Little Hoole Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Little Hoole Primary School Dob Lane, Walmer Bridge, Preston, Lancashire PR4 5QL

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Outcome

Little Hoole Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy to attend Little Hoole Primary School. The school rules of keeping safe, respectful and ready, underpin the high expectations that leaders set for pupils’ conduct. Pupils behave well and have positive attitudes toward their learning. If bullying happens, staff deal with it effectively. This allows pupils to feel safe and well cared for.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for the achievement of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils want to do well and try their best in lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, take a keen interest in the experiences offered to nurture their talents. This includes taking part in swimming galas, paralympic festivities, biking programmes and Commonwealth sports. Pupils also get involved in a range of clubs, such as running, rugby, taekwondo, comic and mad science. Pupils relish the opportunities to take on leadership roles. For instance, older pupils embrace their roles as ‘big friends’ to help children in the early years develop their language and communication skills.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils regularly take part in debates and discussions. This helps pupils develop a strong sense of what is right and wrong. Pupils are courteous to each other. They value the differences between people and they have an appreciation of different cultures and faiths. As a result, pupils are well equipped to take their place in modern Britain.

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

Leaders have updated their curriculum to ensure it is ambitious for all pupils, including pupils with SEND.

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

Leaders have identified the content that they want pupils to learn, from the beginning of the early years to Year 6. This means that teachers are clear about what knowledge pupils should be taught and when they will learn it. Teachers routinely emphasise and 1 and 2 March 2023

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revisit the key vocabulary pupils need to learn. This helps pupils apply understanding of key concepts in most subjects. Pupils build on their prior knowledge well.

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In some subjects, leaders’ work to check pupils’ knowledge is less well developed. This hinders teachers from knowing how well pupils remember their learning over time. As a result, teachers cannot address the gaps pupils have in their learning in these subjects.

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Leaders have cultivated a climate where pupils enjoy reading. Pupils have access to a wide range of high-quality texts to read, from the time they enter the early years. All teachers are trained well to teach phonics. Leaders routinely check if pupils are keeping pace with the reading curriculum. Swift support sessions are then put into place to help pupils catch up if there are gaps in their phonic knowledge. However, when early readers are practising reading sounds, the books that they use sometimes do not match the sounds that they have learned. This hinders some pupils from becoming confident and fluent readers.

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Leaders are quick to identify the needs of pupils with SEND. Leaders communicate with specialist services, parents and carers regularly to ensure that pupils are supported well. Teachers receive training which helps them to use support plans for pupils with SEND effectively. This helps pupils with SEND to access the full curriculum.

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Pupils are motivated to learn. They attend school regularly. Pupils, including children in the early years, follow the school rules and routines well. They display good manners and respect their classmates. Learning is rarely disrupted because of poor behaviour.

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Leaders offer a wide range of opportunities for pupils to develop their understanding of the world. This includes a range of educational visits to the zoo, museums, places of worship, theatre and national parks. Pupils also learn about debt, finances and budgeting. This helps pupils to develop a broad understanding of the world of work and life beyond school.

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Governors know the school well. They hold leaders to account for their decisions. Leaders carefully consider the support that staff need to help them thrive in their roles. Leaders take account of staff workload and their well-being. This enables staff to feel valued and motivated.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff are regularly trained and kept up to date on the risks that pupils could face in their everyday lives. This helps staff to remain vigilant to any signs of harm that pupils may experience. Leaders use secure reporting and recording systems so that they can quickly identify and respond to concerns. Leaders liaise well with families and relevant external agencies to ensure that pupils receive the help that they need.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are aware of different aspects of safety, such as keeping safe online and stranger danger. Older pupils have an awareness of the dangers of alcohol, smoking and drugs. 1 and 2 March 2023

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Pupils recognise the importance of informing adults if they face any risk of harm.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, leaders are at an early stage of checking what pupils do and do not know. This means that teachers do not have a clear understanding of how well pupils are increasing their knowledge over time. Leaders should ensure that teachers gather the information needed to help them identify and address the gaps pupils have in their learning.  Teachers do not ensure that the books that some pupils read match the sounds that they are learning. This gets in the way of these pupils practising what they have been taught. It prevents them from becoming confident and fluent readers. Leaders should ensure the pupils are provided with decodable books which match the sounds they are learning.

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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 September 2012.

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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 1 and 2 March 2023

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pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 1 and 2 March 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.little-hoole.lancsngfl.ac.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 17 October 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not make use of any alternative provision.  Leaders provide a breakfast club for pupils.

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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 spoke with the headteacher, other leaders and members of staff. She also spoke with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors, and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector analysed safeguarding documentation, including the single central record. The inspector spoke with a range of pupils, staff and leaders to evaluate the culture of safeguarding in the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and geography. She talked with curriculum leaders, visited lessons, looked at examples of children’s and pupils’ work, held discussions with teachers and talked with children and pupils. The 1 and 2 March 2023

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inspector also observed some pupils reading to trusted staff.  The inspector observed children’s and pupils’ behaviour in class and as they moved around school. She also observed pupils playing at lunchtime.  The inspector spoke with groups of children and pupils about their experiences at school.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. She also met with parents before school to find out their views of the school.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Amina Modan, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 1 and 2 March 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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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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