Handale Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Handale Primary School West Park Avenue, Loftus, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire TS13 4RL

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 January 2025

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Outcome

Handale Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The acting headteacher of this school is Rio Farrier. The school is part of Lingfield 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 (CEO), Nick Blackburn, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Stuart Crowther.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Handale attend a happy school at the heart of the community. Pupils live by the school values. They work hard and show respect and kindness to all. The school’s values are well understood. Staff foster a caring and inclusive atmosphere where pupils thrive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for all its pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This is reflected in the work pupils produce in school and in the outcomes achieved by pupils in national tests.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. The school has high expectations of pupils. Children in the early years learn and play alongside each other happily. Pupils are attentive in lessons and move around the school sensibly. Pupils are helpful and considerate, showing kindness to each other. They know that bullying is rare and is swiftly dealt with if it ever does occur. Pupils feel safe and know who to talk to if they have any worries.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take on responsibilities with a sense of pride. They value the role of librarians in promoting reading throughout the school. They know the difference sports leaders make at playtimes. They get the opportunity to apply for other roles too, such as Head Boy and Head Girl. 28 and 29 January 2025

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

The school has constructed a well-sequenced curriculum from the early years to Year 6. This builds on pupils’ knowledge progressively, identifying the key knowledge and vocabulary pupils need to know and remember. Teachers skilfully draw upon pupils’ prior knowledge in a range of subjects. For example, during history in Year 4, pupils built their learning of significant individuals by recalling learning about Captain Cook in Year 2. Year 1 pupils used their knowledge of seasons from Reception to support their new learning about weather and climate in geography.

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

There is a consistency in teaching across the school. Teachers share their subject knowledge deliberately and effectively. They use a range of strategies in lessons to help pupils remember important knowledge. For example, new units of work in mathematics begin with a check so staff are aware of any gaps or misconceptions in pupils’ learning. The school has given careful thought to the resources pupils use to support their learning. This is well illustrated in mathematics, beginning in early years. Resources are deliberately provided throughout the classroom and outdoor learning spaces to enable children to practise things they have already been taught.

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

The school uses a range of techniques to enable lessons to be adapted for learners, including those with SEND. The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND well. Some younger pupils are less successful at writing than they should be. This is because their writing tasks have not been closely matched to their reading ability.

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

Reading is a priority at Handale. There is a clear love for reading across the school. Visitors are greeted by a tree made from books when they enter. The reading curriculum is then prominent throughout the school. There is a well-resourced school library, and there are reading areas in each classroom. Pupils can talk about a range of books they have read in school and at home. The curriculum for early reading is well established. Phonics is taught confidently across the school. Staff are well trained and highly skilled. Pupils who fall behind receive timely extra help and catch-up quickly. The school is aware that some less-confident readers need to practise their reading fluency further and has appropriate strategies in place. The impact of the school’s work can be seen in the positive outcomes of the Year 1 phonics screening check in 2024.

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

Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education and life outside school. They learn about healthy relationships. Pupils are taught about important issues, such as racism, inequalities and stereotypes. The teaching of values is underpinned through a range of books and assemblies. Pupils know how to stay safe, both in school and online. The school promotes a range of careers. It is working to broaden this through more deliberate links to the curriculum. There are a variety of after-school and holiday clubs for pupils to attend.

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

Leaders at the school and from the trust work together effectively on the school’s priorities. The local governing body is passionate about the school and its role in the community. Trustees are well informed and able to carry out their statutory duties well. 28 and 29 January 2025

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Teachers appreciate that leaders take their workload into consideration when making decisions. They feel this is enabling them to become better teachers.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils at the early stages of reading make slower progress in writing than they could. This is because they are asked to write words containing sounds they have not yet been taught. The school should continue to work on improvements to the writing curriculum to ensure tasks closely reflect the sounds that pupils have been taught to read.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Handale Primary School, to be good for overall effectiveness in February 2020.

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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. 28 and 29 January 2025

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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). 28 and 29 January 2025

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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 Lingfield Education Trust.  The school provides educational provision for two-year-old children.  Handale Primary School converted to become an academy school in April 2022. When its predecessor school was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good for overall effectiveness.  The school currently offers both breakfast and after-school provision.  The school does not currently use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 28 and 29 January 2025

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact with the school and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspector held discussions with the acting headteacher and other school staff. The inspector met with members of the local governing body and held an online meeting with the chair of the board of trustees and another trustee. The inspector also met with an executive leader of the trust.  The inspector listened to some pupils in Years 1 and 2 reading to an adult.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: met the designated safeguarding lead; checked the single central record of adults working in the school; took account of the views of staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the

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school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector viewed a range of school documentation, including the school’s self- evaluation documents and minutes of governance meetings.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school. He spoke to pupils and staff about behaviour.  The inspector spoke with a range of staff to discuss how the school supports their workload and well-being.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. He also considered responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Paul Martindale, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 January 2025

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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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