Heckington St Andrew's Church of England School

Inspection of Heckington St Andrew’s Church of England School Heckington St. Andrew’s C of E Primary School, Howell Road, Heckington, Sleaford, Lincolnshire NG34 9RX

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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 Outstanding Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 7 and 8 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Heckington St. Andrew’s are polite and friendly. They enjoy learning in a calm learning environment, which begins in the early years. Expectations of behaviour and work are high. Most pupils rise to these expectations. They live the school’s values, including respect and responsibility.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious to meet the needs of all pupils. This ambition is being realised. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access all activities. They receive effective support to achieve well in line with their peers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel happy and safe at school. This leads to high attendance. Pupils know that they can talk to an adult if anything is worrying them. From the early years to Year 6, relationships between children and staff are positive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Learning activities capture the interest of pupils. For example, in a geography lesson, pupils interviewed the headteacher about the sourcing of school dinners. Their questions showed great maturity. Children in the early years enjoy serving customers in their ‘restaurant’. One child exclaimed, ‘I’ve made so many pancakes!’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers express confidence in the school. As one parent commented, ‘The education and care they have shown my child has been second to none.’

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better?

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum that begins in the early years. Clear plans identify the key knowledge that pupils must learn and the order in which they need to learn it. The school has developed effective ways of checking pupils’ learning in most subjects. These checks help teachers to understand how much pupils know and can remember. In turn, this helps to move learning forward. In a small number of subjects, this work is not yet complete.

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better?

All children, including those who have SEND, flourish in the early years. They are quick to learn the routines of school life and are very well behaved. An exceptionally well-planned curriculum is closely tailored to precisely what children need to learn next. Well-thought-out activities bring this to life and provide children with ample opportunities to practise what they are learning through play. Children are deeply engaged in these experiences such as constructing Chinese lanterns or creating an imaginary world of dance classes.

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better?

Positive attitudes to learning extend throughout the school. Warm relationships between adults and pupils are well established. Classrooms are calm spaces, where pupils focus on their learning.

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better?

Reading is a top priority in the early years and across the whole school. Children begin learning to read as soon as they start in the Reception Year. The school provides timely support for any pupils who need help to keep up. Staff delivering the 7 and 8 February 2024

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phonics programme are knowledgeable. They work well together, supporting each other to make each lesson count. The school encourages pupils to recommend books to each other. This happens on a regular basis and helps to foster a love of reading. The school has developed a detailed plan to help ensure a high-quality literary ‘diet’ for pupils. Pupils enjoy reading. As one pupil said, ‘It’s like opening up a new world.’

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The school makes sure that pupils’ mathematical understanding builds in small steps. Pupils enjoy mathematics. They can talk with confidence about their learning. They are happy to have challenging work because support is available when needed. High-quality support is not limited to mathematics and reading. For example, pupils say that each science lesson helps them connect their learning. Pupils recall their prior learning in science lessons with enthusiasm. They share their knowledge of the planets, electricity and animal adaptation.

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Pupils’ personal development is at the heart of the school’s work. The school ensures that the curriculum extends beyond the academic. Through extra-curricular activities, pupils learn the importance of resilience and teamwork. This contributes to their good behaviour and positive attitudes to learning. Pupils enjoy leadership responsibilities such as worship wardens and sports leaders. Special visitors inspire pupils to follow their dreams. Pupils learn about people from different backgrounds and with different religious beliefs. Pupils show high levels of respect for others. Although pupils know about fundamental British values, some pupils do not fully understand them.

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This is a school where leaders are reflective. Governors have an accurate view of the school and a clear vision for future priorities. The local authority has provided effective support to help improve the school. Staff say that they are proud to work at the school. They value the work of leaders to support their well-being and workload. Morale is very high.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Assessment arrangements in a small number of foundation subjects are in development. Therefore, teachers are not always confident in knowing how secure pupils are in their understanding of key knowledge. The school should ensure that all assessment information is used well so that pupils know and remember more over the long term.  The school’s plans for teaching British values are not yet fully developed. As a result, some pupils do not have an age-appropriate depth of understanding of the British values they have been taught. The school should ensure that all pupils 7 and 8 February 2024

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have an age-appropriate understanding of the key values that are important in Britain today.

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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). 7 and 8 February 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 4 May 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Diocese of Lincoln. The most recent section 48 inspection of this Church of England school, which is an inspection of the school’s religious character, took place in November 2019.  The school does not use any alternative education provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other leaders. They spoke with groups of staff and pupils. They met with members of the governing body and with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, science and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, looked at 7 and 8 February 2024

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samples of work and spoke to pupils about their learning. The lead inspector listened to pupils reading aloud to a familiar adult. Inspectors also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in a range of other subjects.  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 during lessons and around the school site.  Inspectors spoke with parents at the school gates. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s survey, Ofsted Parent View.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation, including school improvement plans and minutes of governors’ meetings.

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Inspection team

Martyn Skinner, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Ian Toon Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 February 2024

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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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