Horndon-On-the-Hill CofE Primary School

Inspection of Horndon-On-the-Hill CofE Primary School Hillcrest Road, Horndon-on-the-Hill, Stanford-le-Hope, Essex SS17 8LR

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 September 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Deborah Bradley. This school is part of Osborne Co-Operative Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Paul Griffiths, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Trisha Jaffe. 26 and 27 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel a strong sense of belonging at this warm and welcoming school. They live by the values of both the school and the trust. Pupils show these values throughout the school day. Responsibility is particularly important to pupils. They develop their confidence and independence through the many opportunities the school carefully provides for them to lead. Pupil ambassadors are proud leaders who have a say in how to improve the school. Well-being ambassadors care deeply about helping other pupils should they need support. Across year groups, pupils look after each other and act as positive role models.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils of all ages happily play together on the playground and at the breakfast club. Older pupils especially enjoy setting up games for younger pupils to play during lunchtime. This helps to build the strong community feel that exists in the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils show respect and consideration towards each other and adults. They have a strong sense of everyone being unique and ‘special in their own way’. Pupils work hard in class. They want to reach the high expectations the school has of them. This helps pupils to achieve well across the curriculum.

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better?

The school has established a curriculum that is ambitious for all pupils. The curriculum has recently been reviewed and redesigned across the foundation subjects. It clearly identifies the most important knowledge and vocabulary pupils will learn during their time at school. This knowledge is appropriately ordered so that pupils learn the content in a sensible order. The school understands how the early years curriculum provides the important building blocks of learning that children need to be ready for key stage 1.

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better?

In subjects where the curriculum is well established, pupils develop a deep understanding of this knowledge and vocabulary. In mathematics, for example, teachers identify with precision how well pupils have learned and remembered important content. They then use these checks to adapt their teaching. Carefully chosen resources or time to revisit topics help pupils to secure their knowledge before they move on to new learning. In subjects where the curriculum is new, these checks on learning are less embedded. There are occasions where these checks on learning are not used to adapt teaching. This means pupils sometimes move on to new learning before they have secured their understanding of important knowledge and vocabulary.

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better?

Children in both Nursery and the Reception class settle quickly into school life. Well- trained staff carefully probe children’s understanding through thoughtful questions. A love of stories and reading begins in the early years. Children enjoy choosing stories and books to share with staff and each other. They learn the sounds that letters make. Once they have understood this, they learn to blend sounds together to read. The school identifies any pupil who finds reading hard. They then receive 26 and 27 September 2023

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effective help to become more fluent. Staff have the subject knowledge they need to teach reading well. Older pupils enjoy reading. They particularly enjoy the books and stories that teachers read to them.

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The school has established effective ways to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Specific needs are identified early. This helps staff in both the Nursery and Reception classes to provide the support children need. Staff have the knowledge they need to help pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers in class. Specific and well-chosen resources, for example, the use of technology, help pupils to read important information.

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Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. They want to attend school and do so consistently. The school teaches pupils the importance of listening to adults and each other. This helps classrooms to be places where pupils learn well. The school teaches pupils about the importance of respecting diversity. Pupils develop a broad understanding of different religions and people. Pupils show high levels of respect for anyone who is different to them.

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The school and the trust place a high priority on supporting and developing staff. This has a positive impact on pupils. Staff appreciate the opportunities they have to develop their own subject knowledge. Staff also value how the school helps them to manage their own workload and well-being. They are proud to work at the school. The trust has established clear ways to check how well the school is performing. Knowledgeable trustees and local governing body members support and hold leaders to account for the quality of education pupils receive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In subjects where the curriculum is new, there are occasions where checks on pupils’ understanding of content and vocabulary are not used to adapt teaching. This means, sometimes, pupils move on to new content before they have secured their understanding of this important knowledge and vocabulary. The school should ensure that teaching in all subjects is well adapted to enable all pupils to secure their understanding of important knowledge and vocabulary. 26 and 27 September 2023

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 26 and 27 September 2023

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School details

Date(s) of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Horndon-On-the-Hill CofE Primary School converted to become an academy in April 2019. When its predecessor school, Horndon-On-the-Hill CofE Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The school is part of The Osborne Co-Operative Academy Trust.  The school currently makes use of one registered alternative provider.  The school is a Church of England school. The school’s most recent inspection of its religious character under section 48 of the Education Act was in June 2019 and it will receive its next inspection within eight years of that date.  There is breakfast and after-school care for pupils on site that is run by the school.  The school operates nursery provision for children aged two to four years old.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 26 and 27 September 2023

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 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  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 carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and computing. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also listened to pupils read with a familiar member of staff.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive

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culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, subject leaders, the curriculum leader, trust leaders, staff, local governors, trustees and pupils.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including behaviour logs, bullying records, attendance records, pupil records, minutes of local governing body and trustee meetings, school improvement monitoring reports, school development plans and school policies.  There were 45 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, which were considered. Inspectors also spoke with parents as they arrived at school.  Inspectors spoke with pupils throughout the inspection to gather their views.  There were 23 responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for school staff. Inspectors met with staff throughout the inspection to gather their views.

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Inspection team

Michael Williams, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Gina Bailey Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 September 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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