Huttoft Primary & Nursery School

Inspection of Huttoft Primary & Nursery School Church Lane, Huttoft, Alford, Lincolnshire LN13 9RE

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Inspection dates: 24 and 25 September and 3 December 2024

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

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The executive headteacher of this school is Damian Davey. This school is part of Horncastle Education Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Sandra James, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Wendy Ireland. The executive headteacher is responsible for this school and two others. 24 and 25 September and 3 December 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Everyone is welcome at this improving school. A significant number of pupils join the school at different points of their education. The school’s strong ‘family’ ethos means that pupils settle quickly. Everyone is treated with kindness and respect. Staff have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and conduct. Therefore, pupils behave well. They listen carefully to adults and lessons are calm and purposeful. Pupils know that there is someone who will listen and help should they have any worries or concerns. This helps them to feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high ambitions for all its pupils. It supports pupils to progress well through the curriculum. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These pupils receive effective help, for example, through extra resources, adult support or specific adaptations made to lessons. However, a few aspects of the writing curriculum do not match the school’s overall ambitious aims. This affects how well pupils develop the accuracy of their writing.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand the school’s values of friendship, respect, resilience, ambition and individuality . They are lived out daily by pupils in the way that they care for their school and the local community. For instance, the school ambassadors raise funds for local food banks. Pupils are proud to reward their teachers for demonstrating these values too.

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

The school, alongside the trust, has designed a curriculum that is broad and balanced. Staff work as a team to continue to develop this curriculum offer. They are committed to providing a high quality of education for the pupils in their care.

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

The school promotes pupils’ broader personal development well. Visits to places of interest link closely to the school’s planned curriculum. Many pupils develop a passion for sports. This is because the school ensures that pupils have the essential knowledge and skills that they need to play and compete successfully.

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

Pupils devour the books that they share during their class reading sessions. Carefully selected books mean that these titles become new favourites. The school has made a deliberate effort to ensure that the books pupils read reflect the diversity of modern Britain. This helps pupils to understand communities that are different to their own. Through the school’s effective approach to the phonics curriculum, most pupils learn to sound out and read words well. Those who need extra help are given effective additional teaching. Consequently, most pupils become confident and fluent readers by the time they leave the school.

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

The literature that pupils read closely aligns to the school’s curriculum for writing. This helps them to learn about and practise writing for different purposes. However, some teaching is not developing pupils’ handwriting, grammar and punctuation in line with the school’s high expectations. Sometimes, teaching does not identify and correct pupils’ errors. As a result, some pupils struggle to improve the accuracy of their writing. The 24 and 25 September and 3 December 2024

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school is currently addressing this, including through the introduction of a new approach to developing pupils’ handwriting.

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The school has managed effectively a significant increase in the number of pupils with SEND on roll. It ensures that pupils with SEND receive effective and timely support. Staff know the individual needs of pupils very well. Teachers make appropriate and effective adaptations to their lessons. For example, they provide extra resources and adult support where necessary. Consequently, pupils with SEND typically progress well through the curriculum, from their various starting points.

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The school has acted positively to address the low academic outcomes in mathematics published recently. Leaders have identified that some pupils, including those who join the school during Years 3 to 6, have gaps in their mathematical knowledge and understanding. This is particularly the case with arithmetic and in their written calculations. The new mathematics curriculum has started to address these issues effectively, with the school drawing on external guidance and expertise to enhance its work. Pupils are improving their use and understanding of mathematical methods, concepts and vocabulary. Consequently, teaching is successfully plugging gaps in pupils’ knowledge and many pupils are starting to catch up.

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Effective systems for managing pupils’ attendance, behaviour and conduct start in the early years. Children learn to work together as well as independently. For example, Nursery-aged children play simple games together and practise pronouncing their words accurately. Adults listen and respond positively to children’s ideas. They use their knowledge of the early years curriculum skilfully to provide children with appropriate support. For example, staff helped children to listen carefully to instructions as they threw different coloured bean bags into various shapes.

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The trust provides effective support to and oversight of the school. This includes making sure that the local governing body fulfils its roles. In a few instances, however, checks on the school’s work are not as rigorous as they could be. To address this, the trust is building expertise, especially with those governors who are new and those who have taken on roles with increased responsibility.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some aspects of how the writing curriculum are taught do not match the school’s expectations. As a result, pupils’ work contains basic errors in grammar and punctuation. Teaching does not address these consistently and pupils repeat the same 24 and 25 September and 3 December 2024

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mistakes. The school should make sure that its expectations for all aspects of pupils’ writing development, including handwriting, are fully realised.  On occasions, governance’s approaches to checking on the school’s work are not as comprehensive as they could be. This dilutes the rigour with which the school is held to account. The trust should ensure that it strengthens the knowledge and expertise of all those involved in its governance arrangements.

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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 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). 24 and 25 September and 3 December 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection 5 May 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Huttoft Primary and Nursery School converted to become an academy on 1 October 2012. It joined the Horncastle Education Trust on 1 December 2022.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school has provision for two-year-olds.  The school runs a before- and an after-school club that are overseen by the board of trustees.

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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. 24 and 25 September and 3 December 2024

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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.  The inspection started on 24 September 2024. Inspectors returned on 3 December 2024 to gather additional evidence in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: Deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence policy.  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.  Inspectors held meetings with the executive headteacher and other senior leaders. The lead inspectors met with representatives of the trust, including the CEO, and the chair

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of the local governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, physical education and history. For each deep dive, 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 curriculum in other subjects was also considered.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons, around the school and at social times.  Inspectors spoke with staff and pupils. They considered the responses to the staff survey and comments made by parents to Ofsted’s survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Peter Stonier, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Kyna Adkins Ofsted Inspector 24 and 25 September and 3 December 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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