Hooe Primary Academy

Inspection of a good school: Hooe Primary Academy Hooe Road, Hooe, Plymstock, Plymouth, Devon PL9 9RG

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Inspection dates: 18 and 19 October 2022

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Outcome

Hooe Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are enthusiastic about their learning. They work hard, whether on their own or with friends. Staff use consistent procedures and routines throughout the school. This helps to ensure that pupils understand what is expected of them. Children in the early years make a strong start and are well prepared to move on to their next stage of learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders set high expectations. They are ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Relationships between staff and pupils are based on mutual respect and trust. Parents and carers appreciate how well staff care for their children.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff deal with minor behaviour incidents quickly. As a result, bullying is extremely rare. Pupils value and celebrate each other’s differences. Leaders ensure that well-being and learning are key priorities. They have made significant changes to the curriculum so that there is an interesting range of subjects and activities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are enthusiastic about the wide range of clubs on offer. These include sports, music and art. Pupils enjoy taking on responsibilities such as play leaders and helping younger children. Military families appreciate the additional support offered, especially the military kids club.

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

Leaders have designed a curriculum that is ambitious and engaging for all pupils. Leaders sequence the curriculum in a logical order. This helps pupils to recall their earlier learning and to build on this with new knowledge. Children in the early years develop their speaking and listening well. The curriculum supports them to build on what they know and can do.

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

Leaders have thought carefully about the subject knowledge they want pupils to know and the order in which pupils will learn it. This ensures that new knowledge builds on 18 and 19 October 2022

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what pupils already know. However, sometimes, pupils with SEND do not gain knowledge and skills securely enough before moving on to new learning.

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Teachers regularly check how well pupils retain new knowledge. They make sure pupils think carefully about what they have learned before. This helps pupils to recall and remember their prior learning in different subjects. For instance, pupils revisit previous topics to build on prior knowledge in mathematics. This means they tackle multi-step problems with confidence. However, leaders’ curriculum thinking in a few subjects beyond the core does not ensure pupils deepen their subject-specific knowledge and understanding over time. For example, in religious education (RE), leaders have not ensured that pupils understand key concepts about different world religions.

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Reading is a high priority of the school. Leaders have ensured that staff who teach phonics are expertly trained. They teach phonics in a systematic way. Children love learning to read. In the early years, they enthusiastically take part in activities designed to help with their comprehension of words. Staff check pupils’ phonics knowledge regularly. Older pupils read confidently and enthusiastically. They read from a wide range of genres. Pupils who decode confidently develop reading with fluency and expression.

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Pupils respond to teachers’ high expectations. They enjoy learning. There is very little low-level disruption in classrooms. Pupils behave well in the playground and around school. From the early years, pupils follow clear routines and expectations. They are polite and courteous.

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Leaders provide a rich set of varied experiences to promote pupils’ personal development. Pupils develop an age-appropriate understanding of positive and respectful healthy relationships. Opportunities such as the ‘mini police’ partnership and play leaders allow pupils to take on responsibilities in school. In doing so, they develop leadership and teamwork skills. Pupils have an understanding of democracy. They understand right and wrong. Pupils know how to keep themselves and others safe. Opportunities to learn about other cultures and religions help them to recognise and respect others’ differences. As a result, pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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The school is well led. Leaders benefit from well-planned support from the academy trust. School leaders, including governors, understand the strengths of the school and have appropriate plans to help it improve further. Staff enjoy working at the school and are proud to be part of the school community. They feel well supported by leaders who are considerate of their workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding is a key priority for all staff. Leaders have ensured that staff have had all the necessary training they need to know how to keep pupils safe. Staff are vigilant to risks that affect their pupils. 18 and 19 October 2022

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Pupils feel safe in school. They know there are trusted adults they can talk to. Leaders hold regular meetings with all staff, in which concerns about pupils’ welfare can be raised. Leaders are aware of each pupil’s circumstances and monitor pupils’ well-being closely. They work well with external agencies and families to support pupils who need help.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, the curriculum does not ensure that pupils develop subject-specific knowledge and skills deeply over time. As a result, pupils, and particularly some pupils with SEND, do not build their knowledge of key concepts equally well across all subjects. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum enables pupils to gain deep, cumulative knowledge in all subjects.

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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 an ungraded inspection and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in July 2013.

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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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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. 18 and 19 October 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10240914 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 22 October 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Horizon Multi Academy Trust.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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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 leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher and other senior leaders.  The inspector carried out deep dives into these subjects: early reading, mathematics and RE. 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  The inspector heard some pupils read. The inspector also looked at work and considered the curriculum and assessment in some other subjects. 18 and 19 October 2022

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 The inspector met members of the governing body, members of the board of trustees and staff from the Horizon Multi Academy Trust, including the chief executive officer.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspector met with the designated leaders for safeguarding. They reviewed a wide range of documents and records, including the school’s record of recruitment checks and records of concerns. The inspector also spoke with staff, governors and pupils about safeguarding.  The inspector considered the responses made by parents to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, including any free-text responses. The inspector also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online staff questionnaire and responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Paul Walker, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 October 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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