Hotwells Primary School

Inspection of Hotwells Primary School Hope Chapel Hill, Bristol, BS8 4ND

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Inspection dates: 27 and 28 September 2022

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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 27 and 28 September 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

At Hotwells Primary School everyone enjoys being a part of the school community. The inclusive, nurturing ethos means that pupils feel safe and well looked after. They enjoy coming to school and take pride in their work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders’ have created a culture of positive behaviour in the school. Their expectations are clear and pupils feel that staff treat everyone fairly. Pupils know the systems for rewards and sanctions. They enjoy having their achievements recognised in different ways. Leaders’ recent work to review the behaviour system means staff respond to incidents with consistency.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils play and learn together harmoniously, including the very youngest children. They share and collaborate well. Pupils are adamant that bullying does not happen. They understand there are sometimes incidents of meanness but are confident that adults deal with these swiftly and effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The new Hotwells Passport sets out leaders’ commitment to ensuring a breadth of rich experiences for pupils. Pupils enjoy a range of activities such as links with the university, residentials and performing at Bristol Cathedral. Pupils value these character-building experiences and the confidence they develop from trying new things.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents are highly positive about the school. They appreciate the approachability of staff and the ways teachers help them to support their child’s learning.

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better?

Leaders’ vision for the curriculum is to develop ambitious, creative, local and global citizens. This vision is a clear thread through the content of the curriculum. Pupils’ learning is well sequenced, so that they know more, remember more and can do more over time.

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better?

Subject leaders have a good understanding of their subjects. They have developed clear expectations for the delivery of their curriculums. Teachers use this guidance well to help pupils to learn successfully across the curriculum. For example, teachers’ focus on key vocabulary helps pupils to understand what they are learning.

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better?

Leaders ensure that learning to read is a priority for all pupils. Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They use this expertise to ensure that pupils learn to segment words and blend sounds securely. The books that pupils read match the sounds they know. As a result, pupils develop fluency and understanding. Older pupils learn a range of reading strategies that they apply to a variety of texts that they find interesting and enjoyable. 27 and 28 September 2022

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Pupils develop fluency in their mathematical recall. Teachers ensure that most pupils build carefully on the knowledge they already have. This enables them to apply, for example, their number knowledge to problem-solving and reasoning activities. Children in the early years have lots of opportunities to practise key concepts. Nonetheless, the curriculum for Reception children in this area is sometimes not ambitious enough.

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Children in the early years have a wide range of resources to help them learn. This allows for lots of choice and for children to follow their individual interests. Occasionally, however, teachers are not choosing appropriate activities and resources to match the intended learning. This can slow down children’s progress through the curriculum.

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Leaders accurately identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders work with teachers to set out clear plans to support most of these pupils to learn effectively. However, for some pupils with SEND, the intended learning is not precisely matched to their starting points. This means pupils sometimes struggle to keep up and catch up.

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Pupils learn about positive relationships. They understand diversity and the reasons that some people might be discriminated against. Through assemblies and a comprehensive personal, social and health education curriculum, they learn tolerance and to respect the uniqueness of individuals.

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There is an energy within the school. All members of the school community feel the positive impact of joining the trust. Governors work well with trust leaders to fulfil their strategic duties. Teachers feel well supported and energised by the collaboration with partner schools. Parents appreciate the improvements to resources and learning.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that safeguarding is at the heart of what they do. They know their pupils and families well, so they are able to respond quickly to concerns or needs. This means pupils and families get the right help at the right time. Parents appreciate the help given throughout the pandemic.

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Safeguarding

Staff benefit from regular training and updates. They have a secure knowledge of signs of abuse and risks to pupils in the local area. They follow school processes to record and report concerns, which gives leaders a detailed oversight of every child.

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Safeguarding

Pupils also understand different risks and types of abuse in an age-appropriate way. They know how to stay safe online. If they have any worries, they share these with trusted adults or through the worry boxes in the classrooms. 27 and 28 September 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, teachers do not always adapt learning precisely enough for pupils with SEND. This means pupils sometimes struggle to build on prior learning. Teachers need to make sure that learning is precisely matched to pupils’ individual starting points, so they are able to know more and remember more across the curriculum.  Sometimes, teaching within the early years provision is not always well thought through This means that children do not necessarily consolidate the intended learning. Leaders need to ensure that the provision is carefully designed to enable pupils to consolidate new knowledge and skills.

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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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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. 27 and 28 September 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10227490 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 and 19 September 2018

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Information about this school

 The school joined the Cathedral Schools Trust in July 2021.  The interim headteacher is seconded from another of the Trust’s schools on a part-time basis.  The school do not use any alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded 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. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 27 and 28 September 2022

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 The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, assistant headteachers, special educational needs coordinator, curriculum leaders, teaching and support staff. Inspectors also spoke with members of the local governing body, including the chair of governors, and representatives from the trust.  The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding leaders to discuss how they keep pupils safe in school. Inspectors considered the school’s recruitment procedures, staff induction and training, records of concerns and their engagement with external agencies. The inspectors also spoke with staff and pupils throughout the inspection.  The lead inspector listened to pupils read to an adult.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. In addition, they met with pupils informally and formally to hear their views.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View,

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including free-text responses. Inspectors also took into consideration responses to the staff and pupil surveys.  Inspectors examined a range of documentation provided by the school, including the school’s self-evaluation document, improvement plan and documentation relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Angela Folland, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Jo Hicks Ofsted Inspector 27 and 28 September 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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