Holbeach Bank Primary Academy

Inspection of Holbeach Bank Primary Academy Roman Bank, Holbeach Bank, Spalding PE12 8BX

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 October 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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 19 and 20 October 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils speak highly of their school. As one pupil told an inspector: ‘This school is amazing. Everyone is kind. We all look after each other’. Relationships between staff and pupils are consistently positive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders’ high expectations of pupils are reflected in the positive behaviour around the school. Pupils say that the school’s behaviour policy works well and that behaviour has improved. They say that there are some occasional fall outs, but staff quickly deal with these. Pupils enjoy moving their name up the sunshine and rainbow boards. Moving down to a rain cloud is taken seriously. However, pupils say that this happens rarely. Those that need help to follow the school’s rules are well supported. Their behaviour improves over time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are respectful. They value uniqueness. They say that everyone is welcome at the school and that no one is left out. Everyone is treated equally. Pupils make good use of the extra-curricular activities on offer, including dance/fitness, gymnastics, singing and music clubs.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils welcome taking on responsibilities around the school. They speak proudly of their roles as academy councillors, play leaders and junior road safety officers. They enjoy looking after the hens and ducks in the school grounds.

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better?

Senior leaders demonstrate consistent ambition and resilience. They have brought about many significant improvements. Their vision to build a school that ‘fits its children’ is evident in daily practice.

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better?

The schools’ curriculum is broad. It is well planned and sequenced. It makes clear what pupils should learn in each subject, at each stage of their education. It has been designed specifically with the ambition of meeting the needs of pupils of the school. Overall, the curriculum makes clear the most important things that pupils should know and remember. However, in a small number of subjects, this is not explicit enough.

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better?

A new programme for teaching phonics has been recently introduced. It is working well. There is clarity about which sounds pupils should know week by week. Leaders carry out regular checks to make sure that all pupils are keeping up with the programme. Any that begin to fall behind get help, often the same day, to catch up. Pupils’ reading books are closely aligned to the sounds that they have been taught. However, a small number of children are not given reading books as soon as they start learning the phonics programme. This means that they are unable to practise the sounds that they have been taught as frequently as they could. 19 and 20 October 2022

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The early years curriculum is taught well. It prepares children well for what they will go on to learn in key stage 1 and beyond. Adults are skilled at helping pupils to develop their language and communication skills.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) benefit from a wealth of support. The help they receive is carefully planned and set out in individual plans. The plans have clearly defined targets and show how progress towards them will be measured. Leaders carry out regular checks to ensure that the support in place is having the desired impact. Those responsible for pupils with SEND know these pupils well.

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The schools’ relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. The school curriculum is enriched by a carefully planned range of activities and experiences, including bicycle training, beach days, working with the police and visiting local farms.

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The school has the support of the community it serves. Staff are unanimously proud to work there. The vast majority of parents value the school. One parent summed up many when they said: ‘Every child should be able to attend a school like Holbeach Bank. A school where they feel safe, supported, welcome, loved and happy. A school where teachers and support staff care for them like their parents do.’

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Leaders know what is working well and what needs to improve. They plan improvements carefully. However, leaders do not consistently set out how they will measure the success of the actions that they take. As a result, in a small number of cases, leaders are unable to demonstrate the full impact that their work has had on improving provision.

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Trustees and the local governing body know the school well. Their work is organised and systematic. They provide leaders with an effective level of challenge and support.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff fully understand and consistently apply the safeguarding policy and procedures.

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Safeguarding

Regular training, reminders and published information keeps safeguarding at the top of everyone’s agenda. Records are detailed and fit for purpose. Information is communicated effectively.

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Safeguarding

Staff know pupils well. They are alert to any changes. The school’s pastoral team provides a wealth of advice and support for pupils and their families. Parents speak highly of the help on offer. 19 and 20 October 2022

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Pupils know how to stay safe. They understand the need to ‘speak out to stay safe’. They know the number for Childline and understand how they can use this to get help.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 A small number of children are not given reading books as soon as they start learning the school’s phonics programme. This means that they are unable to practise and build upon the sounds that they have learned. Leaders should ensure that all pupils have reading books that match the sounds that they know, from the very beginning of the Reception Year.  In a small number of subjects, the curriculum does not make explicit the most important knowledge that pupils should learn and remember. As a result, leaders cannot be sure that teachers help pupils to remember knowledge in the longer term. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum, across all subjects, makes explicit the most important knowledge that pupils should learn and remember.  Leaders set the right priorities to improve their school further. They think carefully about the actions that need to be taken. However, they do not consistently consider how the impact of their actions will be measured. This means that they

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

cannot fully demonstrate the positive impact that their actions have. Leaders should ensure that they consistently consider how the impact of their actions will be measured to sharpen their evaluation to inform subsequent improvement planning.

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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. 19 and 20 October 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10241316 Type of school Primary

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School details

Headteacher Susan Boor (Executive Principal)

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school opened as an academy in June 2018. It is part of the University of Lincoln Academy Trust.  The school works in partnership with Holbeach Primary Academy. They share the same executive principal and local governing body.  The school does not use alternative provision.

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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 school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors held meetings with the executive principal, the executive vice- principal, the head of academy, curriculum leaders, the early years leader and those responsible for SEND. 19 and 20 October 2022

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in four subjects: reading, mathematics, geography 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 information for science, art and design, history and RSHE.  The lead inspector met a representative of the board of trustees and three governors, including the chair. He met with the chief executive officer of the University of Lincoln Academy Trust.  Inspectors took account of the responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey. Inspectors spoke informally to parents outside the school.  Inspectors met with safeguarding leaders. They reviewed school documents relating to safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.  An inspector visited an assembly, observed lunchtime in the dining hall and spoke

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informally with pupils during a breaktime.

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Inspection team

Vic Wilkinson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Wendy Gordon Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 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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