Hartlebury CofE Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Hartlebury CofE Primary School The Village, Hartlebury, Kidderminster, Worcestershire DY11 7TD

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Outcome

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

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Outcome

The head of school is Sophie Barlett. This school is part of Severn Academies Educational Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the acting chief executive officer, Mat Carpenter, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Monica Guise. There is also an executive headteacher, Shelley Reeves-Walters, who is responsible for this school and five others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a highly inclusive school. Staff and pupils model the school’s values of ‘compassion, respect and forgiveness’. This fosters a strong sense of community. One pupil, reflecting the views of many others, said, ‘This is an accepting place. We learn to be proud of who we are.’ This helps pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to gain confidence year on year. Pupils feel happy, safe and secure.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils behave well in lessons and around school. The school provides effective care and support for those pupils who need more help with behaviour. The support for pupils’ well-being is a strength of the school. Many parents are extremely positive about the high-quality pastoral support that the school provides.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school expects pupils to work hard and achieve well. They do so. Pupils especially love the fields and woodland where they extend their learning beyond the classroom. There are many opportunities to take part in projects beyond the academic such as eco- friendly and community work. This gives pupils a taste of democracy in action. The curriculum is enhanced through several visits and visitors. This fosters a love of learning.

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

Since the previous inspection, the school has worked effectively with governors and the trust to ensure that expectations have remained high. Reading is a key priority for the 4 and 5 March 2025

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school. In Nursery and Reception, stories, songs and rhymes are the basis for learning. This helps children to grow in confidence and develop early language and communication skills. They are well-prepared for their next stage.

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Well-trained staff teach phonics as soon as children join Reception Year. The school makes sure books match the sounds that pupils are learning. The school provides effective, additional support for any pupils who have fallen behind. Many pupils reach standards above those expected for their age by the time they leave in Year 6. Pupils love the school library. They enjoy author visits. The outdoor ‘book nook’ is a popular place where younger children read with older pupils at social times. This inspires the love of reading that is alive throughout school.

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The school works with other trust schools to refine and develop the curriculum. This enables the sharing of subject expertise and leadership work. The curriculum sets out clearly what pupils should learn and when, from early years to Year 6. In most subjects, leaders check the impact of the curriculum and adapt it as needed. This ensures that pupils are able to draw on what they already know and tackle increasingly complex tasks. In a small number of subjects, the school has recently introduced changes to the curriculum in order to focus more closely on subject-specific knowledge. In these subjects, arrangements to check the impact of the curriculum on pupils’ achievement have not started. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their subject knowledge that are unaddressed.

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In most subjects, the curriculum is delivered clearly and learning activities build on what pupils already know. For example, older pupils draw on their geographical knowledge in order to locate world countries. They use subject-specific terms, such as northern and southern hemispheres, as they explain aspects of physical geography, including climate zones. However, in a few subjects, including in early years, explanations of exactly what pupils must learn are sometimes not clear and learning tasks do not link precisely to what pupils have learned previously. This means that pupils do not build on their knowledge and secure new learning in the way that the curriculum intends.

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The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND quickly and accurately. High quality individual plans and support ensure that pupils are able to access the same learning as their classmates at an appropriate level of challenge. The school has recently experienced a rise in the number of pupils being identified with highly complex SEND. The trust works effectively with the school and external agencies to ensure that these pupils achieve the best possible outcomes.

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Impressive pastoral support and a range of strategies are leading to improvements in pupils’ rates of attendance. However, the attendance of some pupils remains too low. This remains a high priority for the school. Pupils talk about different religions with maturity and respect. They benefit from many extra-curricular activities including visits to the Houses of Parliament. Pupils are well prepared to become active citizens. 4 and 5 March 2025

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The trust works hand-in-hand with the school and governors to provide the best for every pupil. Roles and responsibilities are clear and carried out effectively. Staff feel well supported regarding their workload and feel their well-being is carefully considered.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school is not yet checking how well the recently introduced changes to the curriculum are impacting on pupils’ achievement in a small number of subjects. As a result, gaps in pupils’ knowledge in these subjects are not identified and pupils who might deepen their knowledge do not have opportunities to do so. The school should ensure that they check the implementation of all subjects to ensure that pupils achieve well.  In some subjects, teachers deliver the subject content with less confidence. Explanations are sometimes not clear and the work that pupils are set does not help them to build on what they have learned previously. As a result, pupils do not secure new learning in the way that the curriculum intends. The school should ensure that in early years, and in all subjects, pupils are provided with clear and ambitious learning activities that help them to develop the knowledge and skills that are identified in the

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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. 4 and 5 March 2025

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This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in January 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.

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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). 4 and 5 March 2025

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Executive Headteacher

Shelley Reeves-Walters Website www.hartlebury.worcs.sch.uk

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Executive Headteacher

Dates of previous inspection 22 and 23 January 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is a voluntary controlled Church of England school. The school received its most recent section 48 Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools inspection on 3 February 2017. The next inspection will be within eight years of the last section 48 inspection.  The school is part of the Severn Academies Educational Trust.  The school does not currently use alternative provision.  The school runs a breakfast club managed by the school.  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. 4 and 5 March 2025

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 This was the first inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in the evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the head of school, the executive headteacher and other senior leaders. She also held meetings with members of the multi-academy trust, including the chief executive officer and the director of primary education.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons with leaders, spoke to pupils about their work and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector observed a selection of pupils reading to members of staff. Other pupils were heard reading their own work during lessons.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: checked the school’s single central record; spoke to senior leaders about safeguarding procedures; took account of the views of staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school

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has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector considered a range of documents, including leaders’ self-evaluation and plans for improvement. The inspector checked records of attendance and behaviour. The inspector also observed pupils’ behaviour at playtime and lunchtime and talked to them about behaviour, bullying and welfare.  The inspector considered the views of parents submitted via Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. In addition, she met with parents at the end of the school day.  The inspector met with pupils and staff to gather the views of the school. She also reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for school staff.

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Inspection team

Marilyn Mottram, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 March 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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