Homefields Primary School

Inspection of Homefields Primary School Parkway, Chellaston, Derby, Derbyshire DE73 5NY

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Inspection dates: 29 and 30 November 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 13 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between graded inspections under section 5 of the Act. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection.

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Deborah Rollerson. This school is part of the East Midlands Education Trust, which means that other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Robert McDonough and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Andrew Hindmarsh 29 and 30 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Homefields Primary School is a caring and happy school. The school’s values of ‘be kind, be courageous, be respectful’, underpin all the school does. Pupils say that these values reflect their lived experience in this school. As a result, pupils feel happy at Homefields.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievement, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school’s five ‘attitudes to learning’, to be responsible, reflective, resourceful, resilient and reciprocal, are incorporated into all lessons. Pupils live up to these expectations and give full attention in lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides a nurturing environment. Pupils feel safe. Their behaviour and attitudes are outstanding. They are respectful, well mannered, and polite. This has not happened by accident; staff model the respectful and positive relationships they encourage in their pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the school’s wide range of opportunities to develop their leadership and sense of responsibility, such as being school council members, librarians, stick insect keepers, or being a younger child’s ‘buddy’. Pupils say these roles ‘improve our mental health as we are doing something good for others’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents appreciate the care and support their children receive. One comment typical of many was: ‘It is wonderful to see the nurturing care that the school provides. They create a very healthy environment for children to learn and grow in.’

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better?

The school has ensured that there is an ambitious curriculum in place for all subjects. In most subjects, it is clear what pupils should learn and when. This helps teachers to deliver the curriculum well. The school wants all children to develop positive attitudes, skills and knowledge. From Year 1 to Year 6, the knowledge that the school wants pupils to know and remember has been broken down into smaller steps of learning. This means pupils’ knowledge builds up in a logical order over time. The school is in the process of reviewing its curriculum plans to ensure that these fully include the early years foundation stage in all subjects.

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better?

Teachers assess pupils’ knowledge and understanding frequently in class. This information helps teachers to identify when pupils have gaps in their knowledge. They use it to inform their planning, so that any gaps are closed.

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better?

Teachers’ subject knowledge is strong, and they are passionate about what they teach. Teachers use retrieval tasks to help pupils to remember key learning. Pupils demonstrate high levels of engagement and enjoy their learning. 29 and 30 November 2023

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Pupils’ work is of a high quality in most subject areas. However, in a few subjects, where the curriculum plans are not as effective yet, the progression of skills is not as evident in pupils' books, and the quality of work is not as high.

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Most staff support pupils with SEND well. The school is passionate about enabling all pupils to access the full curriculum. However, the curriculum is not always as skilfully adapted in lessons as it could be to fully meet the learning needs of pupils with SEND.

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Learning to read and enjoying reading are priorities at the school. Pupils begin to learn to read as soon as they join the Reception Year. There is a systematic approach to the teaching of phonics. Reading books are well matched to the sounds that pupils know. Interventions are in place to support pupils who are at risk of falling behind. These begin straight away in the early years class and continue for as long as children need them. As a consequence, pupils develop as fluent, confident readers. Pupils talk positively about reading and with excitement about the lending library opening soon.

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Children in the early years learn in a nurturing environment. Children are happy and know the class routines. Activities are well planned and encourage children’s independence.

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Personal development is at the heart of the school’s work. Pupils benefit from a well- planned and sequenced personal, social and health education curriculum. The school’s ambition is for all pupils to be lifelong learners. Pupils learn about different faiths and cultures and values, such as respect and democracy. Pupils raise money and become active citizens as part of the ‘Homefields Heart’ charity work.

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The school provides high-quality pastoral support for its pupils through mindfulness activities, and provides training for pupils to become ‘peer mediators’. Pupils spoke about how this role makes the school ‘a place where all feel welcome and happy’.

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The school is well led. The governing body, trust and staff work together in the best interests of all pupils. The school staff feel well supported. A common view from staff was that: ‘Everyone cares for each other here.’ Staff are proud and happy to work at the school and be part of the ‘Homefield’s family’.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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 The school’s curriculum is well planned and sequenced in most subjects from Year 1 to Year 6. However, in some subject areas, not enough thought has been given to how the curriculum in the early years links to the curriculums in Year 1 to Year 6. There are some foundation subjects, where curriculum plans need to be more specific in the detail they contain. It is clear from leaders’ actions that they are in the process of reviewing some of these curriculum plans. The school needs to complete the process of refining and then embedding the curriculum in all subjects.  The school has not ensured that all teachers use all the available information about pupils with SEND precisely enough, or that they adapt their lessons consistently well enough to enable all pupils with SEND to access the school’s ambitious curriculum. The school must ensure that all teachers precisely meet the needs of pupils with SEND.

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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). 29 and 30 November 2023

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 28 and 29 June 2010 under Section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the East Midlands Education Trust.  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

 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.  The inspector met with the headteacher, other school leaders and members of the governing body and trust. 29 and 30 November 2023

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 The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading; mathematics; English; science and religious education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to groups of pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  An inspector listened to pupils in Year 1 and Year 2 read to a member of staff.  Inspectors also considered the curriculum plans and looked at pupil books for art and geography.  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 culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site during playtime.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils and staff and considered the responses to

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Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey and the pupil and staff survey.

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Inspection team

Dawn Ashbolt, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Kelly Royle Ofsted Inspector 29 and 30 November 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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