Horfield Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Horfield Church of England Primary School Bishop Manor Road, Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol BS10 5BD

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Inspection dates: 29 and 30 November 2022

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The next inspection will therefore be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school. They think about how their subjects could lead them into careers later in life. Professionals, such as engineers and authors, come into school to talk with pupils. This encourages them to be ambitious. However, the new curriculum is not embedded across the school. Pupils do not learn as well as they could.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know and respect the values of the school. They cooperate with each other well during lesson time and playtimes. Older pupils enjoy the responsibility of taking care of their Reception class ‘buddies’. The majority of pupils behave well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe in school. They report that bullying is rare. Pupils know how they can support their friends if this happens. They are confident that the adults in school would deal with it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

At Horfield, pupils are keen singers. They are eager to be part of the school choir and orchestra. They perform at a variety of venues. This enables pupils to showcase their talents and interests. Some pupils join the school council or eco council. These pupils collect the views of other pupils on their school and how it could improve.

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

Leaders have taken steps to strengthen the curriculum. There is now a clear structure which helps teachers to know what to teach and when. However, this is not yet well established. Important knowledge is not presented clearly to pupils. For example, in mathematics, some pupils are not sure how to use what they have learned before. They are not able to solve problems using what they already know. Sometimes teachers do not spot pupils’ misconceptions. This hampers pupils’ learning further. 29 and 30 November 2022

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Where the curriculum is presented in a clear and engaging way, pupils achieve well. For example, in art, teachers receive high-quality training. This enables them to provide pupils with knowledge of techniques in drawing and colour mixing. Pupils can explain these techniques in detail. They are developing their knowledge of a range of diverse artists.

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Leaders nurture a love of reading. This starts in Reception where children are encouraged to share books. Pupils enjoy listening to their teachers read to them. They know many different authors, especially those who have visited the school. Pupils are encouraged to practise their reading at home regularly. Leaders have introduced a new phonics curriculum. However, this is not yet helping all pupils to become successful readers. The support for pupils who have fallen behind with their reading is not effective enough. Pupils are sometimes asked to read books that are not well matched to their phonic knowledge. They are not sure how to approach unfamiliar words because they have not learned the right strategies.

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Leaders know that the provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is not as it should be. They do not always ensure that the support for pupils is appropriate to their needs. As a result, pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should. Many parents report poor communication between themselves and the school. This is particularly the case for the parents of pupils with SEND.

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Most pupils show positive attitudes towards their learning. Occasionally, some pupils find it difficult to sustain their focus. This happens when they are asked to complete tasks that are not well suited to their needs. This results in lost learning time. Staff usually address any low-level disruption effectively.

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Pupils are taught how to look after themselves and each other. They learn how to keep safe when online. Pupils know not to share sensitive information about themselves. They learn about and respect each other’s differences. Pupils talk confidently about the Christian values they learn about in school, such as forgiveness and compassion.

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Leaders consider staff workload and adjust practices to support this. Staff have time to carry out their leadership roles. There are various training opportunities to support staff development. However, staff would like more support from leaders to manage pupil behaviour. Some staff do not feel that their opinion is valued.

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Through their checks, leaders have identified for themselves some of the ways in which the school could be improved. They are working on several aspects of the curriculum at once. Sometimes this makes it hard for staff to know what to prioritise, and for leaders to see their improvements through.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Training is provided so that all adults in school have a good understanding of the procedures and systems in place to keep pupils safe from harm. Weekly updates help staff to remain vigilant. 29 and 30 November 2022

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Pupils and their families benefit from the early help provided by the school and outside agencies. This helps them to keep safe. Leaders prioritise forming relationships to ensure parents have confidence in the staff who can offer help.

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Governors monitor safeguarding on a regular basis. They ensure that the safer recruitment of staff supports leaders in appointing the right adults to work in school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The new curriculum is not yet well embedded across the school. Pupils’ knowledge and understanding are not deepened sufficiently. Misconceptions are not identified and rectified. As a result, pupils do not learn as well, or as much, as they should. Leaders should ensure that teachers know how to deliver the intended curriculum effectively. This will help pupils to learn and remember a wider range of knowledge.  Some pupils lack the strategies they need to be successful readers. This is especially true for those pupils who struggle to apply their phonic knowledge. Leaders should help staff to become expert teachers of phonics so that they support struggling readers more effectively.  The support for pupils with SEND does not meet their academic needs well enough. Consequently, some do not achieve all that they could. Leaders should ensure that pupils with SEND receive the support they need to learn an ambitious curriculum.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders do not engage as well as they could with parents and staff. Some consider the communication from leaders to be poor. Leaders should work in partnership with parents and staff. This will help everyone to feel listened to.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2017.

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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 29 and 30 November 2022

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when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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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. 29 and 30 November 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21 and 22 March 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a larger-than-average primary school.  This is a Church of England school. The school’s provision for religious education and collective worship was last inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 in May 2017.  Leaders provide wrap-around care for pupils if required.  Leaders do not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This is 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, senior leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, subject leaders, a group of staff and members of the governing body.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and art. The inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited lessons across 29 and 30 November 2022

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the school, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work .  The inspector scrutinised information relating to safeguarding, behaviour and the school’s self-evaluation.  The inspector spoke to parents and carers, reviewed the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses, and reviewed the responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Paul Smith, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 29 and 30 November 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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