Hunter's Bar Infant School

Inspection of a good school: Hunter’s Bar Infant School Sharrow Vale Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S11 8ZG

p.1

Inspection dates: 22 and 23 February 2023

p.1

Outcome

Hunter’s Bar Infant School continues to be a good school.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

The headteacher and staff are highly regarded by parents and carers, who say that their children are treated with great respect and learn well. Parents say communication between home and school is excellent. They recognise that staff care deeply for every child. This is a school at the heart of its community.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and children enjoy school and learning with their friends. They are polite and friendly to each other and to adults. Pupils play well together. They make sure that no one is left to play alone at lunchtime or at breaktimes.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave very well. The school is a calm and orderly environment that is well looked after. Bullying is very rare. Leaders do not tolerate it. Pupils know that, if they are worried, there are staff who will help them and adults they can trust.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a strong sense of equality. They say everyone should be kind to each other and appreciate each other’s differences and views.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and teachers have high expectations of all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers plan lessons that encourage pupils to contribute well.

p.1

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

Leaders have planned a well-organised curriculum. It develops pupils’ knowledge and expertise across a broad range of subjects. The curriculum is carefully sequenced from the Reception Year to Year 2. Leaders are ambitious for all pupils. Disadvantaged pupils, pupils with SEND and pupils who speak English as an additional language follow the same curriculum as others. Adults provide them with very effective support.

p.1

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

Teachers build learning in a logical way to meet the needs of all pupils. They are clear about what pupils should know. Teachers’ explanations are concise and help pupils to 22 and 23 February 2023

p.1

2

start work quickly. Teachers focus well on pupils’ vocabulary and language development. They ask focused questions to check pupils’ knowledge and understanding. There is a strong team ethos, with subject leaders coaching and supporting teachers in their work.

p.2

2

Mathematics is taught exceptionally well. Teachers use a wide range of practical resources to help children learn well. Pupils’ errors are picked up quickly and are used to deepen their understanding. However, in some other subjects, staff do not consistently challenge pupils to deepen their learning further. Occasionally, teachers do not identify common misconceptions soon enough. This means that, in a few subjects, pupils are not deepening their learning to reach the highest standards.

p.2

2

Phonics is taught very effectively across the school. This helps pupils to learn new letter sounds quickly. Teachers plan interesting tasks for phonics. For example, pupils pick out the sounds they are learning from computer screens to help with segmenting and blending. Books are well matched to the letter sounds being learned. Those who find phonics and reading more difficult get skilful support to help them to keep up with their peers. Pupils recall words and sounds quickly. Staff focus well on checking that pupils understand the books they read. By Year 2, pupils have an extensive range of vocabulary and good reading comprehension skills.

p.2

2

Leaders create opportunities for parents to make a very strong contribution to reading. Large numbers of parents get involved in activities such as ‘reading by torchlight’ and ‘secret reader’, to promote reading. Pupils regularly take reading books home to practise their reading skills. Pupils of all ages love reading and listen exceptionally well when adults read to them. They enjoy the large choice of books available to them and are proud of their ‘reading gardens’ in the corner of each classroom.

p.2

2

Across the school, pupils cooperate exceptionally well with adults. The foundations for this start in the Reception Year, where children are very attentive, cooperative and willing to help each other. From the start of children’s time at the school, teachers promote the school’s ‘High Five’ rules. As a result, pupils are kind, respectful, caring and willing to share. At lunchtime and breaktimes, pupils mix well together. They enjoy using the trim trail equipment and are very active.

p.2

2

Pupils enjoy clubs such as drama, yoga, dance and tennis. They learn about democracy by voting for school councillors. Pupils learn about a wide range of artists from different cultures and how people have attempted to overcome inequality. They have a good sense of fairness.

p.2

2

Leaders and governors consider staff’s workload in all they do. They give extra time to staff to plan and develop the curriculum. Staff appreciate the care, attention and support leaders provide. All staff are proud to be members of the school.

p.2

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 22 and 23 February 2023

p.2

3

Staff receive regular training and know that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. They are vigilant and understand how to keep pupils safe. Leaders discuss potential safeguarding incidents with staff often. This gives staff experience in deciding what should be done if incidents occur. Governors and leaders make thorough checks on the suitability of adults who work with pupils.

p.3

3

Pupils learn about road safety, riding a bike safely and staying safe online. The police service contributes to pupils’ knowledge of how to stay safe. Leaders designed a ‘green wall’ around the school’s playground to protect children from car emissions.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, leaders have not identified the steps that teachers need to take to deepen pupils’ subject knowledge. This means pupils are not reaching leaders’ ambitious curriculum goals in some subjects. Senior leaders should support subject leaders to provide teaching staff with the strategies to extend pupils’ knowledge further.

p.3

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.

p.3

Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in February 2013.

p.3

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.

p.3

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.3

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 22 and 23 February 2023

p.3

4

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. 22 and 23 February 2023

p.4

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Website www.huntersbarinfantschool.co.uk

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection 14 September 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 There have been significant changes in leadership since the previous inspection. The new headteacher and deputy headteacher were appointed in September 2022.  The school does not use alternative provision.

p.5

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 met with the headteacher, senior leaders and subject leaders. The inspector held discussions with governors, including the chair of the governing body, and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and art. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with curriculum leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector also listened to some pupils reading. 22 and 23 February 2023

p.5

6

 The inspector reviewed a range of safeguarding documents, including the single central record of recruitment checks. He met with the designated safeguarding lead to check how leaders record and respond to safeguarding concerns. The inspector checked the safeguarding and welfare requirements for children in the early years and spoke with staff about safeguarding and child protection. He spoke to pupils about safety and how they learn to stay safe.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour throughout the two days. He spoke to pupils about their views on behaviour in school. The inspector considered how the school supports pupils’ personal development.  The inspector spoke with a number of parents at the end of the first day of inspection. He analysed responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View.  The inspector met with pupils and staff to consider their views. He analysed staff’s and

p.6

6

pupils’ responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaires.

p.6

Inspection team

Jim McGrath, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 22 and 23 February 2023

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7