foundation stage (EYFS) are well sequenced, and allow children to build on what they already know and can do. However, the EYFS curriculum is not documented in other curriculum plans. As a result, subject leaders do not always understand how the EYFS curriculum provides a foundation for what pupils are learning in later years.

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

Activities in the early years promote a love of reading. Children in the Nursery are keen to share books with visitors. The school’s phonics programme is well planned and pupils make a positive start in reading. Pupils read regularly at home and in school. Older pupils talk about their favourite authors and books with understanding and pleasure. Guided 16 and 17 November 2021

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reading sessions are challenging, with a sharp focus on developing every pupil’s vocabulary.

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The curriculum supports pupils well to know and remember more. Teachers plan regular opportunities to build on what pupils have learned in previous lessons. Teachers have good subject knowledge. They explain new learning to pupils clearly. Pupils enjoy history. In history, pupils learn about a wide range of historical places and events. When considering the battle of Marathon, pupils identified key questions that they would like to explore about the event.

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In mathematics, there is a coherent and embedded curriculum that helps build pupils’ knowledge over time. Teachers check pupils’ learning and adjust their teaching in daily core-skills sessions. Teachers plan activities that help pupils to recall their knowledge and apply it in different ways. Most subject plans show what vocabulary pupils need to know. However, this is not the case in mathematics. Although leaders include some key vocabulary in the calculation policy, this does not match with the whole-school focus on vocabulary progression.

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Staff identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) quickly. Teachers make appropriate adaptations to the curriculum for pupils with SEND. For example, pupils with SEND may receive extra adult support or practical equipment to help them to learn. As a result, pupils participate fully in lessons, and have work and support matched to their needs.

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Leaders prioritise pupils’ personal development. This is a strength of the school. Pupils value the opportunity to take on responsibilities, which develops their understanding of being responsible citizens who contribute to society. These include opportunities to be members of the school council, or house captains, or to care for the school chickens. They also take part in local litter-picking, planting bulbs in the local area and visits to the community cafe. In addition to this, subject ambassadors have whole-school projects to plan and carry out. They are currently writing to invite parents into school to talk about their careers. This will help pupils to have meaningful opportunities to encounter the world of work. Staff also ask pupils about their opinions of the school on a regular basis. Staff value these opinions and consider these when planning lessons and activities.

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Governors are proud of the school. They ask leaders challenging questions. Teachers said that they feel well supported, explaining how they have extra time to complete any extra work. Staff are proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils feel safe in school. They are confident that any adult in school will help to resolve any issues or worries. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, both in and outside the school. 16 and 17 November 2021

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Adults know pupils well and are quick to identify and report any signs that may suggest a pupil is at risk of harm. Staff receive regular training which ensures that they can identify any problems that pupils may face. Staff have confidence in leaders to deal effectively with concerns they have raised. Leaders are strong advocates for families and pupils.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Subject plans do not consider what children learn in the EYFS. Subject leaders do not always understand how the EYFS curriculum provides the foundation for what pupils learn in later years. As a result of this, it is not always clear how pupils will build upon their previous learning. Leaders should ensure that whole-school curriculum plans include what children learn in the EYFS.  Plans in mathematics do not identify the specific vocabulary that children need to learn. It is not always clear how pupils will build their mathematical vocabulary over time. This means that sometimes pupils may not gain key knowledge that they need to build on. Leaders should continue to refine curriculum plans, identifying the subject-specific vocabulary that pupils need to know and remember.

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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, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2016. 16 and 17 November 2021

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 16 and 17 November 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10200183 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 6 October 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher and other senior leaders. They met with representatives of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  The inspection focused on reading, mathematics and history. The inspector met subject leaders for these subjects and undertook joint visits to lessons. They also talked to pupils and teachers and looked at work.  The inspector scrutinised a wide range of documents, including those related to curriculum planning and development, safeguarding arrangements, behaviour and attendance.  The inspector held informal and formal discussions with many pupils, and observed playtime and lunchtime. 16 and 17 November 2021

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 The inspector met with parents to gain their views of the school. They reviewed responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and additional free-text comments. They also took account of responses to Ofsted’s online staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Emma Gater, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 16 and 17 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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