Schools & FE · Report card

Heron Cross Primary School

Inspected 20 Jan 2026 · URN 124003

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Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

Barry Yeardsley (lead), Azizan Kabil, Justine Lomas, Niall Gallagher

What we read, and from where

Click a reading to see it highlighted in the report.

Achievement verified
Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour verified
Strong standard
Curriculum and teaching verified
Expected standard
Early years verified
Expected standard
Inclusion verified
Strong standard
Leadership and governance verified
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing verified
Strong standard
Framework verified
Report card
Inspection datesingle source
20 Jan 2026
Inspectors verified
Azizan Kabil, Barry Yeardsley, Justine Lomas, Niall Gallagher
Postcode verified
ST4 4LJ
Name on report verified
Heron Cross Primary School
Safeguarding verified
Met
URN verified
124003

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Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

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Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

AchievementExpected
Attendance and behaviourStrong
Curriculum and teachingExpected
Early yearsExpected
InclusionStrong
Leadership and governanceExpected
Personal development and wellbeingStrong

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

+86Very positivemore positive than 81% of reports of this type

In line with other reports of this type.

Praisehighly effectiveeffectivelyeffectivepositiveconsistentlythriveenjoyexemplary

Criticismgapsconcernsdisruptionpersistently absentnot consistentlynot secure

How the report reads, start to finish

Every paragraph in order, sized by length. Tap one to see it on the page.

FindingsSafeguardingAbout the inspectionLeadershipWhat needs to improve positive critical

Findings1580w+87
Leadership229w+83
Safeguarding51w−11
What needs to improve60w+50

Strengths

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Concerns

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No strong criticism found.

Next steps

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What the report dwells on

Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.

Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages: 16
Words of findings: 1,918; about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level: Hard; Flesch 43, typical 43
Average sentence: 15 words
Next steps: 2; typical 3
Hedged sentences: 1%; “some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 54%Leadership 8%Safeguarding 2%What needs to improve 2%About the inspection 35%

Full report text

Heron Cross Primary School

Address: Grove Road, Heron Cross, Stoke-on-Trent, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST4 4LJ Unique reference number (URN): 124003

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Leaders prioritise attendance very successfully. They promote the importance of regular attendance and establish positive attitudes from Nursery onwards. As a result, attendance rates are high and above the national average. Attendance for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils is particularly impressive. Due to leaders’ highly effective work in addressing barriers to attendance, very few pupils are persistently absent.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

The school is a harmonious place because relationships are warm and positive. Pupils are polite and courteous. Staff follow the school’s behaviour policy consistently well and celebrate pupils’ achievements regularly through ‘bravo boards’ in classrooms. Leaders have established a culture in which pupils take responsibility for, and reflect on, their behaviour. This work is well embedded. Leaders put highly effective support in place for pupils who need help to manage their feelings and actions in a calm and safe way. Pupils’ thirst for learning is evident in their high levels of engagement and sustained concentration in lessons.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

When behaviour incidents or bullying occur, leaders act swiftly and effectively. As a result of leaders’ rigorous approach, incidents have reduced significantly over time.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders have developed a highly inclusive ethos. They identify and support pupils facing barriers to their learning and wellbeing swiftly. Leaders ensure that staff receive specific training on how to accurately identify the specific needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Ongoing professional learning enhances staff expertise in meeting pupils’ needs. Staff use ‘pupil passports’ consistently well in order to ensure pupils' needs are routinely met. As a result of this highly effective support, pupils progress well and secure the knowledge they need for their next steps.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders base the systems and support for pupils firmly on high-quality educational research. Rigorous systems are in place to check pupils' progress and ensure that pupils with SEND and disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils fulfil their potential. Leaders ensure pupil premium funding is used carefully to support pupils' achievement and help them take part successfully in school activities.

p.2

Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders work closely with other professionals to ensure pupils receive specialist support if they need it. Staff respond promptly to the expert guidance they receive so that pupils benefit from it. Where pupils' needs change, or new needs emerge, leaders support staff to adapt to these swiftly and effectively. As a result, staff support pupils to overcome the barriers they face consistently well.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders have developed a comprehensive and well-considered personal development programme that responds closely to pupils’ needs. Pupils learn how to make safe and sensible choices. For example, in Year 1, the personal, social, health and economic curriculum teaches pupils what to do if they become lost. Across the school, pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including online. They learn to treat others with respect and cooperate highly effectively with others. They develop an age-appropriate understanding of different types of relationships.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders ensure that pupils benefit from highly effective pastoral care that supports pupils' mental health and wellbeing very well. Pupils have opportunities to take part in activities such as ‘chill and chat’ and ‘knit and natter’, which help them to talk openly about how they feel. Leaders have created a safe and supportive culture where pupils feel comfortable sharing their worries and talking about their emotions. Skilled staff provide timely and effective support for pupils who need help to manage their emotions, and these needs are met well.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils benefit from a wide range of enrichment opportunities. ‘Enrichment passports’ record the creative, cultural and artistic experiences pupils take part in. Pupils take part in drama, music and dance. They perform publicly and this helps to build their confidence. Pupils also enjoy sports such as football, netball and athletics. Leaders ensure that all pupils make the most of these opportunities. Carefully planned trips and visits enhance pupils' learning. For example, pupils speak enthusiastically about how a visit to a Victorian town helped them understand life in Victorian times. Trips to different places of worship help pupils to learn about various faiths and beliefs. This supports them to appreciate diversity and equality.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders ensure that all pupils are fully involved in school life, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The personal development offer is inclusive and makes a significant difference to broadening pupils' horizons. There is something for everyone.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils achieve well and are prepared effectively for their next stages of education. They tend to learn the curriculum securely and generally build the essential knowledge they need in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils who join the school at different points, disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, progress well from their starting points. A well-implemented phonics programme ensures that pupils learn to read effectively. Outcomes in the Year 1 phonics screening check are in line with the national average. Leaders' improvements to the key stage 2 mathematics curriculum support pupils to increase their fluency in number and secure their understanding of mathematical concepts such as scale. Pupils’ outcomes in key stage 2 national tests are broadly in line with the national average. Disadvantaged pupils achieve well, and gaps between their achievement and that of other

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have an accurate overview of the quality of the school’s curriculum. They have designed it well. They have identified the important knowledge that pupils should learn over time in each subject, from the early years onwards. Teaching is typically effective.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders prioritise pupils’ development of the foundational skills of reading, writing and mathematics. They identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge accurately and continue to embed recent changes to strengthen pupils’ transcription skills in writing and reasoning in mathematics. Staff teach early reading effectively, ensuring that pupils develop secure phonics knowledge so they can recognise letters and blend their sounds with increasing fluency to read words. Staff provide targeted support for pupils who need it, enabling them to catch up quickly. However, in a small number of subjects, teachers do not focus consistently on the key knowledge pupils need to learn. Where this happens, pupils’ understanding is not as secure as it should be.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teachers adapt the curriculum and make appropriate adjustments so that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils receive the support they need to learn alongside their peers and achieve well.

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Early years Expected standard

Leaders prioritise the early years. They have designed a well-structured curriculum that enables children to build the knowledge and skills they need to be well prepared for Year 1. Effective teaching supports children to develop their vocabulary from Nursery onwards. For example, staff introduce ambitious words such as ‘enormous’ and encourage children to use this language meaningfully as they learn through their play. Staff plan physical development activities carefully to help children gain confidence and dexterity in handling small objects. Children develop an effective pencil grip, which supports them to form letters accurately in Reception.

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Early years Expected standard

Staff teach phonics effectively. Children use their phonics knowledge to read words and books that are well matched to their stage of learning. When children need additional help to keep up with phonics, staff provide timely and targeted support in small-group sessions.

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Early years Expected standard

Children practise and revisit what they have learned through purposeful play. Typically, staff interact constructively with children to support their learning and identify any gaps in knowledge. When staff spot gaps, they put additional support in place promptly, so children continue to make progress.

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Early years Expected standard

Staff build positive relationships with parents and carers and communicate clearly through regular updates, ‘stay and play’ sessions and workshops.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders energise the school community. They know the school well and identify areas for improvement quickly. They take effective action, which has led to rapid improvements in attendance, behaviour, and aspects of pupils’ personal development and wellbeing. Leaders have developed a highly inclusive ethos that supports all pupils to succeed and thrive, especially pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils. Leaders continue to focus on embedding recent changes and refining areas of the school’s work further, particularly in aspects of the writing and mathematics curriculums.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders place pupils’ needs at the centre of their decision-making. Staff and those responsible for governance share this commitment. Staff reflect that meaningful changes are made in the best interests of pupils and have a positive impact on them.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders provide staff with effective professional learning that supports them to carry out their roles well and develop their work in line with school priorities. Staff who are new to the profession, or the school, receive tailored and timely support.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Governors have an effective overview of the school and understand its strengths and priorities for further improvement. They support and challenge leaders appropriately, using a range of information that leaders provide and that governors scrutinise carefully. Governors take proactive steps to assure themselves that staff wellbeing is managed well. Staff appreciate that leaders prioritise their workload and wellbeing. They feel well supported.

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