Appleton Primary School

Appleton Primary School

Address: Appleton Road, Hull, HU5 4PG Unique reference number (URN): 140229

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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.

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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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Achievement Expected standard

Over time, at the end of key stage 2, pupils have achieved in line with national averages in reading, writing and mathematics tests. Pupils' outcomes in the Year 1 phonics screening check have improved in recent years, leading to above average numbers of pupils achieving national expectations. This reflects the quality of the curriculum and teaching at the school.

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Achievement Expected standard

Across the curriculum, pupils explain their learning and demonstrate their achievement with pride. This is because they make secure progress through the curriculum and make connections from previous learning to current learning. Pupils demonstrate many aspects of their learning in the wider subjects clearly and, at times, with some depth. This prepares pupils well for their next steps.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities achieve well from their starting points. The support they receive, for example, in learning the fundamentals of reading, writing and mathematics, supports pupils well and ensures they can access other areas of the curriculum. Disadvantaged children achieve well overall.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Since the last inspection, leaders have put significant resources into the curriculum. It now identifies key knowledge across all subjects. Leaders have organised this into logical steps that help pupils build their knowledge and skills incrementally. They have ensured that learning is connected across year groups and units of work through the thread of ‘concepts'. These help pupils to typically remember previous learning and apply it to new content.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff participate in training that develops their subject knowledge across a wide range of subjects. This has given most teachers increased confidence to present content and explain information to pupils clearly. Staff generally use key questions effectively to make the teaching focused and more precise. They adapt the curriculum carefully for pupils who are working from lower starting points to enable these pupils to keep up.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

A focus on ensuring that pupils have secured the basics in reading, writing and mathematics ensures that pupils are equipped for later learning. The school’s agreed approach to checking pupils' learning allows teachers to identify any gaps and address them swiftly. Pupils in key stage 1 and children in the early years practise basic skills, including speaking. This means their knowledge is secure before they move on to more complex learning in key stage 2. By the end of key stage 2, pupils demonstrate secure handwriting, spelling and multiplication skills.

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Early years Expected standard

Learning to read is a priority in the early years. At the ‘reading tree’, children re-read stories they have heard and enjoy them with friends. Through phonics lessons, children learn new sounds quickly and apply these when reading words. The curriculum is well sequenced across the areas of learning. Children in the provision for 2-year-olds, enjoy the focus on developing physical skills and coordination. It helps them to prepare for later learning, for example holding a pencil for writing. Language development is at the heart of the curriculum. Staff encourage children to engage with the enticing activities set out for them throughout the setting. They model new vocabulary and language, using signs and symbols to support children's understanding. This ensures that children become increasingly confident with their speaking skills. Leaders carefully track how well children keep up with the curriculum. This means that any gaps in learning are addressed quickly.

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Early years Expected standard

Children are well prepared for Year 1 as a result.

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Early years Expected standard

The early years environment is warm and inviting. There are caring relationships between staff and children. This helps children settle quickly. Parents and carers speak highly of the support they are given to help their children integrate into school life. Positive relationships between staff and parents are evident.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders ensure the school is inclusive, where the needs of pupils are identified accurately and met. Leaders achieve this through a clearly structured approach that enables them to implement the different levels of support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities require. Leaders review the support pupils receive and make changes whenever needed, so that help is effectively matched to pupils’ needs.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Professional learning opportunities for staff ensure they generally understand how to adapt the curriculum in line with pupils' needs and targets. In the early years, leaders' responsive systems ensure children who are new to the school get the support they need as quickly as possible. This includes providing additional help from external specialists, such as speech and language therapy. The provision pupils receive is carefully targeted to remove barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. Leaders track pupils' progress and evaluate how successful the provision is.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders' strategy for the use of additional funding, such as the pupil premium grant for disadvantaged pupils, is purposefully designed. Leaders make astute decisions about how to allocate resources. They understand what support pupils need to ensure they achieve and thrive. As a result, disadvantaged pupils are successful, both academically and socially.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders demonstrate high expectations for pupils' learning and achievement. They have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for future development. They have responded positively to many challenges and ensured that most of the improvements needed have been realised. Although there is still more to do to improve pupils' attendance, leaders have identified ways to more clearly evaluate their actions in this area. Across areas of the school, where leaders have prioritised improvements, their actions have effectively supported pupils to develop academically and socially.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders act in the best interests of pupils. They work hard to ensure that pupils who face barriers to learning and/or wellbeing typically participate in high-quality experiences in their learning and more widely through the school. Governors have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They understand their statutory duties. Governors hold leaders to account and ensure educational outcomes continue to improve. They seek external support, where needed, to ensure that they have the appropriate assurances on the quality of the school and its provision.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff and leaders are reflective professionals. High-quality learning opportunities for staff, particularly in the curriculum, have helped them feel confident in their roles. They also work with other schools to ensure that the provision is right for all pupils at the school. Staff appreciate the support and care leaders provide to help them manage their workloads and wellbeing. As a result, morale in the school is high.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The personal development offer encourages pupils to be reflective and considerate. Pupils learn about a range of other faiths and cultures and use this knowledge to show respect to their peers. Assemblies teach pupils about the differences between people who are protected against discrimination. This helps pupils to understand potential barriers other people face.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders encourage pupils to participate in a wide range of school trips, clubs and additional activities that are woven through the life of the school. For example, pupils take part in local sports competitions and cooking classes. Leaders track participation to ensure all pupils benefit from these activities, including those who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum identifies essential knowledge that pupils need to learn. This includes regular opportunities to learn about strategies to support their mental health and develop healthy lifestyles. Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, speak with ease about their learning from their PSHE lessons. Occasionally, a few pupils are less clear about some aspects of the PSHE curriculum, such as the fundamental British values.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Children in the early years are explicitly taught how to follow instructions, set themselves goals and ask for help when they need it, through the personal, social and emotional development curriculum.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders have planned an effective relationships and health education curriculum. Pupils understand how to maintain healthy relationships. A focus on staying safe, both online and offline, runs through the curriculum from early years to Year 6. This means pupils are very aware of the possible challenges they may face and how to ask for support when needed. Pupils know that staff will always help them with any worries they have.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Over time, too many pupils have not attended school regularly enough. Leaders are making improvements to their attendance strategy to address this. Some of their actions are impacting positively on the attendance of individual pupils. However, leaders do not analyse patterns and trends carefully, or check that their actions are improving the attendance of groups, including vulnerable pupils. This means leaders are unsure whether their actions are working across all groups of pupils. Too many pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils, miss school too often. This is not improving quickly enough.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

A carefully considered and inclusive behaviour policy ensures that pupils demonstrate leaders’ high expectations of conduct in school. Leaders make well-considered adaptations to the policy for pupils with SEND. For example, pupils who require support to manage their social and emotional needs, receive the help they need to regulate their feelings. Staff ensure that they apply the school’s approach to behaviour consistently. Unkind behaviour, such as bullying and discrimination, is not tolerated. Staff follow up any instances where pupils' behaviour does not meet their high expectations with explicit teaching and reminders. This allows learning in classrooms to flow without disruption.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils thrive at Appleton Primary School. They show kindness and compassion towards one another. They move sensibly through the school, are well mannered and greet staff warmly. Bullying is rare. As a result, pupils feel safe.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils enjoy the activities provided for them during social times. A wide range of games, including structured play, enable pupils to cooperate harmoniously during breaktimes and lunchtimes. Pupils enjoy building structures, role playing their favourite games and participating in a range of sports.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils engage in a wide range of activities throughout the curriculum. They learn about the different types of bullying during anti-bullying week and about different religions so that they develop tolerance for others. Pupils benefit from a wide range of visits and clubs the school offers. Leaders have built positive relationships with the local sports clubs so that pupils learn from professional sportspeople.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils’ attendance, including that of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils, is too low and has not improved rapidly enough. This means many pupils miss out on the important learning and wider experiences that leaders provide for them. There are some signs of improvement, but these are at an early stage.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Overall, pupils are successful in their learning. Improvements to the curriculum ensure that pupils achieve well across many subjects. Teachers deliver the curriculum carefully and check what pupils know and understand. Pupils develop core skills in reading, writing and

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Team inspectors:

Rebecca Clayton, Ofsted Inspector Dimitris Spiliotis, Ofsted Inspector mathematics. This includes the early years, where children secure their knowledge of the basics in reading, writing and mathematics before moving into Year 1. A focus on communication and language across the school supports pupils to learn and use new vocabulary. For pupils with lower starting points, adaptations to the curriculum ensure that their barriers to learning are reduced.

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Next steps

Leaders must ensure that strategies to improve pupils’ attendance lead to rapid reductions in absence, including persistent absence, for all pupil groups. Leaders must ensure that pupils develop deep and sustained knowledge across the personal development programme, including the fundamental British values.

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About this inspection

This school is part of The Constellation Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Dr Cathy Taylor, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Neil Porteous.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with senior leaders including the headteacher, assistant headteacher and special educational needs coordinator during the inspection. Inspectors also talked to the chief executive officer, primary executive leader, members of the trustee board and other trust central team leaders.

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About this inspection

Inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years. National average: 26.3%

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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average

2024/25 (revised) 67% 62% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 61% 61% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 64% 60% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2024/25 (revised) 79% 75% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 70% 74% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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average

2024/25 (revised) 71% 72% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 67% 72% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

2024/25 (revised) 71% 74% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 76% 73% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 76% 73% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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average

2024/25 (revised) 57% 47% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 56% 46% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 50% 44% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2024/25 (revised) 71% 63% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 72% 62% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

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average

2024/25 (revised) 64% 59% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 64% 58% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

2024/25 (revised) 64% 61% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 60% 59% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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