Heckington St Andrew's Church of England School

Inspection of Heckington St Andrew’s Church of England School Heckington St Andrew’s C of E Primary School, Howell Road, Heckington, Sleaford, Lincolnshire NG34 9RX

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 1 and 2 March 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy school where relationships between pupils and staff are positive. Pupils are nurtured, cared for and get the help that they need. As one pupil said: ‘Teachers are always nice. They make it easy for us to learn. If we need any help, we get it.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is consistently positive. Pupils are polite and courteous. They behave well in lessons and around the school. They listen attentively in collective worship. Breaktimes are happy and sociable times for pupils. Older pupils set a positive example for younger ones to follow.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that the school’s ‘five Rs’ are important to them. They understand the importance of respect, relationships, responsibility, resilience and reverence. They take these seriously.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Bullying is rare. Pupils know the different forms that bullying can take. They know what to do should it occur. They have every confidence that staff will help them if they have a problem or concern.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils work hard in lessons. Attitudes to learning are consistently positive. The school’s curriculum is at a very early stage of implementation. As such, pupils have not yet begun to learn and remember the curriculum as well as they should.

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better?

Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, the school has made significant progress in securing improvements since its last inspection.

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better?

Leaders have very recently overhauled the curriculum. The vast majority of subjects are well planned and sequenced. In most subjects, curriculum plans set out what pupils are expected to learn and remember at each stage of their education. However, in a small number of subjects, the order in which content is taught has not been finalised. In these subjects, while the curriculum sets out what pupils are expected to learn each year, it is unclear about the order in which this is taught.

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better?

Teachers plan lessons that are engaging and cover content that builds sequentially on what pupils have previously been taught. In most classes, teachers check carefully on how well pupils are learning the curriculum. However, this is inconsistent. In some classes, teachers do not set work that is matched carefully enough to what pupils need to learn next. This means that some pupils do not complete their work in lessons, or others complete it too quickly.

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better?

Phonics is taught well. The phonics programme sets out the sounds that pupils should know at each stage of their education. Staff have been trained well. As a result, phonics is taught consistently well across the school. Pupils remember the 1 and 2 March 2022

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sounds that they have been taught. Reading books are matched to the sounds that pupils know. Pupils soon become fluent readers.

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Older pupils demonstrate a love of reading. They are familiar with a wide range of books and authors. They enjoy reading challenging texts in lessons and listening to teachers read. Pupils who begin to fall behind in reading get extra help. However, the reading curriculum for key stage 2 is not yet fully sequenced. It does not set out precisely enough when each aspect of reading will be taught. Leaders are in the process of addressing this.

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The early years curriculum is well planned and sequenced. It sets out what children are expected to learn and be able to do at each point in the Reception Year. The knowledge that children are expected to learn builds cumulatively over time. Activities in the early years support children in gaining the knowledge that they are expected to learn.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get the help they need to learn the curriculum. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) checks regularly to make sure that the help they get is appropriate. However, some of the written targets that are set for these pupils are not precise enough. They do not make clear how gains in pupils’ knowledge and acquisition of skills will be measured over time. This can limit the rate of progress that pupils with SEND are making.

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Pupils enjoy the roles that they take on in school. They are proud of the worship wardens and school learning councillors. They are proud of the initiatives that they have introduced, such as ‘Toastie Tuesdays’ and the pupil led Eco-Club. Pupils recognise that everyone is unique. They celebrate this.

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Senior leaders are ambitious and have secured many improvements since the last inspection. Their ‘five Rs’ vision is embraced by pupils and staff. Staff are united and hold leaders in high esteem. Leaders know what needs to be done to strengthen the curriculum and to help pupils remember what they have learned over time.

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The governing board has a broad range of skills, which helps it to hold leaders to account. Governors have a robust understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are quick to identify where pupils need help. They know the indicators to look out for. All safeguarding concerns are recorded, no matter how minor they might appear. The records that leaders log and maintain are comprehensive. 1 and 2 March 2022

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Pupils know how to stay safe. They know who to go to if they have a worry or concern. They know that leaders will help them. Leaders know which pupils are at risk of harm. Leaders take decisive action to keep pupils safe.

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Pupils benefit from a range of help, including counselling and emotional support.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Many parts of the curriculum are at a very early stage of implementation. The curriculum has not yet fully ensured that pupils know and remember what is intended. Leaders should continue to implement and embed the curriculum so that pupils know and remember what they have learned over time.  Some parts of the curriculum, including reading, are not yet fully sequenced. The curricular plans do not make clear what pupils should know and remember at each point during the school year. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is fully planned and sequenced across all subjects.  There are some inconsistencies in the implementation of the curriculum. Teaching does not always provide pupils with activities that will help them to learn the intended knowledge. This means that pupils do not learn the curriculum as well as they could. Leaders should ensure that teachers consistently provide challenge and support for all pupils during lessons.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils with SEND get the help that they need to access the curriculum. However, some of the targets that are set for these pupils are not precise enough. This means that staff are not clear about how improvements will be measured over time. Leaders should ensure that targets for pupils with SEND are clear and measurable, which will help to determine more accurately the next learning steps for these pupils.

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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. 1 and 2 March 2022

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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. 1 and 2 March 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10212262 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 19 June 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There have been no significant changes since the last inspection.  The school is part of the Diocese of Lincoln. The most recent section 48 inspection of this Church of England school, which is an inspection of the school’s religious character, took place on 26 November 2019. Section 48 inspections were suspended due to the COVID 19 pandemic. They restarted in September 2021. The next inspection will be within eight years of the last section 48 inspection.  The school uses no alternative provision.

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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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 1 and 2 March 2022

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 Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the assistant headteacher, curriculum leaders, the early years leaders and the SENCo.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in four subjects: reading, mathematics, history and music. To do this, they met with curriculum leaders, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work, listened to pupils read and met with teachers and pupils. Inspectors also looked at curriculum documentation for modern foreign languages, physical education and religious education.  The lead inspector met with four representatives of the governing board, including the chair and vice-chair. He held a virtual meeting with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 40 responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey and 30 written comments from parents. Inspectors spoke informally to parents outside the school and considered a letter from a grandparent. They also considered the 16 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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 Inspectors met with safeguarding leaders. They reviewed school documents relating to safeguarding, behaviour and attendance. They held discussions with a group of staff and visited the breakfast club.

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Inspection team

Vic Wilkinson, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Rob Gooding Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 March 2022

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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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