Hungerford Primary Academy

Inspection of Hungerford Primary Academy School Crescent, Crewe CW1 5HA

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Inspection dates: 10 and 11 January 2023

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 10 and 11 January 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and happy at this warm and nurturing school. Leaders place a high priority on pupils’ mental health and well-being. Staff forge strong relationships with pupils and know their families well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/ or disabilities (SEND), told inspectors that there are many staff to whom they can talk if they have any difficulties or worries. Leaders quickly deal with any incidents of bullying or unkind behaviour effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders expect pupils to behave well. The youngest children listen attentively to their teachers and respond well to instructions. Pupils’ conduct across the rest of the school embodies the school’s values.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have the highest of aspirations for pupils’ learning across the curriculum. Pupils strive to meet these expectations. That said, there are gaps in pupils’ knowledge across a range of subjects. They do not learn as well as they should.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders work hard with families to support them in ensuring that pupils attend school regularly. However, there are still too many pupils who do not attend school often enough. This hampers the progress that these pupils make through the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those in the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND (specially resourced provision), enjoy helping to make their school a better place. They are proud of the roles that they have within school, for example as school councillors and well-being ambassadors.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers who shared their views with inspectors appreciate the improvements that leaders have made to the school. They value the support that leaders and staff provide.

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better?

Leaders have the highest ambition for what they want pupils to achieve academically. Trust and senior leaders have empowered subject leaders to make significant changes to the design of their curriculums. These changes have ignited pupils’ interest and enthusiasm.

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better?

Leaders have identified the knowledge that pupils will learn from the early years to the end of Year 6. Leaders make sure that teachers introduce new content in a logical order.

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better?

Leaders rigorously check how well teachers deliver the curriculum. Leaders and teachers quickly make adaptations to bring about improvements. For example, teachers now begin lessons with a recap of prior learning to support pupils to 10 and 11 January 2023

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remember and apply their learning in the longer term. However, the delivery of some curriculums is not as consistently strong as others. Some teachers move on to new learning without checking that pupils are fully secure with previously taught concepts. This impedes pupils’ ability to make sense of new curriculum content. Due to a legacy of underachievement, pupils do not learn as well as they should. They do not have a rich body of knowledge across the curriculum.

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Leaders place a strong emphasis on teaching pupils to read. They have put in place a well-thought-out early reading programme. Children in the early years get off to a good start with the school’s phonics programme. They join in enthusiastically with rhymes and songs. Teachers grasp every opportunity to develop children’s language and love of books. Staff have created cosy and inviting reading areas to foster pupils’ love of reading.

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Pupils who are in the early stages of learning to read use the sounds that they know to read unfamiliar words from books. Staff check how well pupils are keeping up with the phonics programme. However, not enough is done to support pupils who fall behind and are not fluent readers. Regular absences hinder the progress of some pupils through the reading curriculum. By the end of key stage 2, most pupils read confidently. They have positive attitudes toward reading.

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Leaders work tirelessly to make sure that the needs of pupils with SEND are accurately identified. As a result, pupils with SEND, including those in the specially resourced provision, quickly receive the support that they need to be able to access the same curriculum as their peers. They feel part of the school community.

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Children and pupils, including those in the specially resourced provision, work well together. They listen carefully to their teachers. Pupils focus well and can learn without interruption.

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Leaders make sure that pupils have many opportunities to enrich their learning beyond the academic curriculum. Pupils proudly spoke to inspectors about the different clubs that they can attend. Pupils show respect for other faiths and cultures. They enjoy trips to the local area; these include visiting the library and theatre.

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Trustees and governors have strong oversight of the school. They offer support and challenge in equal measure. Teachers appreciate the rich opportunities that leaders provide to develop their subject knowledge. This helps teachers to explain concepts clearly. Trust leaders and governors place a high emphasis on staff’s well-being. Staff are proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Trustees, governors and leaders ensure that a strong safeguarding culture permeates throughout the school. Leaders make sure that staff receive regular 10 and 11 January 2023

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training to keep their safeguarding knowledge up to date. Staff act swiftly to alert leaders to any potential issues or concerns about a pupil’s welfare or well-being.

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Leaders keep meticulous records. They are highly proactive and engage very effectively with external agencies and other partners.

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Pupils learn about different aspects of safety through a well-designed personal development programme. They learn about the importance of using the internet safely.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils do not keep up with the early reading programme. This means that they are not ready to access the next stage of their learning. Leaders should ensure that these pupils receive effective support so that they become confident and fluent readers.  Leaders’ changes to the design of their curriculums are fairly recent. It is too soon to see the full impact of this work. This means that pupils have significant gaps in their knowledge and do not remember what they have learned as well as they should. Leaders should make sure that the improvements made to their curriculums result in pupils gaining a strong body of knowledge in the longer term.  Some teachers do not routinely check that pupils are fully secure with prior learning before they move on to new content. This means that pupils do not build on their prior knowledge as well as they should. Leaders should make sure that teachers check what pupils understand so that misconceptions are quickly

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

addressed before new learning is introduced.  A small number of pupils miss too much school. They miss valuable learning time which negatively impacts their achievement. Leaders should ensure that the attendance of these pupils improves so that they do not miss important learning.

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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. 10 and 11 January 2023

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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. 10 and 11 January 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Hungerford Primary Academy converted to become an academy school in September 2018. When its predecessor school, Hungerford Primary Academy, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be inadequate overall.  The school is part of the St Bart’s Multi-Academy Trust.  The school has a specially resourced provision that caters for seven pupils ranging from Reception-age children to pupils in Year 6. Pupils’ primary needs are behaviour, emotional and social difficulty. All pupils who attend the specially resourced provision have education, health and care plans.  Leaders do not currently make use of alternative provision for pupils.  Leaders provide a breakfast club and an after-school club.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 10 and 11 January 2023

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 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.  Inspectors spoke with the principal, other leaders and staff in school. They spoke with a group of governors, including the chair of the local governing committee. They also spoke with the chief executive officer and the deputy chief executive officer. Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, science, design technology and history. They spoke with the curriculum leaders of these subject areas. Inspectors also visited lessons, looked at examples of pupils’ work, held discussions with teachers and talked with pupils.  Inspectors also spoke with leaders from other areas of the curriculum. They looked at pupils’ work and spoke with pupils.  An inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.

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 Inspectors observed children’s and pupils’ behaviour at breaktimes and lunchtimes. They observed pupils’ behaviour as they moved around the school.  Inspectors evaluated leaders’ safeguarding arrangements and scrutinised leaders’ self-evaluation documents and improvement plans.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school.  Inspectors spoke with parents as they dropped their children off at school. They considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View. This included the free-text responses.  Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Louise McArdle, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Niamh Howlett His Majesty’s Inspector 10 and 11 January 2023

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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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