Hope Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Hope Primary School Edale Road, Hope, Hope Valley, Derbyshire S33 6ZF

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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. Inspectors are recommending the next inspection to be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. They enjoy attending. As one pupil said: ‘We enjoy being together. Everyone gets on. It’s like one big family.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is positive. Pupils are polite and courteous. They like the clarity of the recently introduced behaviour policy. Pupils understand the school’s rules of ‘listen well, be kind and show respect’. They value the rewards that are on offer, including the board of recognition and being selected for celebration assembly. Pupils understand leaders’ expectations of them to ‘repair and restore’ any incidents of poor behaviour. Those who need extra help to follow the school’s rules get the support that they need.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is welcoming and inclusive. As one pupil said: ‘Everyone is welcome here.’ Another was eager to tell inspectors about how well supported she felt when she recently moved to the school. Pupils know that everyone should be treated equally and with respect. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have secured many improvements in the curriculum in a short period of time. However, it is not yet consistently well planned and sequenced. It does not yet ensure that pupils receive a consistently good quality of education across all subjects.

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

The school’s phonics programme is relatively new. It is working well. It makes clear the sounds that pupils should know at each stage of their education. Teachers carry out regular checks to ensure that pupils are keeping up with the programme. Extra help is given to those who begin to fall behind. The books that pupils read are closely matched to the sounds that they know. This helps them to become fluent readers early in their education. 19 January 2023

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Over time, pupils develop a love of reading. They read often and widely. Older pupils show an appreciation of a range of authors, including Shakespeare and Agatha Christie. However, the school’s curriculum for reading beyond phonics is underdeveloped. It does not consistently make clear what aspects of reading pupils are expected to have mastered at each stage of their education.

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The school’s curriculum is at different stages of being developed. Some subjects are well planned and sequenced. They result in pupils knowing and remembering more. Others are at an early stage of being improved. They have been planned and implemented but have not yet resulted in pupils remembering content. Some subjects remain underdeveloped. They do not provide enough clarity about the content that pupils are expected to know, or the order it should be taught in.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) knows these pupils well. In lessons, these pupils get well tailored support to learn the curriculum. The school works effectively with external agencies to ensure that these pupils get the help they need.

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Pupils value the activities and opportunities that are available to them. They make good use of the extra-curricular activities on offer, including Tai Chi, self-defence and movie club. Pupils are proud of the school band. They recall its performance at the school’s ‘Christmas cracker’ event with pride. Pupils are eager to help out around school. Responsibilities such as school councillors, librarians and school monitors are taken seriously.

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The recently appointed senior leaders know the school well. They know what is working effectively and what needs to improve. Senior leaders have begun to bring around improvements in the school’s curriculum, and recognise that there is more to be done. They have galvanised the staff and the local community. Parents praise the recent drive to improve communication. Staff are unanimously positive about the school. They share leaders’ drive and ambition. However, leadership at the school remains underdeveloped. Not enough staff have been trained to take on leadership responsibilities at different levels. This means that too much falls to the small number of senior leaders. Leaders have begun to address this, but the impact of actions is embryonic.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff know pupils well. They are alert to any changes which might indicate that pupils need help or support. Staff know the signs to look out for. Any concerns are recorded in detail. Leaders use this information to build bigger pictures over time.

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Safeguarding

Effective use is made of external agencies, and the school’s family support worker, to provide help where it is needed. 19 January 2023

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The required checks on people who are working at the school are carried out. However, governors have not ensured that these are consistently recorded on the school’s record of checks.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Governors have not ensured that the necessary checks that are required of people working at the school are consistently recorded on the school’s single central record. Governors should put mechanisms in place to assure themselves that the single central record accurately reflects the checks that have been carried out.  The school’s curriculum for reading beyond phonics is underdeveloped. It does not make clear what aspects of reading pupils are expected to master at each stage of their education. This means that content is not being taught is a systematic, well- ordered sequence. Leaders should ensure that the school’s reading curriculum is well planned and sequenced.  Beyond reading, the school’s curriculum is at differing stages of development. In several subjects, the curriculum does not provide sufficient clarity about the content that pupils are expected to know, or the order it should be taught in. This means that

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

pupils are do not systematically acquire the curriculum across the full range of subjects. Leaders should ensure that all subjects are consistently planned, sequenced and result in pupils knowing and remembering more.  Leadership at the school remains underdeveloped. Not enough staff have been trained to take on leadership responsibilities at different levels. This means that too much is left to the small number of senior leaders. Leaders should ensure that all relevant staff receive the training and support they need to take on appropriate leadership responsibilities.

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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 January 2018. 19 January 2023

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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. 19 January 2023

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School details

Inspection number 100241504 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 9 January 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Valley Federation of schools. This is made up of two small primary schools. The schools share the same executive headteacher and governing body.  The executive headteacher took up post in April 2022.  The school does not use any alternative education providers.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection that 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 headteacher, the school’s lead teacher, curriculum leaders and the SENCo.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in three subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work and met with teachers and pupils. An inspector listened to pupils 19 January 2023

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read. Inspectors also looked at curriculum documentation for physical education, music, design and technology, and modern foreign languages.  The lead inspector met with four representatives of the governing body, including the chair. Inspectors took account of the responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey. They considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff surveys.  The lead inspector met with safeguarding leaders. He reviewed school documents relating to safeguarding, behaviour, attendance and governance. He held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  An inspector visited the playground during breaktimes and spoke informally to parents outside the school.

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Inspection team

Vic Wilkinson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Chris Stevens His Majesty’s Inspector 19 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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