Hollydale Primary School

Inspection of Hollydale Primary School Hollydale Road, Nunhead, London SE15 2AR

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 1 and 2 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this happy and welcoming school. Adults are calm and kind. If pupils feel sad or need someone to talk to, they know that staff will listen and help them. This helps pupils to feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour in classrooms, in corridors and during social times is exemplary. This is because pupils are taught how to behave from the early years. Pupils explain that they behave well because they want to learn. Therefore, classrooms are purposeful environments. Pupils achieve well and meet the high expectations the school has for them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides many opportunities for pupils to take on positions of responsibility. This includes acting as members of the school council, reading buddies and members of the gardening club. Pupils in the gardening club grew vegetables which they took to Borough market to sell. These opportunities support pupils to demonstrate the school’s values of ‘responsibility’ and ‘resilience.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides meaningful opportunities for pupils to consider the views of others. For example, pupils debate whether Elijah McCoy or Alexander Miles was the greatest inventor.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are taught about faiths and cultures that may be different to their own. They visit places of worship and speak confidently about the importance of respecting others.

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

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum here. Children are taught to read as soon as they join Reception. This is because the school aims for children to read without delay. Pupils have opportunities to visit the local library and are read aloud to daily. Children in Reception listen enthusiastically to familiar texts. They take great delight in providing the sound effects for the ‘squelching mud’ as the teacher reads ‘We are Going on a Bear Hunt’. These experiences develop a love of reading.

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

Staff are trained to teach early reading well. This means that the reading programme is delivered consistently. Pupils practise sounds that they know by reading books that are matched to the letters that they have been taught. As a result, pupils read with developing confidence and fluency.

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

Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to revisit previous learning. Staff typically check the sounds that pupils know. Therefore, pupils who find learning phonics difficult are typically given the help they need to catch up.

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

The curriculum here is broad. The school has identified what needs to be taught in a logical order and this starts from the early years. In mathematics, for example, pupils in Year 2 confidently partition numbers up to 100. This is because they know the value of 1 and 2 October 2024

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each digit. Pupils in Year 4 classify plants because they have previously been taught the difference between flowering and non-flowering plants.

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Teachers have secure subject knowledge. They explain concepts clearly. For instance, when pupils are learning to play the ukulele, teaching demonstrates effectively how to move from one chord to another. As a result, pupils play the chord progression well. However, sometimes adults do not check what pupils know sharply enough and this means that some pupils struggle to link previous learning to their current learning. This includes some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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The school is determined that pupils with SEND achieve well. There are appropriate processes in place to identify pupils with SEND early on in their school careers. The school works effectively with external professionals, such as speech and language therapists, who provide staff with targeted training to support pupils further.

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Pupils are highly motivated and have positive attitudes to their learning. This means that teaching of the curriculum is not interrupted by silly behaviour. Pupils are taught how to manage their feelings and how to collaborate with their classmates. This starts in the early years where children are taught the importance of taking turns.

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The school has appropriate processes in place to monitor pupils’ attendance. Leaders work together with parents and carers to identify barriers so that attendance improves.

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The personal, social and health education curriculum is a priority for the school. Pupils are taught about diversity and that families can look different. Pupils respectfully explain that the most important part of being in a family is that you are ‘loved’ and ‘cared for.’

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Pupils enjoy the many wider opportunities offered. For example, the school provides a range of clubs including football, art and confidence club. Pupils in the choir speak with pride of singing at a local retirement home because they had the opportunity to ‘brighten someone’s day.’

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Governors understand the school’s strengths. There are various processes in place to check the effectiveness of the school. Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the initiatives in place to manage their workload and support their well-being. This includes teachers at the start of their careers.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding takes priority here. Pupils learn about risks within and beyond the school. For example, older pupils are taught how to keep safe when travelling on public transport and children in Reception visit the fire station to recognise things that are dangerous. Pupils are taught how to keep safe online in an age-appropriate manner. 1 and 2 October 2024

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Staff have received effective safeguarding training and know the importance of reporting concerns quickly. Leaders respond swiftly to concerns raised and work closely with outside agencies so that pupils and families receive the support that they need. Leaders carry out the necessary checks on staff before they are appointed. However, sometimes safeguarding records lack information about the actions that were taken by the school and the outcomes. The school should ensure that safeguarding records fully and accurately reflect the actions taken to keep pupils safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, the checking of what pupils know and understand is not precise enough. This means that some pupils struggle to remember previous learning and have gaps in their knowledge. The school needs to ensure that teaching staff check what pupils know and understand more rigorously so that all pupils achieve well.  Although safeguarding risks are identified swiftly and appropriate action is taken by leaders, on occasions, safeguarding records do not accurately capture the school’s work. This means that sometimes key information is missing from records. The school needs to ensure that safeguarding records contain accurate and sufficiently clear information on the steps taken to ensure pupils’ safety and well-being.

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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.

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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). 1 and 2 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body Chair of governing body Chiz Nwaosu

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 14 and 15 June 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently make use of any alternative provision.  The school operates a breakfast and after-school club.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024, will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision. 1 and 2 October 2024

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 This was the second inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors held meetings with the senior leadership team to discuss school development.  The inspectors met with representatives of the local governing board and with the school improvement partner.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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.  The inspectors scrutinised a wide range of documents, including those related to pupils’ wider development and behaviour and attendance. The inspectors also met with groups of staff and pupils to discuss these aspects of the school’s work.

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 The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, art and design, and science. For each deep dive, the inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  The views of parents and staff were also considered, including through Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Deborah Walters, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

David Hatchett Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 October 2024

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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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