Hearsall Community Academy

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Hearsall Community Academy Kingston Road, Coventry, West Midlands CV5 6LR

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Outcome

Hearsall Community Academy has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Claire Jones. This school is part of Inspire 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), Lois Whitehouse, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Mark Gore. There is also an executive headteacher, Helen Hastilow, who is responsible for this school and three others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Hearsall Community Academy is a very special place. Pupils are, rightly, incredibly proud to be part of this inclusive school. They enjoy attending school each day and are keen to learn. The school’s motto, ‘Reach your true potential’, is more than just words; it is a message that staff and pupils live by. The school has high expectations for behaviour and achievement, and pupils eagerly rise to meet them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s values of ‘learning, nurture, respect, joy and trust’ are embedded in school life. Pupils treat each other kindly and respectfully. Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and supportive. Pupils are well cared for. They know that there are trusted adults to speak to if they are worried. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe and healthy, including when online.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are many exciting opportunities available to pupils beyond the classroom. They enjoy taking part in residential trips, competitions and a wide range of clubs and other activities. Pupils take on important roles in school, such as equipment monitors, school councillors and being part of the junior leadership team. These enriching experiences help pupils to grow in confidence, develop new skills and enjoy school life to the full. 13 and 14 May 2025

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

In each subject, the ambitious curriculum identifies exactly what pupils are to learn. The curriculum builds from the early years to Year 6. This means that pupils can draw on previous learning when they are taught new content.

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

Staff benefit from effective training to deliver the curriculum. Teachers present information clearly for pupils. However, checks on learning in some lessons do not identify pupils’ misconceptions and gaps in knowledge quickly enough. As a result, some pupils do not recall knowledge as fluently as they should before they are moved on to new learning.

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

Many children who join the school in the early years and other year groups speak English as an additional language. Staff support these children to develop strong communication and language skills. The school ensures that pupils master the foundations in these subjects. The school prioritises reading. Staff are well trained to deliver phonics lessons, and pupils practise learning to read books well matched to the sounds they know. The school quickly identifies, through accurate assessment, when pupils are at risk of falling behind in reading. Effective support is put in place so that pupils learn to read and to develop a love of reading. The school is rightly proud that every pupil can find themselves represented in a school library book.

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

Across the curriculum, pupils love to learn. For example, in physical education (PE), pupils in Year 6 learning to improve their accuracy when overarm bowling enthusiastically describe how the pitch of the ball affects bounce, and why this is important. In science, pupils in year 2 use subject-specific vocabulary, such as ‘germination’, when eagerly investigating what plants need to flourish.

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

The provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is strong. The school quickly identifies pupils’ needs, and support is put in place so that all pupils can succeed. Pupils who attend the school’s specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND (specially resourced provision), ‘Ladybirds’, receive an excellent education. They benefit from the same opportunities as all pupils. For example, they learn new dances during the ‘Days of Dance’, led by a local resident. Pupils are also taught important life skills closely matched to their needs.

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

The school’s determination to improve pupils’ attendance is paying off. Attendance is steadily increasing. From the early years, pupils quickly establish positive attitudes to learning. Pupils proudly wear ‘secret student’ lanyards to show that they have consistently followed the rules. During social times, there is a lot to do. From hopscotch to organised sports activities, pupils love to play together. The school provides nurturing pastoral support for pupils who find the bustle of school life tricky. Caring for Basil the gecko and Giraffe the python gives pupils an opportunity for quieter time.

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

Pupils are being incredibly well prepared for life beyond school. They are proud to celebrate the 56 countries that they represent. Initiatives such as a community cookbook, which shares recipes from around the world, help to develop pupils’ understanding of difference. Pupils relish taking part in the ‘Inspire Challenge Awards’. These carefully 13 and 14 May 2025

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chosen experiences help pupils to learn new things and develop talents, character and resilience. From reflection times in assemblies to learning about astrophysics in a science discussion club for pupils, families and the community, pupils’ horizons are broadened.

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The school, local governing committee and trust work together to drive the school forward through impactful, sustainable school improvement. Staff feel valued and are proud to work at the school. They appreciate the supportive approach taken to managing their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Occasionally, misconceptions and small gaps in knowledge are not identified and addressed swiftly enough. This means that pupils’ learning is sometimes moved on before they have secured their understanding. The school should ensure that teaching identifies and addresses pupils’ misconceptions and gaps in knowledge routinely well, so that pupils learn the curriculum with even greater success.

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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 school to be good for overall effectiveness in January 2020. 13 and 14 May 2025

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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). 13 and 14 May 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 21 and 22 January 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Inspire Education Trust.  The school provides on-site, before- and after-school childcare.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  The school has one specially resourced provision unit. Ladybirds is a ten-place enhanced communication and interaction provision for children with an education, health and care plan.

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Information about this inspection

 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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 13 and 14 May 2025

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 The inspector spoke with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator and other leaders in school. The inspector met with the chair and other representatives of the local governing committee. She also met with the CEO and deputy CEO of the multi-academy trust, and the chair and other members of the trust’s board of directors.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their work, looked at samples of pupils’ work and listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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 inspector considered the responses to the staff survey and spoke to a range of

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staff about their views of the school.  The inspector took account of responses to the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire and the free-text responses. There were no responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Rachel Henrick, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 13 and 14 May 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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