Hallbrook Primary School

Inspection of Hallbrook Primary School Hallbrook Road, Broughton Astley, Leicestershire LE9 6WX

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 13 and 14 June 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at Hallbrook Primary School. They are polite, friendly and well mannered. Relationships between pupils and adults in school are strong. Class ‘recognition boards’ and ‘Friday nominations’ celebrate pupils’ successes and learning achievements. Sometimes, minor behaviour incidents stop pupils from learning. Instances of name calling and teasing occasionally happen. However, pupils felt confident that staff would step in should any problems occur. They know that adults in school will keep them safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Older pupils enjoy ‘master classes’ at a local secondary school. This gives them opportunities to try out subjects they want to know more about. It also helps them with the transition to their next stage in education. Others take on leadership roles as well-being ambassadors and playground leaders. As one pupil said: ‘This school is great. It allows us to make suggestions about things that affect us.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children in the early years explore the well-considered environment. Year 6 pupils enjoy learning about how Mayan civilisation created chocolate and measured time. However, the school’s curriculum is not sufficiently broken down into small steps of knowledge in some subjects. This does not help pupils, including those in the early years, to know more over time.

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better?

Leaders have taken significant steps to address the actions from the last inspection. With the support of the trust, they have introduced new systems and expectations for the curriculum and pupils’ behaviour. They have ensured that there is stability in leadership at all levels. However, many of these new systems are not yet fully embedded.

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better?

The school’s curriculum is in a period of refinement. In some subjects, such as mathematics, pupils gain knowledge in a well-considered way. Teachers provide clear explanations and check on gaps in pupils’ learning. This helps pupils to know more over time. However, this is not consistent across all subjects. In some subjects, the key knowledge that pupils need to know has not been precisely identified. In subjects such as writing, expectations of pupils’ work are not consistent. Assessment in some subjects is at the early stages of development.

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better?

Leaders have recently adopted a new programme for early reading. Children in the early years join in with the rhymes and songs. It helps them to use sounds to build words. Most pupils receive books that link to their stage of reading development. Leaders recognise that further work is needed to ensure that the expectations of the new programme are fully realised.

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better?

Older pupils enjoy reading widely. The school’s library is well stocked with a range of texts, many of which have been bought after pupil recommendations and suggestions. Leaders ensure that pupils read and share texts that explore diversity 13 and 14 June 2023

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and different groups in society. This helps pupils to broaden their understanding of the wider world.

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Leaders ensure that pupils with SEND receive the right resources and equipment to help them to access the curriculum. Where needed, they seek specialist advice to ensure that they have the right information to meet the needs of these pupils. However, this advice in education, health and care plans (EHCPs) is not consistently acted upon. Targets on some plans for pupils with SEND are not precise. This does not help all staff to meet the needs of these pupils in a coherent and consistent manner.

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Most pupils have positive attitudes to learning. Occasionally, pupils’ learning slows because some do not demonstrate the positive behaviour expectations that leaders have set. Not all adults deal with these instances of behaviour in the agreed consistent manner throughout the school day.

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Children in the new pre-school room enjoy playing together. They learn to share and work together as part of their routines for the day. Children in Reception are curious and excited about learning. However, too much of the knowledge children in the early years need to know is left to chance. The sequence of learning for these children is unclear.

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The school’s personal development programme is a strength. Leaders have ensured that there are a wide range of opportunities linked to sports, arts and music. They ensure that all pupils access this offer. Pupils fundraise for different charities, including ones that reflect their own medical needs.

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The trust has provided significant training to develop teaching and leadership at the school. Staff appreciate this support. It has led to positive changes in workload. Trustees, alongside the local governing committee, increasingly hold leaders to account for their actions. However, those responsible for governance at the school recognise that there is further work to do .

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff receive frequent training to keep safeguarding at the forefront of their minds. They know how to pass on concerns, including any worries about other staff or leaders. Leaders keep comprehensive records and act quickly when they have a safeguarding concern. They work well with external agencies and follow up concerns about pupils with rigour. Record-keeping and pre-employment checks are well managed.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about how to stay safe in different situations, including online. Where needed, teachers build in extra lessons to help pupils consider safety in a specific context, such as online group chats. 13 and 14 June 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s curriculum in some subjects, and in the early years, does not precisely identify what pupils need to know and when. In some curriculum areas, subject leadership and assessment systems are at the early stages of development. This does not help teachers to deliver the curriculum or for pupils to recall it in a logical and coherent manner. Leaders must ensure that the school’s curriculum precisely identifies what all pupils in all year groups must know and recall. They must ensure that subject leaders have the right knowledge and expertise to drive improvements in their area of responsibility.  Some pupils with SEND do not receive a precise curriculum. Occasionally, leaders do not ensure that the specialist advice included in EHCPs to support the needs of some pupils is acted upon. This does not help some pupils with SEND to develop fluency and independence in their learning over time. Leaders must ensure that

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

all pupils with SEND receive a curriculum that is well matched to their needs. They must ensure that any advice to support the needs of pupils with SEND is acted upon.  Leaders’ expectations for pupils’ behaviour and conduct are not fully implemented across school. This hinders pupils’ ability to learn. Leaders must ensure that the systems for behaviour are clearly understood and implemented by all staff and pupils.

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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.

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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. 13 and 14 June 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10241051 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 19 and 20 November 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, the interim headteacher has taken up the position of executive headteacher. She has leadership over two schools.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 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 held meetings with the executive headteacher, representatives from the trust, curriculum leaders and the leader with responsibility for the provision for pupils with SEND. They also spoke with leaders about pupil attendance and behaviour.  The lead inspector met with leaders responsible for governance at the school. 13 and 14 June 2023

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This included representatives from the trust and the governing committee.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, history and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also spoke to the leader responsible for early years and those responsible for the school’s personal development offer.  Inspectors examined a range of school documentation, including leaders’ self- evaluation, improvement plans and documentation relating to attendance and behaviour.  Inspectors considered the safeguarding culture. They scrutinised the school’s safeguarding policies and routines, and sampled a range safeguarding records.  Inspectors considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View,

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and the responses to the free-text service. They also considered the responses to the staff survey and the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Shaheen Hussain, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Jamie Nairn Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 June 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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