Hillside Avenue Primary and Nursery School, Thorpe

Inspection of Hillside Avenue Primary and Nursery School, Thorpe Hillside Avenue, Thorpe St Andrew, Norwich, Norfolk, NR7 0QW

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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 Good 27 and 28 September 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Hillside Avenue are happy and well behaved. They make sure that any newcomers are made welcome. Children settle quickly into Nursery and Reception. Pupils have lots of opportunities to develop their confidence and language skills from the very start. Leaders have high expectations of pupils to work hard, and they do. Pupils enjoy learning. They are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have lots of opportunities to be physically active, leaders have encouraged this along with a focus on positive mental health. Pupils are musical, many play an instrument and are part of the band. Pupils are very proud of the different responsibilities they have as they move through the school, such as being play leaders and helping organise playtime.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have taught the pupils how to keep themselves safe. For example, currently moving safely through the areas of the building that are part of a major renovation. Bullying is rare but, when it does happen, pupils are confident that adults help them.

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better?

Leaders have planned out the core knowledge and skills that will be taught year on year. Teachers are skilled at ensuring that pupils’ learning is well sequenced and that lessons build on what has come before. Staff in Nursery and Reception are skilled at planning activities that support children’s learning effectively.

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better?

However, in some subjects, important knowledge and vocabulary could be more clearly mapped out. Where this is the case, teachers do not always know how what they teach links to pupils’ previous or future learning. Where subject leaders have had time to check on teaching and work with colleagues, their curriculum plans are more detailed. The use of vocabulary is a current focus. In some subjects, teachers make more use of subject specific words than in others.

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better?

Leaders place great emphasis on ensuring that staff access high-quality professional development. Teachers value working together to trial new classroom practice. They feel well supported by senior leaders.

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better?

Across the school, staff prioritise reading. Children in the early years start to recognise sounds and are introduced to stories from the start. Teachers check on their pupils’ phonics knowledge frequently and adjust teaching groups as a result. Staff are confident about teaching phonics and use the same approach when teaching spelling. Pupils have a wide range of books to choose from. Staff have carefully matched books to pupils’ reading standard. Pupils at risk of falling behind have specialist additional support to help them keep up.

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better?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well within their classes. Teachers adapt activities appropriately, so that pupils with SEND 27 and 28 September 2022

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can make progress. Leaders’ identification of pupils’ needs is accurate. Their planning for staff to help meet pupils’ needs is of a high standard.

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Pupils’ personal development is enhanced by many aspects of the school’s work. The curriculum helps pupils to enhance their mental health. Leaders have carefully planned out what wider opportunities, such as residentials and volunteer work, pupils will experience as they move through the school. Assemblies encourage pupils to reflect and learn about different ways of living. Pupils are well behaved, polite, and work hard.

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Leaders from the newly merged multi-academy trust know the school well. They work closely with senior leaders to help them continue the journey of improvement. Members of the local governing body provide a balance of support and challenge. Trustees and governors understand and perform their statutory duties well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that staff are well trained. They check on staff’s understanding of safeguarding regularly and provide regular updates on key issues. As a result, staff are skilled at identifying any risks that pupils may be facing.

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Safeguarding

Record keeping is highly comprehensive. Staff look for links between behaviour, safeguarding, attendance and any other parental contact. This means that any unusual patterns are quickly spotted. Leaders work closely with parents and other agencies to support families where needed.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. They are very clear on what they need to do when accessing the internet to lessen any risks.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Curriculum plans in some subjects do not always identify precisely enough the knowledge, vocabulary, and skills that pupils should learn at different times. This means teachers are not always as clear about what learning should take place and in what order. Leaders need to ensure that all elements of the planned curriculum, including vocabulary, are clearly mapped at an appropriate timescale from Nursery through to Year 6.  Some subject leaders have not had the opportunity to evaluate how effectively their subjects are taught. As a result, they have not been able to improve the quality of education in their subjects. Senior leaders need to ensure that subject leaders have the time and training needed to provide the guidance and support needed for teachers to implement the planned curriculum in each subject well. 27 and 28 September 2022

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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 10227289 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12 June 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school opened as an academy in September 2016. At that time, it was part of the Yare Education Trust. That trust merged with the Boudica Schools Trust in July 2022 to become the Broad Horizons Education Trust.  The school uses one registered alternative provider of education.  The nursery admits children from age three to a range of part-time and full-time places.  A separately run and registered before- and after-school club operates in a building on the school premises.

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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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 27 and 28 September 2022

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher, senior leaders and other members of staff. They met with the chair of the local governing body, a trustee and representatives of the multi-academy trust.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, physical education, science, and geography. For each of these, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils, and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also looked at plans and visited some lessons in other curriculum subjects.  To inspect safeguarding, inspectors scrutinised the single central record and a wide range of safeguarding files. They spoke to leaders, including the designated safeguarding leaders, staff, pupils, and parents.  Inspectors considered the 58 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. They took the 56 responses to the pupil survey, and the 23 responses to

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Inspection team

Tessa Holledge, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Helen McCarney 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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