Holly Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Holly Primary School Holly Drive, Forest Town, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire NG19 0NT

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Outcome

Holly Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Holly Primary School is a welcoming and enjoyable place to learn. The ‘Holly values’ are at the heart of this school. Pupils are happy, proud and committed to their learning. They live up to teachers’ high expectations of their learning and behaviour. Pupils try their best in lessons and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and nurturing. There is a real ‘family feel’ to this school. Pupils feel safe and well cared for. They say that bullying is very rare. If it should occur, pupils are confident that staff will sort it out. One parent was typical of many when they stated, ‘The school is brilliant, and the staff are fantastic. I know that my child is safe in their hands.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well during lessons, around school and at playtimes. They strive to earn awards in the ‘shining star’ assembly. Pupils value the house points they receive for trying their best.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy responsibilities that promote independence and prepare them for the future. They are proud to be school councillors. Older pupils look after the younger children at lunchtimes. Pupils raise money for charities and help to run the school fairs.

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

Leaders and staff have worked hard to design the school’s curriculum. They have high aspirations for all pupils. Curriculum leaders have considered the order that pupils should learn key facts and ideas. Leaders have set out the most important information that pupils need to remember over time. This starts in the early years. Leaders have also considered what Year 6 pupils need to prepare them well for life in secondary school. Leaders’ recent work to revise the curriculum is almost complete. In a small number of subjects, leaders are still working on refining the key knowledge that pupils will learn. 13 and 14 July 2023

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In reading and mathematics, teachers make careful checks on what pupils have learned and understood. Teachers use the information from these checks well to spot pupils who need extra help and to identify gaps in pupils’ learning. Leaders want to develop this further so that the checks on pupils’ knowledge in other subjects are as precise.

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Reading is a high priority in this school. Children begin learning to read from the start of Reception. In nursery, children love listening to songs, stories and rhymes. Training is provided for staff and, as a result, they teach reading well. Adults check the sounds that pupils know. Pupils who find reading more difficult receive the help they need to catch up. Books are carefully matched to the sounds that pupils know, and this develops their confidence and fluency.

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Pupils have positive attitudes to reading. They enjoy visiting the ‘little lending library’. Parents and carers enjoy sharing a book with their children in the early years each Thursday morning. Pupils love to earn rewards for reading.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well so that they can access learning alongside their peers. Leaders, teachers and other adults work together to identify the needs of pupils with SEND. Teachers adapt their teaching and resources so that pupils with SEND develop confidence and achieve well. Leaders seek advice and support from a range of external agencies to ensure the needs of pupils with SEND are met.

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Children in the early years get off to a flying start. Staff know the children and their families well. Children love to learn and play together. They take turns, share, and develop confidence and independence. Children in the early years are curious and happy learners.

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Leaders are committed to giving pupils a wide range of experiences both in and out of school. Pupils enjoy residential trips and visits to Twycross Zoo, for example. They take part in wheelchair skills week, carrying out Olympic Games activities. Pupils benefit from visitors, including the local fire service, who teach them about fire safety.

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Leaders aim for pupils to become responsible and respectful citizens. Pupils learn about the importance of respect and democracy. They value and explore others’ views. Lessons across the curriculum help pupils to understand how to identify risks and how to recognise healthy and unhealthy relationships. Pupils speak with great respect when talking about difference and diversity.

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Leaders provide effective support and training for staff. Early career teachers value the support that they receive and love working at Holly Primary School. Governors are committed to the school. They share the same aspirations as leaders. Leaders, including governors, are committed to supporting staff workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 13 and 14 July 2023

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Leaders ensure that safeguarding pupils is a key priority. Staff are well trained. Leaders provide regular and relevant safeguarding training. This helps staff to identify and report concerns quickly. Leaders respond swiftly to concerns raised. They engage well with outside agencies to secure the necessary support for pupils and families. Leaders carry out robust checks on staff before they are appointed.

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Leaders provide opportunities for pupils to learn about possible risks. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe both in their locality and when using the internet.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Recent changes to the curriculum development for some subjects are still new. Therefore, the full impact on attainment is not yet realised. Leaders should continue with their ambitious curriculum plans in their entirety and monitor the impact that developments have on improving pupils’ knowledge over time.  In some subjects, teachers do not use assessment routinely to plan pupils’ next steps of learning. This means that what pupils learn is not consistently well matched to their level of understanding. Leaders must support staff to use the information they have from assessment to inform their planning so that pupils gain the depth of knowledge they need in all subjects.

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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 June 2014.

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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. 13 and 14 July 2023

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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 July 2023

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School details

Local authority Nottinghamshire County Council

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Duncan White (Executive headteacher) Sophie McGuiness (Head of school) Website www.holly.notts.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 March 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  The school has nursery provision for three-year-old children.  The school operates a breakfast and after-school club. This is run by school staff and managed by school leaders.

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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 held meetings with the executive headteacher, the head of school, the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator and a range of other staff. The inspector met with representatives of the local governing body.  To evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s arrangements for safeguarding, the inspector reviewed school policies, procedures and records. The inspector met with the 13 and 14 July 2023

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designated safeguarding lead and spoke with staff, governors and pupils about the school’s approach to keeping pupils safe.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, spoke with teachers and spoke with pupils about their learning. The inspector visited lessons and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school. The inspector considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. The inspector met with groups of staff and pupils and considered responses to Ofsted’s survey for staff.

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Inspection team

Kirsty Norbury, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 13 and 14 July 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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