Henley Primary School

Inspection of Henley Primary School Ashbocking Road, Henley, Ipswich, Suffolk IP6 0QX

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Inspection dates: 15 and 16 October 2024

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

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

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The headteacher of this school is Stephanie Hawes. This school is part of the Consortium Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Andrew Aalders-Dunthorne, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Steve Martin.

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Ofsted has not previously inspected Henley Primary School under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. However, Ofsted previously judged Henley Primary School to be outstanding for overall effectiveness, before it opened as an academy. 15 and 16 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy here. This is because the school is a calm and friendly place. Pupils learn how to be polite. They put this into practice and show how they care for each other and the school. For example, they follow routines quickly to tidy up. Pupils know that staff are there to help them if they feel unsure or worried.

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What is it like to attend this school?

A typical day involves opportunities to delve into a book. This is because teachers have high expectations that pupils should learn detailed and connected knowledge. Pupils quickly learn to read, and staff read interesting books in lessons. For example, in history, stories give pupils a fascinating insight into how people lived in the past. As a result, pupils make connections between different topics, learn new vocabulary and find new interests.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides wide and varied opportunities to develop pupils’ character. For example, pupils participate in art competitions and hone their focusing skills in the yoga club. Pupils can learn about conducting a small orchestra. They learn important character traits such as being resourceful. Pupils relish these experiences, which give them the confidence to learn new things.

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

The school’s curriculum is well sequenced. Recent work to improve the writing curriculum has made a positive impact. For example, pupils have noticed that they are now better at spelling. Teachers are subject experts and teach with enthusiasm. They help pupils to understand new concepts well and act quickly to address any misconceptions. As a result, pupils develop a rich and connected understanding of the past and the wider world.

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

Teachers work closely with support staff. They check frequently how well pupils learn the curriculum. Occasionally, adaptations to support pupils’ additional learning needs vary in quality. As a result, some pupils do not learn as well as they could. The school is addressing this with a new system of checking curriculum implementation.

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

In the Reception Year, staff support children initially to notice individual sounds. They move quickly on to teaching children the sounds that letters make. Staff use their expertise to help children and pupils to develop their reading fluency and confidence. Pupils who need to catch up receive plenty of support. Staff ensure that pupils’ early reading books match their stage of learning. They also introduce pupils to a range of literature that complement the curriculum.

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

The school identifies accurately the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff work closely with parents and carers to understand more about their children’s particular needs. Parents appreciate the way that the school helps their children to overcome barriers to learning. Pupils with SEND access the full curriculum as well as opportunities for enrichment, such as trips and clubs. 15 and 16 October 2024

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Staff in the early years are experts in child development and know children’s interests and needs. They help children to learn important routines such as how to line up. As a result, children listen carefully to adults’ instructions. This helps children to keep safe, share with one another and learn more. Staff make sure that every child has an opportunity to practise key skills, sing songs and listen to stories. Occasionally, teaching does not sufficiently help children to avoid mistakes when they first learn how to write. Staff quickly spot errors and help children to catch up promptly.

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The school encourages pupils to behave well. Staff praise and reward pupils for showing care and effort. As a result, pupils concentrate in lessons and listen carefully to teachers. If pupils occasionally say something hurtful, the school supports pupils to make amends and make friends again. The school works closely with parents to help pupils to attend as regularly as possible.

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Pupils learn about relationships, personal safety and respect for others’ beliefs. The school provides a wide range of enrichment opportunities, both in and out of school. The way that the school teaches pupils about character helps pupils to develop their resilience, confidence and curiosity. Pupils appreciate the school’s focus on character development. It is, in the school’s and pupils’ views, an important part of pupils’ educational experience.

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The trust aptly supports the school to focus on the quality of education and staff and pupil well-being. Staff make use of the trust networks of support to enhance their knowledge of, for example, subject teaching and the finer points of safeguarding best practice. Staff feel and are supported well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In the early years, the school’s focus on children’s early transcription knowledge is not sharp enough. As a result, some children make errors in their written communication when they first learn this knowledge. The school should support staff to improve children’s initial experiences of written communication, so that children become successful in this area from the start.  Sometimes, adaptations to support pupils’ additional needs vary in quality. As a result, some pupils do not learn as well as they could. The school should continue to support staff to apply the school’s teaching methods consistently and make sure that all pupils learn the curriculum effectively. 15 and 16 October 2024

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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). 15 and 16 October 2024

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School details

CEO of the trust Andrew Aalders-Dunthorne

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Consortium Trust. The predecessor school, also named Henley Primary School, was judged outstanding for overall effectiveness when it was inspected in November 2014.  The school runs a before- and after-school club.  The school does not currently make use of 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. 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 and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 15 and 16 October 2024

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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 the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with staff, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during breaktimes and in lessons.  The lead inspector held a meeting with the CEO, two trustees and the multi-academy trust’s director of primary education.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors reviewed the single central

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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 spoke with a range of staff during the inspection. The lead inspector considered responses made by parents to Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. The lead inspector also considered responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Hannah Stoten, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lynn Ayling Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 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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